Transmission upgrade for X300?

[jenkinsph]

maniek,
Good job on the cooling system, it would seem the extra fluid needed for your system would be advantageous too. Worth a bookmark and further thought for sure. I really like the 300R if the transmission would hold up. Keep us posted.

 

[maniek]

maniek,
Good job on the cooling system, it would seem the extra fluid needed for your system would be advantageous too. Worth a bookmark and further thought for sure. I really like the 300R if the transmission would hold up. Keep us posted.[/QUOte

more oil definitly helps..did 4 hour run today as transmission hac about 40 degrees celcius..now my x300r works perfect

did another movie today..

John Deere x300r DIY k46 transmission cooling - YouTube

 

[JoneJen]

I had the same problem with a 6 year old John Deere X300R with less than 80 hours on it. The dealer said, too bad. And $1255 to replace your transmission, which cannot be serviced. I took it to a local father-son Cub Cadet dealer (Lewis Farm Equipment in Warren, Maine in case you're in driving distance of them!) who replaced the cap on the transmission reservoir and charged me $133 for the labor required to get to the cap. It works fine now. Obviously, this is a problem with these transmissions. I'm posting only to let other people know that you don't need a new transmission if you can find someone to replace the leaky cap or find the cap and replace it yourself. I still can't believe the dealer refused to acknowledge there was another solution than a $1255 transmission replacement. I am, of course, done with John Deere.

 

[js5020]

There is another solution, but the dealer isn't going to implement it as it would cost you as much or more rebuilt by the dealer than just replacing the axle and the dealer is on the hook for warranty, with a new one you likely get some sort of warranty from the axle manufacturer, dealer is free and clear and keeps getting paid for their time. Dealerships want to make money, they have to make money to keep the doors open and any well run outfit is going to do the most they can to insulate themselves from possible internal warranty jobs.

As far as "done with JD" no manufacturer is going to warranty any 6 yr old machine. Look around practically every manufacturer uses the K46 in their line so its not just JD, many axles fail but most folk buy the price so we have a lot of K46s out there, many of these machines are also underspeced or overused by the purchaser and it compounds the "problem", again not just JD. I also have an X300R it now has 220 hrs or so and no axle issues but the machine is a dedicated mower for a fairly flat property, yes I toss the 10cuft trailer on the back and haul mulch or yard debris around but nothing that would overtax the axle.

 

[JoneJen]

When I have paid a lot of money ($4K to be exact) for a machine and kept it garaged and serviced and used it only for its intended purpose (mowing), I expect it to last. Instead of telling me I needed a new transmission to the tune of $1255, the dealer could have replaced the hard-to-get-at reservoir cap (like Lewis Farm Equipment did) and charged me $80/hour labor to get to it (which Lewis Farm Equipment certainly did not). I doubt fixing my machine would have cost the local John Deere dealer money. I am done with any company that does not make a product that lasts and then is willing to rip you off when it fails - that includes John Deere.

 

[JoeinNoVA]

I had the same problem with a 6 year old John Deere X300R with less than 80 hours on it. The dealer said, too bad. And $1255 to replace your transmission, which cannot be serviced. I took it to a local father-son Cub Cadet dealer (Lewis Farm Equipment in Warren, Maine in case you're in driving distance of them!) who replaced the cap on the transmission reservoir and charged me $133 for the labor required to get to the cap. It works fine now. Obviously, this is a problem with these transmissions. I'm posting only to let other people know that you don't need a new transmission if you can find someone to replace the leaky cap or find the cap and replace it yourself. I still can't believe the dealer refused to acknowledge there was another solution than a $1255 transmission replacement. I am, of course, done with John Deere.

I'm confused what reservoir cap is there? I thought these were sealed and unserviceable transmissions.

 

[js5020]

They are not sealed and can be serviced, and rebuilt, you just need to remove the transaxle and tip it upside down to change oil. The reservoir cap for the axle can be accessed on my X300R without tools by taking out the discharge chute.

 

[JoeinNoVA]

They are not sealed and can be serviced, and rebuilt, you just need to remove the transaxle and tip it upside down to change oil. The reservoir cap for the axle can be accessed on my X300R without tools by taking out the discharge chute.

Thanks. What is confusing me was this statement:

...who replaced the cap on the transmission reservoir and charged me $133 for the labor required to get to the cap. It works fine now. Obviously, this is a problem with these transmissions. I'm posting only to let other people know that you don't need a new transmission if you can find someone to replace the leaky cap or find the cap and replace it yourself.

 

[jenkinsph]

Thanks. What is confusing me was this statement:

You should be confused as this is not a cure all for the K46 transmissions. There is a lot more to the transmissions problems than the cap. Wish it was this simple.

 

[Markcuda]

When I bought my first X300 series Deere,(2010) the X300 was big enough for my yard, but, I
specifically passed over it and went with the X360, because of the rear end.