RTZ 50 LH transmission trouble.

[mike17921]

I have a Cub zero turn 50in mower with 156 hours on it. After about 20 minutes the LH transmission would stop working. After it cooled down for about 15 minutes it would work again. I got the mower used and didn't know if the transmission oil was ever changed. Since this model doesn't have any filters on the transmission and no drain plug I had to pump the old oil out. I bought a small hand pump at Harbor Freight for about 6 bucks. I removed the overflow tube that runs from the oil reservoir to the transmission. Be careful not to get any dirt into the tranny. Slip the small hose down the inside of the tranny and pump. It takes about a half hour to pump out each side. Should be about a quart. Then I replaced the oil with Castrol 20W50 motor oil. Fill the tranny and purge the system to remove any air. There is a good video on you tube showing how to purge the air out. So far the mower has been running without any problems.

 

[warment]

My RZT54 started acting up between 150 and 200 hrs. I have dual hydros on mine and each hydro has a filter. I found that the oil filter covers on mine were packed with dirt and the fluid was pretty dirty. After a fluid and filter change, the mower performs like new again. The only problem I had during my refill was that I stripped the fill hole plug head on my left hydro and could not get it out to fill and bleed easily. I just kept topping off the reservoir and moving the handles with the rear tired elevated. I eventually got all of the air out.