Finally counted my money. Got a check from one grateful older gentleman on New Rd for $100 (wow). And my next door neighbor apparently gave me $40 twice so $180. Not bad.
However, had a close call yesterday when doing my next door neighbor the second time. He wanted me to make more of a path around the house (it's all a dirt driveway). Easy enough. But after clearing what he asked (including some of the previous storm PLUS this storm, which is still too easy for this machine with the chains), he wanted me to clear a little more in front of his Ridgeline. So I did. He would mark it out with a shovel and I'd clear. Well there was one pass where I went in and the blower sort of picked up kind of like it was on a rock. I looked down after backing up and there was either a mini-sledge or at least a mallet on the ground. Almost sucked that in. But it gets worse.
I went in again in the same general area and again the blower sort of picked up like there was a rock. I backed up and looked down and there was some kind of handle looking thing buried in the snow. He went in to pull it out and it was......a full-size hydraulic floor jack. Now THAT was a close call. That would have really done some damage to the auger and impeller. The mallet, too. He seemed frustrated and said his dad leaves that shit all over the place but, I mean, he does live there, too. Anyway, no issues overall and he was very appreciative. I still cannot believe how effortlessly I can just plunge into the full 35" snow fall amount and it just eats it. I can also take a bite out of a bank with multiple storms and it eats that, too.
Garden tractor acquisition
Re: Garden tractor acquisition
Snow blowed 1 mile from my driveway and back to widen the road yesterday afternoon. Just now I saw the plow truck make multiple passes so hopefully my job there is done. I feel it's pretty abusive considering the salt, extremely heavy engine load and various rocks, etc.
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Re: Garden tractor acquisition
Ordered 6 qts Valvoline Type F and a Wix 51410. I think it deserves it and I've never serviced the transmission. It is reportedly a Sundstrand 15U.
Manual says change fluid and filter at 400 hours and it is around 36x so close enough. I'm sure more frequent changes wouldn't be a bad thing. No hydro issues whatsoever.
Manual says change fluid and filter at 400 hours and it is around 36x so close enough. I'm sure more frequent changes wouldn't be a bad thing. No hydro issues whatsoever.
Re: Garden tractor acquisition
Impeller flaps looking pretty tattered.
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Re: Garden tractor acquisition
Ended up replacing all my impeller flaps. I cut new flaps from my mudflap. Also had another galling (?) issue with my stainless bolts. It froze up from light impacting and I had to replace it.
I tested it after and it really throws the snow a lot farther. I wish I had this for the blizzard.
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Re: Garden tractor acquisition
Then I dropped the transmission fluid, replaced the filter, and refilled with Valvoline Type F. Very easy.
Oid fluid was probably sheared down a bit and there was some metal on the drain plug magnet. Otherwise I think this was fairly routine. It ended up taking 5 quarts to get the vent tube level about where the manual wanted it (I think 1-1.5" up from the case). I should have set the steering and lift ramps to their most retracted positions and maybe that would have been closer to the 6 quart capacity. Steering seemed easier after.
378 or I guess 379 hours. Definitely put some hours on it this winter.
Actually based on some evidence on the shed floor, the lift ram may be dripping. I should look at that. Price out a new one vs my local shop rebuild.
If it turns out to actually be leaking, the part is 1716944SM.
https://www.partstree.com/parts/simplic ... 72c1616eb9
Prices range from $450 (eBay at this time), to $480 https://www.sepw.com/parts/1716944sm-cy ... y-hydraul/, to over $600.
Also noticed a missing bolt that connects one area of the spout bracket to the main blower housing. Manual says it is a 1/4-20 by 7/8" bolt with a flat and lock washer. I'm sure I can source that locally.
Oid fluid was probably sheared down a bit and there was some metal on the drain plug magnet. Otherwise I think this was fairly routine. It ended up taking 5 quarts to get the vent tube level about where the manual wanted it (I think 1-1.5" up from the case). I should have set the steering and lift ramps to their most retracted positions and maybe that would have been closer to the 6 quart capacity. Steering seemed easier after.
378 or I guess 379 hours. Definitely put some hours on it this winter.
Actually based on some evidence on the shed floor, the lift ram may be dripping. I should look at that. Price out a new one vs my local shop rebuild.
If it turns out to actually be leaking, the part is 1716944SM.
https://www.partstree.com/parts/simplic ... 72c1616eb9
Prices range from $450 (eBay at this time), to $480 https://www.sepw.com/parts/1716944sm-cy ... y-hydraul/, to over $600.
Also noticed a missing bolt that connects one area of the spout bracket to the main blower housing. Manual says it is a 1/4-20 by 7/8" bolt with a flat and lock washer. I'm sure I can source that locally.
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Re: Garden tractor acquisition
There is the bolt. Also the motor for the power chute is adjustable for gear engagement. I had some slipping during the blizzard and thought something was worn out. Just needed to be adjusted. Also the missing screw for the chute motor bracket was impacting the adjustment.
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Re: Garden tractor acquisition
Wow, this is not how I expected my day to go.
It's been 2 weeks since I mowed (last time was 3 due to the heat wave) and I decided to mow this morning after my tire appointment. Did the front and started to work my way around the perimeter as I usually do. Reversed and went forward and it sort of lightly jerked and lost all propulsion in the transaxle. I thought I lost a belt but no, it was fine. Best I could figure the differential or an axle let go. Ian helped me push it back around the house to take a look.
Jacked up the rear and, yeah, the wheels spin independently and there was a faint grinding sound.
I decided to drain the axle fluid (to see how much there was and what condition it was in). I figured maybe it was empty (again). Recall that when I first got this machine I did a bunch of heavy work with it on my driveway project. About 5 years ago I realized the axle was empty. No clue how long it was like that. Just saying it's seen some action.
Happily, the fluid came out and looked alright. Dark I guess but it seemed to all be there and really didn't like metallic or anything crazy. Hmm.
But since something internal had clearly let go, I decided to pull the whole transaxle from the machine. And it wasn't all that hard. Just kind of awkward due to the weight and shape. Recall that this is a Peerless 1326B final drive with an Eaton Model 7 hydro drive. It was like 3 bolts under the seat near the battery (I removed it but maybe didn't need to). Two axle brackets clamp the unit to the frame, 2 bolts each. Had to remove the brake caliper and rod end. And also had to disconnect the drive handle. Oh and pull the belt from the pulley. Comes right off.
I did fight a little pulling the wheels. The left axle seemed to have some buildup on it and was just fighting the wheel. I need an air hammer but was able to drive it off a bit with my palm nailer, then back on with a 1-1/2" socket and drift. Fought with that back and forth a bunch of times while Ian pulled on the wheel (I don't have four hands). Got it eventually. Right wheel was easier for whatever reason.
Gave it a very thorough cleaning with the air chuck. The big decision here was, do I pull the entire transaxle from my green Deutz and disable it (even though I don't use it but maybe that would be fair game for parts harvesting)? Or should I try taking this thing apart? Or both?
After that I thought it would be novel to use my work bench. Removed the three remaining bolts holding on the hydro unit. I removed the other one to pull the wire belt guard so I could slip the belt off on the machine. There is a gasket to the axle but the hydro unit is sealed. Then it came time to split the case. A bunch of screws and I just sort of pried and pulled until it began to split. I got one part of the housing off but the other axle was really hanging up on the case so I put it in the vice to give it the business. This is where I discovered the issue. The issue seemed to be contained within the differential. So I would need to take that apart to inspect. Four bolts and it comes right apart. And the issue is one of the axles had completely stripped splines!! Wow. I checked the gear and it looked fine. I checked the other axle and it looked fine. Even put the gear from the bad axle onto the good axle and everything felt fine. How about that? So now I actually had a mission. Could I find an axle? Well the exploded diagram shows two. A 13.xx" and a 15.xx". Turns out this was the 13". And I found one at SEPW, same folks I have ordered some items like the snow blower scraper blade. So I placed an order for an axle, the final drive gasket and the hydro gasket. Total expenditure with shipping around $107.
The benefit here, aside from a fun project, is this saves labor from having to take the transaxle off of my Deutz, and also keeps that machine whole.
Here are some screenshots from stuff. I did all the parts work in the garage which was pretty good on the 27" monitor. Then I remembered that the hydro fan has had a broken blade for forever. Should I try to get a new fan? Ehh. The Deutz has a good fan and it is easy to remove (I don't see why I couldn't do it right on the machine, it's one bolt). So I scrapped that.
So I moved onto polishing the good axle because this is actually the one that fought me coming apart. Also looked in my stash and have two brand new axle seals ready to go. They were not leaking but I all of this labor is required to replace them so I think I will do so. Except I can't find my seal puller so guess I will get one of those...
So that's where I left it. Need a seal puller to pull the axle seals. Then when I get my axle and gaskets I should be able to reassemble. And mow again.
It also needs a spindle bearing on the deck but I'm not ready to do that yet so I'll just let it keep making bad noises.
I also noticed a broken spring that I think pulled the brake lever back. Maybe this is why my brakes never work and don't hold an adjustment for very long.
It's been 2 weeks since I mowed (last time was 3 due to the heat wave) and I decided to mow this morning after my tire appointment. Did the front and started to work my way around the perimeter as I usually do. Reversed and went forward and it sort of lightly jerked and lost all propulsion in the transaxle. I thought I lost a belt but no, it was fine. Best I could figure the differential or an axle let go. Ian helped me push it back around the house to take a look.
Jacked up the rear and, yeah, the wheels spin independently and there was a faint grinding sound.
I decided to drain the axle fluid (to see how much there was and what condition it was in). I figured maybe it was empty (again). Recall that when I first got this machine I did a bunch of heavy work with it on my driveway project. About 5 years ago I realized the axle was empty. No clue how long it was like that. Just saying it's seen some action.
Happily, the fluid came out and looked alright. Dark I guess but it seemed to all be there and really didn't like metallic or anything crazy. Hmm.
But since something internal had clearly let go, I decided to pull the whole transaxle from the machine. And it wasn't all that hard. Just kind of awkward due to the weight and shape. Recall that this is a Peerless 1326B final drive with an Eaton Model 7 hydro drive. It was like 3 bolts under the seat near the battery (I removed it but maybe didn't need to). Two axle brackets clamp the unit to the frame, 2 bolts each. Had to remove the brake caliper and rod end. And also had to disconnect the drive handle. Oh and pull the belt from the pulley. Comes right off.
I did fight a little pulling the wheels. The left axle seemed to have some buildup on it and was just fighting the wheel. I need an air hammer but was able to drive it off a bit with my palm nailer, then back on with a 1-1/2" socket and drift. Fought with that back and forth a bunch of times while Ian pulled on the wheel (I don't have four hands). Got it eventually. Right wheel was easier for whatever reason.
Gave it a very thorough cleaning with the air chuck. The big decision here was, do I pull the entire transaxle from my green Deutz and disable it (even though I don't use it but maybe that would be fair game for parts harvesting)? Or should I try taking this thing apart? Or both?
After that I thought it would be novel to use my work bench. Removed the three remaining bolts holding on the hydro unit. I removed the other one to pull the wire belt guard so I could slip the belt off on the machine. There is a gasket to the axle but the hydro unit is sealed. Then it came time to split the case. A bunch of screws and I just sort of pried and pulled until it began to split. I got one part of the housing off but the other axle was really hanging up on the case so I put it in the vice to give it the business. This is where I discovered the issue. The issue seemed to be contained within the differential. So I would need to take that apart to inspect. Four bolts and it comes right apart. And the issue is one of the axles had completely stripped splines!! Wow. I checked the gear and it looked fine. I checked the other axle and it looked fine. Even put the gear from the bad axle onto the good axle and everything felt fine. How about that? So now I actually had a mission. Could I find an axle? Well the exploded diagram shows two. A 13.xx" and a 15.xx". Turns out this was the 13". And I found one at SEPW, same folks I have ordered some items like the snow blower scraper blade. So I placed an order for an axle, the final drive gasket and the hydro gasket. Total expenditure with shipping around $107.
The benefit here, aside from a fun project, is this saves labor from having to take the transaxle off of my Deutz, and also keeps that machine whole.
Here are some screenshots from stuff. I did all the parts work in the garage which was pretty good on the 27" monitor. Then I remembered that the hydro fan has had a broken blade for forever. Should I try to get a new fan? Ehh. The Deutz has a good fan and it is easy to remove (I don't see why I couldn't do it right on the machine, it's one bolt). So I scrapped that.
So I moved onto polishing the good axle because this is actually the one that fought me coming apart. Also looked in my stash and have two brand new axle seals ready to go. They were not leaking but I all of this labor is required to replace them so I think I will do so. Except I can't find my seal puller so guess I will get one of those...
So that's where I left it. Need a seal puller to pull the axle seals. Then when I get my axle and gaskets I should be able to reassemble. And mow again.
It also needs a spindle bearing on the deck but I'm not ready to do that yet so I'll just let it keep making bad noises.
I also noticed a broken spring that I think pulled the brake lever back. Maybe this is why my brakes never work and don't hold an adjustment for very long.
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