My John Deere won’t climb hills after it’s been running for about 15 minutes. It happens slowly and eventually, it just stops climbing; a few years back, the hill was no problem but now I have to let it rest for 30 minutes and then finish mowing. My wife suggested I stop eating and that the extra weight was putting undue wear and tear on my riding lawn mower…
I have an extremely steep hill, so steep that I have to bend down when riding so that my center of gravity is lower. I realize that such an incline will wear down a tractor, but I have a John Deere and was under the impression that these riding mowers are the toughest in the business.
Note: Check out my tip for when your John Deere Mower Stalls if you are not having problems losing power.
I started reading the John Deere tractor forum and found a few suggestions on how to fix the problem.
One suggestion was removing hydrostatic transmission and replacing the fluid. This is not an easy task and some users claim that by the time the fluid is bad, the transmission may be shot – yet others claim that they have seen a major improvement in performance after the change.
From what I understand, there is no way to replace the transmission fluid in a John Deere L120 (applies to L130 and a few others) without first removing the transmission – not an easy task!
The second option is to bring it in and have it repaired; however, when I called my local dealer, he stated that they just chuck the old transmission and stick in a replacement. He said that he can not install the transmission of another rider and that it has to be an exact replacement (original parts). The cost for that original hydrostatic transmission is $669.33 ($100 labor included), unfortunately, I would end up with the same problem over time.
The third option is to buy the closest model riding mower that has the ability to change fluid and filter. That model is the John Deere X360 and runs $4,895. Not only is that too much, but my bagging attachments and snow plow from the L120 will not fit the X360, so I’m looking at another $2,000 bringing the total to almost $7,000!
The fourth option in dealing with my John Deere that won’t climb hills is to buy a Transmission Upgrade Kit. This is the option I ran with and I’ll explain that in detail shortly. The kit costs almost $1,000 and greatly increases the power of your lawn mower giving you the same ability to change fluid as does the X360.
I did a lot of research and there are manuals you can buy to do it yourself; you’ll save some money buying the transmission separately, but you have to run around and get all the parts. For me, spending $700 for a transmission that will break down again or $300 more ($1,000) for a transmission that will turn my L120 into a beast was a no-brainer.
The upgrade kit I purchased comes with a brand new Tuff Torq K66 Hydrostatic transmission, bigger back wheels (which you need), all the parts and a very easy to understand color manual.
It took two of us 5 hours (seemed like half that) to remove and install the new Hydrostatic transmission.
I was, and still am, blown away by the power of my upgraded L120! It actually brings the front end quite a ways up when starting off at full speed :) As for the hills, no problem at all and in fact, I can stop in the middle of the hill and continue without any problems. No more groaning sounds like the old transmission made (perhaps it is my imagination, but now I hear it growl).
I have a new love for my John Deere and knowing that I have a tricked out tractor makes it all that better. As for winter, no problem – I’m confident that the bigger tires (big knobbies) and super powered Tuff Torq K66 Transaxle will not only handle the worst of snow, but provide hours of entertainment as well :)
I did a lot of research and found Roger Daisley on eBay selling the John Deere transmission upgrade kit . I could see from forum posts and eBay status that it was probably safe; the fact that I had a phone number to call made me feel that much better.
I can tell you that Roger is serious about his customer service. Not only did he keep in constant communication, but I had tracking numbers, status updates and tips from other owners that he passed along to make things easier. I called him a few times to ask questions and each time, he was there for me.
If you decide to buy the upgrade kit from Roger, I can attest to excellent service. Here is what he is selling:
John Deere Transmission Upgrade Kit L130, L120 & others
$879.00 Upgrade Kit *
$99 Shipping *
*see note below as to price changes
You’ll get:
Tuff Torq K66 hydrostatic transmission that will replace your weak or worn-out K46 with a K66 which applies to John Deere L130, L120 & others
This is a Do-It-Yourself kit and provides all the parts that you will need, including the required larger wheels. For a person with average skills, about five hours is required.
Included:
A brand new Tuff Torq K66 Hydrostatic transmission.
A new set of 23″ x 10.50″ – 12″ wheels and new U. S. Made Carlisle “Turf Tamer” tires. (Pictured in listing)All the required various Genuine John Deere transaxle installation parts. All the parts, even the nuts and bolts are neatly bagged and identified.
A 28-page detailed, pictorial, installation manual that anyone can follow. (See photos for view of the Index and a sample page.)
Free technical telephone or email support to help you out if you have an unexpected problem, email Roger.
Additional things you will need:
> Two auto-type jack stands.
> Basic hand tools and a basic set of metric box end wrenches and a 5/8″ US box end wrench.
> A safe place to work.
> A “Helper-Outer.” (i.e., friend or spouse)
I have no affiliation with Roger and am blogging about this because I’m excited everything worked out as promised and the service was good enough to warrant the kudos for making my John Deere transmission upgrade easy.
Note: Since I originally posted this review, demand for the K66 transaxles increased such that the surplus of 500 have been depleted. Roger has made arrangements with Tuff Torq to make new K66′s for his kits but the transaxles now cost about $900 more than the surplus one’s did. John Deere has also raised some of their prices, so the kit I bought for $978 is now about $1,618. You can read Roger’s comment below as to what you’ll be getting for that price. It may be better at this point to look at a different company than John Deere!
Hey Don,
The dealers push these mowers as perfect for the home, yet they burn out fast. Why would John Deere make these models in the first place? I’ll tell you why, so they can compete with other mowers in the average home owner market but in making such a poor product, they just give themselves a bad name. And why, when you replace the Deere hydrostat with a model not from Deere, it works fine?
Fact is, the lower end John Deere’s mentioned here just don’t stand up to the competition. They need to make it right or not make it at all!
The reason you all are having trouble is you are useing a pony to do draft horse work. The bigger DEERES have oil coolers on them. Hydrostats make heat, lots of it. If the cooling fins on the tranny is covered in grass they dont cool. Hot oil gets thinner and with excessive clearance around the pump gears , and the drive motor pistons it just cavitates causing more heat. Buy your mower from a deere dealer and you will be a lot more satisified. He will help you select a mower for your terrain.
I can buy an LX277 2000 model with 320 hours on the clock. looks and runs great. Is it a good machine for the 2000 dollars. It’s my daughter’s from her divorce.
Are there any updates ? Do the new JD models at Home Depot still have these issues ?
Bottom line for all this is that anyone who would buy a garden tractor with a hydrostatic (or any type automatic) transmission is making a big mistake. Nothing but problems. Go with the manual and you won’t have these problems!
you can go to Ebay or craigslist and buy a 20 or 25 year old JD 318 for around $2000 and have a real tractor with an indestructable mower deck and drive train. This is by far the best lawn tractor JD ever built. Don’t mess around with any of this “home” version of anyone’s mower. short life, poor build quality and expensive to fix. There are thousands of 318′s still on the job and attachments are readily available for them.
I have had the same problem with the John Deere L130 tractor as so many others have noted. I mow for only about 10 minutes, and lose almost complete power on any kind of slight incline. The mower has just over 200 hours is all.
I have never used the mower other than for cutting the yard, which is right at about 1.5 acres, with only very slight inclines. I checked with the local JD service center, and they said it is a faulty transmission, which will cost nearly $1000 to replace.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend the lower end JD mowers at this point. I have had an MTD riding mower for 15 years, with no repair issues. I paid half the price for it. Everyone always told me JD was the best, and that was why it cost more. I think this forum proves that wrong, and that you are paying for a name that is not worthy, at least on the lower end mowers.
I have the same problem with my 2002 Sabre. No power,..I went to the JD dealer and he said it wasn’t worth fixing. If I were to by one with a standard type tranny would that be better or is there a problem with this also?
thanks for any advice, Dennis
I’m selling Hydrostatic Transmission parts for the 90 series Sundstrand Hydrostatic, a bit expensive, but I think my parts are shipped with more care than others.
Sat., Aug 13th: L120 John Deere, with a K46 automatic transmission: I removed the trans. assy, could then see where the fluid leak was coming, from a “Rubber Cap,” that was WX checked ! With a small screwdriver & a pocket knife, I removed both caps, the larger cap, to the LEFT front, on the top & the Rubber cap, on the LEFT rear, top. Under the front cap, I found a GROOVED WASHER, holding a one inch diameter, by 3/16 inch thick MAGNET ! Using needle-nose pliers, I removed the two, detail cleaned them, rolled the trans over, top down, drained 24 oz’s of BLACK, thin oil, flushed the trans-out with diesel oil, letting it drip-dry for 3 days. I refilled the fluid, using 32 oz’s of AMSOIL, “ATH,” “TRACTOR & HYD OIL, SAE 5-30, # ATHQT-EA. Replaced both Rubber caps, with NEW caps, I used same oil to lube both O-rings. Now, it will ONLY SLOWLY, back-up, forward is fine ! Doe’s anyone know, what is the proper AMOUNT of fluid is ?
Jul 29, 11: I have made an error ! I removed the B & S, 20 HP engine, number 406777-139 E-1, to replace the leaking seals & gaskets. I tipped the mower over, on it’s rear tires & fenders, to allow access, for a detail cleaning of the under-carriage ! I had read, from within the “Operator’s Manual, that the transmission was a “SEALED UNIT !” It stood there for 2 days, the trans lube leaked out,,, from where, I haven’t found ! What is the proper transmission lube, for a John Deere, L-120 A mower, with an automatic transmission, operated in HOT WX, up to 100 degree’s ? From where, can I drain ALL THE LUBE ? And where, do I give it drink of lube ? 230 Hrs, are on the unit. Also, what about using either Mobil 1 or other synthetic oil’s in the Engine or Trans. ?
I have an old Scotts L2048..with over 600 hrs on it. I live in central Louisiana and have about 4 acres to mow weekly and it gets hot here in the summer. I use SAE 85-140 gear oil with about 1/4 of that being the stock hydo fluid in the tranny and the thing still is running. I’ve always used 30w-40 Pennziol in the engine and it to this day does not use any oil and runs great. I do pull a yard trailer with it too but I suppose that with what you guys do up North is quite different and maybe that make the difference. It still basically has all the origional stuff on it. The spindle bearings are greasable and I believe in the grease gun. Does it have the k46 or the k 66 trans? Just out of curosity. When the thing does finally die I will definitely give it a proper burial!!! Been some good info here to relay to my neighbors. Thanks
My friend has a j.d. L.x .176 some times the the trans. works fine but some times won’t move the machine and the free wheel lever doesn’t seem to allow correct movement too. The oil level is ok.
well fellas. i have a jd l110 that i have pushed very hard for several years running it anywhere from 5 to 6 days a week mowing semi commercially with. i never replaced more than normal maintaince items, my mower has more than 700 hrs on it, still runs great, but the transaxil just now started slowing down. was told to change the oil and will work great again. removing the transaxil is litterally 4 bolts. i believe that when jd makes millions of machines to sell, there are bound to be some defective ones. i think yall got the defective ones. cause i love my jd L110 and it has always been my back up, most dependable mower to get me out of a bind while running commercial zero turns that seem to break. lol
I read all the above comments and they seem to describe my problem. I have a 2001 John Deere LT 150 that has only mowed 1/4 acre, but on a hill. It started getting slower going up hill, moaning and requiring more pressure on the pedal. I assume it has the K46 transmission as noted in the blogs. Since only 1/4 acre, mower doesn’t have a lot of hours on it and looks new with nothing else wrong with it. What is my best solution to repair this and what is the cost?
My first k66c went out at 125 hours. I got another one now its fixing to go out and it has 155 hours on it. All i do is mow I dont pull anything. I personally think they are junk and a wate of time. Tuff Torq claims these shoul last a long time under normal use.
Is Roger still selling the transmission replacement for the john deere? If so, how much is it now?
Jim: I’ll keep this as a reference. I’m actually thinking of manufacturing a tractor/mower, from the bottom up. I think I can do better than the current “cookie-cutter” units available.
/roger
Well my new K66 is in and what a transformation,absolutly the best kit I have ever installed on any thing. nothing is missed, easy to do, and the power is there,
and Alan from Ont. count me in! If we could get a law suit against JD it would be great
Great job Roger
I have just located this blog. I am the owner of a LX176 lawn tractor that has the transmission very weak these days. I had Dealer pick up the tractor after I replaced the drive belt (no better result). They told me $2400 to replace the transmission. I was not happy with that and started my search. Came across this blog and am wondering if the Tuff Torq kit will work on the LX176 tractor I have.
I love the tractor and snow thrower, dethatcher, etc accessories and cannot affort to buy a whole new mower and accessories. Any help is appreciated.
i have 212 built in 1977 my neighbor has an x300 less than 140 hours built in 2007 bad k46 wants to trade me no waaaay law suit the lawers make all the money set a day everybody that has a bad k46 or what ever like june 1 2011 everbody take them to there nerest dealer and stay for two or three days
All I can say is WOW!! I have a John Deere LA175 with the K46 transaxle. SHAME ON JOHN DEERE for utilizing such a weak trans on an otherwise reasonable machine. I have 300 hours on my unit… count them….300, and have had 2 transaxles in this unit and am now preparing for number 3! I have up to this point, endorsed the brand but as of today will steer anyone clear of purchasing ANYTHING with J.D. written on it.
The “Box Stores” boasted a 4 year warranty I guess I didn’t read the fine print…4 year/120 hour warranty. Go figure! That is like 3 weeks working a full time job!! Wth?? I too after the first transaxle replacement was told I needed a bigger unit! Again wth?? I was also told…”That unit was made to cut grass only”, no kidding…that’s why I bought it!!!!! Well, now what to do, I have read many posts here and in other forums and when funds become available, install the upgrade kit.
In my opinion J.D. should had thed K66 trans in this machine in the first place! I would’ve gladly paid the couple of hundred extra when I bought the machine. That being said, I can count on a mower having the trans replaced every 100 hours! Maybe I should only use it as a lawn ornament!???
At this time I want to thank all for their input into this issue, I would even consider a class-action lawsuit against the Manufacturer…John Deere if need be! Anyone?
Sincerely,
Alan…
I would love to purchase the K66 upgrade, but considering I paid $2,500 for the thing 4 years ago and have over 500 hours on the unit it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend another $1,200 on it. Compounding this is the fact that I have spent quite a bit replacing parts (2 sets of spindles, front axle, PTO clutch, pulleys, idlers, etc.). I’d like to throttle the guy at the JD dealership who sold me this thing and told me it would mow my three acres for 10 years, no problem.
Hi Joe: I’m sure you could put a K66 in your 185, but it would be an extensive project beyond what we could offer in a kit. You mower uses an Eaton transmission. I would suggest you scour Google for a suitable replacement.
Best regards, roger
My problem may be a little different. I have a John Deere 185 Hydro that is probably 20 years old ( I bought it used in 2005). There now appears to be the transmission problems of loss of power going up steep hills, (the shift handle seems to wnat to push itself into neutral and has to be held in forward gear, esp moving up hills, and when hot.) Is this the same type of transmillion problem I have been reading about on this website? Will an upgrade work on this mower, or is that old of a transmission worthy of rebuilding or replacement?
Thanks
We sure understand how you feel about the cost of an upgrade. Consider this:
If your original K46 failed, spending $650 for anther K46 will result in the same experience. (The K46a is the same mechanics.)
Not one person that has done the K66 upgrade is unhappy. Their “new” tractor is now more powerful than it ever was … and saved them a whole bunch of money by giving them the tractor they always wanted without junking their current tractor and accessories.
You would have to spend over $5000 to get a better tractor. An upgrade just makes sense …ask any of our 300+ upgrade customers.
I just saw a K46A transaxle with a fluid reservoir and drain valves advertised on a JD parts supplier web site for $650. My L130 still makes it up the small hills in my 3 acre+ yard but I hate all the squealing and I hold my breath every time it slips a bit. Is the K46A a viable replacement for the orignal K46? …and is it any better? I have just over 500 hours on my K46 and I hate to spend $1,200+ on a 5 year old $2,500 unit. Thanks.
JS, you make a good point, however if you look at the X300 line, you bought the top model, but guess what if you bought an X300 for around $3000+? You get a A K46 … in a nice looking wrapper … sold only by JD dealers.
You guy’s crack me up. You buy the L100 series threw a big box store that are made cheaper to compete. with the likes of craftsman and other low end products ,then you complain about john deere when they don’t hold up to your kind of mowing. Your all really cheap or you didn’t do your homework before you bought or both.
The X series is where the real John Deere line starts.
You know the old saying you get what you paid for. MY first John Deere lasted 20 years without any major problems because I bought the right tractor for the job. I now have an X360 which is a very well built top of the line tractor in it’s class. So If I get another 20 years out of this one which I feel sure I will then my $4,900 was well spent.
Jan: I really don’t agree with your comment, “…but intentionally built this poor quality K46.” Yes, Tuff Torq did intentionally build the K46. Did they intentionally build a poor quality unit or did they intentionally build the best unit they could for the price JD and others were willing to pay? You decide.
Tuff Torq, like most businesses, build their products to SUIT THEIR CUSTOMERS. The tractor companies design their products to a certain price point. Next, they find the parts that will meet that price. For example, if there is $200 allocated for a transaxle, they ask the manufacturer, say for example Tuff Torq, to build a unit for that price, which they do. Is it intentionally poor quality or is it intentionally low price? Again, you decide.
Who’s the guilty party here? Is it the tractor company that sells a very low priced tractor or the transaxle company that manufacturers an inexpensive unit to meet the tractor company’s request or the sales force that perhaps misleads the buyer … or the buyer who really does not understand what his/her actual requirements are and buys a tractor without matching requirements with capability?
Maybe every one has a bit part in this play.
Yes, Tuff Torq can – and does – build quality transaxles. That is the reason the K66 Upgrade business is so good. We’re correcting everyone’s errors and saving the customers investment … It’s Win-Win!
Could JD have put a K66 in their lower priced models? Sure, but it would have narrowed the difference between the lower end and the higher priced (X500, for example) and the more profitable models. Is JD any different from their competitors? No … just green and yellow paint.
/roger
I too have a defective transaxle on my John Deere L110. This mower has had many other problems prior to the failure of the K46. I met face to face with the JD reps at the Osh Kosh air show. They promised to get back to me regarding some of the problems I was having. I never heard another word. It’s ovious from the many comments, and my own experience, that they have no intention of standing behind their products. Tuff Torq is just as guilty. They can build a good transaxle, but intentionally built this poor quality K46.
Good stuff here. Going to pull my K46 today on that DYS4500. Did the oil and bleed thing but to no avail. But Derrick at Tuff Torq has been awesome today!
Check out your potential Cub Cadet very carefully before you pull your credit card. You may discover it’s the same animal with a different coat.
Whats up with John Deere? there should be a recall on these automatic trannies, I have a L130 just like the rest of you the which won’t go forward up a hill of any type it is 6 years old with 154 hours,my granddaughter got more hours out of her Barbie Car we got her for Christmas!
Anyway, I have made sure I tell everyone I talk to about the new John Deere junk. I was at home depot and a guy was looking at a new john deere and I had to stop and tell him about my problems with mine and told him these tractors are nowhere near as good as their farm tractors so don’t be fooled. I told him I was going to buy a new Cub Cadet, he asked me where the dealer was HA HA John Deere people are catching on to your junk.
Don from NE TN.
Hi Tom:
All of the inexpensive, surplus, K66′s are gone. We are now buying brand new K66′s directly from Tuff Torq and are continuing to produce and sell the popular K66 Upgrade Kits. The price is about $500 higher.
The kits are available on eBay
Best Regards, Roger
Roger,
I read Jim’s article last spring when my tranny started to act up and wouldn’t pull me up the driveway anymore. I have an LA140.
Decided to save up and purchase the K66 this fall before the snow flies.
Had no idea of all the happenings with the supply and demand.
What is my next move?
As I read throught the blogs am I to understand that no tranny’s are available?
TomS
How do we satrt a Law Siut against JD There has to be an attorney who bought this crap and would want to get justice for all us non legal types! If someone what post a place to start a class action suit it would be great!!!!
Steve: I looked at a couple Husqvarna’s today and all had K46′s. The ones I looked at were not as expensive as you mentioned (21K46) and were in the $1700 range.
The K47 & K57 transaxles are pretty much identical, with 3/4″ axles.
The K58 has 1″ axles, as does the K66 and has somewhat similar specs as the K66, except it does not have the external oil reservoir.
If you are checking out tractors, look for 1″ axles, then look for the clear plastic external oil reservoir. While not a perfect check, it should give you a starting place.
Best regards, Roger
Ps: When considering the cost of a new tractor, don’t forget any accessories you would need to replace.
I purchased an L120 from the person I bought my house from because he said that is how he mowed the yard. I have about 1 and 1/3 acres about half of which is a very steep incline. I mowed about 1/5 of the yard and the mower turned into a piece of sculpture. I put it in the shop and they told me the tranny was shot and I needed a new one. They piddled around with it for so long that I finally told them to forget it. After reading this thread, I’m glad I did. I’m not sure what they meant by the tranny was no good, but it sounds like Roger’s “upgrade” will take care of the problem. I am so glad I found this thread.
I did have one question: I can buy a Husqvarna 24 hp 54″ mower from Lowe’s for about $2,300 and get a three year extendede service/repair warranty for about $300 or so. I am looking at a cost benefit issue, but the issue is decided if the tranny in the Husqvarna is the same as the L120. Any input?
For Ron: Tony was the only customer that actually completed the K66 Upgrade in his LT, after much custom work on his part.. In another case we ended up doing a refund.
At this point, we decided to not recommend the kit for the LT’s. But that wasn’t the end of the story: When the surplus K66′s ran out and Tuff Torq initially told us they were not planning on making more, we decided to build our kits around the TT K72 (used in the JD X500) and call it the Super 500. We discovered the Super 500 would be a good fit for the X300 and LT series … and we’re working on the, but like many development projects, we’re way behind on the project. (We WILL have it available by the end of THIS month!)
We have also discovered a way to install the very capable, but less expensive K66 in both the X300 and LT series. Again, this should be available this month.
Bottom line: A K66 upgrade for the Lxxx, LTxxx and X300 for around the current price. (Maybe $100-200 more for the LT’s and X300′s) The Super 500 will come in under $2900, but WOW … what a ride!
For Chet: We are not a JD dealer. You can find the parts you need at jdparts. com.
Regarding your JD tractor problems: Good Luck finding anything better in the consumer price range. I’ve looked at many tractors in the under $3000 range and find them basically all about the same, except for paint.
/roger
I just found this site tonight and spent about an hour reading everyone’s posts. I also have the same thing wrong with my “Junk Deere” L130 mower. I mow for about 10 minutes and it stops pulling completely. I bought it new in 2005 and thought I was getting a good quality mower. Boy was I wrong. It has 270 hours on it and has never pulled any weight other than my 200 pounds and I have no hills on my 1 acre yard.
I have been thinking of ordering the upgrade K66 kit but it’s hard to spend $1,500.00 on the kit when I paid $2,100.00 for the mower new. From reading all the previous posts I’m sure the kit is a great product and would fix all my problems but I just don’t have that kind of disposable money.
This was my first riding mower and I know it’s going to be my last John Deere.
I have already had to replace the belts and the front axle and the wire going to the pto clutch. The hood is broke on the front and I no longer have the mounting brackets to fix it if I buy a new hood. The hood was my fault but everything else is from John Deere selling a piece of garbage mower.
You think John Deere would have a recall or do something to make this right with customers since there are so many complaints. I guess they are not the same company they used to be.
I have had my Junk Deere in the garage broke down for almost 2 years now hoping something affordable would come out to fix the problem but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
Roger, do you sell the mounting hardware for the hood? Thanks.
Hi – this is directed to Roger and Tony from Australia (if you still check this forum). Roger, I sent you a question via e-bay last night re: the upgrade kit for a JD with manual PTO. It’s only now reading this site that I see that in May you advised that this kit is not a good fit for the LTxxx series. Mines an LT160, and I do see at least one user (Tony from Australia) apparently made the upgrade successfully back in March. I really hate the thought of having to completely ditch a machine that I’ve been pretty happy with except for the wholly inadequate K46 that has now completely failed from use on what I think of as a pretty moderate hill (of course, even when I could get it to run the hill it was painfully slow…). Roger/Tony – was/is the fit-up to an LT that much more involved. I definitely don’t mind doing extra work and am fully qualified as long as there’s not a lot of special fabrication or anything. Not a machinist and don’t want to pay too much if I have to get anything fabricated. Thanks!
FYI: I’m considering setting up a “Refurbishing and Upgrade” service. A customer would ship his tractor to our facility and we would go completely through it and replace or upgrade anything that was worn out or needed upgrading. It would be completely disassembled and everything inspected. For example, the obvious would to upgrade the tractor with a K66 or K72 transaxle. Another frustrating item is the steering. Over time it gets pretty sloppy and hard to steer. It is not expensive to upgrade the steering and replace the wheel bushings with ball bearings
We would furnish the shipping platform and arrange trucking. Your tractor would be returned BETTER than new … MUCH better!
Any comments?
/Roger
Roger and Terry,
I really appreciate the input. Roger- you’re right- the LT180 is otherwise a good machine. Just because now I’m interested, this winter I’l at least remove the trashed transmission to investigate. That alone will probably test my mechanical abilities, but I have friends with more know-how who can help. I’m leaning towards a rebuild or new K46, but I’ll make it “game time decision”. Terry, your point is well-taken. If I don’t upgrade to the K66 , I’m hoping that with minimal use (I’m hoping I can push snow with the bucket on my subcompact tractor) it will take me a heck of a lot longer to get to 150 hours. Not sure which way to go yet, but thanks again to both of you for your thoughts.
Terry … You said it better than I did!
/roger
Hi, Mike B. I know your question was to Roger but may I put in my $.02 worth? I bought a new LT150 in ’03. I have never, no never towed anything with it. I made that a point when I got it because I did abuse and fry the transaxle in my previous mower, an ’83 L111H. Tough lesson learned. However, by the time my LT150 had about 150 hours, the transaxle was losing power. I have very little in the way of inclines and when I do, it’s just for a few feet at a time. The K46 just isn’t made to cut it. Kind of like having a 1-Ton Dually pickup with a Volkswagen transmission. You can replace it with another transmission of the same and yes, it will move the truck for a while but not for long. Hope this helps.
Mike: You have a very interesting situation. The bottom line is: Should I pay JD to replace the K46 (I’m guessing at around $500-$700, or but a K66 Upgrade for around $1500? There is also a third possibility, which is to buy a rebuild kit for K46.
The LT180 is a substantial machine (except for the bottom-of-the-line transaxle) and worth keeping. If you are going to use it for snow blowing, etc., your K46 will continue to be stressed to the limit. It’s just a question of how often do you want to replace or rebuild it.
If funds are not a problem, I’d recommend the K66 Upgrade … or even better the K72 based “Super 500″ Upgrade!
Roger et al.,
This thread has been incredibly informative. I bought an LT180 (and snowblower attachment) about 6 years ago. I mow over 2 acres (a little hilly). I have a long dirt driveway and have towed a DR grader behind the LT-180 often- so maybe I stressed the mower more than it could handle. The transmission problem started last summer. The dealer picked it up and said nothing was wrong (I wish I discovered this site last year!). It mows great for 20 minutes and then won’t go up the slightest incline.
For this and lots of other reasons, I bought a subcompact tractor that has a 60 inch mowing deck, so my problems are solved for the most part. But, for mowing around the house and many trees, the LT-180 maneuvers better, so I wouldn’t mind having it work (not to mention for the snowblower).
My main question is: For a situation like mine, where the LT-180 does no more hilly mowing or heavy lifting, would it make more sense for me to go the cheaper route of replacing the K46 transmission rather than upgrading to the K66? It will be like the car that granny only drives to church on Sundays.
Interesting– my local mower/tractor store was recently dropped as a JD dealer. They were more interested in getting me into a new mower rather than fixing what I have.
Thanks for any input.
Rex: You can find parts info at tufftorq. com
Another good resource is Derrick Dalton, TT Customer Service (866) 572-3441
/roger
Looking for help on finding parts for a Tuff Torq K51A-SBR, S/N 087910 transaxle on a JD Sabre, JDPP P/N AM880202. The top pulley has stripped the spline teeth off the shaft. It appears I will need the shaft and pulley for replacement. I live in Northeast TN and not sure where to get parts for the Tuff Torq transaxle. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. A shop manual would help also. Thanks for any help.
Questions:
1) Why did this happen?
>>>> No clue
2) Can I easily replace the fan?
>>>> Not “easily,” but do-able. (Contact Derrick Dalton at Tuff Torq Customer service)
3) Can I run the mower with out the fan for a limited time?
>>>> Absolutely not. The fan is vital for cooling.
Ok, so I’m new to this whole thing and since this is pretty active, feel free to point me to a different thread.
I have an LT160 drive belt blew, replaced it and noticed the fan above the trans was folding under the belt. By the time we noticed this about 5 blades of the fan had been cut off.
Questions:
1) Why did this happen?
2) Can I easily replace the fan?
3) Can I run the mower with out the fan for a limited time?
Thanks. O
Hi Everett: It sounds like you were able to restore the power back into your tractor. I have several reports on similar results as a result of changing oil to a heavier viscosity. Sometimes that seems to work for awhile … sometimes it doesn’t.
Unfortunately, virtually all of the “under $4000″ tractors brands use a K46 or a variation. For a modest level home lawn, things work OK. Add in hills, or large areas, or other heavy loads like snow blowing and trouble is not far away. JD is no different from all the others.
Now that you have a tractor that may not be up to your task, you have three possible choices: You can trade in your tractor on a $6000 model, or do a $1500 “K66 Upgrade” or rebuild your K46 every hundred hours, or so.
I know how you feel … I went through the same choices with my own L130.
Best regards, Roger
I too have a K46 Transaxle on a John Deere 155 C. It stopped going uphill, To be honest I have quite the hill behind my house, but I was told when I bought it “It was no problem”. It has 74.8 hours on it…….
I removed it from the tractor, after reading these blogs, and drained the oil through the top plastic vent. I Removed all the bolts from the underside of the transaxle and did a inside inspection. I cleaned the magnet off ( no metal filings, but a buildup of a sludge substance). I cleaned that off and reinserted it back into the grooved slots it came from. Checked the screen filter, clean as a whistle, I mean no dirt at all. There was really nothing more I could do, all the gears seamed sloppy, but in this case it doesn’t mean anything, the gears are all their and looking like new.
I put it back together and put straight 30 detergent oil in it, about 2 1/2 qts. Put it back in the tractor and it seemed to work just fine. It went up and down the hill behind the house with no problem. I’ll see how it holds up the next time I mow the whole lawn…..I must say you all had me convinced I would have to spend $1000 or more, which I wouldn’t and couldn’t.
The machine cost me $2373.14 at Lowe’s. But I will never recommend A John Deere to anyone……and I will never purchase another one….
Re: Upgrade kits: We’re adding to the possibilities. Soon you will have several choices for virtually all tractor models:
1) K66 Upgrade, which will be the right choice for most people.
2) K72 “Super 500″ Upgrade for exceptional power.
3) K72 “Super 500″ Upgrade with Differential Lock and “Power Traction” wheels. (12″ Bolt-on rims with 24.00″ x 12″ -12″ HDAP Tires)
Rodger,
I have a Scotts 2554 wich has been great until the transaxle failed. Can I use the Super 500 upgrade kit. I hope so because it sounds great, I especially like the idea of having a diff. lock. Thanks for everything!
Regarding the K66 Upgrade Kit.
We’ve got a SALE on: For a limited time we’re offering FREE SHIPPING to the US lower 48.
Hi Jim, I just forwarded my email to Roger. I am curious to see what he has to see and offer. If you want to send me an email I will send you the quote I was given. For that much money I am willing to take it apart myself, change out the fluid and put it back together to see if it works or not. Thanks again.
Shawn
Hi Shawn,
I’m curious how much John Deere would charge you for new transmission on the 300?
Hey Roger, like the others I googled the X300 transmission to see why the heck my 300 is dead. Its sitting at the dealership right now torn apart.
I was told today that everything is fine and the only thing left is the transmission. I was given a quote and told them to hold onto until I can figure out what I want to do. I see you have a kit for the Lts but I see the Super 500 is up and running.
Can I get some more details on this set up please? You can email me direct if you would like.
Thanks in advance…..from another disgruntled John Deere owner!!! My Grandpa’s mids 60s is still up and running!
To Ken G: Thanks for the very nice report. Much appreciated!
Ps: The Super 500 is up and running. VERY strong and VERY fast. It’s a real fun unit!
I searched Google for John Deere Transmission and this site popped up first. I was considering buying a used model, but after reading the problems, I think I’ll pass on that idea!
I am now approaching a year of use with Roger’s upgrade, so I thought I would report in. Everything is working great! The transaxle has worked perfectly, with plenty of torque and power. In fact, even with the bigger tires (ag tires at that), the torque will overwhelm the load and dig into the ground (happens when I’m dragging heavy logs from the woods). I’ve added a “Johnny Bucket and Johnny Blade” too, and I’ve had no problems using those tools to their maximum capability. As winter approaches I’m looking forward to plowing the snow with my new “Johnny Plow” – to give the K66 a real good test! Roger, great job! I’m looking forward to reading about your “Super 500″ upgrade too! Thanks again!
Ken G.
Northern Michigan
hi this from dr scaife. i took transmission apart in the pump i put small washers under the springs. put it all back and now CLIMBS UP THE HILLS. the washers are less than a dollar. an hour to take out 1halfs to put back .dennis
I have a John Deere L120 and had very little warning when my transmission went out. I noticed a humming noise as I was mowing, and the mower just kept getting slower. My leg started to hurt pushing on the pedal so I set the cruise control which is a joke and the mower was just creeping along. Then i went up a slight hill and it just stopped cold. No forward, no reverse.
I pushed it back to the barn. Got on the 16 year old Yardman and finished the yard. Got back on the JD and it did run for 15 min’s then nothing. Pushed it back to the barn. That evening went out and backed it out of the barn, running about 15 feet, could not get it back in the barn. I paid $2300.00 for this mower 6 years ago. It has 209 hrs. 48 ich deck.
I will never by a John Deere again. I am buying a gravely zt hd 60 zero turn mower. The dealer said he would sell me a transmission at cost for the JD just to get it running. I will use this mower for the crap jobs around the farm, since it is no secret that JD does not care about its customers any more. Just in this forum there are problems with L120, L130, La120 , L145, LT180, L111, and LT190. I sure there are more that I missed. Tuff torq and JD ought to be ashamed for producing a very poor product.
hi.i have lt150 hydrostatic has done 700 hrs has just started not going up hills .i changed oil made no diffence .i think i sell as is
Joe: I forgot to include the link to the Upgrade Kit, visit JD-K66-Upgrade.com
Best regards, Roger
Ps: Be sure to check out the link regarding your Manual PTO.
Call me for any questions or concerns.
Hello Roger what is the cost of the K66 kit now? Let me know, Joe
Joe: ABSOLUTELY! Our K66/L111 Upgrade Kits work great in your tractor. You will have about TWICE the torque pulling power than you had when new. plus a quality transaxle that is built to automotive standards and is completely serviceable.
Since your tractor has a MANUAL PTO, be sure to check that part out.
Write me if you have any questions or concerns.
Hello, do they have any kits to fix my L111 John Deere Tractor The transmission is still working barely wont climb hills runs great on flat ground Let me know It is Hydrostatic drive
I have a JD 125 and I had the same problems as everyone else on this site. I contacted Roger Daisley and bought his K-66 Upgrade kit. The kit arrived very quickly and the instrcutions he sends with the kit are excellent. I had the new transaxle installed in about 6 hours. There was 1 part missing from his shipment, but he over-nighted it to me as soon as I spotted it was missing. I am very pleased with the kit and I can now mow my whole yard without stopping. With the old transaxle, I needed to stop 3 or 4 times to let the it cool down.
Roger’s excellent customer service is something pretty rare these days and it is very much appreciated.
I own a Scotts 2554 that has 480 hrs and my manual tells me it’s equiped with a K66C transaxle and it’s now shot. I cannot get 10 minutes of mowing with it now. Most of these comments I’ve read are upgrading a K46 to a K66 and most seem to be very pleased, but don’t think your getting a bulletproof transaxle because your not. At least, mine is not. Or hopefully the upgrade is a better unit than what came on my Scotts. I now own a JD X540 and am very pleased with it but still have my 2554 and know not what to do with it. Everything works great but the trans. Sounds like this super500upgrade may be an option?
Hey Roger,
I own a Craftsman DYS4500 that has the Tuff Torq K46 Transaxle in it that is experiencing the same heat related “slippage” issues as others on this forum. Is your upgrade kit only for JD products or is there a K66 upgrade for my 2004 Craftsman available?
Thanks for your expertise!
Kevin
Another thought:
The K66 Upgrade Kit is NOT a “repair kit” for broken/failed K46′s. It is a kit designed to bring your tractor up to a level of preformance greater than it ever was originally.
You can buy a repair kit from Tuff Torq and basically make your K46 whole again. What you will then have is the same thing you had before … and you can expect the same results again.
The K66 Upgrade Kit is based upon the concept that you will have Upgraded your tractor to a higher level of performance with virtually TWICE the torque it had when new. In addition, you will have a fully serviceable transaxle built to automotive standards. It will NOT require repairing/rebuilding every 200 hours.
Instead of an otherwise perfectly good tractor with a bottom-of-the-line marginal transaxle, you will now have a tractor that will perform as you expected when you bought it and can handle the heavy-duty jobs that caused the K46 to fail.
“Why has the price nearly doubled in less than a years time?”
Very reasonable question.
When the K66 upgrades first started, about eighteen months ago, there were about 500 surplus K66 transaxles available on the market for around $200. It is believed they were surplus JD inventory. These surplus transaxles were all gone a few months ago.
We thought the “K66 Upgrade” business was over when the surplus transaxles were all gone, however there was still a very strong demand for Upgrades because of all the failed K46′s. We made arrangements with Tuff Torq to make new K66′s for our kits. The new transaxles cost about $900 more than the surplus one’s.
For whatever reason, the price JD charged for the wheel rims used in the kits went from about $50 to over $80 – each! Other JD parts have also dramatically gone up.
The price of the kits have gone up in direct response to the price of the parts.
The question is: Is it still worth doing an upgrade? We think the answer is “Yes, of course.” After the K66 Upgrade, you will have a tractor with a great engine and a strong robust transaxle that is fully serviceable and built to automotive standards.
The Upgrade will give you a tractor much stronger than it was when new. In order to buy a better tractor you would have to spend well over $5000. Another advantage is you can continue to use any accessories you now have. Look on eBay for “John Deere K66″
Should you consider doing the K66 Upgrade? Look at what others have said!
Why has the price nearly doubled in less than a years time?
hi i have a john Deere 235GT and the hydrostatic drive unit broke took it to my local dealer in Grand Ledge, MI had it a week and didn’t fix it, they were to busy setting on there bottoms so I took it home, ordered parts and rebuilt it myself.
Now it works but not right go s faster back wards than forwards asked for help john Deere dealers here unwilling to give info. I just need to know how to put linkage on and adjust so it works right. John Deere won’t provide me with the info. I will never ever do business with such a greedy money hungry no answer business again! Please, help if you can, I need to fix so i can sell this mower.
Yes and Yes
/roger
I am experiencing the same issue with my L145 JD with only about 112 hours. Luckily only a portion of my 2 acres is hilly, but I have had to stop mowing the hill because I can not make the hill.
I may eventually do the upgrade, but as with everybody the investment to upgrade my mower is not cheap, but cheap compared to my other options. I am thinking of purchasing myself a good push mower and giving my own transmission (my legs) a new workout, cleated shoes will be required.
So my question is and I unfortunately think I know the answer is; will I continue to have further issues on the flat ground or minimal slope ground if I do not fix my issue? or will the problem continue until I have an expensive ‘green yard ornament’ in the middle of my flat yard?
The K66 Upgrade Kits are now available again for immediate delivery.
Best Regards,
Roger
Nora:
From your description, can I assume that your LA120 was running OK prior to changing the mower belt? If this is true, doesn’t it seem strange that the tractor all of a sudden it won’t go? “Sudden” failures of the K46 are probably rare, if not non-existent. (At least, I have never heard of that happening.)
The first thing I would look at is the “free wheeling rod.” (A small push/pull rod extending from the back hitch plate of the tractor) If this rod was inadvertently pulled out, the tractor will not move. To correct the problem … push it back in.
If this is not the problem, then I would review the routing of the drive belt. Maybe it somehow came of the engine drive sheave. Another area I would look at is the routing of the belts through the clutch pulleys.
If all this does not correct the problem and the Transaxle has suddenly failed, then give me a call or email regarding a K66 transaxle upgrade. I would NOT suggesting replacing the transaxle with the same unit.
Best Regards, Roger
I’ve been having my JD LA120 for about 3 yrs and I have a problem. It started smoking when we would engage the blades so my grandfather changed the deck belt and drive belt. He put it all back together, started it and now it won’t go into gear.
He thinks it’s something with the transmission and of course the manual says contact your local John Deere dealer when dealing with transmission issues and reading the comments I see that doing your own repairs on the transmission is possible. My grandfather is very experienced with mechanics; he’s been doing that sort of thing all his life and has worked on transmissions in the past.
Any feedback on what the problem may be and how to resolve it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!! Nora
Looking for someone with a JD X300 and/or LTxxx that wants to do a “Super 500″ upgrade and is willing to do “Beta” development. Applicant needs to be reasonably handy with tools and mechanics.
I Googled for tranny info and this was the first website I logged onto. What a wealth of information.
I am having the same problem as everyone else but I read clear to the end and concluded I must have the only LX188 tractor in existence. I bought it used in 1999 (I think it was manufactured in 92 or 93) and it just started slipping this spring.
I have completely rebuilt the engine, welded, replaced wheel bearings, split the transmission to install axle seals and have been able to keep this old thing running. I had the same experience as a lot of you by replacing the oil and it didn’t seem to help a bit. I replaced the oil with JD’s hydraulic oil and used the heavier grade.
In reading this forum I see that there is a lot of mention of using a 5W-50W motor oil. Could I replace the hydraulic oil with a motor oil without getting into trouble. I have do the hilly mowing while the tranny is cool but have about six hours of mowing and usually run out of tranny before I am through.
Will appreciate any comments from anyone who is more of an expert than I.
IN 2008 I bought a John Deere Mod# LA-140. with all the attachments (snow blower, chains,weights and snow cover. My drive way is at a 30% slope. It would not work! In the spring I used it to cut my lawn. After about 1 hour it would not got up the hill. I was told that the new model would not do that. The 145 is a better machine. John Deere can go to HELL! I will never by another product from them. My friends Cub Cadet works just fine. I paid over $4,000.00 for this piece of junk. John Deere will not help. I will badmouth them every chance I get. Drop dead Sam Allen, the prez of John Deere. Robert P. Esposito 236 Cutts Road, Newport, NH 03773 or call 603-863-6666
my L 130 is still mowing and climbing hill fine after filter and fliud change
Roger, I have an LT180, changed the belt and pulley, and adjusted tensioner. Minimal improvement. After reading this awesome blog, it is obvious I need to replace transmission. Do you have a kit available for the LT180 (2003)? What is the cost? I really would love to successfully install it and dump all the old parts
on the service desk at John Deere and tell the techs to “blankity blank”!
Hi Terry5153: Regarding your question … not likely. We have tried and it has not been “pretty.” In the last case, we had to give the customer a refund. That is why we are developing the K72 based “Super 500.” It will be more expensive than the K66 Upgrade, but will be considerably more powerful and will include the differential lock. Basically the performance of a JD 500 series, at less than half the cost.
Hey, Roger,
Any chance you will get the K66′s fitted to the LT’s?
GOOD NEWS: Help is on the way.: Tuff Torq is building more K66′s for us. We hope to have our K66 Upgrade Kits ready for sale again by mid-July. No change in price. Now taking reservations.
I spoke to a JD dealer and told him about the substandard transaxle in my L120.He said JD answers any complaints by saying it was abused and was not designed for rough use.How can mowing on a hill be abuse? I think they should be more truthful in their advertising.I feel misled.
i have a L 130 and been having transmission slippage took hydro out and replaced filter and old oil helped a lot, not 100% still but a 100% IMPROVEMENT over what it was. any questions i would be willing to help, just send me an email jgray6532@dishmail.net
I think i going to sell it and buy a new x 320 or something from kubota
I am now the happy owner of a tricked out L120. I got the next to the last upgrade kit Roger had and could not be more pleased. Not only did it make my mower a stronger machine but Roger is a great person to deal with. Included in the kit was even a drill bit for a hole needed in the frame and new valve stems for the new rims. I wish all people we deal with were as concerned as Roger. Thanks.
OK Can anyone tell me WHY there isn’t anyone who would start a class action? Sue as JD = “junk of the devil” We there isn’t enough power in the people to move on this and MAKE JD be held responsible instead of holding us captive with they crappy design
Don– My tranny does not have the relief valves, so I am no help there, but if that is the problem, it would certainly be worth the effort to try cleaning them first.
I can get to the fulcrum on mine from below, although access is definitely tight!
Hello again Will,
I think I may have found my problem on that John Deere 312 that won’t reverse. The relief valves on the hydrastat are rusty and sticking. I’m trying to clean them and get them working free. I understand they are expensive to purchase so hope this works. Any comments?
Thanks,
Don
Thanks a lot will. That was fast info. Sounds somewhat complicated but I will give this a try. I have removed the deck and seat but I guess everything needs to come off in order to expose the fulcrum. If I hadn’t spent so time and money on the engine I would be tempted to junk the whole thing. And thanks for the reference site also.
Don
Don–I am not sure what transmission you have, so this is just a guess based on the one I just rebuilt. Mine has a shaft with an eccentric cam lobe on it that is used to adjust the transition from forward to reverse; I believe the TuffTorq catalog calls this the fulcrum. There is a procedure for adjusting this during rebuild of the transaxle, but since you have not opened yours up nothing should have changed. However, TuffTorq does publish a procedure for adjusting this with the tractor running on jack stands listed below:
The procedure is probably similar for many models. The service manual is available online (see page 41) (with the pictures referenced) at https ://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/docs/manuals/k61.pdf
Have a 25 year old Jon Deere 312 rider with a Koler 301 engine. The tractor has a hydrastatic transmission. With help from others, I recently overhauled the Koler and everything is OK there. However, once I got everything back together I have no reverse. The tractor goes forward just fine and sometimes it will faintly try to back up when the control is moved rearward but it fails go into reverse. I have tried to adjust the clevis on the controlrod linkage but but it has no effect. As far as I know nothing was done to cause this by me and it was working OK before the overhaul. I’m stumped. Can you advise please. PS. I put a new hydrastatic filter on and added fluid but it had no effect.
Thanks
Kyle: At least you have a new drive belt.
Seriously, when the tranny starts to go on a John Deere, the first thing almost everyone does is change the belt because the symptoms seem very much like a slipping belt. (I did the same thing!) Like you discovered, it usually isn’t the belt.
The next thing many people do is change the oil. That sometimes gives a few more hours.
Unfortunately, about the only sure cure is a transaxle replacement with either a new K46, a K66 Upgrade or even a K72 “Super 500″ Upgrade.
I guess buying a replacement drive belt for my L130 was a bad idea? I am having the same issue… 145 hours
HURRAY! I just learned today that Tuff Torq will build us a limited number of new K66′r!
I expect to have them here in August. Since there seems to be a pretty substantial demand for these kits, we are now taking reservations. The kits will be delivered in order of reservations made.
I have not learned the price of the new transaxles, however I am hoping they will be the same price as the last batch. If that is true, then the kit price will remain unchanged.
For more info and a link to the reservations, go to jd-k66-upgrade.com
Ps: The K72, “Super 500″ upgrade is still progressing nicely. This probably means we will have two different upgrade kits available.
Just found this forum. I too just started having problems with my L120, only 7 years old. At the time i bought my john Deere, had a 13 year old Wards Tractor that I thought would not last much longer; its still running. I bought my wards tractor when I was a new home owner and couldn’t afford a John Deere. I paid about two and a half times the price for the John Deere and thought I was getting a premium product. Like everyone else, I believed JD stood for quality, reliability, dependability, and service.
The last seven years I have used both tractors to mow my 2 plus acres, so in essence my JD has only mowed about one acre for the last seven years.
The dealer now says not enough tractor (never mentioned this when I bought), and only about $150 for trade in!
John Deere never responded to my email. I then called and though the customer service rep was very nice, basically told me not to expect any follow up.
I then requested a supervisor call me and her response was that JD was not obligated to do anything.
I too will never buy another JD product and will paint it a different color if I keep it!
I would love to be able to send this whole forum to John Deere repeatedly!!
I did look on ebay and did not see any kits left.
Roger, if you can let me know the status i would appreciate.
P.S. My 20 year old $1200 Wards Tractor still run, still mows, and occasionally tows my JD up the hill!
Just got done dropping trans out of mower. Took about 45 minutes only because I had just replaced traction belt and wasted no time unbolting everything. New 46BE should be here Monday. Thank you John Deere, I won’t be able to sit down for a week.
Have a 145,bought in June 2006. Mow 4 acres hilly ground. Trans went out last week at 388 hours. Ordered new K46BE trans from TuffTorq, $665 includes shipping. I am going to cut out about an acre of the steepest yard and let it go back to field. Hope to change my mowing pattern to avoid some of the pulling slopes. For the $665 I hope I can get 5 or 6 years out of this tranny. In the meantime will keep an eye out for an old Farmall with belly mower and use it on the majority of acreage.
Like everyone else I did not realize what I was buying. Had a Scotts 18 hp 48″ cut when I bought the property and got 9 years out of it before the Tecumseh tranny gave out.Like everything else these days “keep the price down and cheapen up the quality.”Wish it was the 60′s again when quality mattered.
Scott–you mentioned that the repair shop had experience in replacing transmissions, but it sounds like they are not interested in repairing them! Their statement that some K-46′s can be serviced doesn’t make sense to me; I think the correct statement would be that some shops can (or will) service K-46′s.
See my post a few days ago on rebuilding my K-46; it is certainly possible, although I agree that it does take some time and is not inexpensive! My total cash outlay was about $550, but I replaced every component that I judged to be worn just because I don’t want to pull it out again for a few years! I think a new K-46 is going for around $750 to $800, so I can certainly understand the cost tradeoff for a shop–the time they would have in disassembly, cleaining, and reassembly would probably more than offset the difference in the cost of the new transaxle vs. the rebuild parts–IF you replace everything like I did!
Having said that, the rebuild process educated me on how these things are designed and put together, and I just might design one of my own! (Disclosure: I am a mechanical engineer, so I am just enough of a gearhead that this is somewhat like fun to me..)
You might try just changing the oil (and using a 5-50W synthetic for the refill) as some have done with varying degrees of success; the only pain here is that you still have to take the transaxle out to do this, since there is no drain plug and the fill port/plug is not accessible without dropping the tranny–and even if you could get to it, the cooling fan is just above the plug, so you have to remove the drive pulley and fan to refill–more excellent engineering by John Deere!
I just got a call from the repair shop (Non Deere) that has had a lot of expereince replacing transmissions on LT’s. I had asked them to try changing the fluid and clean the filter. They agreed becasue they said some of the K-46′s could be serviced. Well, mine is not one of them! I have 258 hours. That’s not a lot for a 5 year old machine. Their advice to me – keep running it as it is until it does not run any longer and then replace the transmission — with another K-46? No way! Roger, please hurry, and please try to keep it relatively inexpensive. Thanks.
I to am disappointed in the John Deere 130 tractor that I bought 3 yrs. ago. All I ever heard was nothing runs like a Deere, so when my wife and I went to buy a new mower that’s all she wanted me to buy. Now 3 yrs. later the repair shop calls and tells me the transmission is bad!
We spent $2300 on this mower and now I have nothing to show for it. I am not a rich person so when I spend this much money on a mower I expect it to last for more than 3 yrs. When I bought this mower from Lowes that’s all the salesperson kept saying what a good mower I was getting.
I like many of you think John Deere should have some kind of lawsuit brought against them. They shouldn’t be allowed to sell a product for this much money if it’s basically trash. I know my wife is blaming herself for convincing me to buy this mower, but if you hear the same phrase all your life that nothing beats a Deere, you have to think there’s something to it.
I think that phrase should be banned so the next generation doesn’t grow up believing it. I live in Ohio and am wondering what I’m going to do about this situation.
KC: I am not a part of any suit against JD. All I do is develop great K66/K72 Upgrade kits for owners that have failed transaxles.
Roger,
I am having very similar transmission issues with a 2008 John Deere L155 series. Does the 155 series have the same transmissions as the L120 and 130 you are talking about ?
I have spoken to John Deere and they will give me a price break on the cost of a new transmission but it only has a 90 day warranty. I am tied between giving them 650 and getting the new transmission and hoping it lasts, or getting another non John Deere mower.
Awful frustrating for a mower with only 120 hours on it
Thanks in advance.
PS- Sign me up for the class action suit!
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread!
I have a 2007 John Deere X300 with about 200 hours on it. It will no longer pull the slight slope it used to.
Is the K46 transaxle in the X300 the same version as the Tuff Torq K46 in the LTs and the LAs?
If it’s not the same version, which version is it and what are the differences?
I’m having the John Deere dealership who sold me the X300 remove the transaxle and change the oil and internal filter.
Is there a brand-of-choice for the 5w50 synthetic transmission fluid?
I’d like to have a cock valve installed in the lower half of the transaxle case so it’s easier to change the fluid. Does anyone know if cock valves have been installed in the K46?
Thanks.
Everybody says you can’t change the fluid in a JD L111 but I did, only about a quart of fluid was in the transmission. I replaced the fluid with 20w-40 synthetic oil. It held almost 2 quarts and now it will climb hills again like it use to. I live in the south and its hot. Trust me it wasn’t easy removing all the fluid but it was a whole easer than putting down a few grand for a new mower.
Regarding Terry’s question about fitment of the K72 in various JD models, such as the LT series.
I cannot give you a positive answer about that issue right now, but I am about 98% sure it will work just fine in most, if not all, of the JD Lxxx; LAxxx; LTxxx and Xxxx tractors. In most cases it will take some relative simple mods, but very “do able.”
“The best is yet to come”
Scott, I agree with you–and I am definitely not a sue-happy person; I believe in people taking responsibility for their own actions, not hiring lawyers who will find a way to make it someone else’s fault! However, in this case, it does seem that John Deere has misrepresented, or allowed the big box stores to misrepresent, the capabilities of these machines. I try to avoid lawyers whenever possible, but in this case I would be happy to act as a witness..
Oh well, it certainly isn’t worth the time to pursue it myself, so I will hopefully get a few more years out of it and sell it to someone with a flat yard–it should be fine for that!
Will, I totally agree with you about the class action lawsuit. I brought it up a few days before you did and I see that no one on this forum had mentioned it before us. I’m not a sue happy person, but if the K-46 transmision has gone out in as little as 50 hours, and JD put it not only in the L series but continued it in the LT series, teh box store LA’s the Sabres and Scotts, it seems that a very good case could be made for a lawsuit. Anyone out there have any ideas about this? It would be great just to get our transmissions replaced. Mine is 5 years old but only has 258 hours on it. It’s been weak since at least 155 hours; I just did not know there was a problem. Who would? Afterall we all bought John Deeres, the tractor that lasts forever, right? In cars, even a 10 year, 100,000 mile drive train warranty is becoming standard.
Interesting find, this website. I see I’m not alone with my poorly performing L130.
I don’t feel too bad though, I found this lawn mower at the Pawn Shop and didn’t feel like I got anything other than a pretty good deal. What I got was a 2000 hour machine needing all the basic, and not so basic maintenance done. The motor is fine, nice clean oil, newish plug and the air filter was even pretty clean.
The deck howled like a banshee, cuts real nice though, and the blades on it weren’t bad at all. Someone did do -some- maintenance in it’s life. Getting the deck kit (with the aforementioned grease fittings) seems pricey, but it’s worth it. Actually sounds pleasant now – nice whooshing noises now. Still cuts nice, that wasn’t an issue before, just my painful ears.
Now I discover I have a more serious issue, and just like y’all, can’t do the hilly parts and not much of anything after a bit of use.
And a Question has come to mind: What about transmissions from other years, other models? Any chance of them be made to work?
I ask because in a former life, I had a brand new “265″ – Garden tractor that I used mostly daily over about 10 years. Mowed two of my own acres, did the old woman next door’s little patch of lawn after her husband passed – and the neighbor across the street – who actually paid me to do their 1/2 an acre. I never paid for gas or parts for looong time. :-)
It’s transmission (the 265) was a tough beast, nice hyrdostatic – (if you pulled off the gear lever opening plastic bit, it went way faster.)
Am I way off base on this one?
Mike
I just finished rebuilding the K46 in my “Lame Deere” L130 with about 350 hours on it. Like most of the others on this thread, it had gotten to the point where it would not handle my 1-1/2 to 2 acres of hilly yard. I considered the K66 upgrade, and talked with Roger (who was very helpful), but just couldn’t bring myself to part with the cash–I am cheap! I replaced all of the internal components except for the final drive gear, which did not show any evidence of wear (and it costs $40–remember, I am cheap).
The little spider gears looked really bad–big chunks missing from every tooth! It is my understanding that these are made from powdered metal rather than a good heat-treated material (John Deere is also cheap!) My oil really did not look bad, but I think the 350 hours of heat had probably ruined the viscosity to the extent that, coupled with the worn components, I had no pulling power. Anyway, all of the parts cost me a little over $500, directly from Tuff Torq.
The new thrust bearing kit is upgraded over the stock components, and the new center case includes a slightly different internal dampening system that uses a small screen/filter instead of the balls used at the end of the springs in the stock dampening valves. I had hoped that the replacement differential gears would be made from a better material, but that does not appear to be the case. The other thing that really surprised me was the amount of clearance (slop) in this gear set. When I removed the old ones, I was actually surprised that the thing was still able to move, due to the slack in the gears. However, the new components seem to have the same amount of slop–amazing for this type of assembly!
I was helped tremendously by Derrick Dalton at Tuff Torq, who answered every question I had–and I had a lot of them! Unfortunately, there is no service manual available with instructions on assembly of the components, so I worked from the exploded parts diagram on the Tuff Torq website, along with much help from Derrick, who never ran out of patience with my numerous questions.
I used the 5/50 synthetic oil from Tuff Torq, and I think I have significantly more pulling power than when the tractor was new. I cut about an acre two days ago (ran out of daylight), and finished the rest yesterday. I do have one problem–the new left axle seal is blowing oil like a BP oil rig in the Gulf. I almost left the old axle seals in, but figured I might as well replace them since I had the axles out anyway–go figure!
I am going to try replacing the seal from the outside rather than tearing into the transaxle again to pull the axle, but I have ordered two new seals just in case :( I have seen someone mention that oil can be added without removing the transaxle by removing the gas tank, but I don’t see that this will work on my L130–can anyone clear this up for me?
I hope to get a few more years out of this machine, and then look for something else. I have already spent about half as much in repairs as I paid for it–broken front axle, blade clutch, 3 new blade spindles (got the good ones with grease fittings–one of the original ones literally caught on fire!), 2 blade belts, 2 drive belts (didn’t really need to replace the second one, but since I had the transaxle out anyway, I just needed to have a little more fun), 3 blade engagement switches, 1 battery–and new blade set every year.
The Kohler engine is still strong and cranks great, although it smokes like a freight train for a few seconds every time it is started, just like it has from day one–and it still has the always-entertaining gunshot-decibel-level backfire upon shutoff.
With all the poor starving lawyers out there, someone is missing the chance of a lifetime for a class-action lawsuit against John Deere.
Roger, I have a question about the upcoming S500 upgrade, although I’m aware it’s still in the developmental stages. I’ll post here for the benefit of everyone including you since you can answer the question one time for everybody. Question is, from observing the pics of the K46, K66 and K72, the K72 is much larger. Is there a chance of it not fitting under some of the tractors, such as between the frame rails on the LT???
Stan: I think it will!
Rodger,
I have a 25hp ..54inch cut mower. Do you think this super 500 upgrade
will handle it? It’s a Scott .
stan
Still one K66 Upgrade kit available. Look on eBay for “John Deere K66″
Scott: I am keeping the LT’s in mind for the Super 500. I feel certain it will be a great conversion.
“TemptedToUpdate”: Me too … I’m excited about it!
When I get a little farther along, I will probably start a reservation list.
Go Roger Go! Can’t wait to get one of the K72′s!
Roger, Will the Super 500 work on LT’s? There are many of us out here who need something that will.
Bob, thanks so much for the nice write-up. As the Upgrade Kit seller, we work very hard to provide a quality product at the lowest cost possible.
The K66 Upgrade Kits have worked well. but unfortunately, has ended due to the lack of K66r’s. For folks that have Upgraded, I think they will get years of excellent service. It is both serviceable and repairable. For most, this will be just what was needed.
To continue the “Upgrade Kit” program, we are in the development of the “Super 500.” kit. It is being built around the TT K72 (Used in the JD 500).and will include the useful things, like the differential lock, but not the price raising non-performance “frills.” The underlying concept: If you need a stronger tractor (or one that just runs!) why not build on the tractor you already have … and paid for. For a little more investment, you can have a tractor that otherwise will cost well above $6000!
The Super 500 Upgrade Kit will be put together like the K66 kit, which means easy to install and affordable. The prototype is up and running now. I expect to be able to offer the kit sometime in July, or soon thereafter. Price not yet determined, but is looking to be less than I originally thought.
“Quality and Service Better Than You Expect.”
I just installed the upgrade transmission in my L120 this week. It took about 5 1/2 to 6 hours to install. The kit is very well put togather. The instructions were fantastic. Today I mowed for the first time with my upgraded L120 and WOW! This transmission gives it all kinds of tourq. If you can keep the front wheels on the ground it will climb anything I have in my yard. There is no more growning when trying to pull hills. It climbs like a mountain goat. I really feels like I’m in more control with the new transmission installed. Going down the steep embankments it just crawls every so gently. With the old transmission you actually had to try to use the brake as the transmission wouldn’t really slow you down going down a steep embankment. I really love my new, referbished, tractor. I’d highly recommend this upgrade to anyone who need to fix their mower. It is still way cheaper then buying a new mower. Thanks Roger for putting togather a great upgrade package.
Bob
I was trying to decide if the JD LA145 was enough tractor for the farm when I happened on this message board.. I wondered if the TT/K46 axle would be able to handle my 2 acres we mow and pulling around a trailer full of firewood, gravel or dirt.. I’m guessing not.. Is the next size up hydrostatic unit a K72??
I used to service Gould screw type hydro pumps on offshore rigs and they would last forever even though they were beaten like a red headed step child.. I am wondering if the regular 10/30 oil and poor cooling are dooming these units..
The Tough Torque factory says 5W50 synthetic oil and I would seriously think of changing the original oil after the first 10 hours of use.. Keeping them cool enough to keep the checkball springs from softening and loosing their tension thus loosing internal pressure regulation is important.. All pumps have a max pressure pop off point and the “runs fine till it gets hot” symptom seems to point to a weak spring.. Don’t think I would want to run the 90w or 140w as it would crush those poor bypass check ball/spring regulators.. An add on oil cooling system like they have for auto trannys or external water jacket would make these things last forever..
My Whites geared axle stripped after 16 years and I am getting a new one for $350 to fix it so I can have more time to either find a better new auto/hydro tractor or save more money to buy a high dollar unit with a heavy duty drive unit..
What about Eaton hydro drives are they big bucks or just more of the same??
Thanks,
Ray
I have an ’03 LT150 with the failing K46 and just finished changing fluid and cleaning the filter. I have about 200 hours on the tractor but the K46 has been going bad for some time, maybe around 150 hours. I removed the K46, turned it upside down and drained the oil. I then pulled off the bottom plate and removed the filter. It was quite black with sludge, etc. I cleaned it thoroughly with gasoline and an old toothbrush, then blew it out with air, repeating this about 3 times. I then allowed the filter to set overnight to evaporate any residue of the gasoline. Then I added 3.5 oz. of “Restore”, an additive for worn engines that is available at auto parts or Wal-Mart. Then, about 2+ quarts of Castrol Syntec 5w50 synthetic motor oil. I think maybe the guys who have drained and replaced the oil without removing and cleaning the filter may have missed an essential step. But, the jury is still out on this whole deal. If the filter is clogged, it can’t properly pump the oil through it, in theory.
I have taken a couple of “joy rides” on it so far and it surely seems to be doing better. It still “groans” more than I believe it did when new. After the first joy ride, it pushed out a little bit of fluid on the floor, as one other guy said happened on his oil change. Possibly today or tomorrow I will try an actual mowing job and will be able to accurately compare the “before” and “after” performance. I will post the results here. For long term, I’m considering one of Roger’s upgrades when he gets it developed for the LT’s. That would turn my LT into a bullet-proof machine for sure.
I bought a JD L120 almost 4 years ago.This spring I started having the infamous transaxle problem that many of you have. I will join a class action suit against JD if approached. Today I sent Roger my money for the upgrade. Sounds like it is the way to go according to the posts I have read. Maybe JD stands for junk dealer. LOL
Okay, after spending over an hour reading through all of the previous posts, I have learned that I am a member of an elite fraternity – people who bought a Deere thinking they were buying quality, and we all got hoodwinked.
I have the same problem, after 20 minutes of mowing, my 2005 LT190 will not go up an incline. It makes a whining sound and has to cool off. Now that I came to the table late I need to get my machine fixed, only the upgrade that I’ve been reading about does not work on the LT series.
Soooo, does anyone know what upgrade will work on an LT mower? And if so, how much it will cost? Can the fluid be emptied and filled with the higher viscosity 90 weight oil with any expectation of at least some improvement or should I use the 5W30 synthetic? Please help.
Has anyone thought of a class action suit against Deere for this obvious stonewalling conspiracy on their part to sell junk to the consumer and not stand behind it? The LT is not a low end box store knockoff. It is a real Deere with a Kawasaki engine so I don’t want to hear any nonsense from JOHN or others saying that you get what you pay for.
If I could unload this puppy right now, I would. A Husqvarna looks like a much better value for the money. But I can’t and want this one fixed. BTW, I only had 185 hours on it when it started to go bad. It now has 258 hours.
Mike: If you hurry, there is one K66 upgrade kit left.
I have a L118 that is losing power. After reading the blogs, I think I am a candidate for a replacement transmission.
What tranny should I get and how much are they? I want the thing to last as the only problem is no power. Engine and everything else are in like new shape.
I have a L120 and have had the same problems as many others have had. I will never buy another john deer anything they are 100% junk.
hello everyone, after reading all of these posts i have came to a conclustion.
i have been thinking about buying a new JD tractor this year and i think im just going to try to find a good used rider without the yellow and green colloring.
this is a shame, for years i worked on a farm and was constantly around JD Equipment, and never ran into this sort of poor quality and workmanship.
*so ok thats the end of my rant*
working with hydrolics my entire life the above post about using thicker (heavier) weight oil in these transmissions is just fine, as a matter of opinion i think they should all come with 95/140w oil in them in the warmer parts of the world! would be cheaper on our end b/c the transmissions would last 6-8 or more years before having these issues b/c the oil sheer-ing would not happen as soon and cause the wear on the pump parts that cause this issue. (refill it! it will be fine with thicker oil)
these transaxle/transmissions get quite hot, thats the purpose of the fan. They “should” be under presure and have a filter and a cooler, would not cost much more to make or build or fit into the chasis for that matter. but hey its only a riding mower right? not a garden tractor like most of them used to be.
have a good summer fellas, heres to sharp blades n frosty beverages!
James you are a wealth of information that gives me a bit more hope for my current k46 transaxle. Although I have admit I will most definitely sign up for Roger’s K72 when he has it finished. I spoke to another guy in town who simply raves about his customer service and dedication. In the mean time, I wish more good folks like James can chime in and give us more experiences on how best to salvage our k46′s in case it begins to give out.
After having read Jame’s May 25h post, has anyone had the urge to try filling their k46 transaxle to see if it works as he has described. I am tickled to hear of this bit of good news and would really want to be pleasantly surprised by someone else’s attempt to do this.
The problem with the K46 is the hydraulic pump wears and with the large clearance it cannot create enough pressure with the hot thine oil, it bypasses through the ware clearance. I have removed the transaxle,and the drain plug in the top as shone above, drained the oil,and replaced it with #70 weight racing oil that cane be found at some auto parts stores, It will climb a hill as well as when new for 2 to 3 years.When it wears down again change it to #90 weight oil.After 2 to3 more years change to #140 oil,after that you could thicken it up a little more by pumping in some chases lube.I have gained several years of service on several of the k46 axles by using up to #90 weight. By the time the 90 weight got week the rest of the little JD was pretty well worn. I learned this by repairing under ground coal mining machines.Many of them have hydraulic tram built much like the K46 but weighs thousands of pounds and costs many thousands of dollars.
Well said, Jim.
Hi John,
You’re kidding right? I was just into a John Deere dealer to buy some new blades and overheard a salesman pushing this junk. Every part of me wanted to tell those potential buyers to steer clear!
I, like so many others, bought my John Deere tractor because of the name, it was a big deal for me and it was a lot of money I was spending (this was my first riding mower (L120)).
Are you trying to tell me that I should have known that there is a low end and it’s my fault for buying it? Come on! I suppose the salesman I heard should have been saying:
It just doesn’t work that way John.
It’s like a truck… You might not have enough to buy a top of the line model, but you still expect your truck to last, right? Just because it’s a lower end model doesn’t mean that it should have a ton of problems…
Trust me, had I known how much problem I would have had with a John Deere, I would have stayed with my push mower or bought a HIGH QUALITY mower in my price range.
I think all of you saying you are dissapointed in you johndeere should be ashamed. you did not buy a johndeere you baught a green mtd. those l series tractors were built to compete with the craftsmans and mtd’s. and if its sold in a big box store it is not of the same quality that a premium machine would be. and i know they are sold in deere dealers to but they also have the premium line whitch is 100 times better than a l series. yeah you will pay more but you get what you pay for!!!!
The FINAL five (5) K66 Upgrade Kits are now listed on eBay. (Look for “John Deere K66″)
/roger
Our K66 Upgrade Kits are not recommended for the JD LTxxx series because of significant differences.
I have a 2003 LT 150 that has a tranmission that is starting to whine going up hill. It really complains if the bags are loaded and I have to let off the forward peddle and repress it to get it going again. It still does OK when not bagging. I have just stumbled on the blog and I’m wondering if a replacement kit may be availible but I’m not sure which transmission it has and I’m not sure where to find this out.
We had to put in a short block 2 years ago ($600) after the piston rod gave out and put a fist size hole in the case. It runs well now and has otherwise been a good mower that has had a lot of use on our 1 acre of slightly hilly grass.
If it can’t be fixed I’ll need to find another mower, GT or ZT. I’m already shoping and checking for models with transmissions with replaceable fluid and filters.
Anyhow, thanks for all the interesting information. I have learned a lot in a short time. Chris
LT160 john deere pulley on top of trans stripped out at 150 hours and now at 370 hours transaxle is bad took it apart and the gears are flaking apart at damaged the pump john deere said they wont help. when i grew up on a farm in the 70s JD was the thing to have but its funny how things change with time. i wont be buying anymore John-Deere. so here is there deer john letter.
“Super 500″ Upgrade: Tuff Torq K72B with Differential Lock, (Same as X500!) 24×12-12 HDAP tires and updated steering. This will transform your L130 or L120 into a “Super 500,” and except for a few non-performance frills, will equal a $6000+ tractor.
… and the nice part, you already have a perfectly good frame and “500″ engine, plus you don’t need to buy all new accessories.
Probably be out of the “prototype” development and ready for sale mid-to-late summer. Price? Don’t know yet, but like the K66 Upgrade, definitely will be a lotta bang for the buck!
The “Super 500″ won’t be for everyone. The K66 upgrade is a great upgrade for 75% of users. But if you really, really need a strong tractor and have been considering junking your L1xx and writing a check for $6000+ … Don’t!
Roger –
What TuffTorque Transaxle model or manufacturer would you put on to acheive the “Super 500″ upgrade?
Re: Craig.
If your K66 eventually wears out. rebuild kits are available. There probably would be no need to replace the entire unit.
A look ahead: How about a “Super 500″ upgrade?
I just got done upgrading my L130…. I bought the mower in 2004 and in 2006 had my first transaxle changed out…. same deal they only charged me $250. In 2008 I had my second one done, this time it cost me $350, and JD said this is it, buy a bigger tractor.
Well I am VERY please with Roger’s kit, I had my L130 OFF ROAD yesterday mowing the field, and I was tearing it up!!!!!!!
Thank you Roger, I am a happy JD owner again.
Mark
So, if you have a tractor that originally came out with a K-66 and it goes bad, you are screwed?
All of the new/surplus K66′s are sold. Last week, we purchased Tuff Torq’s complete inventory of K66′s. They had 14 on-hand with no plans to make any more.
We expect to have the new transaxles delivered in about two weeks. We are now taking reservations for these remaining kits.
why isn’t consumer protection doing anything for john deere customers with problems I’m having issues with a la 125 mower only a year and a half into it blowing oil out fuel pump gotta be some type of class law suit if need be john deere can kiss it goodbye from here on out id never buy another seeing they have had mine for over two weeks and haven’t looked at it under warranty
UPDATE REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF THE K66 UPGRADES.
There are NO MORE new/surplus K66r transaxles available anywhere in the world. At this moment, we have four remaining upgrade kits and two of those are listed on eBay in the auction format. (Look for “John Deere K66″) So far, both have bids at the initial listing price of $1295. On Sunday, 5/9/2010, the two remaining kits will be listed.
We have contacted Tuff Torq and agreed to purchased ALL of their remaining new K66′s. The cost to us is virtually double the cost for surplus units, which is not surprising. Tuff Torq said, they have NO PLANS on manufacturing any more.
We have have taken a hard look at the Upgrade Kit pricing and have determined that we can sell the kits for $1695. We understand that is a high price, but from our personal experience and the feedback from prior customers, by installing the K66 Upgrade, you basically get the same as the JD G110 Garden Tractor. To get the same level of performance, you would have to spend well over $5000. As one customer pointed out, you would also need to buy new attachments, such as snow blades and snow blowers. Even at $1695, it just makes good sense.
When our remaining four kits are sold, we will take reservations for the this new batch. Needless to say, if you want a kit, take a hard look at the current one’s on eBay. You will not see these prices again.
Now the “Bad News” … Tuff Torq has only fourteen (14) K66r’s available, with no current plans to manufacture any more.
Regarding “TemptedToUpgrade;” Both the K66 oil reservoir cap and the gear case oil cap can be serviced without cutting any holes or removing the transaxle. In my Installation Manual, I detail how to do it. Basically, you use a small “pump-type” oil can, fitted with about 12″ of neoprene tubing. Working from the left side, you can remove and replace both caps and add oil, as necessary.
I actually find it easiest to raise the right rear wheel off the ground, then remove the retainer clip and slide the wheel off. This give more working room. It’s not hard. (Be careful not to lose the 1/4″ axle key. The tractor won’t move without it.)
FYI: There are two drain plugs in the bottom of the K66 for draining the oil. They are not easily identified, as they look similar to the other bolts. The key is to look for the bolts with the fiber gasket under the head. (If you send me an email, I will return a picture of the drain plug locations.)
In the picture of the new K66, it seems there is a cap to fill transmission oil near the top of the unit. How easy is it to change the oil on the new K66?
Perhaps someone already mentioned this already but, did anyone have to cut out an access hole on the body of the tractor to access the fill hole underneath? If not then does the whole thing need to taken off to drain and refill oil?
I to want to know any responses to joey mccarthy’s question regarding anyone who has already put a considerable amount of hours on the new K66.
Also be interested to know if someone bought a kit and wanted to sell for the price they paid for it (installed or uninstalled).
Does anybody have a good but inexpensive source for the 23×10.50×12 lug tires to go on the new rims in Roger’s kit?
my dad has one of these wonderful problem filled tractors, i feel bad . he didnt want to spend that kind of money on a tractor and i kind of talked him into it sayin,” its a john deere- they wouldnt sell it if it wasnt a good tractor.” and eating my words every day. im wondering if anyone has ran there k66 for 250- to 300 hours and if it still performs as good as new?
ONE K66 Upgrade Kit available for “Buy It Now,” on eBay. The remaining four kits will be placed on eBay for auction. Then … “That’s All Folks!”
Just a heads-up for those who have received and are operating a Roger Daisley conversion kit with new rims and tires.
I learned the “hard way” that after some hours of operation, the wheel lug nuts need to be torqued again. My dumb mistake that I lost some bolts and didn’t notice anything until the tractor started to wobble(!) This has NOTHING to do with the performance or quality of Roger’s conversion kit.
Hi. My hydrostatic transmission started leaking over the winter from the O ring at the brake assembly connected to the transmission; I lost approximately a quart and a half of oil. I replaced the o ring and the leak is resolved, but now I really dont want to pull out the tranny to add fluid. I have heard that you can drill a hole through the battery tray to get to a fill plug. Just curious if anybody has done this, and if so what is the best place to drill the hole. Thanks for any info.
Regarding “legit:” With a phone call, I will be glad to give a bank reference and a John Deere dealer reference.
Regarding the LTxxx series: There are too many substantial differences between the LTxxx and the Lxxx series, which the kits were designed for, to make the kit impractical to install.
(Eleven kits left … selling at a rate of 1-3 per day.)
I’m interested in a kit but my wife is skeptical that Roger’s operation is legit. Does the new transaxle come with some kind of warranty?
I have a 2004 LT 160 lawn tractor with 214 hours on it. It will not move anymore. I replaced drive belt no help. Can your Tuff Torq kit work and cost? real disappointment that JD does not make a good product anymore.
How about a K46 to K58 or Kwhatever kit for post 2007 X300 and X304 owners…
Roger here … Sunday morning:
I believe the Tuff Torq K46 is a good transaxle for the DESIGNED PURPOSES. While most folks on this page are having difficulties, it must be remembered there are thousands operating satisfactorily.
In my opinion, problems should have been foreseen when JD sold their L-series through “Big Box” stores. At those stores, product knowledge was minimal and pressure to sell was very high. JD complicated the problem by selling accessories, such as snow plows and snow blowers, that were not appropriate for a “lawn mower.” The results were inevitable. Adding to the problem was the new owner never realized the Lxxx was not approroprite to mow 2-3 acres of hilly lawns.
Today, we have 12 kits left. more or less. “If” we decide to market more kits, it will require buying K66 transaxles directly from Tuff Torq. I have no idea, at this time, what the kit prices might be, but my guess is around $2000. This begs the question: Which is best, upgrade to a “G110 clone” for that price or buy a new X500/X700 series for another $5000-$7000.
Your comments regarding this will determine what direction we take.
Ps: Yes, the kits work just fine in the L111.
hello everyone ,this has been very helpfull to me to read your experiances,il have to call the jd in homerglenn ill circle ,i have a jd L118 and today sat
5-1 10 can any one help me the tractor starts ,mower can engage and run
but the tractor will not move i have smoke and reading manual is there a seperate belt to drive the tractor ,or is this the transmission. thank you by the way i know circle jd dealer wont do anything ps are murray tractors a better
choice in the future thankyou everyone
Roger,
Do you have anymore K66 kits left…
What’s the current price?
Thanks
Anderson,
Too much for a heavy-duty paper weight……..
Everyone is jumping on John Deere and their poor quality. The fact is that John Deere does not make the transmission TuffTorq does. TuffTorq are the ones with quality issues the only parts that are made by John Deere are the accessories (decks, plows etc), frame and body for the most part. Everything else is manufactured by someone else bought, assembled by John Deere. Not trying to take from the main problem of the K46 barely adequate to handle light duty work and failure just stating the fact that it’s the manufacture from which John Deere purchases their transmission from.
Would anyone recommand purchasing a secondhand K46 Hydrostatic unit ?
I have an offer on hand requesting an initial sales price of $200 for a secondhand unit.
The unit is known to show some slippage at full speed setting.
Thanks.
I don’t know if anyone answered Bill’s question on September 13th, 2009 regarding whether these kits would fit the JD L111.
I too have an L111 and would like to purchase one of these kits.
According to JD documentation, the L111 has a Tough-Torque K46 transmission while the L120/L130 has the K46HD transmission. Other differences are L111 has manual PTO while L120/130 Electric PTO.
Has anyone upgraded their L111 transmission to the K66 or know if this can be done with the kit? Thanks.
Parts are arriving faster than expected. I think by the end of next week we will be back to a normal shipping schedule. Just a reminder: If you want a kit, you better get your order in ASAP, as there are less than 20 kits available.
I have a jd l110 with a bad transaxle,nothing sold in this country is as poor quality as my lawn tractor,
I received the comment, below, from Dennis F, Alabama. I want to share his comments:
“Greetings from a very ECSTATIC customer! Before I decided to purchase the upgrade kit, I had resigned myself to spending around $4000 on a new lawn tractor and attachments. But, I saw all those glowing comments from previous purchasers of your upgrade kit and decided to go with it and it has completely exceeded my expectations!!! You know, one comment I kept seeing repeated was that after the upgrade many felt like they had a new lawn tractor again. But, that sounds like they are saying their lawn tractor is back to what is was when they first got it. No way!!! My L120 is much, much more powerful going up my lawn’s steep grade now than it EVER was when I first got it. No comparison at ALL!!! The performance is absolutely amazing.
It IS like having a new lawn tractor, but a MUCH more powerful one!!
The installation was a breeze. The ONLY problem I had was getting several of the old nuts loose. That was the most time consuming part of the upgrade.
When I finished the upgrade I immediately mowed my lawn and when I was done…..believe it or not…..I was sad that I was DONE!!!!! I was thinking “Give me another yard to mow!……Now!!” I am going to mow my yard again this afternoon and I kid you not, I cannot wait! I know it will get old again real soon, but for now I am like a kid with a brand new….much more powerful….toy! Mowing had become such a pain for me, requiring mowing in 10 to 15 minute shifts with an hour or so in between shifts for the transaxle to cool down.
I am so glad that I found that article in the JamesMaurer.com website that mentioned your upgrade kit. I just wish I had found out about it sooner.
Thanks!
Dennis …”
FYI: We have 20 kits left, however we are on a temporary shipping hold, waiting for two brackets from JD. When the brackets are in-hand, we will start shipping again in the order we have paid orders.
/roger
Joe: Not good news – We only have complete JD kits, using the Tuff Torq K66r. I do not think it would be a recommended replacement.
Best Regards, Roger
Hello all, after my third week with the new K66 I feel like I have a new mower. I can’t say enough about Roger’s kit, easy to install, all parts in kit, just follow instructions. I operate heavy equipment for a living (32 years) and I can feel the torque and power it has. In equipment terms I went from a D3 to a D6 (cat) If you have a mower that the kit will fix GET IT !!!!! Unless you can find someone to give you a $1000.00 for a mower that won’t move. I upgraded to new tractor tread tires, think I will make a cart out of the old axle, that’s the only way it would move any way, had to pull it. Thanks again Roger.
Roger,
Maybe Brian lives in China :) where you possibly can buy a tractor for $1,300.- but a new equivalent JD matching an L120/130 with your K66 conversion kit would cost between $3,500-5,500.-
Therefore, your upgrade kit is well worth the investment! I was very fortunate to buy the kit shy under $900.- after my K46 died!
Sorry about the current $1295 for the upgrade kit. I wish I could lower it, but we had to pay more than twice as much for the last 48 new/surplus K66’s. (There are no more, that I know of!)
Compared to buying a new tractor with the same capability as a K66 upgraded tractor, the kit is a real bargain. You will end up with a much more powerful and reliable tractor.
Don’t wait … less than thirty left. Look on eBay: “John Deere K66?
Hi Brian,
Sure, you can pick up a new John Deere lawn mover Model LA125 for $1,799 from Home Depot right now, but… When I bought my L120, it was around the same price. It lasted for two years and then started losing power. The transmission / Transaxle needed to be replaced – there is no way to change the transmission oil.
I could either buy another John Deere that would last 2 years, or get a mower that has the right transmission (like a k66 transaxle); such a mower would run a few thousand at least, so, the best option for someone that owns a John Deere L120 or similar (l120, l130, la100, la110, la120,la130…) with a transmission that can’t be changed and losing power, is to buy an upgrade kit.
If I could have bought another mower with a transmission like the k66 for under $3,000, I would have jumped on it. The upgrade was the least expensive option.
I can tell you I will NEVER buy another John Deere in my lifetime! And, when I get time, I’m painting my John Deere another color – why? I love the tractor now that is has a new transmission (not from John Deere), but riding around in this power house leaving people with the impression that it’s a John Deere is wrong :)
Dude, that kit is now $1300 and it doesn’t come with the freaking tires. You can buy a brand new tractor for that much, one that has a better reputation then the John Deere 120.
David,
Sorry, I’m only responding now to your March 4th message. I haven’t logged on to this forum in a long time, because I’m happy as pig in sh.. with my new K66 tranny.
No, I never dissected my K46 transmission any further. I removed the inner 3 bolts (shown in the above picture dated Sept 14), but it appears you need special tools to remove some “pins” holding the clutch together with the shaft and some kind of lever. I’m not a mechanic and never got around to ask for help or advice how to do the final steps. I guess Troy’s message from the 10th says it all and it’s not worth the time an money to replace anything on the worn K46. If you have a boat, use it as an anchor……it might catch on?
Sorry I couldn’t help you! Jens
UPDATE FOR “K66 UPGRADE KIT” PROGRAM
by Roger Daisley
The FINAL 48 K66 transaxles arrived this morning. We will start shipping Lxxx Upgrade Kits again, starting Thursday.
As far as I can tell, at this point, there are no more K66’s available in the NEW/SURPLUS market. When these 48 kits are sold, we expect to be permanently out of the Upgrade business.
If you think you might want an Upgrade Kit for your JD Lxxx/LAxxx tractor, please don’t wait until they are all gone. Honestly … If you have one of these models and use it for ANYTHING more than mowing a small residential lawn on level ground, you either need one NOW or will need one later.
Well mowing season is with us again and my L120 JD is working great with the upgrade installed last year.
However now I have another problem; My mower is a lot easier to turn over when mowing sideways on grades. I believe I need to add wheel wieghts to the rear tires to make it safer to mow.
Does anyone know where I could purchase the wheel weights ? My JD Dealer doesn’t have the right size weights.
Regards, ken
I am interested in replacing the K46 in my JD L130, but the K66 choices are numerous. There is an A, AA, AC, AD, etc. How do I determine which K66 to buy. My local JD dealer said he would install it if I bought it.
Thanks for your help.
I bought my L130 from a big box store in 4/04 after reading in a leading consumer magazine that John Deere tractors were recommended. The tranny in mine went 8/06; just after warranty expired. JD was willing to pay part of replacement transmission(cost me $284). It just went again in fall of ‘09. I just spoke to my local dealer and of course they want to sell me a new one; they were willing to give me $200 for my L130 as a trade in but after finding this site I’m hoping to get the upgrade kit. I’m going to contact the consumer magazine and ask them to look into the problems everyone seems to be having with John Deere products. Maybe people will start to think twice about buying JD.
I too have a JD L120 which is 5yrs old. Started having problems after about 3 yrs of use. It has 280 hrs and will not go forward or back. This is my first and last JD product. JD is really not interested. Maybe down the road when sales fall off JD will build a better product. I think I am going to buy a different mower and stay away from JD.
Ernie
Thonotosassa, FL
O.K. so i was completely wrong on which trans i had. I have removed my trans and it is a Hydro Gear 618-0379 320-3000.
April 1st, 2010
UPDATE FOR “K66 UPGRADE KIT” PROGRAM
by Roger Daisley
We have sold out of all our initial supply of 150 K66 transaxle kits. We have the FINAL 48 transaxles being shipped in, with an ETA of about April 8-9. With sales of about 1-2 per day, I expect the whole upgrade program will be done in a month, or less. If you want to do an upgrade – Don’t wait.
Thanks to everyone for your business and wonderful feedback. A VERY SPECIAL THANKS to you, Jim. for your effort to help out.
/roger
This has been the best forum yet. Sounds like Y’all are the JD experts, Can you point me in the right direction for my upgrade wishes? Roger, Do you have any upgrades for a Cub Cadet GT1554? I believe it has a Sundstran Trans? I have all the same symptons as everyone else. If I can purchase only parts and upgrade from that, it would be a big bonus rather than an entire trans/axle assembly.
Response to Ron: The K66 conversion fixes the problems people are having with the K46 transaxle. What you will see is much more torque and pulling power. The ground speed, in both FORWARD and REVERSE will be slightly faster.
Since the mower is driven directly from the engine, there will be no change in this regard.
Thank you to every one who has contributed to this discussion, you have just saved me from spending US $2700 on a John Deere 1332PE snow blower. I live in the inland area of Washington State on the side of a mountain, we get real snowfalls! From looking at published specifications the JD 1332 PE looked like a suitable buy for our very large driveway, after reading the descriptions of your problems and the response from JD I’ll be looking for an alternative.
I too am very disappointed in my John Deere L120. It has always taken 30 to 35 rounds to crank if it sets for 1 week. Even when new and taking back for service several times, still takes at least 30 rounds to crank.
My mower has never had enough power seems to me.
Now, I also have apparently the same problem with the L120 transmission, runs about 15 minutes fine and then will not pull up even slight hills. I will go on flat ground just fine.
I have read the post about the K66 transmission giving the tractor a lot more power, does this include power to the blades or just to move faster on the ground.
Hello all,
I have had hydrostat problems for 3 years on my L130. My yard is not very hilly about 1/3 acre. Cutting time for me was about 25 min. Great!!! Problem started 2 yrs after purchase, after starting i would let mower warm up for 2 or 3 min. take off on level ground it was fine. Upon going down a slight grade and turning to go back up it would make a grinding noise and slow down. It would catch up and pull the grade, the warmer it got the better it ran. It’s so bad now it won’t run on level ground. If it’s not broke don’t fix it, or in my case “RUN IT TIL IT BLOWS” I just started looking on the net for a fix today 3/21/10 . Hope Roger hasn’t run out of kits yet!!!!!!
Thank you James for this site!!
Dennis
Email Change:
John Deere (Deere & Co.) has requested that we not use the name “John Deere” in our websites or email addresses.
Regards,
Roger Daisley
John Deere K66 Upgrade Kits
Hi everyone,
Firstly thanks to all who have participated in these discussions as it convinced me to have a go at upgrading my LT150.
I found Roger great to deal with and very helpful.
Unfortunately there were major differences between the LT series frames and that of the L120 – 130 that were unknown to both of us so the upgrade was not as straight forward as that for the L series mowers but is well worth the effort.
I completed mine last weekend and now have the mower that JD should have sold in the first place!!
I am in Australia but would be willing to try and help anyone thinking of upgrading an LT series mower, just leave a comment.
Regards
Tony
Greetings, Roger here:
i’m the guy that has put together the John Deere K66 Upgrade Kits for the JD L130/L120 and several other models.
We are nearing the end of our K66 supply. At the current rate of sales, we expect to sell the last kit not later than the end of the month. If you are wanting an Upgrade Kit, don’t wait too long. Hint: Get a kit while you still can.
We don’t know if we can obtain a few more transaxles, or not, but if we can, it looks like any additional kits will be priced around $1500, due to the much higher price being asked for the K66′s.
Best Regards.
Roger Daisley
Ps: There is NO certainty that ANY additional K66′s will be available.
Does anyone know if Roger has any kits left and if so do they work on an L130?
Thanks
Mike
I got into a battle with John Deere in September of 2009. Wrote a letter to the CEO, asking why they would bother putting a green and yellow jacket on a product that performs more poorly than a Murray or similar tractor. My JD is an L118, which was described as an “entry level model”, insinuating that I should not expect it to last. I only got three and one half seasons from my JD.
After many conversations with a customer service rep, I was offered $200 toward the $700 tuff torq replacement job. I have concluded that the only thing their offer will buy is a lifetime of me, and obviously some of you, expressing their less than adequate product.
Today, I decided to remove the hydrostat to see if oil could be added. I found the rubber plug described above and removed it, and then came to my computer to see if I could determine what type of oil to add to the trans. this is the first site I found, and it seems, by the above comments and experiences that it will be a total waste of time.
I plan to look into the upgrade kit. It DOES sound like a no brainer to me. I have some mechanical experience, so removing the trans was not really difficult, but it did take about 2 hours. My JD started making a noise when the trans was engaged during the second season. When I called the service facility, at that time, I was told that it was out of warranty and they could offer no help.
During August of 2009, it started having difficulty on the hills, and finally just stopped moving altogether. After it sat all winter I started it, and it moved! Knowing that eventually it would stop, I just started tearing it apart. Wish me luck; John Deere doesn’t have any sympathy for any of us! Their sales and profits are in the B B B Billions, annually, but they won’t do the simple things to improve a product or satisfy a customer.
Thanks for the forum to speak out.
Jerry
I just tore my lx266 apart because my tractor would not go. I suppose it is the transmission. I changed the oil and still would not go. I rotate the wheels on back. It is jacked up. but still will not rotate wheels when I move the belt . Can a belt be the problem? Or should I take the transmission apart. I thought it would be something simple. I found a wire wrapped around on off the parts one the left side of the transmission but couldn’t tell if it caused any problem. I would think the loose belt might be a problem but am not sure how this transmission work with the motor. I know pressing on the forward or back pedal gives me nothing. I have looked it over and can only conclude it is the transmission. I would appreciate any help I can get.
Thanks ahead
Jerry
Dave and Warren:
Last fall I purchased the K46 rebuild kit directly from Tuff Torq. Once the kit arrived I excitedly rebuilt my transaxle and bragged to my wife that I was able to repair our JD LT160 and save a ton of money. I thought the $360 spent was going to solve all my mower issues. Boy was I wrong. My mower is every bit as useless now as it was $360 dollars ago. I considered buying a new K46, but I know I will be out $600 plus and have all these same issues by summertime. In my opinion the only options are buy a new $5,000-$6000 garden tractor or spend the $1,100 on the up grade kit. This kind of math is easy for me and I will be ordering a new upgrade kit.
Troy
I have a JD lt 155 with the slipping transmission. I have been searching the net for a illustrated repair procedure to rebuild the transmission.
Thanks!
I have no interest in upgrading my John Deere Transmission but would like to replace the clutch if possible. Was told it couldn’t be done. I don’t believe that. If the parts are available, it can be done. Does anyone know where to get parts? Still waiting on Jens to post about pulling the clutch out of his old tranny. let me know.
I have just pulled apart and serviced my failing K46 transaxle to no avail. Looks like I am up for new pump and drive motor parts. Has anyone done this work before with any success? The parts all look to be readily available from Tuff Torq and it appears that they even have kits made up…
Shipped out eight kits today. Less than 40 kits (K66′s) left!
If you want one …do not wait.
If we can find more K66′s, which is very doubtful, the pricing will be at least $500 higher.
Well, I’ve had the updated K-66 running since September now. I’ve cut grass, plowed snow, hauled logs for firewood, and generally used the tractor and trailer for everything. It has worked flawlessly! The power has been great, and I have not problems at all with the transaxle now. The tractor is now the tool I thought I had bought from the John Deere dealer.
Commenting on Barry’s question about whether or not John Deere is reading these comments – I sent a personal letter (not an email) to the President of John Deere outlining my disappointment with the product. I told what I had expected of the tractor, what the dealer told me, and how it had failed me.
I told him what I had to do correct the problem and how the dealer had been of no help. I completely explained the problem, and how the K-66 transaxle had been the solution.
What I got in return was stunning! Some PR person sent me a form letter telling me how great their product was, that they had complete confidence in it, and how sorry they were that I was disappointed in it. They included a coupon for a 35% discount on my NEXT purchase – which, by the way, expired less than 30 days from the day I received it! Unbelievable… Thank you Roger for making this kit available!
Ken G.
The install of the K-66 Kit into my S2548 was great. It Seems that John Deere does not provide the pre-cut Axle Keys for some of their axles installed in JD, or Scotts tractors.
I spoke with my local John Deere dealership and they have steel stock available to make Keys for the various sized axles. This install was fun and would love to install others. Anyone out there that does not have the Mechanical ability or just does not want to fool with the install I would be willing for a few $100 bucks or so. I am South of Washington D.C. in the local Maryland/Virginia/ D.C. area. Drop me an e-mail at nawcloggie@hotmail.com
Our K66 Upgrade Kits are starting to fly out the door. “The Word” is getting out worldwide. We have shipped several kits to Australia, many to Canada, one to Prague, Czech Republic and one to Croatia!
If you are reading this, my guess is you are having a problem with your K46 equipped tractor, therefore I want you to be aware of the situation:
The reason this upgrade makes sense is because there is a very small – and quickly diminishing – supply of brand-new surplus K66 transaxles available. When these K66′s are all sold, this great upgrade is finished … unless, of course, you are willing to pay about $3000 for a kit!
On this day, we have only forty (40) K46 transaxles left for sale. We are currently selling about five kits per week … and that rate is getting faster as the supply gets lower and the grass gets greener.
Other factor to consider: For one reason or the other, JD has decided to dramatically raise the price on some of the required parts used in the kit. For example, the required 1″ axle rims have gone from $52 each to $83 each. Almost every time we buy parts, the price is higher! Hmmm … I wonder why? As you can understand, the price we have to ask for the kits keep going up.
Best Regards,
Roger Daisley
Ps: Always happy to answer any questions.
Ken,
Have you received any help on your front axle problems?
From Roger:
I have received many emails inquiring about tires for our upgrade kits. I have poked around on the Internet and discovered that “Bizrate” might be the best place to start looking.
The tires pictured in the eBay ad are 23×10.50-12 NANCO N440 and are listed in Bizrate. I find them to be a good tire at a good price.
On the link I have provided, below, you will find those tires, along with many others of this size.
bizrate.com/23×10.50-12-tires
Best Regards, Roger
Ps: Anyone ready for a Fully Electric, Solar rechargeable, conversion? It’s coming!
I to have a JD L130 with only 190 hrs on it.Mowing grass is not a problem YET, but I do have a 48″ blower on it I live in the BC rockies so I need a blower,and as all you other guys have said,the trany whines now,so I thought it was the belt ,so I changed it out, waste of time and money.I guess an upgrade kit is due. I sure hope the folks from JD read these comments, because if anyone asks, I’ll tell them straight out!I also have A 82′ Jacobsen and it will run circles around JD but the blower was a enginering night mare.
Thanks for all the great info.
A quick note on the K66 Upgrade. We received approximately 24 inches of snow in Late December and with the upgrade, I was able to plow my driveway 20′x140′ without much effort. Phew! I would have hated to have to shovel that…
I too have a L130 and just finished installing the K66 upgrade, and I am very happy I did! I also put lug tires on the new bigger rims and have more torque and traction than ever before. I understand Roger will only be selling a limited amount of these upgrades in the future do to JD pricing. So, if anyone is considering this upgrade, give him a call.
I completed this install by myself and it took about 4 1/2 hours and can be done by the average homeowner quite easily. It’s way cheaper than JD’s answer, which is to buy a bigger tractor which they are happy to sell you :-) Mine is 5 years old and I will hold on to it for many years to come now and I won’t have to replace all of the attachments that I bought specifically for my 130.
I wanted to share with the group the following comments:
Duane V, of South Dakota, wrote: “Roger, I gave my k66 the ultimate test today. We got 15 inches of snow here in South Dakota with blizzard conditions for 2 days. My JD (LA120) with the k66 kit and a snow blower was able to handle it extremely well. I was able to go right through the deep snow. Sometimes it was so deep I had to first go through with the blower lifted, then back up to go again with it down. It was going well in snow as deep as the blower. It had plenty of power for the extreme conditions. I believe I would not have been able to do it without the k66 upgrade.”
We are back in business with the upgrade kits. JD had been a little stubborn, but we’re beyond that now.
We also have worked out the problem with the X300 “reverse logic” situation. Kits for this tractor ready for sale.
After doing a lot of reading and finding that there were a lot of other people having the same problem with their K46 tranaxles as I was having, I noticed a posting from Roger Daisley. Roger has the same tractor as I have (JD L130) and he said that he had the same trouble and was going to install the K66 transaxel. Shortly after, he posted that it was a success and that he was going to make kits available to help all those others that had the same trouble. To make a long story short I installed the upgrade kit from Roger in August and was amazed at the difference.
Like others have said I actually popped a wheelie going up a slight incline! Rogers customer service was excellent as I did call him on a couple of things that I wasn’t quite sure about. Roger was right there and I am very happy now with this L130 as it truly has transformed into the machine I expected to be for longer than just 4 years!
I definitely recommend this kit! It was neatly packaged and numbered and came with a manual that had step by step instructions much better than anything you would get from JD!
Low reverse power fixed!!!!
I had installed an adapter to the mower deck which came with large knurled knobs to attach it. One stuck up high enough to block the reverse pedal and it made low reverse power. With deck down, had almost enough power, with deck up it almost would not move at all. Sure an easier fix than pulling the tranny :-)
I have an L110 that is fine in forward, but lacks power in reverse. Sometimes has enough to go slowly backward, other times won’t move at all.
Is this the same problem with the transmission. Will an upgrade kit fix it?
Thanks
I have an L110 with only 85hrs on it I checked the fluid level good and even changed it to 5-50 synth but still slow moving with a whine. It has a great motor but has the K46 trans and 20″ wheels . Would this upgrade kit work for me? If so I could get a plow kit then I think.?
Todd,
I was waiting for others to respond to your question regarding “the speed demon” and you wanting to “pop wheelies’. I experienced the same as you after completing my conversion, but was not concerned. I do admit however, after reading comments from other “conversionists”, I was planing on installing a seatbelt before I “took off”, but it wasn’t necessary. I made all the adjustments I could think of and also installed the new drive belt, but the tractor didn’t turn out to be a “beast” as some others called it. The way things turned out, I’m totally satisfied with the performance the way it is.
I too am a Lucky owner of a L120 with 260 hours and a dying transaxle. I contacted Roger some time ago regarding the upgrade kit and unfortunately, he did not have any kits available.
I purchased the manual that he put together and sourced all of my own parts.(which took longer to do than installing the K66) I did the install myself and it took about 5-6 hours in total. Once completed, I took it out for a spin to ensure all was working well.
It seems to run fine. No more Groaning as we have become to expect form the K46. It move along fairly well. I was somewhat disappointed in that I wanted to pop wheelies but, it did not. Just went along nice and smooth. Seeing that it was not a speed demon, it made me question if something was wrong.
I checked over the install and all look correct, tension on the belt was fine, fairly new belt (new belt last year on the L120) I noticed that the brake control had very little movement in either direction. The brakes seems to work ok. However, I wonder if the control is holding back all of that snappy torque as expected? I also wanted to know what the procedure is to purge any air in the K66 as I would imagine that would cause it to not perform.
Hopefully I am on the right track and just need to make a few adjustments and purge the air. Any help would be appreciated.
Roger. I have the same trouble, as I note that many others have had, with a Scotts L2048 transaxle.
Can you give me the information that I may order the K66 upgrade kit?
Note from Roger:
SERVICING THE OIL IN THE K66
After about the first two hours of use, check the oil level in the K66 gear box (Thumb screw lid) and in the plastic reservoir.
After the first ten hours, repeat.
At the end of Summer and, if you use your tractor for Winter plowing, again in the Spring, drain and refill the transaxle. This will insure a good long life.
To drain the transaxle, there are two drains on the bottom of the transaxle. Drain both chambers.
Refill with 5W-50 Synthetic oil. (I suggest using the same Castrol Syntec oil as supplied in the kit)
HOW TO DO IT
You will need a metal rod, about 18″-24″ long. I use a straightened out metal coat-hanger. On one end, bend down, about 90-degrees, about 3″ of the rod. On the other end, form a little handle to hold on to.
Buy about 2-feet of small neoprene hose. (Most hardware stores have this.) Get a size that fits the oil can, described below.
Acquire a small “pump-type” oil can, one that has a flexible snout about 3/8″ in diameter. Match up the oil can with the tubing. (See above)
Push the tubing on the end of oil can snout, so it fits sung and doesn’t leak or slide off.
1) Remove the left wheel.
2) Reach in and remove the two oil caps from the transaxle – wipe dirt away first. (Small hand needed!)
3) Using the coat-hanger as a “dip stick” check the levels of the oil tank and gear box. You may have to dip a
couple of times, wiping it off after each “dip,” until you get a clear picture of the oil level. While it may seem easy to observe the oil level while there are low hours on the machine, after it gets dirty, the dip-stick is required.
4) Fill the oil can with the proper oil, snake the neoprene tubing into the transaxle and pump oil into the transaxle, as required. Pump a little, then dip again. The only problem with overfilling is it will overflow when hot and make a mess.
5) The proper oil level for both chambers is about 1-1/2″ below the top of the filler hole. (The oil level will measure about 1-1/2″ below the bend in the rod.)
5) Replace oil filler caps.
ENGINE OIL CHANGE
This is a good time to change engine oil, since you’re into the project. Like the transaxle, I change oil twice a year, at least.
Best Regards,
Roger Daisley
R J Ranch
My K46 to K66 Upgrade Kits are currently on-hold, awaiting parts from JD. I have started a Priority Upgrade List and will be filling orders, in turn, from that list first, before relisting on eBay. JD has not provided me yet with a delivery time. It may be awhile, as I know a few of the parts are totally out of stock and must be ordered from JD’s suppliers.
If you are wanting a kit, please send me an email with your name and I’ll add you to the list. currently (10/5/09) there are less than ten on the list.
I just wanted to thank all of you who took the time to share some of your challenges and frustrations concerning the lower end JD purchased from box stores. You have given me a lot of hope that JD might be willing to work with me on the transmission that has gone bad two months after the warranty expired.
Dan,
Try contacting Roger Daisley directly: roger (at) r-j-ranch (dot) com
Good luck!
I am having the same problem as everyone else and would like to buy the upgrade but it says it has ended on ebay in July, How do I get one?
I upgraded my JD l130 to the k66 but there is one thing that has not been said is how do you put oil in the trans axle if it ever needs it without taken off the wheel on the right side
Does anyone know where the drain plug on a john deere 175 hydro transmission is?
Thanks!
Well, I got the upgrade kit from Roger and installed it over the weekend. It went in without a problem and what a difference! I actually popped a “wheelie” the first time I pressed the accelerator down!
This thing’s a “beast” now! I will be putting it to further testing next weekend with some trail mowing, up and down hills… I have a feeling it will perform just fine! I’ll keep you informed on the testing. So far, I highly recommend the upgrade!
Hello Al,
I’ll give it a try this weekend to remove the clutch assembly and see what I find, if the weather is not too nice, otherwise I’ll have to do other slavery “honey-do” jobs around the house. I’ll take some pictures. Even if the clutch can be replaced, I bet a spare will cost almost as much as a new K46 transmission?
Does anyone know why the filter turned “foggy” and “blind” after washing it with gas? I held it up against the light, but could no longer see through it compared to before I washed it? It looks and feels like a paper type material and did not disintegrate after washing with gasoline. Just curious what caused it to fog up?
Probably a replacement filter would also cost umpteen-billion bucks!
Jens
Hi Jens,
I think your on to something there. To me it makes sense that the clutch is worn therefore slippage happens to the point where it will not engage. The hotter the unit gets the worse performance will be noticed.
So Jens how difficult is it to remove that clutch and perhaps replace it, if in fact a replacement can be purchased.
Thanks for your time and effort on this, it does give me more options.
Al
Great pictures Jens and thanks for taking the time!
The old transmission looks so clean… I wonder what in the world would cause it to lose power if it’s not the gears? You would think the gears would have visible signs of being worn, etc…Perhaps I should take mine apart as well and see if it looks as good as yours?
Hopefully someone can clue us in?
Thanks again,
Jim
Hi Jim,
I took some photos of the “guts” of my K46 tranny and posted them below.
I really don’t know what I was looking at, but everything inside looked “great” and all gears were intact. I removed the three inner bolts around the filter and holding the clutch mechanism, but it started to get too “involved” with having to remove shafts penetrating the casing, so I gave up.
When I held the filter against the light as in the picture above (like an air filter of an automobile), I was able to see through it , so I don’t think the filter was a problem.
Afterward, I washed the filter in a gasoline bath, but I don’t think it liked that, because I couldn’t see through it anymore! Anyone know why that is?
At least now I learned how the tranny brake works and that the tranny has a magnet collecting all the magnetic (carbon?) deposits. It was interesting dissecting as much as I could (or was capable of), but I still don’t know why it didn’t work and travel on upgrades?
Maybe someone can figure that out or tell me what else I should try doing?
Hope the pictures are of interest.
Best regards
Jens
Hello everybody,
I found this string when the K46 transaxle on my Scotts L2048 died, it’s been VERY helpful. I’d like to thank everyone for has been keeping up the posts.
Here’s my similar story: the L2048 is the predecessor of the John Deere L series by one year – it has John Deere written in small print on it and has a orange/gray color scheme vs. green/yellow – otherwise, they’re identical. Anyway, after 5 years my K46 started becoming slower in the hills and in reverse and ultimately died at 7 years. Doing the same trades of cost for upgrade vs. new mower like everyone else (and experiencing the same frustrations), I went for the upgrade.
The kit from Roger arrived last Wednesday and I did the install yesterday. It’s absolutely great. My tractor is like new again (except I now have yellow rear rims instead of gray ones) and runs like a top. Stops and starts on hills are a piece of cake… no transaxle whining… just easy operation. Roger was very helpful and the install was straight forward.
I highly recommend the upgrade to anyone considering it. The only thing I’d suggest is to not reuse the old axle keys from the 3/4″ axle on the K46, on the 1″ axle on the K66. Get yourself some 1/4″x1/4″ square steel stock from you local hardware store, then cut it to length (you’ll need about 3″ for each axle – the stock I picked up for $2.99 came in 1′ lengths), paint it so it won’t rust, and use that instead. It takes out the “play” between the axle and rims and makes starts and stops much, much smoother.
My only regret is that I didn’t do this upgrade earlier.
Thanks again,
Dennis A
I have an L111 with the same problems. Think the upgrade kit will work on this model?
As a followup to the Freewheeling Rod Installation and the Brakes not working (rolling stop), here are tips from Roger.
FREEWHEELING Rod Installation: In some cases, the end that goes into the freewheeling lever on the transaxle is slightly too long. When the lever is pulled out, for freewheeling, the end of the rod or the fastener cap hits the transaxle case and will seem like it is fully pulled back. If this
happens, the tractor is not in freewheeling and cannot be pushed.
The solution is:
If available, use a hack saw and shorten the short end to approximately 1/2″ or, place a small washer on the small end of the rod before placing it in the transaxle lever hole. This will raise the end of the rod and prevent interference.
(New kits being shipped now have this problem corrected.)
BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY: This is a simple solution. The problem is the brake trunnion is not properly adjusted. With the brake OFF, the trunnion should be correctly positioned to simply drop into the hole on the transaxle brake lever. Next tighten the two nuts that hold the trunnion in the correct position. If this does not correct the problem, due to
manufacturing differences, adjust the trunnion position slightly until the brakes function normally.
Hello,
I have a 125 and only had it for three years with all the services being done and my transmission is doing the same as every body else.
I’m not happy with the Deere co, they called me, told me to take to a dealer and have it looked at and then they would call the dealer and see if they could help pay for repair which is $800. As every body says, the dealer wants to put you in a bigger mower, well your talking 7 to $8000 for one or $14,000 for a bigger tractor. I don’t have that kind of money I live month to month.
I have some inclines but nothing big. It takes me about 3 and a half hours to cut the lawn. I’v had john deere before and never had trouble with it. I’ve replaced a spindle, a belt and pulleys.
I think that everybody who has had a problem with the transmission should have john deere make a recall on these mowers, they just don’t last! The mechanic at my local john deere dealer told me that the transmission only lasts three to five years and that the 100, 110, and the 125 are the cheapest ones made, and he steers people away from them. He also said that john deere wanted to keep up with the other companies like MTD.
The sales lady from john deere mislead me saying that these tractors are very tough. That is a flat out lie, I know better, I’m a disabled person with breathing trouble and I will never buy another john deere! I’m looking into the transmission upgrade if i can afford it. I can’t buy another mower so we we’ll see.
Thanks for the site, it’s great!
Harry K,
Brooksville KY
oh iv replaced the bushing to on my 125 twice on the right side if your sitting on mower harry k
Hey Ken,
I haven’t had any problems with axle bushings on my front tires going bad. Sorry to hear you have had such a problem with them…
Have a great day!
Jim
Well I mowed it all again today and everything worked great. At this point one thing is for sure, the tractor may spin to a stop but it sure will not stall to a stop.
This doesn’t have anything to do with the transmission but was wondering if any others are, or have been having to the same trouble with the axle bushings on the front tires going bad ? It appears that all the 100 series used the same front axle and same bushings and I have been changing them 2 or 3 times a year. This year I installed both front axles, bushing and two new front tires at the same time and they still going bad. Just curious if anyone else is having to change them as often as I have.
Regards,
ken
Al,
I don’t want to sound “gloom and doom” and I wish you all the luck, but I changed the oil on my K46 (2 qts of JD oil bought at the dealer). The performance did NOT improve, although I did not take the transmission apart and look at the filter. (that may be the problem?)
After that (bad) experiment I decided to go for Roger’s conversion kit.
Again, good luck and boy am I looking forward to your results. Please keep us informed. Thanks!
Jens
Second that Jens:)
I’m glad you guys had the same positive experience I did and I agree, only time will tell how this transmission holds up. As it stands, I’m a happy camper and guessing I won’t have a problem. If I do, I’ll write about it…
————-
Hi Al, Great information there! When I received the transaxle, I noticed there was oil in it. The instructions that Roger sent suggested the same oil you mentioned (I think it was 5w30, I’ll check) and when I went to put in the new oil, I found it was full of factory oil. Later, Roger said that Tuff Torq said the installed oil was synthetic, but by then it was too late (at least I know for sure now).
I’m going to run with what they suggested to you and change it after 50 hours. I appreciate the tips!
—————
Hi Ken G, keep us updated!
—————
Hello Dennis, as for difficultly, it wasn’t really hard, just time consuming. Let me know if you go for it and what happens!
—————
Hey Jens,
1) I have not had a problem with the brake, so I can’t help there…
2) I have not installed the freewheeling rod yet (just have not made the time). Roger did send me this however:
Also, the instructions said that if it doesn’t freewheel, it is because it is not pulled out far enough. As I mentioned, I haven’t installed this yet, but would love to know the solution so that if I have the same problem, it will be an easy fix.
Hey Guys,
Have been following this for the last few days. Long story short! Have a LA135se, only a few months old. Was also looking to purchase a used blower for the winter. The guy that was selling it had a 130 also for sale with two transaxles that were toast, hence the interest in the k46.
So I then contacted Tuff Torq and inquired about the ability of the k46 to do only light work and that any more than that the life would be severly shortened. I also inquired about changing the oil. They responded to me within the next day which I thought was impressive.
They sent me two cross sectional drawings of two different k46 transalxes with instructions on how to change the oil. You are right it’s through the cap under the pulley and fan. They suggested that normally the oil shouldn’t need to be changed. ( I think we now know better) However if we change it because of heavier use we should change after the first 50 hours and then every 200 hours after that using 5w50 full synthetic motor oil. Since the filter is inside the only way to change that is to take the unit apart although they suggested that won’t need to be done.
That said, by what I understand they only used 10w30 conventional oil from the factory in these units. My suggestion, and what I am going to do, is change the oil in my unit right away using 5w50 full synthetic and continue to do this regularly.
Hope this helps out those who are not at a point of replacement.
Hey Jim thanks for this forum it might have given me more time with this unit, or at least I know where to go if it fries on me.
Al
Hahaha….good one Ken,
I finished up my conversion last night too and mowed my lawn and am also very happy.
Ken/Jim:
Two questions:
1) My brake doesn’t work good……the tractor still slowly rolls down hill when I apply the brake (although the Xmission helps brake a lot). I guess all I have to do is adjust the bolts at the end of the brake rod? I’ll play around with them tonight or over the weekend.
2) My freewheeling doesn’t work good either. When I pull out the rod at the rear of the tractor (and the lever at the Xmission moves) I still have to push very hard to roll the tractor out of the garage. Do you have this problem also? I wonder how this can be adjusted?
Any suggestions and help would be appreciated.
Have a great weekend and a nice holiday.
Jens
Jens, Guys
I was lucky in that my friend is a John Deere Mechanic and he gave me a few pointers even before the kit got here. And although he does not work (or can not) on John Deeres at home as a sideline he does work on other brand of mowers and had everything I needed to remove and install my upgrade.
I mowed a little more this morning just to be doing it. didn’t need to but did. Everything really works good and I believe i love it :).. According to my buddy I’ll never have anything but a “good” deere from now on. One thing I am sure of, going to have to quit mowing, my yard gets bigger each time :)
Regards,
Ken
Good Morning Jim and Ken,
I really can’t put a number on how long it took me to do the conversion solo, because I did it in stages. But it wasn’t long.
BTW, we would have made headline news if I would have asked my wife to help me……one of us would have landed in the hospital!
Stage I:
When I first had the problem I thought it was a worn drive belt and maybe low on transmission fluid. So, I dropped the old transmission, drained the oil and filled with new oil. I also exchanged the drive belt, but both “exercises” didn’t help and my tractor still didn’t make it up a slight incline.
Doing it solo, the most difficult part about changing out the drive belt was removing the steering column AAAAAND the motor drive sheave was stuck and I had to actually use a crow bar to wedge it between frame and sheave and “bang it around” until it came loose and dropped! (I mentioned earlier, to loosen the bolt holding the drive sheave and deck clutch, I removed the top motor screen and held the large shaft nut by wedging a wrench between nut and tractor body so I could use both hands underneath the tractor and remove the bolt. Of course this is not necessary if you have a helper.)
(Ken, I used cinder blocks and some 2 x 4′s to block up the tractor. Wish I was spoiled and had “fancy” hoists and chains!)
Stage II:
Once I ordered the new conversion kit I started to remove the old transmission (again!), but didn’t have to replace the drive belt and jerk around with the steering column again. Also, the motor drive sheave came off easy this time.
I had everything removed and prepared and was waiting for the new kit to arrive.
Stage III:
Once the conversion kit arrived, the most difficult and time consuming part (for me) was drilling the additional holes in the frame (my fault for having dull drill bits). Working sole, I used a car jack to lift the new Xmission in place and that worked fine.
Instead of bending the free wheeling rod around the oil reservoir, I drilled a hole 1 1/2 inches away from the original hole at a 4 o’clock angle and that worked also (yeahhhhh, time consuming when using a dull bit).
After completing the conversion last night (except installing the deck) I took it for a spin and am very happy. I think tonight I need to adjust the brake rod though and of course install the deck and finally mow the lawn again.
I fully agree with Ken’s closing statement . Although I’m enthusiastic with everything related to the conversion kit, time will tell if it will hold up as good as I expect it will, but I’m confident it will do even better than expected.
Another happy “converter”…..Jens
Well Guys, I have installed the upgrade and checked it out. Love it………
My upgrade was delivered in two shipments, FedEx Air and Ground. The second delivery came about 1:30 yesterday (Tuesday). My wife and I were busy with other thing at that time but decided we would drop it all and not wait of my buddy (the John Deere Mechanic) and attempt to install it ourselves.
I already had my tractor ready to remove the old Transaxle. Instead of using auto stands, as recommended, I used two small “A” Frames with chain hoist on each and a bracket made to attach to the rear of the tractor(all my buddies). The front hoist attached to the front axle. I also used tools left for me by my buddy. This was actually a little safer then the stands I believe and easier also. I also, at friends suggestion, removed the spark plug wires from the spark plugs.
We started the removal at 2:45 and at buddys suggestion (he read the instructions also) we removed the tension idler and then did everything that was need to the front section on the tractor. The drive belt I had installed earlier and had only 16 hours of use on it so we did not change it. Once the front section was completed we lowered it to the floor and raised the rear section. We followed the instruction exactly as they were. Everything worked out as the instruction said and at 6:35 we started to install the new wheels. And at that point we could not locate the spacer so we stopped everything there.
We came in and called Roger ( he actually answered at this time) and told him we had no spacer as the instructions stated. He looked up my order (and shipment) and (ole dummy me) said I did not need them. Looking at the order he said to look on the next page of the instruction and i’d see that my upgrade required washers (as spacers which were included) instead. He also said that my upgrade should have come with the tires on the rims and aired up (he was correct again),, SOOooo I apologized for taking up his time :)
This morning (Wednesday) I installed the tires as Roger said. Tightened the lugs and unhooked the hoist. Started her up and proceeded to test everything. This testing led to a complete yard mowing and it worked great. Everything was just as all who has installed the upgrade had stated. Since I wanted to test the machine I mowed everything opposite of the way I normally mowed and left the hardest part for last when everything would be as hot as it was going to get. And it climbed the hill even faster then it did when the tractor was new. It actually feels good to mow the whole yard at one time instead of mowing it in parts over 2 days.
Total time it took us to remove the old parts and install the new was just over 4 hours for me and my wife. (that includes the 15 minutes it took me to show her the difference between a socket, a boxed in wrench and a screw driver :):) (just kidding) She actually did quit well and was a great helper.
I have never been a person to recommend something that I have not proven for myself over time and can not recommend this upgrade to anyone at this time. HOWEVER, I will gladly state this; I am completely satisfied with the service I have recieved from Roger Daisley. And I have no reason the believe the new Tuff Torq K66 Hydrostatic transmission upgrade I purchased from him will not perform as everyone (including the manufactor and my friend the John Deere Mechanic) says it will for many years to come if taken care of properly. If it continues to pull (and I beleive it will) as it does now I sure won’t be buying another mower in the near future.
But I do have one problem with my new Tuff Torq K66 Hydrostatic transmission upgrade that I did not anticipate and I do not recommend to others.. It added another half acre ground to my yard :):)
Regards,
ken
Hey Jens,
I’ve got to know, how long did it take you doing it solo? Let us know how the upgrade went!
Jim
Hi,
Received my K66 upgrade yesterday (Tuesday) in two separate shipments…..(guess FEDEX needs to get better organized and start to save gas). Every package well described (thanks to Roger) and just by appearance what a difference between the new X-mision and the old one. I’m doing the upgrade myself with no help and it’s going well. The holes were missing in the frame, so with dull drill bits it took “forever’ to drill the additional holes. Basically, I’m almost done except attaching the free-wheel rod and putting on the wheels, so I’ll give it a try tonight.
Gents –
I have followed your thoughts and I am of exactly like mind. I have a JD LA140 with only 50 hours on it and the transmission is shot. I was pushing snow with it last winter and it just “gave out”. At first I thought it was the belt (advice of the local JD dealer), so I gutted it out till spring, then changed the belt. Of course, it didn’t help at all.
I called the dealer, and surprise, my two year warranty had just run out, so sorry about that… Let me reiterate here, my 140 has on 50 hours on it! I had bought the JD based largely on their reputation, a mistake I won’t make again.
Since, I’ve been researching the issues and found my way to the same conclusion as you. So, I’m going to buy the upgrade get it installed and see what happens. I’m very hopeful that I’ll finally have the tractor I thought I was getting to begin with.
As an interesting side note, in my research of Tuff Torq, I noted that the K46 Transaxle, which we know as the standard item for the X304 and lower, recommends tires not larger than 20″, but JD puts 22″ tires and wheels on them… So, I have to wonder if they haven’t put out this product knowing it was doomed to fail…
Anyway, I’ll keep you informed of my progress. Thanks!
Ken G.
I’m looking at a used JD…model GT235…do you know if this model has the Hydro problem…thanks, Nelson
I received tracking number from FedEx Thursday, they had picked up my upgrade and it departed Portland Or. at 8:45 this morning. The estimated delivery date is for Tuesday Sept. 1th.. FedEx usually travels this route in the late afternoons so it will probably be Wednesday before we get started on installing it.
In the meantime I’m going to mow only the flat/rolling part of my 2.5 acres that I mow one more time and leave the rolling/hill part for the new tractor (I hope). I’ll keep you posted as to how long it take us to install the upgrade and how it works for me.
Regards,
ken
Hi Alfred,
No clue, but, I did find someone with the exact same problem on their John Deere 2750 as you have.
Search google for this term
it appears everything but the highrange is working
The poster is wham from MyTractorForum, perhaps if you write him, he can tell you what he did. If you do this and get an answer, can you post it here so that others having the same problem will have the solution?
I hope that helps :)
Jim
I have a 2750 JD with 4WD and the high range (II) does not work, everything
else work. Any idea what is wrong?
Keep up the good dialog guys. I recently started to have the exact same problem with my L130 which is about 4 years old and 330 hours. I called my local John Deere dealer and described the problem and scheduled for them to pick up my tractor, which is a $75 pickup/drop off charge. But before they could pick up the tractor I searched the web, found I wasn’t alone and called back the dealer to cancel the pickup. If I had let events run their course it most certainly would have resulted in a $800 bill for a replacement transmission that would ultimately have the same problem again.
But I’m little worried about getting over my head so I am watching how you guys make out with a great deal of interest. I’ve decided to make another attempt at using the tractor as is, even if that means cutting the grass over a couple days and watch how you guys make out before making the commitment. Given my druthers I would schedule this project for over the winter but I guess I could hire a lawn service for a couple weeks and do it now.
Keep the updates coming…
Dennis
Ken,
My upgrade kit was also shipped on Tuesday and Roger sent me a tracking No. that I am following. Both my boxes arrived Portland and this morning at 8:15AM they continued their journey, but I don’t know if your delivery is on the same route my upgrade is heading?
BTW, I think it is more a hassle to replace the drive belt than removing the old transmission……I already have practice, but won’t replace the drive belt again when the kit arrives since it’s new.
One hint when trying to replace and un-screw the drive belt motor sheave. Instead of lying on your back underneath the tractor and busting your hump trying to hold the counter nut with one hand while with the other hand trying to loosen the sheave nut; unscrew the round screen on top of the motor and hold the shaft nut. Then you’ll only need to loosen the sheave nut underneath the tractor. Hard to describe, but you’ll see what I mean. I was able to do this WITHOUT any help by clamping and fixing the wrench on top of the motor and having both hands available underneath the tractor to loosen the nut……..and remember I’m not a mechanic…….more a paper-pusher that got very frustrated lying underneath the tractor and accomplishing nothing!
I’m POSITIVE we both made the right choice by investing in the upgrade. Of course it’s a “crime” to have to spend that money on a 4 year old tractor. But the alternatives are even more expensive. Maybe we’ll finally own a tractor that others might have to pay $4-5000.- for, with the only difference their tractor will have an “X” in front of the model number?
Good luck, Jens
I am right there with you Ken!
As for the shipment, just give Roger a call and ask him if and when it is going out.
I’m guessing you’ll have the exact same experience I had and it will be a happy ending when you’re done.
Keep us up to date on how the transmission upgrade goes for you.
Enjoy the day!
Jim
I agree, it’s very upsetting to me for my JD to only last 4 years (actually3, it started last year) before having a major problem. I previously had a 12hp, 38″ cut Craftsman and it lasted over 15 years. But I had to do quit a bit of work on it each year after the 9th or 10th year. However that is still good service I think.
It’s even more upsetting that the JD Dealer has or does not offer any solution to the problem except buy a bigger JD.. And I will never buy another one myself nor will I ever recommend JD to anyone else. If this upgrade works as well as what others have said it will then JD could easily make the changes to the original tractors and have a better product to sell and better satisfied customers at a very small increase in price to them at the factory.
Since my upgrade was due to be shipped yesterday I thought I would wait until tomorrow (Thursday) before inquiring as to whether it was picked up to be delivered to me. I look forwards to it’s arrival and getting it installed, and hopefully it will solve my dilemma :)
Regards,
Ken
Hey Ken,
It is up upsetting that our John Deere’s didn’t last longer, and even more so that the dealers offer no solution to a known problem other than suggesting purchasing a bigger mower. I’ve been thinking about painting my mower another color to help alleviate some of the frustration, but that’s more work than it’s worth (right now… :)
Roger provided me with a tracking number – it took about a week before it arrived once it was mailed.
No you haven’t lost me, just been reading what all has happened to you guys and trying to keep up with the growing grass here.
I’m not fond of spending a thousand bucks on a tractor I paid 2,100.00 for only 4 years ago so I have been reading your post and looking over different alternatives. However after talking with a close friend who is also a mechanic at a local John Deere Dealer about the situation I decided to bit the bullit and purchase the upgrade. It was supposed to be shipped tuesday but I haven’t recieved anything from FedX to show that it was actually picked up. So I don’t know where my upgrade stands at this point. When it does arrive he will be helping me install it and we’ll see what happens then :).
Regards, ken
Hi Jim,
No, I was surprised NOT to see “Made in China”. I thought for sure junk like that came from China, Indonesia or Taiwan! Sorry, guess I wasn’t explicit enough.
I should have taken pictures of the old “grimmy” oil sediment I found after draining the transmission.
Yes, I keep my wife happy working on projects in the basement and watching football (baseball) down there instead of hogging the TV upstairs.
Jens
Don’t feel bad Jens, when you say you are thinking of tearing the transmission apart, that got me thinking how fun it would be to take pictures of mine! In fact, I think that will be my project for the week :)
As for the wife, just remember this: A happy wife is a happy life – has worked for me so far :)
Made in China, I’m surprised – I thought John Deere was all American?
Take pictures if you can and I’ll put them up with mine…
Talk to you later,
Jim
Jim,
I guess we lost Ken somewhere down the road….?
I’m not a mechanic, but before I trash the old transmission, I am intending to “dissect” it and look at the inner guts and see how the two plates (clutches?) look like that supposedly drive the tractor. At least that’s what I understand how the transmissing works. Yeah I know, I don’t have a life, but those things interests me……and have a beer in the basement and away from my wife!
BTW, I was surprised not to see “Made in China” on the X-mission?
See ya’….
Jens
Hey Jens,
I won’t bother changing out the oil in my old transmission and I guess, just junk it. I think we read the same blogs / tractor forums because I too saw the information on replacing the belt and oil. I would have been bummed had replacing the belt solved the problem!
I just mowed the lawn yesterday and again, I’m one happy camper! My tractor had no problems going up the hills, no delays at all – in fact, I had to slow down… My hills are steep and too fast over a bump and the tractor could flip (at least it seems that steep).
Let me know how it goes – took us about5 hours (we we not rushing…)
Have a great day!
Jim
…….FERRRRRRRGET about replacing the oil! It lasted 20 minutes until I couldn’t get up my incline! The old “beat up” oil could have probably lasted that long too. Once the transmission gets hot, it’s over with. I could mow the flats and drive parallel along the slope, but once I needed to turn and go uphill, the tractor stopped and “squealed”. I needed to wait over an hour before I was able to drive the tractor back into the garage. Remember, I installed a new drive belt too, so that wasn’t the cause!
I don’t understand the blogs I read from others claiming they noticed a total change after changing out the oil. One person writing “it’s like a new tractor” and another saying “you can at least get another season out of the transmission”? BS, reading those “encouraging” blogs was the reason I went through the motions replacing the transmission fluid!
Now I can’t wait to receive my upgrade kit!
I know I said it before, but thanks again Jim for hooking me up with Roger.
Have a nice week.
….tonight is my “test run” and I bet it won’t be much of an improvement!
Thanks to you and your information about Roger, I hope my worries are over once I install the upgrade kit. Should go fast for me now like changing tires on NASCAR……I got all the practice replacing the oil!
OK….heading out the door….have a great weekend.
Hey Jens,
I too would not recommend John Deere to anyone after my experience; my neighbor has a Kubota that he swears by.
I’m confident you’ll be happy with the transmission upgrade kit – for me, the only other option was to buy a new mower (or hire it done – but that would take away the fun…).
I’m happy with my tricked out mower and no longer have an issue with my mower losing power going up hills, but that happiness is *not* due to the John Deere name; it’s because I swapped out the transmission when the dealer said I couldn’t. I won’t be going out to buy a John Deere Hat any time soon :)
Keep the updates coming!
Yes Jim…..that’s where you drain the oil and also refill it. Keep shifting the transmission from side to side to get out all oil stuck between the inner crevices. (Probably there’s a better mechanical word for “crevices”?) Please read below before you do the same as I just went through.
In the meantime a mechanical knowledgeable person told me I probably wasted a lot of time and effort changing out the oil, because I probably won’t experience much of a change. Once the surfaces are worn there’s not much you can do to improve performance. It’s like a worn out clutch. I guess the “grime” I found in the old oil was the remains of the “clutch”.
I finished up last night and put the tractor back together again, but it was late and the weather didn’t allow me to do a test run. B-U-T….with the rear tires still jacked up I “dry ran” the tractor. OK, the forward motion was fine and seemed to have “power”, but I could stop tire rotation with my hand when stepping on the reverse pedal…..not good, but maybe there is a linkage adjustment to increase the power of the reverse gear?
Tonight (East Coast weather permitting), I’ll give it a try and start mowing my property. I’m not too confident I’ll notice much of a change?
In the meantime, I ordered this morning Roger Daisley’s upgrade :-). I believe without having deep pockets it is my best option and I hope all the raving comments from others about the upgrade will come true for me too.
BTW, in case some JD dealer or representative is reading our correspondence, I want to make it clear that I am referring to slight inclines on my property and I’m not trying to mow the Austrian Alps! I have no trust in any JD products anymore and will advise anyone to consider other brands that are cheaper and can probably do just as well as a “rugged”(?) JD.
Jens
Hey Jens,
Thanks for the update! When you removed that ‘breather’ plug, is that where you remove and replace the fluid? Or is there some other place for that?
I’d love to look my old oil to see what is in there, if anything…
Thanks!
Jim
Hello Guys,
I’m back again to let you know what I have experienced so far:
Thanks to Jim’s instructions I removed the transmission on my 6 year old JD L120. This was easier than replacing the drive belt that I thought was causing the problem with a slipping belt.
Removed the “breather” plug shown on Jim’s picture above. This was not as easy as I thought because it’s soft and “flimsy” and the top cap section broke off. Maybe there is a special tool to remove the plug? But I managed to wedge out the “cork” section. A new plug (the dealer called it “valve”) costs $18.- but was not in stock.
Last night I drained all the black, grimy oil…..it looked TERRIBLE! There was sediment at the bottom of the can…..nothing “shiny” to indicate grinding of gears? It can’t be dust entering from the outside, so I assume it’s just the break down of oil? I removed 2 quarts of oil and I’m letting it drip itself out until I come home tonight. I guess this indicates that the transmission was not low on fluid?
At the JD dealer I bought 2 quarts of JD hydrostatic transmission fluid…..$4.99/quart. (Don’t have the part number with me). There was only one type, so you can’t make a mistake………I guess? BTW Lowe’s and Home Depot told me they are not allowed to sell the oil…..only JD dealers!?
I intend to fill in new oil tonight (after work) and start putting the tractor together again and see if there is any improvement.
I am definitely going to buy the upgrade kit from Roger Daisley, but want to get my present tractor running up hills again, so I can still mow my lawn until the kit arrives. (The grass is tickling my a.. already).
I’ll let you know how I made out after I put everything together again.
Jens
PS. I “love” the JD dealer answer when I told him about my problem(s). “Oh, you should buy a more heavy duty tractor that can handle your hills!”……and spend $3-4000.- (or more) and still not know if I’ll have problems down the road……JERK!
Looking at your photo it appears that maybe it is the SOLENOID HYDRAULIC VALVE. Seem to be located in the same place as on the diagram of the transmittion on a L120.
Still haven’t made up my mind what to do yet but whatever I do I will be sure to post on your site.
AND Thanks a lot for the quick responce.
ken
Hi Ken,
I too had to change my mowing style; I would mow the flat parts, then the hills and sometimes skipped the hills altogether.
I had considered dropping the transmission on my John Deere and changing the fluid myself after reading a post from someone that claimed it ran great afterward.
Then, reading on, someone stated that by the time your tractor starts loosing power when going up hills, the transmission * may be * somewhat damaged from the heat.
I then read that the process of changing out the transmission is very time consuming (to install the new one on my tractor, it took 5 hours and two of us) so I’m guessing that just dropping it and doing a change would be about 3 – 4 hours?
Anyway – I figured if I have to do that every six months or so (even every year), I’d rather just install a transmission that has the ability to change the fluid without all the hassle.
Also – I read where someone suggested drilling in a drain plug, but that’s beyond me and from what I hear, just one fragment of metal can mess it all up!
If you have the time, go for it! Changing the transmission fluid and installing new fluid may indeed fix your problem! I’m guessing that the fluid they put in initially was non-synthetic. With the new synthetic oils, it will probably withstand the heat a LOT longer – heat is the problem I guess.
The oil was Castrol 5W30 Synthetic Motor Oil.
The old transmission looks like this and I’ve taken a picture of the plug I believe you are talking about. I thought that was a screw off cap to change the fluid, but looking at it now, I haven’t a clue what it is…
By The Way – I’m planning on cleaning up my old transmission,
changing the oiland selling it on ebay with an explanation of what the problem was and a link to this page. It ran fine on flat sections and even slight inclines, just not the hills – So, if you do decide to change the oil, do me a favor and let me know how it all worked out!Have a great day!
Jim
I see on the diagrams that what I was calling a “knockout plug” in the above comment is actually called a “magnet(2)” and “plug”.. Couldn’t this plug be removed and fluid added ?
I have a John Deere L120 and like a lot of other people am very disappointed in it. It’s 4 year old and just completely comes to a stop when trying to mow up a small hill after it has run for 20 minutes or so. It’s so bad that I have to try to mow the hilly part first and then the level lawn.
I’ve reading a lot about this upgrade you mentioned, and considering it myself. But before I invest a thousand dollars I was wondering why can’t a person just add fluid to the transmission. I see that there is no place to add fluid on my tractor but there is a “knockout” plug in the very top of the transmission. Couldn’t a person just knock out the plug and add fluid?
Does anyone know the kind of fluid to add? I was thinking of trying this first and if it doesn’t work then try to upgrade.
Any thoughts on the subject?
Ken
No problem Jens,
Thanks for the Kudos :)
Good luck!
Wow Jim…..thanks for your immediate response.
I need to take action very soon because the grass is not waiting for me to make a decision and stop growing.
BTW, it was a great, detailed, fact oriented article you wrote.
Thanks again for all your help.
Jens
I hear you Jens! I too am extremely disappointed that my John Deere l120 transmission didn’t last longer. I bought a John Deere because these tractors are supposed to be the very best, but have come to believe there is the ‘lawn tractor’ which is not build nearly as tough as the ‘Garden Tractors’.
Also, the repair centers will not put in any transmission other than what came with the tractor originally.
I really didn’t have any other avenue available to me except to upgrade the hydrostatic transmission myself.
As for Roger’s information, I see his stuff on eBay using the link I provided, but here is the email I have for him regardless.
roger at r-j-ranch dot com
Replace the at with @ and the dot with . for the full email address. I did it this way to prevent the spam bots from indexing his email.
Also, Roger sell the hydrostatic transmission upgrade manual for something like $19 and takes that amount off if you later purchase the upgrade kit. This way, you can see what is involved before you start the project.
Let me know what you decide and how it went for you!
Have a great day!
Jim
Dear Mr. Maurer,
I read your article referring to the JD L120 transmission upgrade where you described EXACTLY the conditions I am faced with my 6 year old tractor. (I am disappointed that a “John Deere” brand tractor didn’t hold up longer against the hilly terrain I am faced with).
I seem to have tried everything on EBay and Google to track down Roger Daisley, however was unsuccessful.
Could you please help me find a way to contact Mr. Daisley?
I would very much appreciate your assistance.
Sincerely,
Jens Laur
(Bethlehem-PA)