TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures

[Dapped]

Re: TuffTorq K46 / John Deere L110 Transmission Repair Guide with Pictures

I've read where others have gone up to 800 Wet but most do 400 wet.

I have also read that too fine is not the best as it then will not hold a layer of oil between the two surfaces and can in cause it to re-score in no time.

I chose 320 because that was easy to find. Also note that I used one piece of paper for all surfaces so towards the end the 320 was worn down and super fine. I then went through all surfaces so they all had a shot with the worn paper.


Regards
Don

 

[MikeEast]

Hey Y'all! I've read all 68-so-far pages here and thouroughly enjoyed the expertise of some folks here, L.O.G.G, you are the MAN for the work I see here.

I picked up an L130 a couple years ago, cheap at the pawn shop and soon discovered the 'why-it-was-there-so-cheap' reason. I somehow missed this place in my searches and decided to park it rather than spend the bucks to 'fix' it. Now the trans is on the bench and I know what I need to do and order. Thanks Guys, much appreciated.

Some pics - it's an L130, haven't a clue on the age, K46 s/n is 46AC0129722.

I kind of question this, it's WAY higher than I've EVER seen (except the JD265 I had upo north for a bunch of years)


The oil was suprisingly honey colored at first, but it got nasty black quickly, with a far number of specks showing. I'll strain it later to see better.
The magnets were pretty nasty, looks like they really are useful.

I can see the wear patterns on the gear faces but overall everything is suprisingly fairly evenly worn looking, nothing broken. Fair bit of wear on the spider gear faces, but I'm going to shim that some, there really is an unacceptable amount of play in that whole area. Still amazed at the overall 'niceness' of the insides given the hours.



You can see one magnet there, and it looks like the filter worked ok - nice little reflections all through it.

Off to tufftorq.com, I'll update with results in a week or so, it's Georgia, it's winter and this isn't priority yet.

Mike

 

[Dapped]

My 130 says over 4000 hours..reason for this was the previous owner had a screwed up ignition switch. It was always in the "Run" position and that's when the meter starts ticking...as long as the battery was hooked up, it was recording time. He started it by jumping it at the starter with a pair of pliers, he shut it off with the choke.

Looks like you have the powder gears. I would recommend changing them for 24 bucks to the new steel gears. New filter 10.50 Lap the surfaces one piece 79 cents 320 grit paper. Silver silicone from tuff torq for 12.50 and 19.50 ups ground frieght. Total 54.79 and you should be ready to go. PS. For 10.50 I ordered a spare filter for the next time

Watch out for the tiny pin that goes into the center case... this pin is activated by the bypass shaft. If you move the bypass lever is and out, you will see the motor housing pull away from the center case, this lets the oil bypass on the motor when moving the tractor by hand. When you re-assemble check the operation before you button it all up. PS. When you install the center case, make sure the bypass shaft is in the regular position and not in bypass mode or you can screw things up bad.. PSS. lightly tap the center case back in with a rubber mallet.

Good luck to you.
Regards
Don

 

[MikeEast]

I've put the pictures I have here and that's where anything new will go as well...

Mike

 

[MikeEast]

Dapped: Thanks for the info, and another member mentioned using a dab of grease to hold it - something I thought of when I first heard of the pin. A teeny little bit won't hurt a bit and will give great piece of mind.

I kind of lean towards these hours being fairly real, based on tire wear more than anything. All 4 show the same dry rot indications so they should be a set, and the fronts are darn near bald.

I had a JD 265 when I lived in Upstate NY that I bought new, with a snowblower too, and when I gave it away when moving south it had 2300+ hours, but that took 15 or more years. I did about 1.5 acres of my own, another one across the street and a little teeny one next door, plus snowblowing about 100' to the turnaround and then the 3 car garage. I beat the heck out of that machine, and maintained it well. A screw came off the butterfly and ended up breaking a connecting rod.
Took the guy I gave it to a loing time to find the right parts, I think the piston was chevrolet and the conn rod from a harley. He's still using it, at least 10 years later.

Mike

 

[clev]

I wouldn't have minded #666; it's the last 3 of my zip code and twice my street address of 333; seriously, it's true. Anyway, I've had some really bad luck with this axle. Previously, I posted tearing mine down, inspecting, reassembly, and new oil; couldn't find anything wrong, but it still wouldn't work. I contacted Husqvarna and was told to take it to an authorized service center and if they could find premature failure at 92 hours of use, due to no fault of my own, they would consider replacing it under warranty. I took it to a local service center and explained the situation, tear down, examine, and the contact with Husqvarna with my claim number. I called them once a week for 3 weeks before they finally told me that the transaxle was shot and husqvarna would not warranty it. They wanted $700 for the axle plus labor and I refused. Why put a thousand dollars in a tractor that I only paid $2000 for. When I got down there, I wanted to know exactly what was wrong with the transaxle and found out that they had never disassembled it; they had only driven it, determined it was out, called husqvarna, and told them they had an out of warranty tractor that needed a new transaxle; would they cover it, and they had said no. When I asked why they had not followed my directions about the tear down, I was told that no one in the shop was qualified to disassemble it. Can you believe that crap???? And because they could not intelligently tell Husqvarna what was wrong and that it was premature and not my fault, the claim was denied. Now, for the icing on the cake; they 'did me a favor' and only charged me a half hour labor of $32 for driving the tractor a few minutes to determine that the transaxle wasn't working; their minimum bill is one hour labor. I was angry but had no choice but to pay it or not take my tractor. Anyway, Husqvarna had the axle for $573, TuffTorq had it for $478, but then I found it at SearsPartsDirect for $394. There was one number different in the part number, mine ends in '90' theirs ends in '91' but both are K46AW. Sears Rep said the 91 was just a newer part. Anyway ordered it, installed it, and it's **** up as well. I managed to cut a little grass, but the trans is slow and slipping, and had to be goosed 3 - 4 times to climb the slight inclined ramp into my garage. Sears agreed to replace it and it's due in today. I'm on the verge of driving/pushing this POS into the field, dumping gas on it, and having a bonfire!

Sears replaced the transaxle within a couple of weeks of my last post, but due to being a little sick and a little distracted, I haven't been able to install it until now. My sister and b i l are visiting this week, we installed the new axle yesterday, and it's not working either. Thinking that it must be the drive belt, I replaced it, and it made no difference. It's just like the others, low power, and it has to be goosed to climb the ramp into my garage. I've followed the purge procedure and everything appears to be hooked up correctly. Does anyone have any ideas as to why I'm having so much trouble with these axles?

 

[RBLapham]

Can you see the fan turning when trying to move - belt slipping the fan will not turn. Spray some paint on part of the fan, belt and axles to see there movement easier.
Are the axle keyway pins good or worn? wheels may be slipping, not trans?

 

[Dapped]

I'm not the pro here by any means but I think you should check the following:

1.) Correct Engine RPM at full throttle.

2.) Check forward pedal travel at the transaxel, be sure it is actually getting full forward to transaxle, you could be maxed out on your pedal it self but may be more that the travel lever on axle could go.

3.) Be sure the brake linkage has not been bent as it could cause internal brake to activate.

4.) Make sure front tires will spin freely

Good Luck,
Keep us informed of your progress.

 

[robert stone]

what is the fulcrum for

 

[Turbo Doctor]

Getting ready to perform the K46 to K57 upgrade in the next few weeks. Also, I have a really simple and neat oil cooler setup and I will post part numbers, prices, and pics. Stay tuned!