gmann

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.

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.

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?