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Impressions: newGT48XLSi
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Export threadAmbient 60F, constant 15 mph wind, mowed first low grass for an hour, Oil temp 204F max, oil pressure 36-38 psi at hottest with 5W-30 Mobil 1. Earlier misread total hours. There are only 32 on this tractor. No starter jamming, no dying/ restarting at startup. :smile:
The deer have killed several of the expensive saplings planted so made some horse fence circular barriers. Yesterday a small one had blown over and was waiting for me...instant stop during mowing as the blades wound up tight on the land mine. Fearing worst I slogged back to shop and brought small hydraulic jack across field and lay in mud disentangling the mess. I have made a mobile of the wire to hang in the shop. So far no serious damage.
Earlier grumbling about restarting hot Intek. It "may" be that I have (finally) discovered a feature of the smart ignition switch. After punching in the start "password" the center button goes green....but if the brake is not held down while cranking the engine will only start for a few seconds and stop, while holding down the brake continuously when starting seems to overcome this problem. (Maybe it is in the factory instructions and I missed it?)
Earlier grumbling about restarting hot Intek. It "may" be that I have (finally) discovered a feature of the smart ignition switch. After punching in the start "password" the center button goes green....but if the brake is not held down while cranking the engine will only start for a few seconds and stop, while holding down the brake continuously when starting seems to overcome this problem. (Maybe it is in the factory instructions and I missed it?)
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Finally quit raining here. Mowed grass today, ambient 90F. Oil temp 244F. The Craftsman dyt 4000 Intek with the oil cooler would have been at 280-290F. Although the Husqy does not carry the 3 bag weight of 120 lbs it exceeds the weight of the dyt 4000 as a true garden tractor. I must conclude this Husqy Intek runs much cooler. I wonder if somehow the airflow dudes developed a fan flow program that made changes to the fan/air routing or finning.
Changes that would not be obvious to naked eye. Mobil 1 oil , 5w 30, 35 psi on gauge.
Still getting used to the smart ignition. So must hold down brake pedal to get green light on rubber button when starting AND must keep holding the brake pedal for a couple of seconds or engine will die. Catch it while dying with a light press of the center green and it resumes running. Still getting the jamming occasionally on starter engagement. If the mating gears are handshaking I wish they would get it over. The engine is holding the 5w 30 with no loss which never happened on the dyt 4000 Intek . It required topping every hour to keep it on full (never smoke).
Changes that would not be obvious to naked eye. Mobil 1 oil , 5w 30, 35 psi on gauge.
Still getting used to the smart ignition. So must hold down brake pedal to get green light on rubber button when starting AND must keep holding the brake pedal for a couple of seconds or engine will die. Catch it while dying with a light press of the center green and it resumes running. Still getting the jamming occasionally on starter engagement. If the mating gears are handshaking I wish they would get it over. The engine is holding the 5w 30 with no loss which never happened on the dyt 4000 Intek . It required topping every hour to keep it on full (never smoke).
Mowed the same areas mentioned with the dandelions back in Aug. In that session 90F and oil at 240F, doing "no real work." Today drizzle and the area had 12"-18" wet grass so a real test , but without the ambient heat. Nibbled and went easy as this is really "abuse" for this garden tractor. It is 58F and oil 220F. Stuck several times on slimy grass in low spots and mole hill "grease." K66 locker switch on briefly and out of trouble. Sweet. Cleanup of the heavy "adobe" under the deck about the same as dyt 4000, but the topside deck pulley housings are much better shielding the pulleys. Probably should not mention that the starter jamming has stopped.
Probably not considered by the design group so not necessarily a criticism. Many trees here with (purposely) unpruned lower branches. This requires ducking and slow going under the branches. The "dash " design features a vertical throttle lever on the left and the locking differential rocker switch on the right forward horizontal portion of the cowl. Branches close the throttle lever and yesterday broke off the nice (but weak) plastic diff locker switch. Pity because the switch is lighted with a tiny bulb to signal that the locker is ON. Hmm, the solution...a little metal cage over the switch? Better location? The throttle lever is not really a problem. Will probably sub a metal toggle switch, but first make an attempt to replace it with original.
Closer exam of switch which "broke" off. Designers at work here as the switch is a "break away" which I am able to snap back into place. Pleasant surprise as this switch is not cheap to replace. The "light bulb" when locking diff is on is really an LED which says there is a little circuit in the switch to support it. Still, for under branch operation, the switch needs a shield of some kind (for me). I was lucky to find the rocker part and not lose it .
Aluminum guard in place over locker switch. First blade removal easy. Blades are balanced from factory to !/16 of an ounce. After sharpening imbalance zeroed with jig. Same star present on blades as dyt 4000 , washer improved with strength ribs.
While left side was up another look at the K 66 transmission. With back light all the plugs and fill ports are visible, but may be unreachable in this machine. With a 6" dia. butch plate hole cut through the back chassis plate all seems doable, but what would that do to the stiffness of the chassis? Perhaps with a thick butch plate torqued down with cap screws...fear factor here. It is frustrating to see the fill, drain and expansion tank with no apparent way to access. BTW the bottom 2 drain plugs appear like the other assembly fasteners except the hex heads are 9/16" (others smaller) and they are color coded green. I like the underside paint of the deck in orange...aiding in cleaning (contrast).
While left side was up another look at the K 66 transmission. With back light all the plugs and fill ports are visible, but may be unreachable in this machine. With a 6" dia. butch plate hole cut through the back chassis plate all seems doable, but what would that do to the stiffness of the chassis? Perhaps with a thick butch plate torqued down with cap screws...fear factor here. It is frustrating to see the fill, drain and expansion tank with no apparent way to access. BTW the bottom 2 drain plugs appear like the other assembly fasteners except the hex heads are 9/16" (others smaller) and they are color coded green. I like the underside paint of the deck in orange...aiding in cleaning (contrast).
Both wheels off . There are cut outs on both sides of the chassis enabling "small" hands to see and feel "C," a pinch type screw cap for filling the gear compartment and the pop-off lid to the hydro expansion tank (from left side). The level of oil as delivered is confirmed below the Tuff Torque recommended level in this tank. A drain and fill was deemed possible in place until a close look at the "A" (hydro fill port) and "B" (hydro fill port hold down machine screw) on the right side. Unlike the Tuff Torque on-line picture the Husky fan/pulley on top has the lower pulley edge set dead center on the "B" hold down screw. It is not possible to loosed the fan/pulley nut to raise it because the gas tank is too close. This is a real bummer (for the crazy few) because it seems the trans must be either dropped or removed to drain/fill the unit. The only remaining question is about the hydro fill port...does the aluminum cap "A" contain a one way valve? Is it like a car radiator expansion tank? Between the expansion tank and the fill port "A" is a flexible rubber hose which possibly could be used. Attempts to reach a Tuff Torque tech are about 1 in 5 but will try to ask this question. After reading a little it seems the main value in the oil change is to the hydro side which is apparently the failure point (at least on the K 46's)?
Edit: Correct A,B, C positions. Black rubber hose is rigid. Could not reach tech at Tuff Torque. Trans removal may not be that hard (ha ha).
Edit: Correct A,B, C positions. Black rubber hose is rigid. Could not reach tech at Tuff Torque. Trans removal may not be that hard (ha ha).
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