Company that rebuilds, NO. just not cost effective. May find individual dealers that may do internal repairs/rebuilds.Great, thanks for the info.
I know somebody that had a mower with bad hydrogear units and he's looking for a company that rebuilds these.
Is there a place that does that?
I'm hoping to not have to go thru all that which is why I'd like to buy a mower with better quality transmissions.
The Tuff-torq uses internal filters under a cap that has to be removed and internal charge pumps. The hydrogear ZT-2800 and above have external screw on automotive style filters and external charge pumps. Both use steel gears. It looks like the Tuff-torq uses plastic as part of the transmission housing to act as a oil tank. were the hydrogear will be a aluminum housing without the top of the transmission being partly bolted on plastic like the tuff-torq 450What about Spartan Mowers? Is this a good brand?
They use Tuff Torq 450 transmission with steel gears according to their website
They say their mowers come with charge pumps which should help transmissions last longer and perform better
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Hydrostatic drive is the pump and drive motor in one housing whereas the hydraulic drive is a separate pump connected to hydraulic wheel motors via hoses. True commercial mowers use the separate pump and motor system.The HD mower uses "Parker Hydraulic drives"
What's the difference between a hydraulic drive transmission and a hydrostatic transmissions?
The hydraulic drive transmission must be better sing it's only offered on their more expensive mowers that label as being heavy duty
A lot of the commercial mowers are going to Parker Torques pack one peice unit with oil drains in the pan and a cartrage type filter. It is a very good unit. Dixie Chopper uses them in their commercial Eagle and Black Hawk series and uses Hydro Gear in the Z2 units. They use the two piece units in the Classis series mowers.Company that rebuilds, NO. just not cost effective. May find individual dealers that may do internal repairs/rebuilds.
The Tuff-torq uses internal filters under a cap that has to be removed and internal charge pumps. The hydrogear ZT-2800 and above have external screw on automotive style filters and external charge pumps. Both use steel gears. It looks like the Tuff-torq uses plastic as part of the transmission housing to act as a oil tank. were the hydrogear will be a aluminum housing without the top of the transmission being partly bolted on plastic like the tuff-torq 450
Hydrostatic drive is the pump and drive motor in one housing whereas the hydraulic drive is a separate pump connected to hydraulic wheel motors via hoses. True commercial mowers use the separate pump and motor system.
So I would go with either a hydraulic drive type system. or Something with a ZT-2800 or ZT-3100 which have screw on filters and fairly easy to service. The typically are used on higher end consumer mowers to pro-sumer style mowers.
Company that rebuilds, NO. just not cost effective. May find individual dealers that may do internal repairs/rebuilds.
Hydrostatic drive is the pump and drive motor in one housing whereas the hydraulic drive is a separate pump connected to hydraulic wheel motors via hoses. True commercial mowers use the separate pump and motor system.
So I would go with either a hydraulic drive type system. or Something with a ZT-2800 or ZT-3100 which have screw on filters and fairly easy to service. The typically are used on higher end consumer mowers to pro-sumer style mowers.
They are rebuildable as the tranny makers all sell drop in replacement pump / motor units.Great, thanks for the info.
I know somebody that had a mower with bad hydrogear units and he's looking for a company that rebuilds these.
Is there a place that does that?
I'm hoping to not have to go thru all that which is why I'd like to buy a mower with better quality transmissions.
They are rebuildable as the tranny makers all sell drop in replacement pump / motor units.
They are not difficult to do if you methodical & anal about keeping everything clean
All of the hydros are the same technology people just call them different names.
Eatons exited the mower hydros a decade ago because like Honda they refused to make junk to satisify to low ticket price demand I currently havr a swisher without a fan they I have been trying to fix for over a year .
Mulligans seem to offer the best deals & best information if you ask them nicely and have all the model & serial numbers at hand
Most of the bottom end trannys can be replaced with much better units that have external filters & are servicable
If you are in Oz then there is a service centre
Some rural / remote mower / tractor repair shops will refurbish them but there is little cost difference between refurbishing & replacing
Bottom line is people will not foot the bill so no one want to work for free just because the customers are too tight .
Hi guys,
I'm in the market to get a nice zero turn radius mower for a property I'll be at where I'll have to mow about an acre. I'd like to get a good high quality mower and wanted to get some input as I heard some folks here use these things to make a living and probabl;y have used different brands and models.
I've heard of people having problems with the Hydrostatic Transmissions. I hear there are only 2 companies that make these transmissions so hopefully one is the best.
I would definitely be interested in getting a mower that has external transmission oil filters that can be changed as well as a drain plug to be able to drain the transmission oil as I hear this is critical for getting long life out of these transmissions
So please let me know what brands I should be looking at for getting long service life. I have a gate to go thru, so I'll need the box to be no more than 54 inches wide.
I presently have a Razor 44" ZT hydrostatic, bought it used and have used it for 4 years with no problems, just good maintenance. But when it does fail I will replace it with an electric ZT with rechargeable batteries. Even the cheaper models seem impressive without the upkeep, fuel, and maintenance required on gas models.Hi guys,
I'm in the market to get a nice zero turn radius mower for a property I'll be at where I'll have to mow about an acre. I'd like to get a good high quality mower and wanted to get some input as I heard some folks here use these things to make a living and probabl;y have used different brands and models.
I've heard of people having problems with the Hydrostatic Transmissions. I hear there are only 2 companies that make these transmissions so hopefully one is the best.
I would definitely be interested in getting a mower that has external transmission oil filters that can be changed as well as a drain plug to be able to drain the transmission oil as I hear this is critical for getting long life out of these transmissions
So please let me know what brands I should be looking at for getting long service life. I have a gate to go thru, so I'll need the box to be no more than 54 inches wide.
Never saw one with Parker pumps . Everything that I have come across in the shop has been hydrogear pumps with parker or hydrogear wheel motors.Look for one with Parker pumps.
You pretty much limited to the two common brands that are going to be on everything you're going to find.Hi guys,
I'm in the market to get a nice zero turn radius mower for a property I'll be at where I'll have to mow about an acre. I'd like to get a good high quality mower and wanted to get some input as I heard some folks here use these things to make a living and probabl;y have used different brands and models.
I've heard of people having problems with the Hydrostatic Transmissions. I hear there are only 2 companies that make these transmissions so hopefully one is the best.
I would definitely be interested in getting a mower that has external transmission oil filters that can be changed as well as a drain plug to be able to drain the transmission oil as I hear this is critical for getting long life out of these transmissions
So please let me know what brands I should be looking at for getting long service life. I have a gate to go thru, so I'll need the box to be no more than 54 inches wide.
Parker and Ross.Never saw one with Parker pumps . Everything that I have come across in the shop has been hydrogear pumps with parker or hydrogear wheel motors.
Funny, l'd always thought my Grav Z34 had Parker motors but its all HG.......Looks like the Parker pumps are being used on the Spartan and Hustler mowers. Like I said before most of the separate pump motor setups I see are hydrogear pumps with hydrogear motors or parker motors
Have had several pro-sumer mowers the last few years with 2800 and 3100 units come through the shop.
I have a Hustler Super Z and it uses Hydrogear pumps and Parker wheel motorsLooks like the Parker pumps are being used on the Spartan and Hustler mowers. Like I said before most of the separate pump motor setups I see are hydrogear pumps with hydrogear motors or parker motors
I don't think it matters much what the brands are or what mowers they're going on, I think skagg is still making some with separate pumps and wheel motors because the commercial guys like that because they have proven to be greater durability and longer life.Looks like the Parker pumps are being used on the Spartan and Hustler mowers. Like I said before most of the separate pump motor setups I see are hydrogear pumps with hydrogear motors or parker motors
Have had several pro-sumer mowers the last few years with 2800 and 3100 units come through the shop.
Agreed, my 2015 Gravely compact pro is a tank; the new ones have transaxles now instead of pumps/motors......seems a downgrade to meI don't think it matters much what the brands are or what mowers they're going on, I think skagg is still making some with separate pumps and wheel motors because the commercial guys like that because they have proven to be greater durability and longer life.
The problem is, do we really think a brand new machine you buy today even if it has the same brand name pumps and wheel motors as the old classic ones....is going to be as good or last as long as the stuff from 20 or 30 years ago??
If you get 15 years of trouble-free service out of one of these new systems I would consider it very lucky.
Sadly, there are very few things made today that are as strong, durable, repair free as similar things from the past.
Technology and improving features and the way some things function is one thing but unfortunately we have sacrificed a lot in the quality and longevity.
Electric cars have 80% more problems than traditional gas according to consumer reports. Avis is selling g off 21,000 of its EV’s due to high maintenance costs and higher accident rates.I presently have a Razor 44" ZT hydrostatic, bought it used and have used it for 4 years with no problems, just good maintenance. But when it does fail I will replace it with an electric ZT with rechargeable batteries. Even the cheaper models seem impressive without the upkeep, fuel, and maintenance required on gas models.
Sure, but those things aren't deal-breakers. This is why I always tell people the deal breakers are engine and transmissions.I would also look at the rest of the mower too. There is a helluva lot more going on than transmission. Look at the front pivots and wheel bearings. Some don’t even have bearings or if they do they aren't sealed. I bought a used Kubota ZT 6 years ago because it had the 3100 series trans. Made sense, axles looked bigger and before. However the rest of the mower has fallen short. Tab welded to the frame for the deck mount broke ( warranty covered it). Was a bad weld. Wheel bearings and deck bearings seemed to be of poor quality. I have upgraded these items so should last fingers crossed. Also the plastic intake manifold on the Briggs engine warped and leaked. The good news I can get parts and fix it myself. It took weeks to weld that tab on…..could have done that myself too as their “certified welder” was no better than I.
Don’t fixate on one thing or you could be disappointed. Last but not least I would get a main stream brand as parts are more likely to be available in the future. My BIL runs a lawn mowing business in FL and finds the X-mark to be the most reliable.
Electric cars have 80% more problems than traditional gas according to consumer reports. Avis is selling g off 21,000 of its EV’s due to high maintenance costs and higher accident rates.
Don’t be so sure that an electric mower will be lower maintenanc
I wouldn't have a battery powered riding lawn mower or push mower if you gave it to me!Electric cars have 80% more problems than traditional gas according to consumer reports. Avis is selling g off 21,000 of its EV’s due to high maintenance costs and higher accident rates.
Don’t be so sure that an electric mower will be lower maintenance.
A friend bought one of those $4,000 lectric mowers. Battery failed after just over a year. New battery over $1,500. The net net of it all is the lectric generates more greenhouse gases if you factor in the mining of the minerals for the batteries and the failure rates.I wouldn't have a battery powered riding lawn mower or push mower if you gave it to me!
I would sell it and use one of my good older gasoline powered mowers or buy a new one if I had to but I'd likely buy a nice used one.
It is absurd what they've done to us with the prices.
Just two years ago you can walk in and buy a Cub cadet at home Depot for 1599 at the beginning of the season.
By the end of the season they didn't have any and there were three three battery powered ones sitting there the exact same 42-in cut just battery powered instead of a gasoline engine..
They were $4,000!
They're going to have to do a lot better than that and make the prices the same or a lot cheaper if they're going to have me by their battery powered items that every time I use them I have to sacrifice things that are important.
See, the pro battery crowd will always say things like they don't have to sacrifice hearing a loud engine running or smelling the fumes or polluting etc but those aren't a sacrifice because that is standard operating procedure and I'm used to all of that.
The sacrifice is the fact that it doesn't have as much power on most of these mowers especially the smaller walk behind ones and they don't have much time capacity either.
I don't ever have to stop cutting for the day or for the 4 hours or for the hour or anything like that when I'm using my zero turn.
I can cut for hours!
If I do need to cut longer than what the twin tanks will carry me and I think I'm getting low, I simply ride back over to my gas can and fill it back up and NO, I don't turn it off when I do this.
That's just one more wasteful wear and tear start on the starting motor and one more temperature spike for the engine when you turn it off.
Point is, I can mow indefinitely.
I could probably start my zero turn and ride it to California.
Maybe we should have a challenge and let somebody with a lot of time and a point to prove do this just to show it to be done..
It would be a slow process but there are enough gas stations in this country especially on the old state routes that you could probably make it from town to town with probably no more than a Jerry can or two.
Try this with a battery powered mower.....
Regardless, what they did though was come out with this huge price for this 42 inch battery powered mower and then the very next year which I predicted 100%...they roll the gasoline mowers back out and they were almost $1,000 more. In fact, some are a thousand more than the same models were just a couple of years ago.
It's manipulation at its finest.
Yes, different strokes for different folks and different power sources for different uses.A friend bought one of those $4,000 lectric mowers. Battery failed after just over a year. New battery over $1,500. The net net of it all is the lectric generates more greenhouse gases if you factor in the mining of the minerals for the batteries and the failure rates.
I’m not against lectric, just let the people decide. Actually have a Milwaukee 18v mower that works well. Wouldn’t pay the retail price they ask but found it on fake book market place for half the retail price. Just use it for trimming, actually the wife does. She prefers the 15 yr old gas mower LOL.
The engineer in me is far outweighed by the mechanical inclination and that efficiency and many of the theoretical advantages are outweighed by real-world experience.The engineer in me loves the idea of electric powered anything as they are just so energy efficient
When a reliable battery is found that does not literally cost the earth to make then I would probably buy some.
However as a planet saver they are a hoax.
IF you really wanted to save the planet, then replace your entire roof with solar cells and install some wind walls in place of privacy screens & wind breaks .
The maths is dead simple
Mowers make up about 0.002 % of the USA's petrochemically derived green house gasses and think that figure was for everything , mowers, blowers, trimers, saws & home generators
Petrochemical green house gasses are around 25% of the USA's total green house gasses and that includes trucks , trains & boats, but not aircraft for some strange reason .
So mowers & the like will reduce the problem by 0.0005 % which would equate to around the number of beer farts
Household electricity accounts for around 33%
So where would yu start to attack the problem if you waned to get some useful results ?
Who cares! We're just sitting around talking as some of us always do. LolWhat was the original question?
Look for one with Parker pumps.
Yes. Old school. But you are then limited to just a few high end commercial machines and the prices are really up there.That's what I think I'll do... I've been researching and the Parker units seem to be heavy duty
Yes, most things are up but you jump up to a different tier level when you start getting separate pumps and wheel motors.Everything is more expensive...................
Yes they do but getting parts and tools are nearly impossible to repair them. Very few sources for the parts.That's what I think I'll do... I've been researching and the Parker units seem to be heavy duty
Yes they do but getting parts and tools are nearly impossible to repair them. Very few sources for the parts.
You mean like my HD Flathead ?Well, I'd like for this thing to last for years... I just wished I could get the Harley Hog engine
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You mean like my HD Flathead ?