Mowing Transmission problem

[OhioGuy]

OK,

This is yet another disappointmet in a 5252 I bought in 2006, I'm guessing this is the death knoll for this tractor.

I'm trying to get some mowing done and I hear a transmision whine and then no drive.
I'm guessing it's the dreaded 5000 series tranny fail. I can see the driveshaft spinning to the tranny, it whines when I depress forward, but no motion, anything I should look for?

Curt

 

[scoutcub]

Curt -

Very sorry to hear that. I've owned several 5000 series and currently have a 5234 I've had great luck with thus far....but I've also heard/read the ugly stories.

Have you looked underneath to insure it's not a broken driveline?
One other thing to check, I've had something similar to this happen. Check the linkage on the Hi/Lo shifter, I've seen it stuck out of a range, pin was bent or fell out, won't quite engage. And whined when you tried to move it.

If not, I've heard it's not to bad once you get into the tranny, but time consuming to get there. A full days job.

Good luck and keep us apprised!

 

[scoutcub]

Curt -

Any news?

 

[OhioGuy]

Hey Scoutcub,

I called Sterling Tractor to come pick it up, it's been a week, they told me they were really backed up. I did go through some of the troubleshooting but gave it up when I needed to assemble some test gauges, I just don't have the time right now.

The driveshaft was spinning to the transmission, the hi low shifter appeared to lock/unlock the rearend, I'll post when I hear something.

When they came to pick it up, they already had a 5252 on the truck, I asked what the problem was with that one, he told me the PTO failed.

It occurred to me today part of the repair will be draining and replacing the System Fluid Plus, Ouch. I'm going to call tomorrow and see what's up.

I've been scouring Craigslist, just in case I get really bad news. I'm finding a lot to look at, Tanks, 3000 series, Scags, walk behinds. So in the meantime, the 1872 is getting a workout.

Thanks for asking.
Curt

 

[scoutcub]

Hey Scoutcub,

I called Sterling Tractor to come pick it up, it's been a week, they told me they were really backed up. I did go through some of the troubleshooting but gave it up when I needed to assemble some test gauges, I just don't have the time right now.

The driveshaft was spinning to the transmission, the hi low shifter appeared to lock/unlock the rearend, I'll post when I hear something.

When they came to pick it up, they already had a 5252 on the truck, I asked what the problem was with that one, he told me the PTO failed.

It occurred to me today part of the repair will be draining and replacing the System Fluid Plus, Ouch. I'm going to call tomorrow and see what's up.

I've been scouring Craigslist, just in case I get really bad news. I'm finding a lot to look at, Tanks, 3000 series, Scags, walk behinds. So in the meantime, the 1872 is getting a workout.

Thanks for asking.
Curt

Curt -

Well, hope it's good news. Do you have a lot of acreage to mow?
I keep debating whether or not to sell my big tank. I really don't want to sell it, but it doesn't do well on my severe slopes. I will be able to use it in a few years when I build, but why should I keep it sitting around......
Of course, I'm also debating selling my 5234 and 6284.....:confused2:

Let us know how it turns out......

Frank

 

[jnelson]

Of course the worst part is in not knowing. At this time you can only hope for the best while anticipating the worst - not fun, I'm sure. Hopefully the dealer can get you some word soon so that at least you will know where you stand. I figure that your chances of a happy outcome are still far better than playing the lottery.

I'll light a candle for your tractor and ask that others do the same. :thumbsup:

JN

 

[MrHiggins]

My 5234D trans failed at 400hrs. It cost $2,500 to get it rebuilt. You can buy a new trans for about $1,000. but I didn't know that at the time. The Fluid Plus price is a killer. There has been a lot of discussion before about using Mobile 1 instead of Fluid Plus. That is what I will use in the future when I have to drain it. I'm really down on Cub, I would never buy anything they make after trouble, after trouble with the 5234D. It has been in the shop 6 times in 5 years and I've fixed 4 major problems myself.
Good Luck

 

[scoutcub]

My 5234D trans failed at 400hrs. It cost $2,500 to get it rebuilt. You can buy a new trans for about $1,000. but I didn't know that at the time. The Fluid Plus price is a killer. There has been a lot of discussion before about using Mobile 1 instead of Fluid Plus. That is what I will use in the future when I have to drain it. I'm really down on Cub, I would never buy anything they make after trouble, after trouble with the 5234D. It has been in the shop 6 times in 5 years and I've fixed 4 major problems myself.
Good Luck

Where can you get the tranny for 1,000?

 

[jnelson]

If a new hydro unit is available for around $1,000 that would make it basically an R & R operation and just about impossible to justify anything more than the simplest repair to the old unit. Could that price be for a rebuilt unit exchange? While $1,000 for a new unit sounds remarkably cheap it sure would be great news to Cub owners that encounter a hydro failure so I hope MrHiggins comes through with a source.

I think one of the challenges that Cub dealers face is a lack of available service knowledge on these larger hydro units. Though I believe that the model of hydro is different from my model 6284 to the 5000 series I think that they are both manufactured by Sundstrand. I do know that I have never been able to find a Cub shop manual for the hydro in my 6284 (I have not needed it but I like to be prepared). I think this problem extends to issues with the parts supply chain also.

My point is that once the tractor is outside of the manufacturers warranty perhaps it is best to work with a company that really knows hydros and specializes in repairing them. I did a quick Google search and found this place ttp://www.hydrostatic-transmission.com/. I am not endorsing and have no experience with them but they do list Sundstrand under brands they service. From the search I see there are many other companies as well. While I don't know that a company like that would be cheaper than the Cub dealer I do think they would have more knowledge and experience working with hydros in general which might be a good thing.

JN

 

[MrHiggins]

Where can you get the tranny for 1,000?

If a new hydro unit is available for around $1,000 that would make it basically an R & R operation and just about impossible to justify anything more than the simplest repair to the old unit. Could that price be for a rebuilt unit exchange? While $1,000 for a new unit sounds remarkably cheap it sure would be great news to Cub owners that encounter a hydro failure so I hope MrHiggins comes through with a source.
JN

The source for the transmission is m-and-d.com The 5234DE uses the Hydro-gear BDU-21L-400. The price is actually $815.46 plus shipping. As far as I know it is a new one. I really haven't checked into it, just saw it while looking at other things, since mine is running at the moment, don't know for how long....
If anyone has a similar tractor be sure to check your Hydrolic line routing near the 3-point lift and 4-wheel engagement levers. The lever rubbed the line until it wore a hole in it, on the back side of the line so you can't see it, you have to feel for it, and I lost most of my fluid while roto-tilling. I re-routed it to clear the levers when I replaced it. Two years later the trans failed. That may have contributed to the failure....??

 

[jnelson]

Thanks for that clarification. From your information I was wrong about the 5000 series using the Sundstrand hydro. Apparently that change was one of the steps Cub took to beef up the 6284 over its predecessor. While the price you mentioned for the 5234 hydro isn't chump change, it is low enough that I suspect it makes far more sense than dropping a lot of money into rebuilding the old unit.

JN

 

[OhioGuy]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the banter and info on M and D, looks like a good option if I get really bad news.
I'll do some followup this weekend, if I get some time.

No word from the shop yet.

Curt

 

[OhioGuy]

Curt -

Well, hope it's good news. Do you have a lot of acreage to mow?
I keep debating whether or not to sell my big tank. I really don't want to sell it, but it doesn't do well on my severe slopes. I will be able to use it in a few years when I build, but why should I keep it sitting around......
Of course, I'm also debating selling my 5234 and 6284.....:confused2:

Let us know how it turns out......

Frank

Well, the bad news from Sterling was $1000 to $3000 depending on the failure. The $1000 was for a charge pump replacement but I don't think didn't included labor. The $3000 figure was for the hydro rebuild with labor, they will be bringing it back tomorrow. He told me about the $3000 likely scenario first and I just sort of tuned out to further info. I may just list it as is on Craigslist, what would anybody guess is a good asking price? It's a 25HP Kohler Command with 350hrs, and the deck would be of value to someone?

The good news, I found a 97 2284 with 570 hours, a 551 snowblower and 54" blade for 3k.
The tractor has many well thought out design features, building on the SGT series, time will tell, but my backup, a 1986 1872 is about to turn 1000 hours and still runs strong.

I may investigate the M & D option, I don't need to rush to a decision now.

Frank, I'm mowing about 2.5 acres with the Cub Cadet and two additional acres with a 6' Landpride. How big is your Tank, I found some really good deals on a couple of 48's but I really like a 60" deck, it suits my flat property well and really help getting under pines and trimming close to stuff. My BIL claims his turfs on the inside wheel whenever he reverses, have you had that experience?

Anyway, thanks for the opinions and information.

Here's a couple of pictures of the 2284.

Curt

 

[scoutcub]

Well, the bad news from Sterling was $1000 to $3000 depending on the failure. The $1000 was for a charge pump replacement but I don't think didn't included labor. The $3000 figure was for the hydro rebuild with labor, they will be bringing it back tomorrow. He told me about the $3000 likely scenario first and I just sort of tuned out to further info. I may just list it as is on Craigslist, what would anybody guess is a good asking price? It's a 25HP Kohler Command with 350hrs, and the deck would be of value to someone?

The good news, I found a 97 2284 with 570 hours, a 551 snowblower and 54" blade for 3k.
The tractor has many well thought out design features, building on the SGT series, time will tell, but my backup, a 1986 1872 is about to turn 1000 hours and still runs strong.

I may investigate the M & D option, I don't need to rush to a decision now.

Frank, I'm mowing about 2.5 acres with the Cub Cadet and two additional acres with a 6' Landpride. How big is your Tank, I found some really good deals on a couple of 48's but I really like a 60" deck, it suits my flat property well and really help getting under pines and trimming close to stuff. My BIL claims his turfs on the inside wheel whenever he reverses, have you had that experience?

Anyway, thanks for the opinions and information.

Here's a couple of pictures of the 2284.

Curt

Curt -

Sorry for the bad news. Difficult decision what to do.

I've recently seen a 5234 on CL for around 4-5K....fairly reasonable. But.....of course......

My tank is a M-72, 72" deck with a 29 HP CAT diesel. I JUST listed it on Ebay, still really dont want to sell it.....but again....
The property I'm on is very steep in places, and not suited for a zero turn. Turning on slopes, and/or backing up will definitely tear up some grass. If you look on Ebay you can see the grass on my tires, I just mowed my lawn. The pictures don't do the slope any justice, it's really steep.

Very funny on the 2284, I'm looking for one for my FIL, I bought him a 2165 years ago, and he's just worn it out, mowing in the woods. That deal sounds great, with a blower/blade. 3K is out of my league for a present though!

If you do end up selling, I am looking for a 60" deck for my 6284.....if you want to separate.

good luck!

 

[OhioGuy]

Frank,

Nice Tank!

I sent you a PM.
Curt

 

[OhioGuy]

Well, I sold the 5252 today to a local guy who wants to upgrade to a bigger mower.
He did his own research regarding the hydro repair, I'm sure he'll get it going again.

I steered him to this link for the M&D reference and gave him all the info I could to help him with the repair.

I'm pretty happy with the 2284, I'm hoping the 551 snowblower is an easier mount than the 451 I used on the 1872.

Curt

 

[scoutcub]

Curt -

Congrats on sellin the 52!
I think you'll like the 2284 & the 551......I had a 1782 and a 551, the supers are great machines.

Frank

 

[jakell2010]

Traded mine in on a 2920 after rebuilding back in February,,, Greene County Power Equip did it for $1400 including fluids,,,,,,nice guy,,,, says they've got these downtown a science now...lol

 

[MrHiggins]

Well, here it is 2020 and wanted to post an update on my Cub 5234D. The Hydro-Gear BDU-21L-400 went out again last fall. I decided I would order a new transmission, they are no longer available. I checked every source I could find, no one has them. It is still listed on the Cub Cadet site at $1,800, twice the price it was listed at other sites but I doubt it is available even there. It was still listed at most of the other sites but when contacted they said it was N/A. I will pull it when it gets a little warmer out and see if I can find parts to repair it. If not, I guess I have a $12,000 paper-weight.