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83 lawn chief 8/30 tranny help

#1

bobski

bobski

new guy here. my faithful red 83 lawn chief 8/30 sitdown rear engine ate its chain while backing. the torque snapped the tranny from its mounts! i was able to get it off and everything else believe it or not is just fine and still works (28 years old) except now for the snapped alloy mounting points on the bottom of the tranny. its marked techumsah(sp) its a 5 forward 1 reverse seperate tranny from the engine with a chain to wheel gear drive and stick shift on the right. this old horse deserves another chance but finding parts is impossible and welding that alloy...no one will touch it. all the gears work. the 8.5 b&s runs fine. its just a matter of mounting a new base on that tranny. ive tried all the retail dealers. no luck.
so i guess im asking:
1. know of any boneyards that would have it?
2. anyone here want to weld it? 2 of the 4 mounting hole studs are literally ripped off the base. you can see the grease and gears inside because of it! all the welders here say its pot aluminium and that its gotta be taken apart and be perfectly clean.
3. its a split case. all i really need is the base case....unless there is something i dont know about the inside that will take special tools when i get there.
4. anyone got one laying around?

all help is accepted. thanks in advance. help me save my pride and joy.:thumbsup:


#2

B

benski

bobski said:
new guy here. my faithful red 83 lawn chief 8/30 sitdown rear engine ate its chain while backing. the torque snapped the tranny from its mounts! i was able to get it off and everything else believe it or not is just fine and still works (28 years old) except now for the snapped alloy mounting points on the bottom of the tranny. its marked techumsah(sp) its a 5 forward 1 reverse seperate tranny from the engine with a chain to wheel gear drive and stick shift on the right. this old horse deserves another chance but finding parts is impossible and welding that alloy...no one will touch it. all the gears work. the 8.5 b&s runs fine. its just a matter of mounting a new base on that tranny. ive tried all the retail dealers. no luck.
so i guess im asking:
1. know of any boneyards that would have it?
2. anyone here want to weld it? 2 of the 4 mounting hole studs are literally ripped off the base. you can see the grease and gears inside because of it! all the welders here say its pot aluminium and that its gotta be taken apart and be perfectly clean.
3. its a split case. all i really need is the base case....unless there is something i dont know about the inside that will take special tools when i get there.
4. anyone got one laying around?

all help is accepted. thanks in advance. help me save my pride and joy.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

This is a pretty cajun fix,:ashamed: but would it be possible to take some square ubolts, and maybe some welded on plate on the frame like the lawnmower racers do, and bolt your tranny on that way?
Just a thought. You've certainly gotten you money's worth out of that machine.:smile:


#3

bobski

bobski

i would if i could, but the actual tranny housing ripped away from the belly of the tranny. its not like its just where the bolts go. you can actualy see the grease and gears inside the tranny from the outside where it tore away. its got to be closed back up.


#4

B

benski

bobski said:
i would if i could, but the actual tranny housing ripped away from the belly of the tranny. its not like its just where the bolts go. you can actualy see the grease and gears inside the tranny from the outside where it tore away. its got to be closed back up.
Click to expand...
:eek: Ah, I see now. There are some lawnmower boneyards on the web that I've seen, but don't offhand remember the name of.:ashamed:With some more sleuthing you might be able to track down what you need from there. I don't think that pot metal is weldable, but there may be some gas rod out there that would work. Sorry I can't be much more help.


#5

bobski

bobski

spread the word to your buddies and find me some boneyards! post them here! thanks for the encouragement.:thumbsup:


#6

flyerdan

flyerdan

You want to try and find some Aladdin welding rod. They make an alloy that is designed for repairing the pot-metal type castings that are nearly impossible to otherwise. It was designed for O/A welding, but I'll bet it would tig nicely. If it was mine, I'd take it apart, clean it good with acetone and make a nice v-groove for the filler with a die grinder and give it a shot. It's not like you can hurt it anymore.


#7

bobski

bobski

agree. its at least an option. any little parts that will go flying when i take that tranny apart or is it mostly rock solid gears, grease, and true grit in there? i can see a chain, so i know a small chain drive is part of the guts.


#8

flyerdan

flyerdan

A bit of rather extensive cross referencing indicates that you should have a Peerless 700 series transmission, .pdf diagrams here. There are a lot of them listed, surely one of them will be the right one. Looks like the setup that Harley uses with the separate transmission. Shouldn't be anything too sophisticated in there, at least having a diagram helps getting things back in the proper place.


#9

bobski

bobski

i had a rep on the phone ask me at the dealer to i.d the tranny. but there are no model numbers on it. he told me to look for a plate near the shifter. it appears it was a medalian that was pressed pushed into a cavity. of course, its not there, so im sol and dont know what model it is. any advice on a process of elimination to find the right one? age? measurements? any hints?
or just start clicking all of them and hail mary it?
geeesh,. look at all those gears in there! im getting flashbacks to motorcycle repair in the 70's.

btw....KUDOS. that is the tranny. who would ever dream i'd find a forum that could find it! thanks. serious.

now what? geesh. time to just hope and pray i pick the right one.


#10

flyerdan

flyerdan

I think the basic design of the 700 series is the same, just different number of gears. Grab one at random and have a look, chances are that you can take the assembly cap screws out and turn it upside down and take the bottom case off without disturbing anything inside. Clean it up and prep/clamp it and weld it. Or you could pick up a used on off eBay. I see there is one setting at $10 right now, but the reserve isn't met. At least that's an option if repair efforts fail.


#11

bobski

bobski

please link me to the ebay auction. ive been looking but im probably not using the right words to pull it up.
so...this is encouraging. sounds like the bottom just comes off and the guts stay in the top half? is that what im hearing?


#12

flyerdan

flyerdan

Previous link should have worked...link>>>peerless 700 on eBay<<<link.

Not sure if you could cheat that way, it looks like the input shaft comes from the bottom. Download this transaxle repair manual and follow the steps in the 700 series section. Big book, covers most all stuff you'd find in lawn mowers.


#13

B

benski

The Peerless 700 is a very common, rather bulletproof tranny used A LOT in lawnmower racing. The folks over at heymow.com - Lawn Mower Racing Forum - Index have a wealth of information on identification of, repairs, and sales of rebuilt units, both stock and modifies for racing. I had no idea that there's an entire industry associated with mower racing, but obviously there is!:cool::smile:


#14

bobski

bobski

id bet my wife on it...this is it.
Tecumseh Lawnmower Transmission 5 Speed Forward/1 Reverse Peerless 9 To_ 700-078 | eBay
its nos and full retail for a new one. heck 155.00 new isnt bad when faced with a 2000.00 chinease new mower today.
my only concern is why so many gear differences? i count 100 different p/n's and of course, i dont know if i put this in, if im going to get a ticket for going 60mph!:laughing:
i called the store and left a msg. they are checking mounting holes to ensure this will drop in my bed ok.
everything external looks exactly right. it may be worth it to just get a whole one and not spend the week rebuilding it....and just keep the old one for parts.

i mean afterall, this thing will probably go another 20 years.:thumbsup:

thanks thus far for all your help guys. i'll check that racing www. and see what they say.


#15

B

benski

bobski said:
id bet my wife on it...this is it.
Tecumseh Lawnmower Transmission 5 Speed Forward/1 Reverse Peerless 9 To_ 700-078 | eBay
its nos and full retail for a new one. heck 155.00 new isnt bad when faced with a 2000.00 chinease new mower today.
my only concern is why so many gear differences? i count 100 different p/n's and of course, i dont know if i put this in, if im going to get a ticket for going 60mph!:laughing:
i called the store and left a msg. they are checking mounting holes to ensure this will drop in my bed ok.
everything external looks exactly right. it may be worth it to just get a whole one and not spend the week rebuilding it....and just keep the old one for parts.

i mean afterall, this thing will probably go another 20 years.:thumbsup:

thanks thus far for all your help guys. i'll check that racing www. and see what they say.
Click to expand...
Heck, by the time you canoodle around with other options, I'd say $155.00 plus shipping isn't too bad. You certainly can't find a decent used mower for that kind of money...:thumbsup: And, you don't know for sure if any little bits of teeth, shafts, or whatnot may not have been uh, liberated when your original tranny went into retirement.:eek:


#16

bobski

bobski

youre right.
so as it stands now...its the wait game. gotta hear back from the dealer on bolt spacing and then no more excuses for not cutting grass. pics to follow of the mayham.:laughing:


#17

B

benski

Mayhem is served routinely at my residence too!:biggrin:


#18

bobski

bobski

so far im striking out. i called all the ebay dealers and none have exactly what i need. mine seems to be an early one.
still no luck.
if anyone has any new leads, lmk!


#19

B

benski

bobski said:
so far im striking out. i called all the ebay dealers and none have exactly what i need. mine seems to be an early one.
still no luck.
if anyone has any new leads, lmk!
Click to expand...

I'd go over to heymow.com - Lawn Mower Racing Forum - Index and find the link and therefore vendors who sell them. It gives you all the poo on models, availabilty, etc.


#20

bobski

bobski

using links on the racing website, ive made contact with a co. that is looking into it. ive called 2 co.'s on ebay and they struck out.
i aint finished yet!
one co. asked me for the number off the transaxle....to help them figure out which tranny i have. now see? thats what i like, some co's try to help! where would the transaxle number be? my rig is a chain drive sproket welded to an axle.

heres some pics of the damaged tranny....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/bobski/100-0040_IMG-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/bobski/100-0041_IMG-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/bobski/100-0043_IMG-1.jpg


#21

B

benski

bobski said:
using links on the racing website, ive made contact with a co. that is looking into it. ive called 2 co.'s on ebay and they struck out.
i aint finished yet!
one co. asked me for the number off the transaxle....to help them figure out which tranny i have. now see? thats what i like, some co's try to help! where would the transaxle number be? my rig is a chain drive sproket welded to an axle.

heres some pics of the damaged tranny....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/bobski/100-0040_IMG-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/bobski/100-0041_IMG-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/bobski/100-0043_IMG-1.jpg
Click to expand...
That same site has an entire 15?! page dissertation on those trannies. I think you'll find the no. under a tab on the tranny. Look through a little more, I'm sure they've got it.:thumbsup:


#22

bobski

bobski

under the tranny? only thing under the tranny is the chassis. do you mean ON the tranny underneath? there WAS an i.d. tab pressed into a cavity originally, but it fell out. thus the problem, there is no way to i.d. it.


#23

B

benski

bobski said:
under the tranny? only thing under the tranny is the chassis. do you mean ON the tranny underneath? there WAS an i.d. tab pressed into a cavity originally, but it fell out. thus the problem, there is no way to i.d. it.
Click to expand...

:frown:. Crumb. That's exactly what I was referring to. About the only thing I can think of is a photo(s) and perhaps a drawing sent offf to the gurus there. Maybe they can come up with something that'll fit.


#24

bobski

bobski

pics were sent to everyone and if there is someone who will know, its just a matter of time.


#25

bobski

bobski

got in touch with a tecumseh factory rep in richmond va and he sent me the pn and diagram he believed was to my mower he based it on the pics of the mower and serial numbers etc...
he used the same 100 page book that you all suggested to me to download. only he pin pointed it.

so, it would appear, that this is the tranny i need.
700-756A peerless

now who has one?! can you guys help dig around the net with me?
leaves are starting to pile up!

i cant post the zip diagram here. email me for a copy.


#26

B

benski

bobski said:
got in touch with a tecumseh factory rep in richmond va and he sent me the pn and diagram he believed was to my mower he based it on the pics of the mower and serial numbers etc...
he used the same 100 page book that you all suggested to me to download. only he pin pointed it.

so, it would appear, that this is the tranny i need.
700-756A peerless

now who has one?! can you guys help dig around the net with me?
leaves are starting to pile up!

i cant post the zip diagram here. email me for a copy.
Click to expand...
According to an apparently reliable source, any peerless 700 that is set up similar to yours as far as splines and shaft location will plug in. The steel gear units are the most desireable for durability. Tons of stuff for sale and acres of information at heymow.com - Lawn Mower Racing Forum - Index


#27

bobski

bobski

heymow.com racing forum is where i got the leads to call the rep in richmond.

i have richmond ordering the 756 right now. next will be to see if it works and isnt some chinese knock off.

it would appear as time went by, the peerless trannys got cheaper. so hopefully this old number is to an old tranny that is oem/nos.

though the trannys may be drop in same, the sprokets and brakes arent . some take spline some take slip on with key. unless one buys the matching gears and brake, i wont be able to swap sprokets. id have to order sprokets and brake as well. and they are what no one has. they are hens teeth worse than the tranny itself.


#28

B

benski

bobski said:
heymow.com racing forum is where i got the leads to call the rep in richmond.

i have richmond ordering the 756 right now. next will be to see if it works and isnt some chinese knock off.

it would appear as time went by, the peerless trannys got cheaper. so hopefully this old number is to an old tranny that is oem/nos.

though the trannys may be drop in same, the sprokets and brakes arent . some take spline some take slip on with key. unless one buys the matching gears and brake, i wont be able to swap sprokets. id have to order sprokets and brake as well. and they are what no one has. they are hens teeth worse than the tranny itself.
Click to expand...
Man, what an education!:eek: I'm glad you've got the patience for it, because I sure don't.:ashamed: Can you highgrade any old parts for the new tranny from your old one?


#29

bobski

bobski

if the new tranny is oem/nos, i wont have to. it will all be steel gears and correct splines. the old one will become spare parts.


#30

B

benski

bobski said:
if the new tranny is oem/nos, i wont have to. it will all be steel gears and correct splines. the old one will become spare parts.
Click to expand...
Cool!:thumbsup: Best of luck!:biggrin:


#31

bobski

bobski

to the guy that asked me to try mower graveyard in penn.....
dry well. thanks anyway.:frown:


#32

B

benski

Crumb X 2. Someone out there probably has 3 or 4 that are languishing on a shelf...:frown:


#33

bobski

bobski

connected with a guy in richmond va and he found a brand new one at the peerless factory in indiana. its on its way. lets hope its the right one. 179.00 new.:thumbsup:


#34

B

benski

bobski said:
connected with a guy in richmond va and he found a brand new one at the peerless factory in indiana. its on its way. lets hope its the right one. 179.00 new.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Let's hope so too!:biggrin::thumbsup:


#35

bobski

bobski

ok, i got in the new unit from rbi in richmond va. it all looks the same as mine except part 67. on mine, part 67's axle tips stick out the side of the casing. granted, they dont seem to be doing anything...but it is different. the new one has the axle holes closed up with casing metal...like it was an improvement over time.
question is....is there a hidden reason why mine has axles sticking out on both ends and this new one doesnt?
does anyone have a diagram of mine that i can compare it to or know why they changed it? i mean im real close to being satisfied. heck, i mean save for that, its brand spanking new.:thumbsup:
see pic and 2 pointers for differences.

100-0009_IMG-1.jpg


#36

flyerdan

flyerdan

I'm going to guess that since the shafts dead end into bearings (or bushings, in this case) they did it to eliminate the gear oil seepage since there doesn't seem to be any seal listed in the parts breakdown.
Kind of odd since from a manufacturing standpoint it would be a lot easier to just punch out the bore rather than leaving that little bit intact.


#37

bobski

bobski

well i got the bessing from rbi stating it was just a cosmetic upgrade. thus, im in business. i will put it in next week. in the future, if anyone ever needs parts for old murray's, click the small link below for pros who know their business!
thanks to all, and i'll let you know how it works once its in.


RBI

:thumbsup:


#38

SONOFADOCKER

SONOFADOCKER

Concur that it is most likely a design improvement


#39

bobski

bobski

well, got it in today. 5 months to fix. wow. i have a mower just in time too. grass got 12" high. nailed it today. what an ordeal its been. and as it was, the tranny works fine but isnt exactly the same. but you know what? i can live with it. the gear pattern is the same, 5 forward/1 reverse. but the shifter guide off my old one doesnt match the pattern. on mine, you go back to a space and lift up and continue for reverse. the new tranny has shorter throws. meaning when you go all the way back to that cavity in the guide for neutral, youre already in reverse. im sure its a simple task of finding a guide to match the p/n to the new tranny. but its really just a matter of retraining the operator. its much cheaper and im just plain lucky to have found a new tranny to a 30 year old mower. THANK YOU RBI. and thanks again to all!

i will be posting a thread on how to tighten the rear axle thats loose and drooping. i went to service the rear right wheel, and i just pulled the axle out 1/2 way with the tire still attached! i quickly put it back in to mow the yard! anyone know off hand about those issues?


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