Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I have a Craftsman 19hp Twin Turbo lawn tractor with hydrostatic transmission. Recently, the tractor does not go up hills or at any incline like it used to. When the tractor first starts, it seems to be OK. Then, as it heats up, a high pitched whine emanates from the tractor when I attempt to go uphill. I changed the front motion drive belt, but this had no effect. Sears will charge me $96 just to look at it, and if it is the transaxle, it would probably be better if I bought a new tractor?? Looking for advice...it is a sealed unit, but is it missing some fluid? Thanks for any help.

I read the reply by MrFixAll and am intrigued.  Mine is a 19.5 HP Craftsman with the hydro-static transaxle.  Problem is slippage mostly after it warms up. 

I had the Sears repair man out and he said there is no tension adjustment for the belt, which I thought was odd, but he's the pro, right?  Is that correct - no tension adjustment?

Sears and other shops all say the transaxle cannot be serviced.  Approx. 10 years old.  Does the fluid deteriorate?  There is no drain, there is not really a fill hole either, but rather what would appear to be a vent.  If I drilled the case and replaced the fluid, what precautions would I have to take to get the air out of the system?  Would I fill it from the bottom or from that vent-like gizmo on the top?

Another similar complaint. I have a DLT2000 Sears lawn tractor with 20 hp Khoeler, 48 in deck purchased in 2001 with 175 hrs on the machine. I mow approximately 2.5 acres, with half of that on a slight incline (10ft drop over 100 ft). Transmission is going out after 30 mins after starting cold. After complaining to Sears the best I could get from them is 10% off the cost of a new transaxle ($400) and free installation. The mechanic who came out to my property stated that I should be using a Garden Tractor vs a lawn tractor. The weak link on my tractor is the tranny. Its a sealed unit and I get the same response that it is unserviceable. It doesnt appear to leak and runs fine until it warms up then moves slower than a slug. I like the idea of drilling/draining/and replacing the fluid as I think this could work. I dont understand why they would design a tractor such as this w/o a transaxle resevoir and the ability to change out the oil. Also the technician stated that unless Im mowing flat areas, I should have been directed to a Garden tracor series, so Im a littled miffed as to why the salesman didnt say the same initially. Now what can I do with the old tranny?

If I could get a new tranny for $400 I probably would.  Mine is a little smaller than yours, and they said it would cost $800+ just for the part.  Wonder if yours would fit mine?

Does anyone know a place that sells hydro trannys that will fit Craftsman mowers and that doesn't have Sears' pricetag?

mackernanr did you try online places? If you google hydro-gear you should get a few. Not sure if they will be cheaper but worth a try. I cant believe $800! for a transaxle! How much did the tractor cost initially? I did peruse ebay before buying from Sears. Had they not offered a percent off and free installation/labor, I would have gone ebay. There is a seller named sel_lo out of Georgia that sells a lot of Sears transaxles. I cant vouch for him but his feedback looks pretty good and his prices are good. Here is a link of one of his auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CRAFTSMAN-42-RIDING-LAWN-MOWER-HYDRO-TRANSAXLE-171613_W0QQitemZ230002173739QQihZ013QQcategoryZ82238QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just make sure it is the right part number before agreeing to buy. Ithink he gives the hydro-gear part number in the description. If you cant find an exact match you might try hitting the button 'ask seller a question' and see what he has.

mackrnanr do you have a transaxle part number? Try this link:

http://www.m-and-d.com/Hydro-Gear_parts.html

When you enter your part number you will get the option of purchasing an AYP/Sears part or a Hydro-Gear part. I called and talked to a rep and he told me the parts are identical just who you are purchasing from. If you urchase direct from Hydro-Gear you get a considerable break on the price. For example mine drops from $587.07 to $440.80. He said AYP marks up their parts considerably and by purchasing directly from the manufacturer you can get a discount. Try it out and let us know how the price differs from Sears.

i have a sears DLT2000 lawn tractor...also getting a transmission issue as of last week

serviceability does not sound nice if that transaxle is sealed...will be very interested how you make out on that web site

sited as a source for alternate part

this tranny issue seems to be thermal...i let the tractor cool down it will move but when heats up..........it locks up and even using the

release lever on the rear of tractor to try and move...won't release ....tractor is locked...so sounds like fluid somewhere

other ideas also welcome

thx! for everyone's help!!

If your hydrostatic transmission is locking up, it's possible that the brake system is malfunctioning when the pedal is pushed.  My Sear DLT 3000 was completely immobile.  It would not even roll when the transmission disengage lever was set.  With the motor running, it would make a ratcheting sound and drag the motor when trying to move forward or back.  I found that the brake lever on the tranny was sticking when the pedal was pressed.  This lever is meant to immobilize the mower as a safety precaution.

Here's a bit more detail:  When the brake pedal is pressed, which you must do to start the machine, a rod is activated that moves a small lever on the right side of the transmission.  This lever was sticking on mine. Even when I reached under & manually released the lever, it stuck again as soon as I pressed the pedal to start. I just cleared a little debri from around the lever and it worked fine. I'll take a little more time now to clean and lubricate the lever.

BTW, I found this fix on another forum and wanted to spread it around in case it is of help.

I have a 11 HP Toro w/hydrostatic tansmissiont has a tranny issue and was wondering if anyone could help id the problem.  The problem is that the the mower jerks or bucks while driving in gear.  I don't think it's the brake grabbing as it makes a snapping noise when it happens.  The tranny is a sealed unit.  Could it be the transaxle? or is it one unit?  Thanks!

hello all, need help also..

i have 3 yr old craftsman riding mower hydrostatic transaxle.

its lt1000,17.5 hp...

when it is in forward postion i hear a snapping or clicking noise coming from transaxle.

it also slips going up a grade...

in reverse it is fine, no noise or slipping only in forward.

anyone know what is causing this in the teansaxle and how you repaired it?

mower is only 3 yrs old  and sears wants 800 dollars for new tranny and other vendors dont have this tranny in stock..

transaxle no. is 2000-006A made by tecumseh.....

I too have tranny problems with my Sears DLT 2000.  It has 125 hours on it (which I believe to be really low) and its kaput!  I pulled it off and broke it down and found nothing burnt, broken, galled, or snapped.  Oil was kind of dirty so I soaked everything in a parts washer and cleaned it up.  After everything dried, I re-assembled and filled with new oil.  I think that it needs to have the air bled out of it, but I don't know how to do it.  Has anyone out there purged one of these Hydro Gear units before?

Thnks