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John Deere L130 Hydro Tranny HELP

12 years ago

Hi.

I found some old threads about L-130 hydros, and mine is getting weak on the hills, not pulling. Of course, cost is a problem on these non serviceable units. I would like to know if any has had success with oil changing. What type of oil would one use to replace. Does anyone recommend disassembly and cleaning of internal parts, or just a drain and fill...ANY help appreciated...Thanks

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Comments (4)

rcbe
12 years ago
find out what mfgr (hydrogear, tufftorque, etc.) built tranny for that unit. From that, s/b able to find fluid type (often 20w-50-w motor oil) is specified.
Will prolly hafta pull tranny and turn upside down to drain.
Take plenty of pixs during process to make it easier to re-asm - keep everything as clean as possible (hydro trannies DON'T like dirt internally) - Catch/measure all old oil so as to know how much new oil to add. Be patient/take your time - drain/refill process will be s-l-o-w.
Might want to verify drive belt tension good and tranny cooling fan undamaged/ tranny case clean before starting R&R - heat is the tranny's enemy.
javert
12 years ago
You didn't sign up to accept email through GardenWeb. IF YOUR MACHINE HAS A TUFF TORQUE K46 (which many entry-level tractors do), then click on the words (My Page) next to "javert" in the heading of my message and send me an email with YOUR address, and I'll send step-by-step instructions.
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johnsagamore
10 years ago
hey there, the problem with your transaxle/transmition is not the fluid. the factory flaw is in the "center case" which mates up to the pump and motor. well on the faces of the center case you will see two crescent shaped openings. they are oil galleys and one side is high pressure and the other low and as the pump/motor spins, the high pressured oil slowly erodes a channel between the two port creating a significant pressure drop/leak in the closed hydraulic system which equals lack of power!
Tuff torq is the manufacturer and they know about the design flaw and sells a rebuild kit for $376.64 but instead of falling for their fix it kit, you can go to their website and pull up all the information needed to take it apart, mill the surfaces or have a machine shop do it for $20 and then put it all back together yourself in an afternoon. tufftorq recommends putting 5w50 synthetic oil back in for reduced wear. they also sell filters for $10 which I would recommend along with drilling and tapping drain plug holes for the two chambers inside. on their site, you will find the directions for this and you can buy the plugs from them or just go to your local true value and get them. another little thing you should do is remove the glaze from the drive pulley with some medium grit sandpaper. just roughen it up a bit taking care to remove any rust, burrs or sharp edges so the belt has something to grip to. and speaking of belts, I recently broke the drive belt for my snow blower attachment and found out that most places wanted over $50 for that belt. JD was 70+.!. well, I found a company that sells that same belt for $9.!. its vbeltsupply.com and they FedEx it too!
i'll shut up now, but I hope I shed some light on your problem
anyway, its not that difficult to do yourself.
johnsagamore
10 years ago
image of one with no wear

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