Impressions: newGT48XLSi

Oldaarpy

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Motorman, just getting back on here again, finally, and am wondering if it was ever decided if the tranny oil needed to be changed or/and if it was sealed. Last time I mowed with my GT52XLSi it almost stopped going up a hill, trying it later it acted like it wanted to and finally went up. Reverse worked fine. I'm thinking drive belt, tranny oil or (hopefully) adjustment. Anyone have any thoughts. If it ever stops raining here in PA I'll see if my 73 yr old bones will allow me to crawl under it.
 

motoman

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Motorman, just getting back on here again, finally, and am wondering if it was ever decided if the tranny oil needed to be changed or/and if it was sealed. Last time I mowed with my GT52XLSi it almost stopped going up a hill, trying it later it acted like it wanted to and finally went up. Reverse worked fine. I'm thinking drive belt, tranny oil or (hopefully) adjustment. Anyone have any thoughts. If it ever stops raining here in PA I'll see if my 73 yr old bones will allow me to crawl under it.
Well, received wisdom is that it should not need changng. Overly cautious , with too much spare time , went ahead @ 50 hours by pulling tranny, and found only slightly discolored oil. And now, @ 250 hours, failing miserably to diagnose a broken drive belt , went inside and found about what I had before-nothing. Counterpoint is lots of you tube machines with high mileage slipping on hills and not responding well to throttle. And after replacement kits the machines seemingly running well. (One person "sanded" a better surface finish on the pump shaft surfaces...). My machine has not been used hard. I think heavy loads and/or overheating probably would cause more wear. I have a dyt4000 with 700 hours still running well without change. (BTW pain with age ca:)n be alleviated by rolling around on the cold ground-a kind of TLC yoga--)

-Motorman, just getting back on here again, finally, and am wondering if it was ever decided if the tranny oil needed to be changed or/and if it was sealed. Last time I mowed with my GT52XLSi it almost stopped going up a hill, trying it later it acted like it wanted to and finally went up. Reverse worked fine. I'm thinking drive belt, tranny oil or (hopefully) adjustment. Anyone have any thoughts. If it ever stops raining here in PA I'll see if my 73 yr old bones will allow me to crawl under it.
 

Oldaarpy

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Thanks for the response. What are you calling a "replacement kit"?
 

Oldaarpy

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Mowed yesterday. The tractor acted like it was going to start slipping making the first pass up the hill. The second pass was a little better and by the third pass it acted fine. I suspect if something was causing the slippage it dislodged itself. (KOW). I should probably change the belt anyway but why 'fix' what works?
 

motoman

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Thanks for the response. What are you calling a "replacement kit"?
Tuff torq, the tranny mfgr , sells a series of parts and repair kits. One is the slider kit which probably includes the pins and associated slider gear which engages with the "bull gear's" center differential gears and opposite axle shaft. It is around $350 and seems reasonable. There is very little info I could find about reliability and so I over reacted. Husqvarna's manual only says stop before engaging the locker. After seeing how it's made I could see how damage might occur with repeated engagement attempts while under power. The pins probably want full engagement before a load is applied to avoid wear or chipping. I am relocating the dash switch to get it away from the engine vibes and dirt. The engagement of the actuator takes a few seconds and has been difficult to confirm over the noise of the exhaust. And the switch power seems to be fed only with engine running. Maybe the relocation and "always hot" (12v) hookup will be good -engage with engine off. (I overshot your question, but try to put out info that may be helpful)

(Just reread your symptoms) The youtube touches briefly on slipping. It appears that the pump (hope this name is right) and its mating surface rely on perfect, smooth interface to generate power. So replacement there is common. Perhaps the improvement you felt was warm-up and/or full circulation of oil after prolonged shut-down.
 
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Oldaarpy

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To change the subject for a second....is there any way to get away from the smart ignition button and put in a keyed switch? I may have asked this before....
 
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Oldaarpy

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Tuff torq, the tranny mfgr , sells a series of parts and repair kits. One is the slider kit which probably includes the pins and associated slider gear which engages with the "bull gear's" center differential gears and opposite axle shaft. It is around $350 and seems reasonable. There is very little info I could find about reliability and so I over reacted. Husqvarna's manual only says stop before engaging the locker. After seeing how it's made I could see how damage might occur with repeated engagement attempts while under power. The pins probably want full engagement before a load is applied to avoid wear or chipping. I am relocating the dash switch to get it away from the engine vibes and dirt. The engagement of the actuator takes a few seconds and has been difficult to confirm over the noise of the exhaust. And the switch power seems to be fed only with engine running. Maybe the relocation and "always hot" (12v) hookup will be good -engage with engine off. (I overshot your question, but try to put out info that may be helpful)

(Just reread your symptoms) The youtube touches briefly on slipping. It appears that the pump (hope this name is right) and its mating surface rely on perfect, smooth interface to generate power. So replacement there is common. Perhaps the improvement you felt was warm-up and/or full circulation of oil after prolonged shut-down.
The mower has always been a dog going up hills....and I have hills. Before it started acting up I was mowing an area that is always wet and muddy. Because I run ag tires and chains year round, and they throw mud like it's a professional sporting event, I'm thinking mud got on something and had to work its way off.
 

bertsmobile1

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Smart ( dumb) switches were only used for a few years and then discontinued due to service & warranty problems.
So the easy way is to check your mower models parts diagrams on some thing like Parts Tree.
IT should list all of the same model number ( the one on the hood decal )
Check them all for the last one that used a key or the first one that used a key after the smart switch was discontinued
Order that loom and key switch
 

motoman

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Smart ( dumb) switches were only used for a few years and then discontinued due to service & warranty problems.
So the easy way is to check your mower models parts diagrams on some thing like Parts Tree.
IT should list all of the same model number ( the one on the hood decal )
Check them all for the last one that used a key or the first one that used a key after the smart switch was discontinued
Order that loom and key switch
A while back I suspected a problem and looked on line. The smart switch was suspect by many. (I am afraid to state the following) My problem was not the switch. At the time seems like the sw was over $ 200 except for Chinese knock offs (the oem is probably Chinese - They "can" do a good job on electrical stuff IMO, but here I do not know.) I am gentle with the "finger poke" code input, and keep finger nail trimmed. It is scary to consider rewire to tradtional key.
 

bertsmobile1

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Actually it is quite easy because all of the other parts are the same .
The first models just used a pigtail to connect the new switch to the old loom .
Next year they used a new loom but again the only different thing is the connection to the switch
The latter looms have things like a 2 pin plug for the brake switch because they don't use the other 2 prongs that were part of the cranking power circuit .
Once you have found the correct lom it is about 1 hour to run the new wires .
Some will need the mounting hole modified, some do not .
 
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