5216H HydroStatic Help

[MN_Sierra13]

Hello everyone - I am new here and new to the Simplicity mowers in general.

I recently bought a Simplicity 5216H off Facebook Marketplace. It runs decently and seems to cut well.

Well as I like to tinker on stuff, I did a drain and flush of the oil (which the original engine has been replaced with a newer Briggs and Stratt 17 horse) and replaced the battery.

I also decided to do a drain and fill on the Hyrdostatic trans.

I drained it and filled it up and then attempted to bleed the system for around 20 minutes going in forward and reverse which here in lies my issue.

I can jack the mower up and it’ll turn the wheels in forward and reverse, speeding up and slowing down with the throttle lever. However the moment I set the mower under its own weight, it won’t move at all and the trans now doesn’t sound great going in forward under its own weight. The drive belt tension seems good, the freewheel lever engages and disengages and the brake is not stuck applied… I did also check the drive belt and pulley on the trans to ensure it wasn’t slick from spilled hydro and it feels dry.

Kinda scratching my head here trying to figure out what’s going on and why it won’t drive under its own weight.

I used a generic tractor hydro fluid as well. Please see pics for details on my specific model.

Really hoping I didn’t break it before I get to even do a first full cut with it as I’m really kicking myself right now!

I appreciate any and all help. Thank you - Ben

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Hello everyone - I am new here and new to the Simplicity mowers in general.

I recently bought a Simplicity 5216H off Facebook Marketplace. It runs decently and seems to cut well.

Well as I like to tinker on stuff, I did a drain and flush of the oil (which the original engine has been replaced with a newer Briggs and Stratt 17 horse) and replaced the battery.

I also decided to do a drain and fill on the Hyrdostatic trans.

I drained it and filled it up and then attempted to bleed the system for around 20 minutes going in forward and reverse which here in lies my issue.

I can jack the mower up and it’ll turn the wheels in forward and reverse, speeding up and slowing down with the throttle lever. However the moment I set the mower under its own weight, it won’t move at all and the trans now doesn’t sound great going in forward under its own weight. The drive belt tension seems good, the freewheel lever engages and disengages and the brake is not stuck applied… I did also check the drive belt and pulley on the trans to ensure it wasn’t slick from spilled hydro and it feels dry.

Kinda scratching my head here trying to figure out what’s going on and why it won’t drive under its own weight.

I used a generic tractor hydro fluid as well. Please see pics for details on my specific model.

Really hoping I didn’t break it before I get to even do a first full cut with it as I’m really kicking myself right now!

I appreciate any and all help. Thank you - Ben
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Peerless transaxle. You have to purge air out of system completely. Obviously something isn’t right. First keep bypass lever out and press pedal forward/backward. Then put bypass lever in (normal position), and do same. Do some additional research online for more details. Right type of oil? Right amount of oil?

 

[MN_Sierra13]

Peerless transaxle. You have to purge air out of system completely. Obviously something isn’t right. First keep bypass lever out and press pedal forward/backward. Then put bypass lever in (normal position), and do same. Do some additional research online for more details. Right type of oil? Right amount of oil?

Thanks for the reply!

I spent the better part of yesterday doing research, watching youtube, etc.

I ended up going to my local Oreillys and getting a 20w-50 non detergent oil for hydrostatic transmissions. I drained the universal tractor hydro out, filled it with the 20w-50, bled the system and it works perfectly fine now. It seems to be working better than before i drained the original fluid out too.

I think the issue was the universal tractor hydro i used was just WAY too thin.