sltx 1054 drives slower aan slower on slopes

[kingjames1]

Downloaded the manual after viewing your .pdf. That allowed me find the tranny manual. It appears as your manual states that the fluid will need to be siphoned out as best you can. No friggin' drain plug. Here's the tranny .pdf. One thought. Have you checked the bypass valve that the you manipulate so that it can free wheel? I'd work it in and out 2-3 times. You never know. http://www.hydro-gear.com/main/docs/service-repair-manuals/310-0510.pdf For future reference. On the next mower purchase (hopefully no time soon) try to get one with a drain plug, fill plug and outside filter (s). After I went through the same crap you're going through and learning how important good quality fluid is to a hyro-type tranny, that was my number one priority when I purchased my new one 3 years ago.

Thanks. Next mower gets changed after 2 seasons regardless if the owners manual says, "Not serviceable." Even if I have to pull the tranny off like I did with this one. But I'll be looking for one with a drain plug for my next mower, maybe sooner than later.

My son lives in Oklahoma. 100 degree days on end plus monster tornadoes, huge hail, black widows, brown recluses, fire ants, etc. (He lives on Tornado Blvd.) Give me 9 feet of snow every year (our average). 100 degrees is rare up here.

I'll get back once I get more oil and try it out. Thanks again.

 

[Ric]

Thanks. Next mower gets changed after 2 seasons regardless if the owners manual says, "Not serviceable." Even if I have to pull the tranny off like I did with this one. But I'll be looking for one with a drain plug for my next mower, maybe sooner than later.

My son lives in Oklahoma. 100 degree days on end plus monster tornadoes, huge hail, black widows, brown recluses, fire ants, etc. (He lives on Tornado Blvd.) Give me 9 feet of snow every year (our average). 100 degrees is rare up here.

I'll get back once I get more oil and try it out. Thanks again.

You may have a chore to find a serviceable unit in a lawn Tractor. Even the EZT Transmissions are not serviceable in the ZT. You have to go to at least the 2800 to get a unit you can service and filter you can change. Hydro gear says it's a sealed unit and you should never have to service it for the life of the unit. I hope I'm wrong and changing oil helps your problem but If you dumped out 2 quarts of oil from the unit I doubt changing it will help the problem.

 

[logan01]

Just an FYI. I noticed the next tranny up (0710 model) has a drain plug. You might consider (if the tranny is good) seeing if that section of the housing of the tranny is interchangeable with yours or, as I have seen some folks do on other sealed units, drill and tap the bottom for a drain plug. Your son's location In Ok is similar to mine. I'll risk the twisters (easy to say at the moment) over the snow.:smile:

 

[kingjames1]

You may have a chore to find a serviceable unit in a lawn Tractor. Even the EZT Transmissions are not serviceable in the ZT. You have to go to at least the 2800 to get a unit you can service and filter you can change. Hydro gear says it's a sealed unit and you should never have to service it for the life of the unit. I hope I'm wrong and changing oil helps your problem but If you dumped out 2 quarts of oil from the unit I doubt changing it will help the problem.

Well, that solved nothing. Looks like we're off to spend another 2000-3000. Great. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[logan01]

Hope you find you a good one. My mower has the Hydro Gear 3100 and it seem excellent. It's near twin is the 2800. I have no idea if these come on non-zero turn mowers. If you get a "normal" mower, I would see if any come with one of these trannys. Keep us posted on what you decide. Good luck.

 

[Ric]

Well, that solved nothing. Looks like we're off to spend another 2000-3000. Great. Thanks for everyone's help.

This is just a suggestion but you may want to check and buy another mower like yours on craigslist and that someone maybe selling cheap because they lost an engine and pick it up and use the drive unit to replace yours, you could end up spending less than a couple of hundred. The mowers you'll be looking at in the price range you posted will be the same type drive units and the EZT tranny's in the lower end ZTR mowers will be much or basically the same type unit (meaning sealed unit) You could also check with some of the dealerships around and maybe pick up a used drive unit cheap.

 

[kingjames1]

Hope you find you a good one. My mower has the Hydro Gear 3100 and it seem excellent. It's near twin is the 2800. I have no idea if these come on non-zero turn mowers. If you get a "normal" mower, I would see if any come with one of these trannys. Keep us posted on what you decide. Good luck.

Looking at a mower with a Tuff Torq tranny. Anyone know anything about these? The dealer said it was a heavy duty tranny.

 

[kingjames1]

This is just a suggestion but you may want to check and buy another mower like yours on craigslist and that someone maybe selling cheap because they lost an engine and pick it up and use the drive unit to replace yours, you could end up spending less than a couple of hundred. The mowers you'll be looking at in the price range you posted will be the same type drive units and the EZT tranny's in the lower end ZTR mowers will be much or basically the same type unit (meaning sealed unit) You could also check with some of the dealerships around and maybe pick up a used drive unit cheap.

I could buy a new tranny for 600 but will it last. My old John Deere went 7 years mowing grass and pushing 9 feet of snow before it gave up the ghost. All I want to do is cut grass now. I have a plow on my 4x4 SUV. I shouldn't have to spend an arm and a leg to just cut grass (2000-3000 is an arm though). I will be contacting Hydro Gear and Cub Cadet this week. I'll let you know what they said.

 

[logan01]

Looking at a mower with a Tuff Torq tranny. Anyone know anything about these? The dealer said it was a heavy duty tranny.

As long as you go with the tuff torq k66 or later tranny you should be ok. These should have both an external reservoir, fill plug, and drain plug. When you go shopping and it's tuff torq, make sure they show you that the tranny has those features. No matter who says what, you want to change that fluid (in an easy manner, at least every other year unless you just mow 27/7 which would make it more often. Believe most are recommended 20w50 and I use fully synthetic. That's just me.

 

[Ric]

As long as you go with the tuff torq k66 or later tranny you should be ok. These should have both an external reservoir, fill plug, and drain plug. When you go shopping and it's tuff torq, make sure they show you that the tranny has those features. No matter who says what, you want to change that fluid (in an easy manner, at least every other year unless you just mow 27/7 which would make it more often. Believe most are recommended 20w50 and I use fully synthetic. That's just me.

Changing the oil in drives depends on how much you're using the machine. You should change according to the manufacturer and hours on the machine and they all don't call for synthetic or 20w50 they use various viscosity oils. Depending on the type of oil you use the hours or intervals between changes can change drastically. I would do what the manufacturer says to do and change oil if it needs or is supposed to be changed and do it at the recommend interval and do it with the oil they recommend. I know that the drives I have and am running at this moment call for one of two different types of oil and both have different changing intervals and one is conventional 20w50 the others are different.