The Craftsman DYT4000 mower will resurrect from the free?

jkk04 · Feb 8, 2022

Acquired this Craftsman riding mower DYT4000 from local craigslist for a free...

A Couple tires were flat and had no starter ignition coil and battery.

At Least it runs now hahaha...

It was good experiment and fun

I really like to discuss this project with members here.
Jkk

bmaverick · Feb 8, 2022

Owned one for 12 years. It's been retired from the mower deck because of the design flaw of the arm to raise and lower the deck.

The Briggs 18Hp engine needs lots of TLC. In time, it will blow. I had replaced it with a Kohler M18 Magnum.

The Peerless 2000 trans when flushed with diesel, and refilled with Mopar ATF+4 (synthetic) will be an amazingly performance speed increase. When getting the junk out of it, don't be shocked how much gunk comes out.

The deck spindles are pricey. And the belt retention bracket will rust and fall off. It's just too thin.

The solenoid tends to die ever 3 or 4 years of use. And the PTO engagement push/pull switch lasts a decade.

This model was made by Husqvarna. Parts are getting a tad hard to find as Husqvarna is working on exiting the gas powered riding mower business.

Hope this gives you some insight on how FREE could be a challenge.

jkk04 · Feb 9, 2022

bmaverick said:
Owned one for 12 years. It's been retired from the mower deck because of the design flaw of the arm to raise and lower the deck.

The Briggs 18Hp engine needs lots of TLC. In time, it will blow. I had replaced it with a Kohler M18 Magnum.

The Peerless 2000 trans when flushed with diesel, and refilled with Mopar ATF+4 (synthetic) will be an amazingly performance speed increase. When getting the junk out of it, don't be shocked how much gunk comes out.

The deck spindles are pricey. And the belt retention bracket will rust and fall off. It's just too thin.

The solenoid tends to die ever 3 or 4 years of use. And the PTO engagement push/pull switch lasts a decade.

This model was made by Husqvarna. Parts are getting a tad hard to find as Husqvarna is working on exiting the gas powered riding mower business.

Hope this gives you some insight on how FREE could be a challenge.

I don't see any drain or fill plugs on the transmission.

I assumed you removed the transmission and split for flushing.

If so, it would take quite a while that I never done in the past

Thank you for in putting
Jkk

tomplum · Feb 9, 2022

Yours is a little Hydro Gear. If it works for you, I'd leave it. If you wish to change the fluid, it's best to pull it and clean it up. You won't need to split it though. Have fun with your project!

bmaverick · Feb 9, 2022

jkk04 said:
I don't see any drain or fill plugs on the transmission.

I assumed you removed the transmission and split for flushing.

If so, it would take quite a while that I never done in the past

Thank you for in putting
Jkk
View attachment 732856

You will have to take the entire hydro off, place it on 2 saw-horses, take the pulley off, and in that area it's either a drain plug or fitting or it's the entire pulley shaft. There is a YT vid that is a decade old going thru the process. The guy showing it could of made the vid in 1/2 the time and his foul mouth cursing is a bit to endure. BUT, it's informative to know how to do the job.

gstrom99 · Feb 12, 2022

Sometimes (often?), FREE is not worth the price.

Fixing something up for the fun of it / challenge, can be.

Been there, done that...

jkk04 · Feb 13, 2022

gstrom99 said:
Sometimes (often?), FREE is not worth the price.

Fixing something up for the fun of it / challenge, can be.

Been there, done that...

Yes it is

but achieved something that someone couldn't repair but me.
That is the reason sometimes I am looking for a free riding mower or something.

Thank you for your input.
JKK

bmaverick · Feb 13, 2022

jkk04 said:
Yes it is
but achieved something that someone couldn't repair but me.
That is the reason sometimes I am looking for a free riding mower or something.
Thank you for your input.
JKK

If you are good at welding and sandblasting to repaint, I bet that mower will turn out like now.

In the short of things, getting it all working could pay off to re-sell. Riding mowers are now super high in price, and fewer are being offered because of Zero-Turns. But those ZTs can't really pull a garden cart nor move a large 12x8 trailer around like I did with my DYT4000.

So, now that you have it, plan on the final use or selling point.

Either way, getting thru it has some unique rewards.