Was used in many tractor brands just like Peerless and Tuff Torq are now. Yes is was Sustrand but must have has some relation to Tecumseh as I have a Tecumseh manual that shows the same transmission as their model 2600.

 

interesting. thanks! any idea on how long parts will be available? i have not heard of any failures in these, but id like to know parts will be around for awhile before i spend money to restore my 300... lol

 

Those transmission's were so over designed that you rarely hear of one going bad the differential was Dana with sundstrand hydraulic pump. The last I looked part's were available but I don'y know if they are affordable. The price of used transmission's is very low because there is little demand. BILL

 

I actually have an extra tranny complete with pump since I parted out a 318. I'm going to eventually rebuild the one I have so that I'll have a spare available at all times!

 

Absolutely bullet-proof tranny. I've abused my 318 so hard I'd be embarrassed to tell you about it. (My wife even says that I need to give the poor thing a break!) My 318 is a 4 season machine. It's a 95 degree summer, -20 degree winter, hauling, snow blowing, plowing, grading, earth moving, ground breaking workhorse. Parts are available, and reasonably priced as far as hydrostatic tranny parts go.

I believe that Sustrand was a division of Tecumseh, which is out of business now.

Don't fear buying a 300 series because of that. This tranny will outlast you if you change the fluids and filters even half as often as the manual recommends.

--Justin

 

Absolutely bullet-proof tranny.


I believe that Sustrand was a division of Tecumseh, which is out of business now.

Don't fear buying a 300 series because of that. This tranny will outlast you if you change the fluids and filters even half as often as the manual recommends.

--Justin

The Peerless 2600 was built to accomodate the Sundstrand Series 1500 hydrostatic transmission the same as the Peerless 2500 was built for the Eaton hydros. Same rear end, different mountings for the hydros.

Sundstrand was bought by Sauer-Danfoss and the service manual is available on their site.

The Sundstrand manual.

http://www.sauer-danfoss.com/stellent/groups/publications/documents/product_literature/bln-9646.pdf

The Peerless manual.

http://www.smallenginesuppliers.com...liers.com/html/engine-specs/tecumseh/Tecumseh_Transaxle_Service_Information.pdf

 

interesting. so who is building the parts now then? what all is involved in a rebuild? id like to have one on hand as well... speaking of parts, looking at deere.com, i cant believe that almost everything is still available for my 300. how can deere justify still producing parts for 40 year old garden tractors?

 

If I can justify putting $3k of parts into the 318, I'm sure they can justify making the parts to sell me...

 

the same hydrostat from the 300, 317, etc. was carried over to the new 316 and 318 correct?

 

Believe it or not, my dad walks into our local Deere dealership and walks out with parts that were in stock for his 1948 Model M. (Yes, that is his daily use tractor.)

They aren't still producing parts. You're getting 40 year old parts. They were mass produced because of the series' tremendous popularity and stored on warehouse shelves waiting for you to buy them. A long time waiting for a return on their investment, but you bought them just the same!

--Justin

 

Wow! I hope parts are available for our beloved garden tractors that long! I anticipate restoring my 300. My luck ill get half way through after spending a lot of money and need some part that is not available anymore. Lol

 

how can deere justify still producing parts for 40 year old garden tractors?

with the prices they charge, the parts business is a good one!

try to build a 300 just by buying each individual part, I bet it costs $15K+


.

 

so is the company that bought out sunstrand still building these? or is it old technology?

 

Little known fact re Sunstrand and hydrostatic trans. The early Pratt and Whitney jet engines (On Boeing 707 and 727s) had an engine driven generator that was actually driven by what was called a CSD, Constant Speed Drive. They ran the AC generator at the same speed even when the engine speed varied from idle to takeoff power. Guess who built it? Sunstrand, and the CSD was remarkably like our transmissions. Versions of these are used on almost all aircraft that require AC power for the airframe.

I suspect that the garden tractor version would never have been built if not for the aviation industry supplying the R&D money.

 

I suspect that the garden tractor version would never have been built if not for the aviation industry supplying the R&D money.

Too true! The thousands made for GTs probably helped keep the costs down. Hydraulic technology doesn't get to be old for at least a half century and sometimes longer. The P/S pump in GM cars was developed by Vickers before WWII. It was also for the aviation industry.

Send a note to Sauer-Danfoss and ask them if they are still being made.

With any reasonable level of maintenance, they are next thing to indestructable. In our GTs, they're restricted to about 1/3 their capability and it is very unlikely that you can max it out at even that limited capability.

 

You can still get some parts from sustrand, I know the relief valves are available yet.

 

hey, im new here but this interests me. i have a kohler 316 that i want to restore. i know that most parts are available still for them. and the bigger stuff doesnt worry me such as the engine. Its a kohler so parts for it will be around forever. If not, it could be repowered. But the hydro makes me worrry. If parts were discontinued what could be done? I dont think it could be swapped to something else.... How long will parts for these sundstrand hydros be around???

 

hey, im new here but this interests me. But the hydro makes me worrry. If parts were discontinued what could be done? I dont think it could be swapped to something else.... How long will parts for these sundstrand hydros be around???

Well, my inline Sunstrand has 2500 hours on it in the last 34 years and still going strong, last time I used it. The parts that are user replaceable are mostly off the shelf. The one stickler is the input shaft, and that is very tough material.

I have a couple of spare hydros I picked up over the years and they don't need anything more than filters and gaskets. If you're really worried, pick up a spare on eBay. Your grandson might appreciate it in 30 years or so. The only thing that I've replaced in mine was the rolled spring pins holding the swash plate on the trunnions, and they're available at any hardware store.

Buying a spare hydro makes more sense than ordering anything else inside the case. Big bucks!

There is quite simply very little that can go wrong if you do the oil changes and don't let it overheat. They are a very simple unit mechanically. The machining tolerances are what make it hard, and expen$ive, to overhaul. Jack's Small Engines might have the gaskets and relief valve springs and I've heard that they will overhaul them as well, for a price.

BTW, :MTF_wel2:!!!

 

what does the term inline or "U" mean???

 

The Sundstrand Series 15 with the input shaft directly in line with the output shaft is called "inline". The one that I think is in the JD 3xx's is the "U" version with the input shaft going right through the pump section and the motor output shaft is below. The input shaft can be driven from either end so that power transmission could be either a "Z" shape from input to output as it is in GTs, or "U" shaped for some other application. In the Sundstrand service manual, they label the shaft with the fan as the input shaft and the shaft being driven is labeled as the PTO shaft, as they sit in the tractors.

 

so this sundstrand in the 300 series must be used in other applications as well?? what makes them so bullet proof? i realize everything in them is submerged in oil, but why do they not wear out? i would think you'd see some wear...

 

Yes, used in LOTS of applications.

The lack of wear is due to several factors:
As you mentioned, everything is well lubed.
High quality material, heat treated well.
The finish machine work is excellent, good fit and finish that minimized rubbing friction.
And, probably most important: Our tractors don't get used all that much. I've read that the average is around 50 hours per year. In the aircraft applications I mentioned earlier that is about 4 days of use. And those things are used almost every day. When I was around them a lot, we were running about 3000 hours per year. So the design and build process was structured for uses much more rigorous than our use.

 

so you guys really think these things will still be around in 30+ years? a guy shouldnt worry about buying one of these old machines and spending money on restoring it? lol. this thread has a lot of good information. i appreciate everyones responses

 

Is this true??? This may sound dumb, but i like to always have a "plan B". IF parts became unavailable, and no spares were available anymore (years and years from now), would it be possible to retrofit a new hydro into the tractor to keep it going? i just love these old 300 series JD's and would love to keep it going for years and years to come. Seeing as the JD's are shaft driven, it would probably have to be a hydro out of a modern cub cadet that would be transplanted into the JD right? Is it possible?

 

Even if parts become unavailable, by that time you could buy a used tranny or an entire machine to use for parts still. Think of how many of these machines are out there!

 

very true Tom, and Tudor, congrats on the grandson!!! is this the first one for you? well thanks to you guys, i plan to continue working my JD 300 (I say work, it maybe gets 10-20 hours a year...), and i look forward to restoring it and cherishing it for years. hopefully someday i can get a new x500 or something and then the 300 will be a parade tractor... lol... speaking of that, is it hard on a hydro to go for long periods of steady driving, such as a parade?

 

Thanks for the congrats. First, and just like his mother, born on the eve of a national holiday. In his case Canada's birthday, and his mother on Christmas Eve.

:ROF 10-20 hours a year!!! My FEL equipped tractors have averaged over 100 hours per year for the past 33 rears, most of it evicting snowflakes that mistakingly think several neighbourhood driveways will make nice seasonal homes.

Parade work for hydros is like a walk in the park. No effort at all. Think about what they are made for, ploughing fields, mowing lawns, pulling trailers, etc. If your hydro has a foot control, you'll give out loooong before the hydro will even warm up. It takes less than 2 hp to move your tractor down a paved road at top speed, and most of that is air resistance. That's why the new tractors are so sleek. Aerodynamics................. for better fuel economy. :sidelaugh

 

all this info is very cool, i think im going to keep my eye out and pick up an extra hydro and possibly a parts tractor to keep around someday. just for peace of mind...

 

I have a 76 john deere 300 with a three point hitch, not one with a cylinder I think its a red hill. Everything works great, it moves forward and revese just like it should and the lift on the three point has picked up almost anything I hook it to until it gets hot (maybe thirty minutes. When it gets hot it will still pick up my implements but takes a lot longer to do so. So my question is, is this the cause of a weak hydro. If so what can be done do I have to replace the hydro or do I have to replace the whole transaxle. If I have to replace the transaxle would a transaxle out of a 400 series work. One with 2 speeds and a posi lock.

 

I have the same problem on my MF1655. I haven't checked the pressure yet, but I'm suspecting the valve is showing its age and bypassing into the return gallery, 2500 hours and it got used a lot. If that's not it, then the charge pump will be the prime suspect.

A couple of pressure tests will verify which one is guilty. With the cylinder dead ended, high pressure points to the valve, low pressure points to the charge pump. Check it twice, once when cold at startup for a base line, and again when the problem occurs.

A confirmation check should be made on the work line right after the second check. If the pressures are equal, it's the pump. A lower pressure indicates the valve is at fault.

The hydro section is fed by the charge pump, but the charge pump doesn't need to build much pressure to feed it, unlike what is required by the valve. A pair of gerotor gears is a lot cheaper than a fresh hydro, if they're available.

 

And if they're not available?...

 

find another hydro. as of right now, the only thing not available for the hydros on these deere's is the fixed swash plate according to deere.com. i wonder why only one part would not be available but the rest are?

 

The fixed swash plate is part of the casting, I believe. I'd have to check my spare.

 

Ok that would explain why its unavailable