I have a 2009 Cub Cadet with a Hydro Gear 310-0510 transaxle and I have removed it to change the fluid due to some noise that it had been making. The noise was not whine, but rather a moan that only occurs when the pedal is first pressed, and it is intermittent at that. Needless to say, after changing all of the pulleys, the drive belt, adjusting the brake and changing the fluid, the noise still persists. I will say that the oil was black when I checked it (about 225 hours use) so I went ahead and drained and re-filled with plain old 20w-50 motor oil. The unit still runs smooth and strong, just makes some noise. This issue is beyond me. Speaking of oil, I was at Autozone today and saw that they had some off-road 20w-50 motor oil that was listed as being "high zinc." If memory serves me correctly, higher zinc content is desirable in oil used for hydrostatic transmissions? Either way, good luck on your journey of figuring it out.
Mike