Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???

cmw

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
I recently started restoring my old Husqvarna LGT2554 mower. The old 25HP Kohler Courage had given it up a couple years back. Talk about a piece of junk. The Command is a great engine but the Courage is garbage if you ask me. Finding a suitable replacement wasn't easy and I wasn't going to buy a new engine as they cost as much as the mower. I ended up replacing the entire mower with a used commercial zero turn put this mower aside in case I found a new engine which I finally did.

That engine is still not done being fixed but once it is, I plan to start some other preventative maintenance. The mower that the donor engine came out of was very similar to mine and had the same K46 transaxle which had broken. I understand these are billed as "non-serviceable" and that the fluid is good for life but that many do change the fluid and that is probably a good idea. Mine had pretty hard use with the mowing I used it for and then it sat for like two years so figure it is due for a fluid change.

I have done some research and from what I can see, a 5W50 synthetic oil is the way to go. Are any brands of oil considered better than the others? I would plan on Castrol or Mobil 1 as those are ones I am familiar with.

My transaxle seems fine and I want to keep it that way. I had the mower moving under its own power but am still working on some carb issues.

I had another mower with the Hydrogear setup that lost all power and wouldn't move once warmed up. Changing the fluid brought that unit back to life and it now works great so want to keep this one operational as well. Are there any issues to look out for with these transmissions or special tricks? It looks like the easiest way to change the fluid is to remove the unit and turn it over with the fill cap off.
 

cmw

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
This says to top off the fluid after bleeding. I was under the impression that this unit took 2.4 quarts or so and that it wouldn't be at the top when full. Is this the case?
 

motoman

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
At viewers' risk there are several youtubes available on the K 46.
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
This says to top off the fluid after bleeding. I was under the impression that this unit took 2.4 quarts or so and that it wouldn't be at the top when full. Is this the case?

HAve a little think, if air is coming out, what is it being replaced with ? Jack Daniels ?
The volume of the box is about 3 times the volume of the oil so no it will not be full.
Small difference to the oil volume make big differences to the box.
 

cmw

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
I will fill to the specified amount instead of topping it off. Maybe they meant that you couldn't get the specified amount into the unit without bleeding out some of the air.
 

cmw

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
I have located 6 quarts of Kolpin 5W50 ATV oil for $2/quart and have it on its way. I am not familiar with this brand but it is 1/5 the price of any others out there. It looks like it is normally about $10/quart.
 

jenkinsph

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  • / Question about K46 hydrostatic transmission? Maintenance and reliability???
IIRC I used Mobil 1 in my older mower with the k46. Helped add some life but later bought an x749 Deere with the k92 tranny, much better.
 
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