Wheel Horse 212-H

FYI -

Opening the drain plug on the lower right side of the transmission only allows about 2/3 of the oil to drain. The remainder of the oil only came out when I removed the transmission front plate & "filter gasket".

Note Take note of the position of the adjusting bolt cam on the bracket, in front of the trans front plate - this must be put back in the same position when reassembling and later used to "fine tune" the hydraulic movement control.

Exercise care when removing the filter gasket, a thin blade/scraper should be gently manoeuvred all round, front & back, and into the centre, otherwise the complex shaped rubber gasket (no longer available) will be damaged.

Using your favorite hydrocarbon solvent, wash the filter until clean, blow or air dry befor replacing. Use a good quality oil resistant gasket paste to reassemble. When assembling with gasket past/goo, I like to only clamp to finger tight - leave for 6-24 hrs befor final even tightening.

Refilling the transmission with oil is a time consuming process.
Isolate the seat safety interlock, so that you can run the engine & engage the drive without stalling. Lift the back wheels off the ground, Fill the reservoir with oil (I used a 15w-50). allow a few minutes for some oil to drain from the reservoir into the transmission.
Start the engine. Run at idle speed. Maneuver the forward/ backing lever slowly from neutral to full forward/back to full back - as you pass through neutral a large bubble will rise into the reservoir, showing that oil is draining into the mechanism.
NOTE: the wheels will not turn until sufficient oil has entered the transmission to do so.
This action must be repeated for many minutes - toping up the reservoir as the level drops and befor more air is sucked into the trans. Eventually the wheels will start to turn in response to the control lever movements. Keep going until there is no appreciable drop in the oil level.
Place drive lever in neutral. Lower back to ground. Replace seat interlock safety system. Top up reservoir to near full.
Drive mower for 30 minutes or so, checking reservoir level as you go and topping up as required.
Check for transmission leaks

Note: Although there were several times when I thought that no more oil was entering the transmission, the reservoir oil level continued to fall slightly over the next 2 days. The aim is to have the reservoir level static at about 1/2 full (do not fill to top of reservoir, as heat expansion will cause spillage/wastage).

I hope this will help others with a similar transmission
 
Six years later:

The good old girl has been "parked" for the last 2-3 years in the hope of finding a transaxle to replace the original Eaton which eventually only moved the mower at a snail's pace (possibly slower).

I received the word that someone had dumped a John Deere ride on mower about 10 minutes drive from my place - with the help of Son, picked it up.

It's a JD L110 Automatic, Kohler Commander 17.5 hp, fitted with a Tuff Torq K46 transaxle. Ride on missing deck, engine looks to be in poor shape, transaxle complet. All of the transaxle control rods , etc are there.

Removed transaxle, cleaned exterior, drained old oil & replaced with Vanguard (B&S) 15W50 Synthetic - using a drill, I rotated the input shaft, in fwd/reverse, until oil level stopped dropping & both axles turning - seems the axle is good to go.

I ran a tape over the Eaton V Tuff Torq. I think the chassis to axle dimensions are good. The axle width on the Tuff Torq is wider than the Eaton - I don't think this will be a problem.

Anyone have any constructive suggestions (remeber this is a non economic/fun project that may, result is a usable ride on mower.) :devilish:
 
Progress;
  • Removed OM transaxle.
  • As anticipated Tuff Torq K46 fits into same chassis locating holes.
  • Suprise suprise -The Toro drive belt also fits.
  • Temporary insulation of wheels, shows good body clearance & track can be adjusted with spacer to something like original position.
  • I will have to fabricate new anti torque bars and control rods.
  • May be able to use JD foot pedals for forward/reverse - original is a hand control (not terribly ergonomic).
  • Not sure yet if I will bother with the foot brake - in normal operation hydrostatic ****** sufficient stop/slowing power.
:devilish:
 
".....hydrostatic ****** sufficient ........"

What has been edited out ****** above???

No bad language was or could have been used :devilish:
 
Did the first "test drive" of the reborn 212-H today.
This was to test the performance of the transaxle and the new (JD) foot controls -Forward/Reverse.
Cutter deck will be reinstalled, after transmission tests satisfactory.
All went well. New/old transaxle performed better than expected.
New anti torque struts for the transaxle/chassis, will now be fabricated & installed. 😈
 
Reborn Toro 212-H works!

Anti torque struts in place.

Rear wheels have come off a donor Wheel Horse. The JD wheels were way to high, causing the deck to have a forward tilt, that could not be adjusted out.

Still some tweaking to to do - cutter deck height, restricted by JD forward/reverse linkage. I will have to redesign the linkage, so that the deck can be fully lifted.

The linkage will take some work to redesign & weld up . Once done should have a fully functioning good old mower.

Transaxle working very well - just like a new unit. 😈
 
ALL GOOD!!!

Cutter deck now lifts to full height.

Cuts well , plenty of power.

Just one small point - Originally there were two heavy duty springs, supporting the back of the cutter deck. These are missing. Deck still works but probably a little flat (supposed to be slightly up at back). Anyone got any information/part number/dimensions on these lift springs?

😈
 
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