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I'm wondering if anyone on these forums has owned a ZTR with the EZT trannies and has had to have one repaired or replaced. If so, how many hours of service did the ZTR have on it, how large of yard(s) were mowed with it weekly and how much did the repair/replacement cost. Many users that are mowing 4-5 acres weekly(and in some cases mowing commercially with even heavier usage) consider buying or will buy a ZTR with the EZT because they are less expensive than those with ZT-2800, ZT-3200, ZT-3400 or ZT-5400 HydroGear trannies. My understanding is that the EZT is designed for "light homeowner" usage(< 1-2 acres weekly) and myself and other users discourage buying a ZTR with EZT's if you plan on mowing more than that. I'd be the last to recommend spending more money needlessly, so I'm hoping that this question may draw out some replies from users that have owned ZTR's with the EZT that will either support or dispute the ability of the EZT to handle heavy demand usage.

WOW...the HydroGear EZT must be more durable than we give it credit for if nobody on these forums has ever had one fail!!!!

No offense intended but your question was much too long for many of the members to read and then respond.I am interested in this topic as it underscores the seemingly throw away mentality of most manufacturers.Planned obsolescence.

I've been googling for ezt problems and found a few though not as many as I thought. Most posts were older and many for some reason involve Cub Cadet mowers that had accompanying problems. What I can see is that the ezt is certainly a residential piece of hardware, heat & water is the enemy. While not meant to be owner serviceable there are plenty of folks that had great success draining and filling the trannys. I think that mating these hydros to better built mowers likely helps also. Raising 2 Teen girls has made me one heck of a driveway mechanic and I would certainly attempt a repair if out of warranty as what is there to lose? I need 350-400 hrs out of my Hustler to make it to retirement!

I have a buddy has a toro timecutter 42inch. A 2006 model. He is a easy 300 pounds. Has been using it cutting foreclosed homes. Hydros work as good as they did in 2006.

I have a 2007 toro 48 inch just got it a couple weeks ago. Very strong hydros pulls me up any hill.

djdicetn said:

I'm wondering if anyone on these forums has owned a ZTR with the EZT trannies and has had to have one repaired or replaced. If so, how many hours of service did the ZTR have on it, how large of yard(s) were mowed with it weekly and how much did the repair/replacement cost. Many users that are mowing 4-5 acres weekly(and in some cases mowing commercially with even heavier usage) consider buying or will buy a ZTR with the EZT because they are less expensive than those with ZT-2800, ZT-3200, ZT-3400 or ZT-5400 HydroGear trannies. My understanding is that the EZT is designed for "light homeowner" usage(< 1-2 acres weekly) and myself and other users discourage buying a ZTR with EZT's if you plan on mowing more than that. I'd be the last to recommend spending more money needlessly, so I'm hoping that this question may draw out some replies from users that have owned ZTR's with the EZT that will either support or dispute the ability of the EZT to handle heavy demand usage.

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DJ you know how I feel about the EZT. :thumbdown: I will say there a good unit for what they were designed for and that's a real light duty application. They need to be in a mower or matched to a mower weighing like 5 to 600lbs and no more, there GVWR is like 900 lbs I believe and with 10cc pumps and motors. So if your looking for any type of performance or longevity out of the unit you wont get it with the EZT unless your mowing a nice half or three quarter acre lawn once a week.

Ric said:

DJ you know how I feel about the EZT. :thumbdown: I will say there a good unit for what they were designed for and that's a real light duty application. They need to be in a mower or matched to a mower weighing like 5 to 600lbs and no more, there GVWR is like 900 lbs I believe and with 10cc pumps and motors. So if your looking for any type of performance or longevity out of the unit you wont get it with the EZT unless your mowing a nice half or three quarter acre lawn once a week.

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While you give the the thumbs down, I do feel better in that I mow 1/2 of flat lawn with a 501lb Raptor. I am a whopping 147lbs myself so unless I abuse the mower, it should take me into the condo years!

RetiredGuns said:

While you give the the thumbs down, I do feel better in that I mow 1/2 of flat lawn with a 501lb Raptor. I am a whopping 147lbs myself so unless I abuse the mower, it should take me into the condo years!

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What I learned during my intensive research in the Summer/Fall of 2012, all of the information was similar to what user Ric said(< 1 acre/weekly and < 900lbs including rider for them to last......your Raptor meets that criteria so you should be fine). Now if you were mowing 3-5 acres/weekly I would advise you to upgrade at least to the ZT-2800's. Of course, some feedback from owners that have exceeded the conditions that the EZT was designed for, with resulting failures, would help find what condition(s) the EZT simply isn't up to the task of. That's why I started this thread.

I do not know anyone that has less then 500 trouble free hours.
On their zt-2100 or zt-2200

Like I said I know a guy been cutting foreclosed homes on his cheap toro for 8 years. Running cheap EZT.

My timecutter Z480 is 7 years old and still no trouble. I got it used a few weeks ago and have used it every day. So can we call the zt-3400 junk because a lot of them have failed within 200 hours?

No reason to get worked up over cuttin' grass. I'm just thinking that heavy use (extreme heat) & contamination without an easy way to change fluid & filter is what makes the ezt "light duty". They seem to be giving a lot of folks good service.

A '69 Hemi Superbee could test a Dana 60 rear end, but a slant 6 Valiant didn't need one. Some guys need a 1hp bandsaw and some only 1/2hp. On & on..

Carscw said:

My timecutter Z480 is 7 years old and still no trouble. I got it used a few weeks ago and have used it every day. So can we call the zt-3400 junk because a lot of them have failed within 200 hours?

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Ouch.....don't say that.....my ZTR has the ZT-3400's. It seems that if the ZTR is well maintained the EZT trannies can be pretty dependable!!

djdicetn said:

Ouch.....don't say that.....my ZTR has the ZT-3400's. It seems that if the ZTR is well maintained the EZT trannies can be pretty dependable!!

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I have mixed feelings about changing the oil in a EZT.
Remember the ford transmissions back in the 70s and 80s they would work good until you changed the fluid and filter then they would just stop working.

So my thinking is if you get a used one with like over 300 hours just leave it be.
If you buy new then change the oil to a good quality oil.

I do clean the little sponge like filter on top of the breather hose.

I keep them clean and look for leaks at the start of every day

People like to mess with the RPMs to get more blade or ground speed. The ezt is only rated for 3800 max RPMs and no lower then 1800 RPMs

Driving the mower at a idle will tear any hydro up.

Carscw said:

I have mixed feelings about changing the oil in a EZT.
Remember the ford transmissions back in the 70s and 80s they would work good until you changed the fluid and filter then they would just stop working.

So my thinking is if you get a used one with like over 300 hours just leave it be.
If you buy new then change the oil to a good quality oil.

I do clean the little sponge like filter on top of the breather hose.

I keep them clean and look for leaks at the start of every day

People like to mess with the RPMs to get more blade or ground speed. The ezt is only rated for 3800 max RPMs and no lower then 1800 RPMs

Driving the mower at a idle will tear any hydro up.

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I agree with following oil/filter change recommendation on a new and leaving one be if it hasn't been changed for 300 hours.

But now you've got "me" worried:0(

When getting my ZTR out or storing it(transport to/from mowing....no blades engaged), I drive it with the throttle at idle all the time(well over the last 55 hours since I bought it). Am I potentially "damaging" my hydro transaxles(ZT-3400's)????? If so I'll correct that bad habit immediately!!!!!! And hope I haven't done any harm already!!!

djdicetn said:

I agree with following oil/filter change recommendation on a new and leaving one be if it hasn't been changed for 300 hours. But now you've got "me" worried:0( When getting my ZTR out or storing it(transport to/from mowing....no blades engaged), I drive it with the throttle at idle all the time(well over the last 55 hours since I bought it). Am I potentially "damaging" my hydro transaxles(ZT-3400's)????? If so I'll correct that bad habit immediately!!!!!! And hope I haven't done any harm already!!!

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When you are transporting at a idle do the hydros make noise?

Everything on a mower is Designed to operate with the throttle on fast even the engine.

The engine gets it's max air flow for cooling at full throttle.

Even a engine in a vehicle gets hotter at a idle then at normal driving RPMs.
One of the big reasons we now use electric fans. And performance engines use electric water pumps.

Carscw said:

When you are transporting at a idle do the hydros make noise?

Everything on a mower is Designed to operate with the throttle on fast even the engine.

The engine gets it's max air flow for cooling at full throttle.

Even a engine in a vehicle gets hotter at a idle then at normal driving RPMs.
One of the big reasons we now use electric fans. And performance engines use electric water pumps.

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The hydros seem to have a louder "whirring" sound than when mowing at full throttle. I guess you could say they are "noisier', but I haven't noticed any "change" in the sound from when I did it with 0.5 hours on it the first time I used it. Maybe that means I haven't damaged the hydros yet.......I hope:0)

Makes sense though(especially about the air-cooled engine needing maximum air circulation when under any load) and I guess I just got a much needed Lawn Mower 101. I am going to discontinue having the throttle at anything less than 1/2 throttle when starting or warming up and 3/4 throttle when engaging/dis-engaging the PTO. Anytime the "ZTR is moving" the engine will be at full throttle henceforth!!!! THANKS BUNCHES for catching that and giving me advice that may very well prevent me from damaging my Gravely!!!!!!!!!!

djdicetn said:

The hydros seem to have a louder "whirring" sound than when mowing at full throttle. I guess you could say they are "noisier', but I haven't noticed any "change" in the sound from when I did it with 0.5 hours on it the first time I used it. Maybe that means I haven't damaged the hydros yet.......I hope:0) Makes sense though(especially about the air-cooled engine needing maximum air circulation when under any load) and I guess I just got a much needed Lawn Mower 101. I am going to discontinue having the throttle at anything less than 1/2 throttle when starting or warming up and 3/4 throttle when engaging/dis-engaging the PTO. Anytime the "ZTR is moving" the engine will be at full throttle henceforth!!!! THANKS BUNCHES for catching that and giving me advice that may very well prevent me from damaging my Gravely!!!!!!!!!!

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I do not know if engaging the pto at half or full does any harm or good. I try and engage at half or less but sometimes I get in a hurry and engage at full. Don't tell my wife.

Carscw said:

I do not know if engaging the pto at half or full does any harm or good. I try and engage at half or less but sometimes I get in a hurry and engage at full. Don't tell my wife.

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Yes....for engaging/dis-engaging the PTO my Gravely manual says 3/4 throttle and some say 1/2 throttle. You should try to avoid doing it at full throttle as it puts an immediate hard load on the clutch which can cause premature wear.

I've got a Troy-Blit 50" zero-turn that I bought in 2008 with the EZTs. It has 300 hours on it with no problems from the EZT transmissions. My yard has some hills on it and I'm about 260 lbs, so I'm guessing the mower with me is about 900 lbs. It handles the hills fine. I have not changed the transmission oil. So no complaints from me. However, if I do have a problem with one of the transmissions, I plan to do the rebuild myself. From the videos online, it does not appear to be very hard to do.

So what do I see for the latest Toro Hydro Gear ZT trannies, Not serviceable. They claim it helps to not have as many potential leak points at hose ends etc, & allows the commercial user to have one less thing to deal with.. :confused2:

7394 said:

So what do I see for the latest Toro Hydro Gear ZT trannies, Not serviceable. They claim it helps to not have as many potential leak points at hose ends etc, & allows the commercial user to have one less thing to deal with.. :confused2:

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If that becomes their new standard I won't be buying another toro. They don't have that problem now so what's the issue.I have a zmaster with a ton of hours it has a small leak in a hose. Really I don't believe a non serviceable system would hold up to the 3k hour mark. in a year I may add 1/2 a quart of oil. I'm not buying any new mowers this year . So have a year to see what happens.

RDA.Lawns- I should have clarified my post better, seems some are not serviceable according to their site, while others still are. (my bad).

I prefer the serviceability . seems to be a better system with pumps and drive motors separate. And a lot stronger .

I would as well. Just makes sense servicing them would be better. Can't understand why some are NOT servicable?

Cheaper to make .So they can make more $$ .Would be my thoughts on it.

I would concur with your assessment.

RDA.Lawns said:

I prefer the serviceability . seems to be a better system with pumps and drive motors separate. And a lot stronger .

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All of them a serviceable. Some are called sealed. Sealed means you do not need to change oil during life of unit. All of them are serviceable. They sell parts and it is easier to work on than most. Buy the repair kit for the pump or motor then just open unit and replace parts. Fast and easy.

RDA.Lawns said:

Cheaper to make .So they can make more $$ .Would be my thoughts on it.

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They cost way less money than the pump, motor and hydraulic lines purchased separately. So I do not under stand your point.

They are non servicable because the sealing is very good and the units are made in a sterile clean room.
Clowns drain the oil find an old grubby funnel then proceed to fill the box with dirt , dust & grass clippings.
When I do one of these , I clean every thing in an ultrasound unit followed by either & blow dry.
They then go into the bathroom ( I work out of an old house) after I have hosed down the room & walls.
Dust down as low as 0.5 micron size will kill the unit in no time flat.

I would not buy a new mower with the sealed units. After 10 + years trouble free mowing with many different mowers with the serviceable units I'm sticking with it.

That to me is puzzling, why would some be serviceable (Oil & filter change), & others sealed ? Both Hydro-Gear units.

7394 said:

That to me is puzzling, why would some be serviceable (Oil & filter change), & others sealed ? Both Hydro-Gear units.

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Read post 29 ;-

Addind and external replaceable filter adds a lot of cost and source of contamination.
Clearences in a hydro are very very fine.
Oil filters like o run low pressure high volume and a hydro pump works on low volume high pressure so to work properly you have to add a circulation pump as well as the pressure pump.
Experience has shown than on average the sealed hydros outlive the engines and extended warranty.
You have obviously never pulled one apart.
Do this and you will understand the reasoning

bertsmobile1 said:

They are non servicable because the sealing is very good and the units are made in a sterile clean room.
Clowns drain the oil find an old grubby funnel then proceed to fill the box with dirt , dust & grass clippings.
When I do one of these , I clean every thing in an ultrasound unit followed by either & blow dry.
They then go into the bathroom ( I work out of an old house) after I have hosed down the room & walls.
Dust down as low as 0.5 micron size will kill the unit in no time flat.

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Start with my son worked at Hydro-Gear and built the EZT and others. Yes they are built in a clean room. Here comes the bad part. They are shipped dry. The lawn mower manufacturer then adds oil to the unit. No clean room. They are mostly filled in a dirty manufacturing line. This is one of the reasons for EZT failures that I hear about on this and other forums. The other is they do not use the recommended oil to fill it with. John Deere is the worst of the offenders. They want to sell their oil and put it in instead. Hydro-Gear builds all their units with spects from Castrol 20w50 motor oil. If the manufacture uses that or at least 20w50 in a simi clean area then your EZT will last a long time. If not the failures will happen.

I love this forum We get to share all sorts of knowledge,

Now I am always happy to be proven wrong, but I was under the impression that all of the small JD's were built elsewhere for JD to JD's specs.
The 100 series smells highly of being assembled by AYP and the small ZTR looks very much like it came out of the same factory as the Craftsman,& McCulloch, with the only difference being the fitting of the "edge" decks.
The mainframe of all the 100 series D, L, LA have all the same redundant holes in the side as every Husqvarna , McCulloch , Rally , Roper, Poulan etc,etc,etc.

Yes that is true but the most important thing you said is"to John Deere Specs". We have a John Deere plant that takes their old used alternators and starters and rebuilds them, right here in Springfield. It is a wonderful plant that runs well and turns out lots of produces for them every year. But John Deere did not own that plant originally. It was a company called SRC. They built it ran it and turned out lots of finished products for John Deere. They where so impressed that they bought the plant. Not the company and started doing it them selves. All good right. Wrong their production went down 50% and they had to call in the original owners to get them back on track. It has been 3 years and they still can not keep the production up to original specs. They now call the numbers they get as good and are leaving it alone. John Deere is a great manufacture of large farm equipment but as for the small stuff I believe you are correct that AYP/Husqvarna is now the manufacture of most of their lawn care products. The welds on the mower deck is what make me think it most. You Info on the frames seems to reinforce my thoughts. But once again John Deere tells them what they want in them. So it is still John Deere oil.

The sealed unit is the best way to go. Cheaper to buy and maintain. By the time a sealed unit goes out you would have replaced every part on a pump and motor unit.
I have sealed drives with well over 4000 very hard hours on them. I have never had one fail. I don't think you can find anyone on here that has had one fail.

Everyone has a different take on it. I'll stick with the serviceability of the separate pump and drive motors.

Well, this has certainly sparked some interesting posts.

And to Bert- I build Harley engines & trannies, by appt only.

And growing up as a Diesel mechanic with years in a machine shop, I don't think a EZT or EZ hydro pump would be very intimidating. You're not the only one that can turn a spanner, or has a "clean room" for assemblies.

7394 said:

Well, this has certainly sparked some interesting posts.

And to Bert- I build Harley engines & trannies, by appt only.

And growing up as a Diesel mechanic with years in a machine shop, I don't think a EZT or EZ hydro pump would be very intimidating. You're not the only one that can turn a spanner, or has a "clean room" for assemblies.

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Depends upon what sort of precision tooling you have on hand.
Replacing parts , where available , is no problem but when you have to machine the valve chest or base plate down to 5 micron finish it gets a bit daunting. And way out of my league, even measuring flatness to that precision beyond the tooling I have on hand.
Just sent a Murry back , perfectly good mower in excellent condition bar the fact the Tecumseh hydro unit is stuffed,
Looked OK but clamp the pump together and work the pistons and the base plate has more leaks than a confidential cabinet meeting.
They dont sound like much and are bog simple construction but getting a 4" block spinning on a plate with a few holes in it to be virtually oil tight is not as simple as it sounds.
particularly when what holds it together is the return springs inside the valve ( piston if you preffer ) block and they are free on one side and fully compressed on the other.
Each piston only pumps between 1cc to 10 cc of oil so at the lower end you don't need much of a leak and you have no drive.

:thumbsup: Not a parts changer, specialty is stroker engines, & putting 5 or 6 forward gears in old 4 speed H-D gearboxes. :wink:

7394 said:

:thumbsup: Not a parts changer, specialty is stroker engines, & putting 5 or 6 forward gears in old 4 speed H-D gearboxes. :wink:

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I am sure that would be a popular mod.
While the very wide & flat torque curves means they can do without those extra cogs, it does make a big difference.
totally off topic by now but just out of interest, do you raise the final drive ?

bertsmobile1 said:

I am sure that would be a popular mod.
While the very wide & flat torque curves means they can do without those extra cogs, it does make a big difference.
totally off topic by now but just out of interest, do you raise the final drive ?

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Bert- Quite popular here, does make a big diff, the 5th is OD, (overdrive), & on 5 speeds adding 6th is also adding OD gearing. Instead of 1:00 in high gear, now it is .860:1, will drop revs by 500 rpm's at min.
Means old Harleys can take to today's highways & actually keep up with traffic without the engine screaming bloody mercy. Yet still looks correct externally. And on Big Strokers can change trans sprocket for taller yet final drive.

Yes we have a similar problem down here.
A new expressway goes in and the old roads either get sold or zero funding so if you are not doing 90 mph you are being run over.
Most of my old iron will run a week non stop at 60 but pushing them out to expressway speeds floggs them to death and using secondary roads can double if not treble the distance covered.

I hear ya Bert. If ya ain't doing 90 ya get passed.

Hello All,

I just joined this forum. I was looking for some info on Hydro Gear EZT transaxles.

I notice that this topic is not current, but about Hydro Gear transaxles.

I have a Troybuilt ZTM 50 " cut. When I bought this mower the left transaxle was never as strong as the
right one. I called Hydro Gear and was told if it worked it worked and that was it. I should have
insisted a new unit. Now with about 230 hours, the left unit quit pulling. I will try to repair
this unit if possible. A friend has called Hydro Gear about some differences in units and they just
give us get rid of this guy info. Call about the difference in a pair of transaxles and the guy said he
commented that one had a one inch shaft and the other had a 3/4 inch. Both had one inch. one had
the brake on opposite side. The web page states this can be move to the other side. We called and
asked about this and was told it was not advised. This is from Hydro Gear's service dept.

Personally I think the units are not well built and way to costly.

Hcube

You got that totally backwards.
They are substantially better built than they should be for the price.
Hydro gear make less profit per unit made than the mower shops make on the retail mark ups and then there is the distributors & wholesalers also pocketing your money.
Eaton, like Honda exited the mower market because they valued their good name more than the paultry profits available from servicing the US mower market.

It is a perfect example of the old saying , " as yea so sow shall yea reap"
One by one the manufacturers of top quality long lasting garden equipment have either pulled out or gone broke.
If all the market will pay for are model T's don't expect to get one with a Rolls Royce gearbox.

Hcube said:

Hello All,

I just joined this forum. I was looking for some info on Hydro Gear EZT transaxles.

I notice that this topic is not current, but about Hydro Gear transaxles.

I have a Troybuilt ZTM 50 " cut. When I bought this mower the left transaxle was never as strong as the
right one. I called Hydro Gear and was told if it worked it worked and that was it. I should have
insisted a new unit. Now with about 230 hours, the left unit quit pulling. I will try to repair
this unit if possible. A friend has called Hydro Gear about some differences in units and they just
give us get rid of this guy info. Call about the difference in a pair of transaxles and the guy said he
commented that one had a one inch shaft and the other had a 3/4 inch. Both had one inch. one had
the brake on opposite side. The web page states this can be move to the other side. We called and
asked about this and was told it was not advised. This is from Hydro Gear's service dept.

Personally I think the units are not well built and way to costly.

Hcube

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The fan blades on the left EZT on my Troy-Bilt 50 inch zero turn were broken off. So I emailed Hydro-Gear on a Sunday night with the part number of the EZT and they send me back the part number for the fan on Monday. They also provide good quality service manuals on their web site. While I've never tried to call them, I view their service as good, really all I expect them to do. When I replaced the fan, I also drained the fluid from both EZTs and replaced it. I believe the EZTs are well made and perfect for their intended use for residential yards. After 320+ hours, the EZTs that I have are strong and perform very well. I have another mower with the ZT-3400s and they are great also.

BlazNT said:

Start with my son worked at Hydro-Gear and built the EZT and others. Yes they are built in a clean room. Here comes the bad part. They are shipped dry. The lawn mower manufacturer then adds oil to the unit. No clean room. They are mostly filled in a dirty manufacturing line. This is one of the reasons for EZT failures that I hear about on this and other forums. The other is they do not use the recommended oil to fill it with. John Deere is the worst of the offenders. They want to sell their oil and put it in instead. Hydro-Gear builds all their units with spects from Castrol 20w50 motor oil. If the manufacture uses that or at least 20w50 in a simi clean area then your EZT will last a long time. If not the failures will happen.

I love this forum We get to share all sorts of knowledge,

Click to expand...

BlazNT
I know this is an old thread but I have a question about the Castrol 20w50 in the ZT-2200, do I want a synthetic or dino oil? any other spec to look for or if you could tell me what hydro gear would have used in my troy bilt 2014 that would be nice.
Thanks

It is just Castrol 20w50 regular oil. You can waste your money on synthetic if want (I did) but it is not necessary. I also poured my oil through a very fine paint strainer.

BlazNT said:

It is just Castrol 20w50 regular oil. You can waste your money on synthetic if want (I did) but it is not necessary. I also poured my oil through a very fine paint strainer.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the response - One more question.
What is your theory on "If it ain't broke don't fix it" when it comes to the ZT-2200. This is a used but new to me mower and the right RTN brackets were bent and bypassing the two stops on the trans, I have fixed that and everything seems to be operating fine. I will change the oil on the kohler, should I do an oil change on the ZT's as well or leave well enough alone.
Thanks
Steve

The EZT has a maintenance schedule but most manufacturers call it sealed or unserviceable. Go to the hydro-gear website and download the instruction manual and follow it.

Just joining... I have a 2009 toro z5030. It was driving fine until I pulled the bypass levers to physically push the mower, then moved the bypass back to original position. The next time I went to use the mower only the left side would drive. Then both sides stopped driving. I tapped on the units with a rubber mallet and the right side drove forward only. I have removed the transaxles from the mower. I physically moved the bypass levers with my hand forward and aft and was able to turn the axle in either position as if the bypass is stuck. I drained the oil from both transaxles. One side had 48 oz's and the other had 44 oz's. The oil was dark with no metal in it. Does anyone have any information on this problem? Thank you in advance for your input.

garrisond45,

I'd refill them, then bleed them. Most likely all you needed to do was to go thru the bleed process after pushing the rods back into place.

mhavanti,
I will try that. Thank you for your input. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again.

http://www.hydro-gear.com/download-materials/

http://www.hydro-gear.com/service-and-repair-manuals/

Boobala, Thank you

garrisond4550 said:

Boobala, Thank you

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You're very welcome, please pass around if another needs it ...... :thumbsup:

Boo,

Have any experience in having several Hydro Gear wheel motors in the shop at the same time? Thus able to state if a 4400 has the same mounting points, rod lever points, etc. as a 2800, 3100 and 3400?

If you can verify these have the same outer mounting points. I'm installing a pair of 4400s on a Raptor SD or go thru the set of 2800s and upgrade them to 4400s.

Thanks in advance,

Max

mhavanti said:

Boo,

Have any experience in having several Hydro Gear wheel motors in the shop at the same time? Thus able to state if a 4400 has the same mounting points, rod lever points, etc. as a 2800, 3100 and 3400?

If you can verify these have the same outer mounting points. I'm installing a pair of 4400s on a Raptor SD or go thru the set of 2800s and upgrade them to 4400s.

Thanks in advance,

Max

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Sorry to say max, I have NO experience on these Hydro-Gear trannies ... I THINK, .. BlazNT MIGHT, .. be able to provide some insight into those items, you might give him a PM ... :thumbsup:

Boo,

Thank you kindly my friend. One of these days, I'll find a shop that is large enough to have a plethera of used units or even new units laying in the shelves to lay them all out and do some sleuthing. Hydro Gear, Excel, Scag, JD as well as the other brands I've contacted will not provide this information as they are afraid I may harm myself. lmbo

Max

For everyone here on this thread. The 4400 is not compatible with the mounting points of the lower units. Not even close.

I have changed the oil on my ezt 2200 transaxles and reinstalled them. I bled them 6 or 7 times, both with the bypass disengaged and engaged. The right side drives decent going forward and barely turning in reverse. The left side is driving forward but slower than the right side and not moving in reverse. I'm thinking the belt may need replacing. Any input?

garrisond4550,

If you have a camera you can mount under the mower facing the belts to see if the belt spring is holding the belt tight against the pulleys, you can learn a great deal. I have used a GoPro to find slipping belts as well as belts rubbing steering rods for deck belts that caused the belts to fray and slip, to show springs that have allowed belts to overly move on the leeward side of the pulleys causing belts to slip.

If you jack up the mower in the rear, with wheels off, move the forward and rear lever to the rear, does it seem to correctly move the wheel on the side that is not pulling?

Max

I will try mounting a camera under it. The mower is still up on jacks at this time. I forgot to mention that

Excellent. You may want to have someone help with throttle so you can try to view along with the camera.

mhavanti, thank you for your input.

My pleasure

RetiredGuns said:

No reason to get worked up over cuttin' grass. I'm just thinking that heavy use (extreme heat) & contamination without an easy way to change fluid & filter is what makes the ezt "light duty". They seem to be giving a lot of folks good service.

A '69 Hemi Superbee could test a Dana 60 rear end, but a slant 6 Valiant didn't need one. Some guys need a 1hp bandsaw and some only 1/2hp. On & on..

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Mopar humor. :smile:

I have yet to have any issues with my Husqvarna Z4217,but I keep reading low engine rpm will damage the EZTs. While I never mow at less than at near or at full throttle,what happens when lower rpm is used? What gets damaged and how and why is what I was wondering. Just something I was curious about. So much great knowledge here! TIA!

Svtom said:

I have yet to have any issues with my Husqvarna Z4217,but I keep reading low engine rpm will damage the EZTs. While I never mow at less than at near or at full throttle,what happens when lower rpm is used? What gets damaged and how and why is what I was wondering. Just something I was curious about. So much great knowledge here! TIA!

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Hydro Gear says main issue with under running speed is heat build up. Running higher RPM keeps fan and fluid all moving and cooling.
Near WOT is best for cooling everything,engine,transmissions,everything,period. Now I know.