Huskee(Tractor Supply Co.) model #44-9717-8/MTD #14AJ839 P131 transaxle ID

[bertsmobile1]

Mechanical gear boxes can go a lot faster than that
However you do need to change the bentonite grease for lighter lithium grease .
The racers use 00 or 000 lithium/ graphite grease in the boxes but you do have to add a vent or they leak like a sieve .
However that is not a consideration when speed is the only criteria .
Funny enough I get asked to make mowers go slower more than go faster
I have a lot of retirees in my run and converting ride ons to tow motors to move caravans & trailers around their yard is a lot cheaper than buying one of those electric jockey wheels

 

[totallymopar]

Mechanical gear boxes can go a lot faster than that
However you do need to change the bentonite grease for lighter lithium grease .
The racers use 00 or 000 lithium/ graphite grease in the boxes but you do have to add a vent or they leak like a sieve .
However that is not a consideration when speed is the only criteria .
Funny enough I get asked to make mowers go slower more than go faster
I have a lot of retirees in my run and converting ride ons to tow motors to move caravans & trailers around their yard is a lot cheaper than buying one of those electric jockey wheels

When you say faster,you mean input shaft speed above 2000? how long will the gearbox hold up with the new grease? I'm certainly going to clean out all the grease anyway,its about 20 years old in the Spicer 4360.(date 2004).Where do you get the 00/000 lithium graphite grease-available locally? You mentioned a vent on the housing-where,and what kind? Then you said not a consideration if only for speed.If you mean I'm only using as a runner,not mowing or towing,then a vent is unnecessary? I want to do around 20-25 mph on it.Excuse the questions,but I'm new to transaxles on lawnmowers-a bit different than working on my cars.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

When you say faster,you mean input shaft speed above 2000? how long will the gearbox hold up with the new grease? I'm certainly going to clean out all the grease anyway,its about 20 years old in the Spicer 4360.(date 2004).Where do you get the 00/000 lithium graphite grease-available locally? You mentioned a vent on the housing-where,and what kind? Then you said not a consideration if only for speed.If you mean I'm only using as a runner,not mowing or towing,then a vent is unnecessary? I want to do around 20-25 mph on it.Excuse the questions,but I'm new to transaxles on lawnmowers-a bit different than working on my cars.

I understand what you are saying when on a financial budget. Ain’t nothing cheap these days. Don’t forget about brakes. Stopping a mower going 20 mph is going to be important.

 

[StarTech]

Now come trees and vehicles makes great brakes; although, it can be a little too aggressive of a stop.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The gear boxes are good for around 4000 rpm to 5000 rpm
Simple check is to take the wheels off & use a corded drill or air drill to drive the input shaft
When you go too fast the gears will lock.
Now brakes are a totally different thing
We fit band brakes to the axel or some times disc brakes if it has a strait axel .
Using the gear box brake from high speed will remove the teeth on at least one gear
The brake locks the diff so the wheels turn in different directions which is why the stop is so abrupt
It is exactly the same thing as shoving an automatic car into Park while moving
Now mowers get away with it because they are smaller. lighter & go slower
But most of the gears are powder pressings so have a very finite shock load limit on the teeth

 

[totallymopar]

well,I have a spare Spicer 4360 140CH,6 speed trans,that I put up on my bench,rear end only,(no wheels or anything on it).I spun it witha drill,marking the input shaft to count the revolutions,while watching the axle shafts. I counted approximately 6 revolutions of the input shaft, to get 1 on the axles-in the highest gear position.That would be about 6:1 reduction,right? so,if I spin the input at 2000,to be safe,I would get 333.33 rpm at the wheels,and with 21-1/2" tires,at 5.66 ft/rpm, X 333.33=1,886.66 ft/min. X 60 min.=113,200 ft/hr. Which is 113,200 divided by 5280=21.4 mph.WHOOPEE! all without exceeding the rated rpm of the manufacturer,and room (maybe,at 3,000 on the input) to go 32 mph! Am I correct on this? Not that I'm really going to go over 30MPH-but nice to know I CAN if I need to.This is a BIG lawn tractor,with fairly large wheels,and it handles well.The steering is tight on it,and it has good braking. As is,it does close to 8 mph,with no difficulty over rough ground.and although I know 8 is not 20 or 30,I still feel fairly safe on it.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The question is what type of brake ?
if it is a disc on the gear box, stopping from 20 mph will strip the teeth of at least one gear .
They are only powder pressings which are good for low loads and provide excellent lubrication to the contact faces of the teeth
Burt their impact ( shock load ) strength is very low .
So if you have an external brake , all is well but if it is a standard internal diff lock than you are in trouble
The racers kill the engine to stop

 

[totallymopar]

VERY useful information-Thank you!

 

[Gord Baker]

I have an early 90's(I believe) Huskee Lawn tractor,fairly rugged construction,20HP Twin cyl.engine(industrial/commercial) HUGE rear tires(on 13" rims!).It has a hydrostatic variable speed tranny,also rather large,1-1/2" axles 4-bolt rim mount, with cooling fins on it.Is there any way to identify who made the tranny,and where to find it? Also,I want to use it as a runner,when I'm not mowing with it.Top speed now is just under 10 MPH.I would like it to go 20,or a bit faster,but don't want to grenade the rear end.The rear axle pulley (3-1/4") is splined,and I plan to leave that alone.There is room to put a larger one on the front--I was thinking about 5"" up from the 3-1/2 on it now.With the stock pulleys,and the engine at 3600RPM max,the axle pulley is rotating at about 3877 max. RPM. If I change the engine pulley to 5",with engine at 3600RPM max,the tranny pulley will spin at around 5539 max rpm.Will the hydrostatic tranny in this be up to the speed increase? If not,what transmission would be recommended? The tractor is in very good condition,no leaks or wet spots on the transmission case,and runs well.

You have a great Machine. Leave it alone and buy an ATV.