Ru-oh! THIS was what I've been afraid of... I think...

5141 Views 27 Replies 13 Participants Last post by KATT, Jun 1, 2012

littletractorguy

Discussion Starter · May 25, 2012

So, moved the garden cart out of the garage last week. Used LittleTractor (my 160) to tow it around to the front of the house with a load of various chunks of metal in it that I want to haul to the scrapyard... Heading up the driveway with the tractor in 1st gear and it starts shuddering and shaking and grinding. Pop it into neutral, then back into first, and up it continues, but with a bit of a shake to it...

So I did some testing in the alley behind the house and found that if I shift from neutral to first, with no load on the tractor, its fine. Nice and smooth, no bad noises. If I go into 2nd, then clutch, come to a complete stop and drop back into 1st, Littletractor shakes and grinds and won't move when I let the clutch back out.... Uh oh.

So, this opens up a whole RAFT of questions for me...

Is it the transaxle or the drive belt?
Do I DARE try to get my rear wheels off so I could check the transaxle? That one makes me nervous based on many other horror stories I've seen... But I gotta do it sometime, if only to be able to swap out for some winter tires.
If I want to investigate, how long is that actually gonna take, and how long will my GRASS get while I DO it? You ALL know how fast MY projects go!:banghead3
Should I hold off on starting to tear into LittleTractor until I have one of the OTHER three up and running as a backup? LTGal figures THAT'S the best option, but: Bror, not a chance THIS year... Ernie, the transaxle's pretty much dropped all its oil (so need to pull the transaxle and do some seals) and wow he smokes, so probably a ring job too... Cranky, well, I don't ACTUALLY KNOW what's really wrong with Cranky.

LTGal's being very supportive during my time of anxiety, and has even agreed that it would be a good idea to bring Cranky in from out of town storage so that working on him would be a possibility... However, before THAT'S possible, she wants our gravel driveway patch pulled up and grass re-seeded there, and pavers put down in the yard where Cranky would probably have to live (yes, outside, unfortunately, BUT there's talk about him having to move outside from my dad's warehouse ANYWAY, sooo... tarping him up in MY yard instead of 30 miles outta town sounds okay to me)....

Thanks for listening to my ramble!

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Alberta 7.3

· #2 · May 25, 2012

I get the feeling that the pin has been pulled on the grenade. I don't know what sort of transaxle the 160 has, but it was a similar story that I got from the fellow that sold me the craftsman. The torque actually caused something to bind up, then it cracked the case.

I'd say get one of the other units in the fleet operational, regardless of appearance. If you keep running it, it will likely just get worse, causing more damage and cost more to fix.

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KATT

· #3 · May 25, 2012 (Edited)

Sorry man especially when our 160 is retired to just snowblower duty. If you were closer you could borrow him. I haven't even started him for 3 weeks, right after I got him a new 300 CC battery.
Also Rusty keeps looking @ me with that got anything for me to do look????
On top of all that the New Hampshire craigslist has 160's 165's 180's 185's $200 - $500 bucks I think the $500 even came with another parts tractor.
Didn't we (MTF guys) help someone with a 180 with cheap trannys @ E-Bay ??
I just don't know about up there but you could get a parts tractor change the whole rear end in a week-end down here.
Keep us posted and Good Luck ( you could use some) !! :banghead3 and:crybaby:
Maybe the good news , if any, is you can pound on the rusty wheels all you want without hurting the tranny @ this point any more :dunno:
Remember how I finally succeeded with Rusty's wheel after much PB Blaster my buddy and I heated the wheel ( inside and outside) almost glowing then he hit just the axle ( BFH) while I pried from the back with a 2X6. I make NO PROMISES with this method and Rusty is a Hydro.

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LilysDad

· #4 · May 25, 2012

Go to the box store and buy a new mower to use while you fix all 4 of them. No?
Just a thought.

littletractorguy

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 28, 2012

Well, MAYBE I've jumped the gun a bit on this, due to the reputation the 160/170/180 transaxles have... Mowed yesterday with LittleTractor, since it was the second nice day we've had amidst a series of rainy days and my lawn was getting outta control (and I don't have another mowing machine going yet). Kept Little in 1st gear for most of it, used 2nd and 3rd only for getting around from the back to the front and vice versa, and no problems. Nice and solid power, good clutching, no grinding, no shaking. Would it be the fact that mowing puts less of a load on the transaxle, I wonder? So I will continue to keep my eyes out for a replacement transaxle, make as much progress as I can on Restoration Plan Omega in order to try to get another machine mowing and pushing snow by fall, and try to do some careful poking at things that I CAN on LittleTractor (pulling the deck to check the shifter linkage and checking the belt, POSSIBLY gently trying to pull the rims in case I'm lucky and they just come right off...)

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wizzo

· #6 · May 28, 2012

Sounds like it's maybe time to get another one up and running, unless just mowing doesn't seem to stress the transmission. Hopefully it'll last until the other one gets fixed up!

Harryc

· #7 · May 28, 2012

littletractorguy said:
Is it the transaxle or the drive belt?

Check the belt, but also pull the seat pan and check the pulley on top of the transaxel. I just worked on an LX176 machine where the splines in that pulley were stripped out.

Electrohacker

· #8 · May 28, 2012

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/for/3036435090.html

snakemed

· #9 · May 28, 2012

Four Deere non-running condition?

littletractorguy, maybe it is time to get a few of those Deere in running order so you can sell one! Four Deere in non-running order will crowd you a bit in the storage department... not to mention the wallet. A herd of two or three Deere - all in working order, would seem a better investment (at least for me). Good luck, whatever you decide to do. :goodl:

littletractorguy said:
So, moved the garden cart out of the garage last week. Used LittleTractor (my 160) to tow it around to the front of the house with a load of various chunks of metal in it that I want to haul to the scrapyard... Heading up the driveway with the tractor in 1st gear and it starts shuddering and shaking and grinding. Pop it into neutral, then back into first, and up it continues, but with a bit of a shake to it...

So I did some testing in the alley behind the house and found that if I shift from neutral to first, with no load on the tractor, its fine. Nice and smooth, no bad noises. If I go into 2nd, then clutch, come to a complete stop and drop back into 1st, Littletractor shakes and grinds and won't move when I let the clutch back out.... Uh oh.

So, this opens up a whole RAFT of questions for me...

Is it the transaxle or the drive belt?

Do I DARE try to get my rear wheels off so I could check the transaxle? That one makes me nervous based on many other horror stories I've seen... But I gotta do it sometime, if only to be able to swap out for some winter tires.

If I want to investigate, how long is that actually gonna take, and how long will my GRASS get while I DO it? You ALL know how fast MY projects go!:banghead3

Should I hold off on starting to tear into LittleTractor until I have one of the OTHER three up and running as a backup? LTGal figures THAT'S the best option, but: Bror, not a chance THIS year... Ernie, the transaxle's pretty much dropped all its oil (so need to pull the transaxle and do some seals) and wow he smokes, so probably a ring job too... Cranky, well, I don't ACTUALLY KNOW what's really wrong with Cranky.

LTGal's being very supportive during my time of anxiety, and has even agreed that it would be a good idea to bring Cranky in from out of town storage so that working on him would be a possibility... However, before THAT'S possible, she wants our gravel driveway patch pulled up and grass re-seeded there, and pavers put down in the yard where Cranky would probably have to live (yes, outside, unfortunately, BUT there's talk about him having to move outside from my dad's warehouse ANYWAY, sooo... tarping him up in MY yard instead of 30 miles outta town sounds okay to me)....

Thanks for listening to my ramble!

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Ericjr16

· #10 · May 28, 2012

littletractorguy, I am afraid it sounds like what happened at first to my 180. When it was first started after sitting years? It was fine, then acted kinda like you are describing. It turned out to be the needle bearing on a shaft inside, was seizing. If you keep running it,odds are it will fail reather well like mine !

I wonder if you should at least look into a cautionary tare down. I hope I am wrong for your sake! I am having a terrible time finding the trans for the 180. Real shame to have it sitting useless after all that work.

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hm12460

· #11 · May 28, 2012

You will be better off with a 110/112 or a good 200 series.

littletractorguy

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 29, 2012

Re: Four Deere non-running condition?

snakemed said:
littletractorguy, maybe it is time to get a few of those Deere in running order so you can sell one! Four Deere in non-running order will crowd you a bit in the storage department... not to mention the wallet. A herd of two or three Deere - all in working order, would seem a better investment (at least for me). Good luck, whatever you decide to do. :goodl:

Well, the plan from HQ is to take all four of the 110s and make ONE (or two) working ones (Bror, the 112, gets different treatment, for different reasons... He's 'special'...)... So I baby the 160, do some cautious looking under the deck and poke at the rims, go hard on making enough storage space in the yard over the next couple weeks (gotta move some dirt, if it ever stops raining, then lay pavers), then activate 'Restoration Plan Omega'...

(Omega, from Ancient Greek, "the last", 'cause, really, this is the last tractor I'm gonna buy... Well, the last non-working one..)

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GSM

· #13 · May 30, 2012

If you have to deal with the tranny, that Peerless 920 on ebay would be a good swap and is brand new. $149 or less, I believe. A quick search here should have the info or I can dig it up again if needed. Of course there is the issue of removing the rear wheels...

But having just had my transmission open, the gears and bearings are pretty straightforward to replace if needed.

I think I'd vote for getting a #2 up and running and then you have some breathing room to figure out what you want to do.

Good luck.

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KATT

· #14 · May 30, 2012

(Omega, from Ancient Greek, "the last", 'cause, really, this is the last tractor I'm gonna buy... Well, the last non-working one..)

:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh:sidelaugh Now that there's funny I don't care who you are.

eric71m

· #15 · May 30, 2012

Re: Four Deere non-running condition?

littletractorguy said:
(Omega, from Ancient Greek, "the last", 'cause, really, this is the last tractor I'm gonna buy... Well, the last non-working one..)

NICE!!! good luck with that!!!

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attorney_barnabas_collins

· #16 · May 30, 2012

Whatever the problem with the 160 is, the solution is a garden tractor, not a 160 mower to tow anything.

KATT

· #17 · May 31, 2012

attorney_barnabas_collins said:
Whatever the problem with the 160 is, the solution is a garden tractor, not a 160 mower to tow anything.

Say What ????

littletractorguy

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 31, 2012

attorney_barnabas_collins said:
Whatever the problem with the 160 is, the solution is a garden tractor, not a 160 mower to tow anything.

Unfortunately, the 160 is my mower/bagger/snow blower/snow pusher/swiss army knife... Although I'd LOVE to get a nice 42" blade for one of the 110s and a Model 37 blower that works! But first, I gotta get one of them running well enough to use it.....

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Ericjr16

· #19 · May 31, 2012

littletractorguy said:
Unfortunately, the 160 is my mower/bagger/snow blower/snow pusher/swiss army knife... Although I'd LOVE to get a nice 42" blade for one of the 110s and a Model 37 blower that works! But first, I gotta get one of them running well enough to use it.....

I know the feeling!!

The old Agway seemed to be most reliable of the bunch so far! A MTD!?! Thought the 180 was gonna be king?

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Alberta 7.3

· #20 · May 31, 2012

littletractorguy said:
Unfortunately, the 160 is my mower/bagger/snow blower/snow pusher/swiss army knife... Although I'd LOVE to get a nice 42" blade for one of the 110s and a Model 37 blower that works! But first, I gotta get one of them running well enough to use it.....

With time and ingenuity, attachments can be adapted to fit any tractor. :thThumbsU

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