My Craftsman (AYP) lawn tractor is finally starting to show some transmission problems after 16 years of fairly hard use for a consumer grade mower. Part of me is considering buying a replacement transaxle and running it until the engine fails, but another part of me is considering just biting the bullet and buying a new mower. 16 years is pretty good service, and I would always have the engine as a spare.
I like the simplicity of a gear transmission over a hydro, but hydro seems to be the consumers (or at least sellers) choice these days. I have seen a couple of mowers listed as being "shift on the go" but I don't know what the technology is. So I have two questions:
1. Who still makes a decent riding mower with a geared transmission?
2. Is shift on the go a reliable transmission option?
MTD's version of shift on the go is a single speed forward/reverse transaxle that uses a two belt system in combination with a variable drive pulley to get preset speeds.
I repaired a shift on the go for a neighbor. I consider myself a decent mechanic retired from overhauling large industrial engines and natural gas compressors, but I never want to look at another Vari again much less own one.
Although the concept is good and it worked Veri well in a 1957 Gleaner combine but it operated hydraulically. I feel people with lawn tractors never study the operator's manual and learn how they were designed to be operated.
