I have a LA145 with 181 hours on it.Late last mowing season,It started slowing down on inclines.I was going to limp along till this fall,but then I developed problems on my mower deck.After pulling the deck and fixing the problem parts,I turned my attention to the tranny.It's a T40J.I pulled the tranny.Oil level was full,though of course it's at least 10 years old.I drained it and opened the tranny.Found almost no material on the magnets,no debris laying in the case,and almost no wear on the parts.Reassembled the tranny using high temp rtv sealant on the case and refilled oil with 5w50 synthetic as recommended.Fan and pulley on tranny looked good.Reinstalled.Started mower,released brake/clutch,and heard an awful noise I hadn't heard before.Research led me to youtube video with the same symptom.Replaced the idler pulleys and bracket,since flat pulley refused to come off bracket.Also replaced worn out drive belt.Put mower on jack stands for purging and started up.Didn't hear noise.Held forward pedal down for 5 minutes.Spins good.Held back pedal for 5 minutes.Spins good.Drop mower down and recheck tranny fluid level.Still full.Start mower,release clutch,noise is back and mower moves slower than before work began.Start to smell burning rubber,shut off mower.Inspection of underside reveals nothing.Start up again,release clutch,no noise or smell.Try moving mower forward and reverse.Moves quickly either way.Drive up and down driveway,good.Rolling across lawn,slows down,noise and smell return.Parked it and that's where I'm at.Mower deck is still off btw.Any thoughts?PTO,problem with drive belt,tranny?I welcome your input,and sorry for long post.Thought I'd better be thorough.
LA145 tranny or something else?
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mechanic mark
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check air gap at PTO clutch .012-.015 three places, let us know how it goes.
181 hours is low for being ten years old, my Simplicity has 450 hrs. & 2010 year model. I remember reading recently where the average homeowner averages 50 hrs. a year mowing.
181 hours is low for being ten years old, my Simplicity has 450 hrs. & 2010 year model. I remember reading recently where the average homeowner averages 50 hrs. a year mowing.
John Deere Transmission Assembly - MIA10910
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Hammermechanicman
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Check the drive belt being glazed and burned. It sounds like drive belt is slipping on the engine drive pulley when the load increases. Have you checked the belt routing and tension when the clutch is released? Did you replace the drive belt with OEM? If not what length and type did you get?The engine pulley could be worn also. Does the tractor have a lot of hours on it?
I replaced with an OEM belt.I'll need to double check tension on the belt.Didn't notice any real wear on the drive pulley.181 hours.I'll double check the routing of belt again,but I'm pretty sure it's correct.
I'll check if I have a feeler gauge.If not I'll see about getting one.Yeah,not alot of hours on it.It gets messy around here weather wise.We have wild field grass for a yard,and it rains frequently around here,often raining again before the yard dries out.It takes 3 or 4 days to dry.
mechanic mark
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Is this same drive belt & pulleys you purchased for your tractor? Or did you purchase non OEM drive belt & pulleys?
If you did not use these JD parts made for your tractor you have a problem.
If you did not use these JD parts made for your tractor you have a problem.
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mechanic mark
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probably not, but you still need to check air gap with deck off.
mechanic mark
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It takes two people to purge air from transaxle, one on seat operating forward & reverse pedals, start off slowly while on jack stands, the other person at backside of tractor operating rod back & forth.
tom3
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Seems like you have some mechanical skill. That Tuff Torq T40 is a real low rated transaxle, even lower than the famous (infamous) K46, probably needs a rebuild to last a couple more years. Right now Surplus Center has a K57 that has a much higher torque rating and is a reasonably do-able replacement. Under $300 shipped I suspect. .Something to consider if you intend to keep the mower for a while. Some good reads on this forum:
www.mytractorforum.com
Replacement options for tuff torq t40
www.mytractorforum.com