Transaxle fluid? Scotts S1642

[Gumby83]

Okay, so I finally figured out the model # of my lawn tractor and now I'm curious what kind of fluid I need to use in the transaxle? There's nothing in my manual about transaxle service/fluid replacement because I'm sure the good engineers at Scotts/John Deere assumed the transaxle would never be serviced by the owner. No, I'm certain they had faith that nobody would ever try to service their own transaxle and that they would run off to the local JD service center for such a complicated procedure. :laughing:

Since I'm going to be pushing snow with it, I'm curious what kind of fluid I should use? Even if I weren't planning on pushing snow, I'd still want to do this b/c it's a whiny lil' bastard and is probably due for a fluid change just because it needs it.

I'm also thinking about mixing in an additive, but I've seen some guys on here talk that regular engine oil is used as the transaxle fluid, so before I make that decision, I need to know what I (most likely) have in there. I very much doubt that it's been serviced at all since its purchase, but I don't know anything about the original owner and/or if they took reasonable care of it.

Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[de dee]

Okay, so I finally figured out the model # of my lawn tractor and now I'm curious what kind of fluid I need to use in the transaxle? There's nothing in my manual about transaxle service/fluid replacement because I'm sure the good engineers at Scotts/John Deere assumed the transaxle would never be serviced by the owner. No, I'm certain they had faith that nobody would ever try to service their own transaxle and that they would run off to the local JD service center for such a complicated procedure. :laughing:

Since I'm going to be pushing snow with it, I'm curious what kind of fluid I should use? Even if I weren't planning on pushing snow, I'd still want to do this b/c it's a whiny lil' bastard and is probably due for a fluid change just because it needs it.

I'm also thinking about mixing in an additive, but I've seen some guys on here talk that regular engine oil is used as the transaxle fluid, so before I make that decision, I need to know what I (most likely) have in there. I very much doubt that it's been serviced at all since its purchase, but I don't know anything about the original owner and/or if they took reasonable care of it.

Thanks. :thumbsup:

I would like to know what oil is used ,. what ever oil is used get full syn. oil,. I have a PGT. 9,000 from sears 54" mower ,. 48 " plow blade,. and a 44 " snow blower,. so it runs all year, my other toy is a kymco scooter 300i CC. downtown., 81 years old and now I have the toys,.

 

[bertsmobile1]

You will need to know which transaxle you have,
have a good look.
JD usually put a sticker on the rear end near the wheel and the tranny makers usually put one at both ends.
Most run engine oil.
Older ones run mono grades. newer ones run multi grade and newer still go with synthetic.
They are very sensative to the viscosity of the oil.
The wrong grade will not do fatal damage but it will run really bad or in some cases not at all.
The major brands, Tough torque , Hydro drive & Peerless ( tecumseh) all have good web sites with all the info you will ever need.

 

[Gumby83]

No such stickers. I have the sticker under the seat w/ the model/serial# and a sticker under the hood stating service intervals for the engine. No stickers on or near the rear end or transaxle.

Can anyone tell me what I most likely have in it? Or, if I posted a picture, can someone identify it?

 

[bertsmobile1]

According to tractor data TractorData.com Scotts S1642 tractor information your tractor came with a tuff torque K 51.
According to the Tuff Torque web site https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/ttcoil/oilhelp.html your box uses 5W40 fully synthetic.
Manuals on line have a free downloadable owners manual which should also contain the essential service information . Download it and consider the maintenance schedule as the MINIMUM requires servicing schedule & the moweer will run for 30 years. Scotts Lawn Tractor Operator's Manual | ManualsOnline.com.

Now all this assumes some one like me as not been in there swapped out the tranny and resold the tractor I bought because the tranny was blown.
Tractor data is a site you might want to book mark ( add to favourites ) really good site for comparing the specs of the older model tractors you find in the used tractor market.
When you buy a new trans they came with about 1/2 dozen identification stickers which are just a bar code, with the model & serial numbers under neath .
They are quite small about 1/2 tall and 1 to 2 inches long.
I am supposed to put one next to the tractors id plate, one under the seat and one at each end so when you take the wheels off you see the sticker and one on the trans under the pulley and one by the brake ( if it has one ).

 

[Gumby83]

According to tractor data TractorData.com Scotts S1642 tractor information your tractor came with a tuff torque K 51.
According to the Tuff Torque web site https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/ttcoil/oilhelp.html your box uses 5W40 fully synthetic.
Manuals on line have a free downloadable owners manual which should also contain the essential service information . Download it and consider the maintenance schedule as the MINIMUM requires servicing schedule & the moweer will run for 30 years. Scotts Lawn Tractor Operator's Manual | ManualsOnline.com.

Now all this assumes some one like me as not been in there swapped out the tranny and resold the tractor I bought because the tranny was blown.
Tractor data is a site you might want to book mark ( add to favourites ) really good site for comparing the specs of the older model tractors you find in the used tractor market.
When you buy a new trans they came with about 1/2 dozen identification stickers which are just a bar code, with the model & serial numbers under neath .
They are quite small about 1/2 tall and 1 to 2 inches long.
I am supposed to put one next to the tractors id plate, one under the seat and one at each end so when you take the wheels off you see the sticker and one on the trans under the pulley and one by the brake ( if it has one ).

Thanks for all the great links! It's so nice to not have to hunt for this stuff on my own - I mean, I know how to use search engines, but I never seem to use the right combination of words to find what I'm looking for. I'd have spent a day searching "des web" (that's french for "the web" :laughing and might have come up with the manuals website. No way I would have found the others.

And since I'm not sleeping very well tonight, I guess it's time to read myself into technical dream land. :thumbsup:

 

[bertsmobile1]

believe it or not Gumby,
I am here for the same reason.
I am an independant small engine repairer so because I do not sell complete mowers, the mower mafia down here will not tell me anything.
So I have to go to US sites, try & work out what the USA equivalent of the Aust machine is to track down the simplest bit of info, like what grade of oil or what size belt.
Clots like MTD seem to think if they hide all the technical information we will continue paying authorised retailers $ 120 for a $ 15 belt.
Kohler Aust just stung one of my customers $ 700 ( that was my "trade discounted price " ) for a Command flywheel because he could not wait 3 weeks for me to import one direct from a USA retailer.
Retail in the USA they are $ 150 + $ 50 for shipping.
I showed the invoice to one of my aftermarket suppliers and they are getting them made local for the same $ 200 price to me.
The skid steer ( bobcat ) repairers go through around 50 a year and are over the moon .