Impressions: newGT48XLSi

motoman

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OK, Went to Tuff Torque site. Got a good photo guide on the K66. Then to another section on intervals. The site generally echos the Husqv "not necessary" to change oil, but does say changing will prolong life. Only interval noted is after first 50 hrs. Also noted a nice picture of the widely used K 46 and some words about adding oil to it (must remove). 5W50 synthetic auto oil, both.
 

motoman

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Per downloaded manual the "dash cover" does come off with a hard pull. This gives access to the oil drain plug. Have not tried to remove the other side which should access the oil filter
 

motoman

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The front chassis looks same as the dyt 4000 , measured 12 gauge steel. The Husky rear hitch plate is 10 gauge. This confirms the stiffer chassis claim for so called Garden Tractors fit to drag earth engaging equipment.

My earlier talk about clamping the air filter neck was from some dream, I guess. It cannot be done. I did take another look for dust tracks getting by into the intake, but so far good. I imagine repeated removal of this rubber necked filter is not a good idea. Perhaps leave it on until you remove to replace.

A little plumbers silicone smeared on the dash cover engagement nubbins makes attachment much easier, I am doubtful about these plastic parts' life expectancy exposed to heat.

The deck pulley zerks are difficult to access , especially the middle one. They require 90 degree adapters I do not have.

Another cheap touch. The engagement release at the back has morphed from a nice galvo rod with stop (dyt 4000) to a cheap piece of bent wire. (bean counters).

Finally was able to check the K66 expansion tank oil level by standing on my head with the right rear wheel removed. Still could not see tank graduations, but there was a very low level of oil present like that shown in the TuffTorque download.

Edit: the two deck pulley covers are a pain with 4 bolts per side. I prefer the dyt 4000 semi open poly covers. Husqy must have had serious incidents or be in fear of serious incidents to have armored -up the deck like that. Over kill IMO
 
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motoman

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Just bumped alive ( I hope) a separate thread here about an overheating TuffTorque locking axle. Hope for response.
 

motoman

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The oil drain gizmo is the same as on the Craftsman which had never worked well, but was able to stay together for 12 years. Tried to drain the Husqy and the thing pulled apart down to the o rings under the rubber cover. About a quart of used onto the garage floor before I could recover. I wanted to put in a brass drain plug but could not get a socket over the Husqy 15/16"hex. The reason is that the bottom flat of the hex was purposely set flush with the metal frame. I could not think of why, except that perhaps some had loosened , leaked and burned up a motor, and this was a fail safe for the plug. But I was really surprised when I loosened the motor bolts temporarily to remove that plug. The plug is a thin,cast galvanize coated one with only 3 threads engaged. It was Teflon taped and not leaking, but only finger tight. Perhaps the assembler was afraid the plug would break tightening it to the next flat. It made me think of the Craftsman Intek pan bolts several of which which eventually loosened, and missed by me, sat trapped on their heads waiting to be found. Actually petty clever and not a coincidence IMO.

The Depo stepper gauge is in and weird it is before start up. It has a dark lens and does not show anything til the engine is started- like a one-eyed Cyclops in the Greek stories. Only ran for proof in garage and only to 135F. Full report to follow.

Edit, Plug is more accurately, a zinc casting and weak IMO
 
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Oldaarpy

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Motoman

I bought the 52" deck version of your tractor last August. So far I love it. A set of chains and 50lbs on each of the wheels and you can't stop it. I also purchased the Husky battery tender gizmo and that also works like a charm. Do yourself a favor and buy the Husky seat cover...much more comfortable after a few hours of mowing! Wifie picked up an older style Husky seat cover on Ebay for less than $25. It's not made for seats with arm rests but if you're careful and cut bolt holes in it just big enough for the bolts the actual arm rest/seat connect plates act as clamps and it won't move or tear out. It has 'net' srorage in the back and should save the seat from damage.
When switching to posi-drive make sure you come to a complete stop before engaging or disengaging. There's a pin that moves and could easily be sheared off. I bought a snowplow (big mistake, buy the dozer blade) and the tractor was pushing 15" of heavy snow on flat terrain. My land is two acres and all hills with some better than 30 degrees and the tractor runs up and down like there's no tomorrow. No trans problems there with over-heating, and I was out mowing in 95 degree weather.
The hose cleaner sucks (don't they all) and the deck tends to clog up if it's not set up right. Make sure you grease the mandrels half way through the season, I guess you know that, as these as supposedly "heavier duty" and undoubtedly more expensive to replace. I used POR-13 on another deck with clogging problems and it helped, if you start having troubles with that issue!
This is my second Husky and that one bolt seat deal is standard...go figure. The plastic piece that comes off before you can change the oil loosens up a little the more you use it. I'm not sure why it's there.

Enjoy the new toy and hope recovery is fast......Aarpy
 

ken_clifton

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The Depo stepper gauge is in and weird it is before start up. It has a dark lens and does not show anything til the engine is started- like a one-eyed Cyclops in the Greek stories. Only ran for proof in garage and only to 135F. Full report to follow.

That is good on the gauge Motoman. I am looking forward to some numbers on those engine oil temps when it is doing some work!

I saw the other thread on the transmission oil temp. It made me think back to year 1 with my Scag, when I checked the hydraulic oil after 3 hours of mowing. I unscrewed the cap and smoke came out. I know it is a different application and all, but right after that I put a power steering cooler in the line.

When designers have closed systems like this with no real way for heat to dissipate is that a realistic use case? On air craft they use the term "standard day" which is at sea level, Altimeter:29.92 in/Hg at 15 °C (59 °F). Not many folks are doing most of their mowing when the temp is 59 deg F...

ken_clifton
 

motoman

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Aarpy, Thanks for the tips . I did not know about the mandrels. l guess I'll have to make a 90 deg adapter for the grease gun or buy one. The hip is ceramic. Put it off way too long. motorman Edit Your comments on snow ability very good. I have hand shoveled a long driveway for years.

Ken, I will probably mow soon . Right now in Aug heat only the dandelions keep growing. I will try also to say something about the K 66 case temp I can measure with my KE thermometer. Then , perhaps a stretch, apply the sump oil/case forumula to derive likely K66 oil temp??? motoman
 

motoman

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Today is over 90F and I took Husqy out to see how the new gauge works and how hot the oil got. The mowing was not really "work" as I was cutting dandelion stems and that work was really just the blades turning. Nevertheless I was pleased because this Intek DOES seem to run cooler that the dyt4000. I could not run the dyt and read its Beedee gauge to compare ,because it still only has one cylinder running.

After 10 minutes, 210F; after 30 minutes 235F and much more stable than the other Intek which would easily swing temps.I finally saw 240F but that was it . The "mowing" was in and out of tree shadows. This engine likes to run fast and temp raises about 5 degrees at idle. Pulling under shade and then lifting the cover vs closing it did not affect temps much, finally down to 229F after about 5 minutes. The old Intek with cooler would drop 50 degrees from e.g., 280F after pulling into shade with cover open ,and fan at idle in about 5-10 minutes (after hard work),

So , although, Briggs only openly says? this engine has chrome valve stems and different air cleaner , seems like some homework was performed on cooling. But this was not really a test except for the ambient temp. The dyt4000 was pretty stable this time of year with just a trailer hauling trimmings-around the same temp if I remember correctly. But its temp skyrocketed with hard work, so I will have to reserve final judgement. The Depo gauge cannot be read in bright sunlight, but the led is bright and tracks the stepper pointer well. Running 5W-30 Mobil One.
 
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ken_clifton

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Thanks for posting that Motoman.
It will be interesting to see how things go when it is doing some hard work. Briggs may have some design changes there that help. It seems like some of the piston skirts and other parts are Teflon coated on some of the engines -- not sure which ones.

I probably should start a new thread on this topic of Intek design changes, but I have used some parts from the "Vanguard" vertical shaft on my engine. For reference the model and type number of one is: 49V677-0001-G1

While Briggs is calling it a "Vanguard" most of the internal parts if you look at the parts diagram look very close to the older Intek series. What I was told is that Vanguards are assembled in the USA by one person -- each engine is completely built by one employee. Most of the "hard" parts have a "5" at the start of the part number, but many of the gasket part numbers are shared with the older Intek series. Don' be fooled by the outer plastic cover, if you remove that outer shield the blower housing looks almost identical. Notice they have a canister air filter fitted too. The 810cc is very close to my current Intek.

Here are some links...
Parts: Link: https://www.jackssmallengines.com/jacks-parts-lookup/manufacturer/briggs-stratton/400000-699999-series/49v600-to-49v699

Briggs Info Page: https://www.vanguardengines.com/na/en_us/engines/810cc-vtwin-vertical-shaft.html

ken_clifton
 
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