Replacing a 6-speed transaxle with a Hydrostatic in a Craftsman tractor

[need4speed1967]

@xXSURPRESSEDXx its layla by eric clapton.... My all time favorite song.....

[XxSURPRESSEDxX]

can someone tell me what song in the background starts at 8:09 please. i have always loved it but cant remember what its called

[arakuzi]

bad move, this hydro is sealed and will not last......

[jfranz71]

you certainly know what your doing.... I've got a problem wit my lt 1000 hydro. It starts right up and cuts great, BUT after about 20 minutes of cutting, I loose all power even though the engine is still strong. Can't make it up the slightest of hills. I have to turn it off, cool down and then start over before the same problem starts. I replaced both belts and no change. Any suggestions on what the problem may be. The tractor was bought new in 2001.... Help email is jfranz71@yahoo.com

[jfranz71]

you certainly know what your doing.... I've got a problem wit my lt 1000 hydro. It starts right up and cuts freat, BUT after about 20 minutes of cutting, I loose all power. Can't make it up the slightest of hills. I have tyo turn it off, cool down and then start over before the same problem starts. I replaced both belts and no change. Any suggestions on what the problem may be. The tractor was bought new in 2001.... Help email is jfranz71@yahoo.com

[justicerobbie67]

I just buyed a new transaxle for my craftsman lt 2000 model #917.275760

only thing can't get it to go forward or reverse. it runs really well but don't

know whats holding it up from moving.

[zjbeast]

I always thought hydros were weaker. But I was proven wrong as my parrents have had their craftsman for the past 11 years. It is a hydro. I do think the hi/low rearends are more durable though.

[lpdemolition]

Great video guys. Thanks!

[fayt926]

damn im tying to get ride of my hydro and replace with standerd trans axle

[FordF150Trucks]

hey i just got an older one of these 6 speed looks like the peerless trans crafstman 12.5 hp lawn tractor guy said it ran before he had it sitn for awhile trans seems stuck and motor might be too. do i have to just take all apart and clean all out real well ?

[jtraveny]

do u still hav the 6 speen craftsman, and will u sell it at a cheap price to someone in PA?

[TheRedneckMechanic]

i like to shift

[jaider314]

try it before hating on a Hydrostatic that you dont no anything about

[SittingMooseShaman]

... that's some heavy soundin' steel on that 4,000 when ya knocked on it...

it'll cost 7 grand for that guage sheet steel today on a piece of garden equiptment...

[novachevyguy]

why the hell did you not just switch engines ?  and maybe decks...

[ringbolt9]

nice work did you get the linkage changed over so the shifters work right??

[sp00ktube]

LoL, you let one of those hydro's go out and you would have wished you'd stayed with the manual. They around 1800 bucks.

[jaider314]

@sp00ktube I bought a brand new tractor from sears under 1500 with a Hydrostatic trans in california.in 2011

[jaider314]

Respond to this video...  Hydrostatic Yard Tractor

[walkingfreak]

hey man i got a toro wheel horse and i have a weird noise its in my free wheel horse video of what the noise is

[riceski]

Hey- I have a Hydrostatic axle - it sat for 2 years so i got it cheap - runs well but the transaxle refuses to engage - does the belt spin ALL the time the motor is running? I am super new to this but have some mechanical back ground with cars - and some push mower repair.

[carkid100]

im intrested in it ware you at and how much if u still have it

[riceski]

@ 4:15 -17 you have the hydro out and sitting upright - there is a tube sticking up. I have a hydro that say for two years and there is no reverse and forward there is way too much noise - I am sure putting in some fluid will help a lot - Here is my Question:

Is the pipe think -- : Sticking up the tallest the FILLER tube and is the end piece [ looks kind of like an emergency brake release button] the place where the fluid goes in?

Normally there is little question but this is just too strange

[dollman0]

I have a LT-1000 and the manual says these transmissions are not serviceable. The final drive in mine did not have enough oil in it and it was full of metal shavings. I changed the pump oil and filled it up with Amsoil Tractor Hydraulic oil (ATH) and 75w90 in the final drive. I tried to flush some of the metal chips out with some cheap engine oil and pushed it around a little. There is no drain on this and I had to turn it upside down to drain it... I plan to wash it out this winter

[DodgermMan]

i have the same hydrostatic lt1000 but green and a 98 and i can find any of these exept this one! are these special or something?

[Searsnut11]

I have what I think is a peerless 6 speed if you want it

[gfc56]

I have a 6 speed 2008 Craftsman LS 4500 20 HP Kohler pro. How can I mow in reverse when the motor is set to automaticaly cut off. Can that be bypassed.

[rcfreak124]

do you have any engines for sale that are 18hp and up?

[rcfreak124]

do you have any engines for sale that are 18hp and up?

[320bit]

Shit man. Looks like I need you to come over and help me repair my old craftsman. Cant wait to get mine running, it was tons of fun back in the day.

[MrFatman96]

why didnt you just switch the engines?

[BeephLypz]

Question: Why is there a fan on top of the hydro? Is it to aid in cooling the tranny?

[riceski]

@BeephLypz yes - some advertise it as 'turbo cooling' 

[shane10141]

hydros suck

[bioshock26632]

is a 6 speed hard to use

[iTalkApple96]

@bioshock26632 no i prefer standard over hydro. most of the time its less app to break down.

[biggray94]

great bjob

[rebeldawg2169]

been running my manual 5spd on my murry never any issue other than a bely every 3 years and my briggs still going strong

[89bluedemon]

out of curiosity, can the hydro differential be welded like on the 6 speed? im building a very mild offroad tractor for farm use. im not going to go fast or do a pulley swap. but i do want to lock the rear end so i have posi trac.

[pacificcloud]

Great project, thanks for sharing it

[lobsterbox20]

lol all of my tractors are manuals and I don't have many problems with them. they are generally more durable and will outlast the modern cheap hydro found in most tractors. The only time it really becomes a pain in the ass is when I have to mow with my GT6000. Shifting through two ranges of gears and having to get just the right clutch position to shift is horrible when you are mowing. What problems do you have with the tiny little 5 speed peerless tranny on your LT4000?

[LynolsOffice]

@lobsterbox20 I've not had any of these hydros die, but then again I'm not doing any strenuous work with them. Any heavy pulling I do with a GT with a 6-speed hi/lo. I have however had several tractors with blown 5 and 6 speed manuals, some brands seem better than others. And I agree with you that newer hydros are built like crap, but it seems the manuals these days are not built much better.

[joeldude76]

@LynolsOffice the only problem i have had with a hydro is the belt fall off but thats not its fault

[leitzmanracing20]

do u have any extra 6 speed shifts

[offroadingmachine007]

Are all riding mower tranys interchangable, like if it fits right will it work?

[LynolsOffice]

@offroadingmachine007 Yeah pretty much if it fits, and you can make the brake pedal work, then it should be good.

[offroadingmachine007]

ok, thanks ive got a good trany, and a hydrostatic and i want to swap them and make it into a racer.

[zachsuckit]

hey.. what store can i get a craftsman lt1000 6 speed transmission at?

[LynolsOffice]

Store? Well, Sears can get one, but it's going to be like $350. Best look on eBay or elsewhere on the internet for one that's cheaper.

[januaryman169]

@zachsuckit try craigslist

[crazykincardineite]

Why not just swap the motors? Wouldnt that be simpler? no crazy linkages or braces?

[LynolsOffice]

That LT1000 that had the hydro on it was too rusty, and it also didn't have the big gas tank under the fender.

[crazykincardineite]

yeah I know what you mean, i have a year 2000 craftsman with a 17hp ohv single, 42" cut and a 6 speed, its pretty much an lt1000 but it doesn't say lt1000 on it. I actually like the 6 speed better than a hydro, altho ive never operated a stick hydro, always a pedal, but it has a 1gal tank under the hood and i wish it had the bigger one under the fender, i wonder if I would be able to put one under there

[the5445]

hydros suck man. it really sucks for racing.

[LynolsOffice]

Yeah but for mowing the lawn, it can't be beat.

[the5445]

lol ya i guess

[jaider314]

@the5445 maybe one day it will be ready for racing.

[ndmbmx18]

i got a lt4000 12.5hp do you know where i can get a starter for it?...the old one seized up

[LynolsOffice]

Try eBay. You can probably find a working used starter for cheap.

[bobdole57]

I have 2 newer craftsman's with hydros on them and an old 2 speed craftsman. I don't know why exactly, but I think I prefer the manuals.

[sdylke]

o thats strange mine is a true hydro with just a foot pedal you don have a shifter and it has a pump um reverse went out of it kinda it is only half speed in reverse any idea why it barley moves in reverse

[Arturaz1]

i think you might be a bit confused with hydrostatic and shift-on-the-go, some models have hydrostatic trannys much the same as shift-on-the-go, as for the reverse maybe the shifter had been bent?

[LynolsOffice]

You might be low on fluid or your pump inside the trans might be on it's last legs. Check the fluid first, top it off. (the fill tube might be extremely hard to get to, FYI)

[bigmaaack]

aw dang i was gonna put a 6 speed in my crafstman that im gonna get off ebay but now i gotta get a brake bar and all that shit

[roboman79]

Awesome!

[Masterofdisaster151]

could you make a video explaining how a hydrostatic transmission works, I can't even find a diagram of it on the internet.

[kcin125]

y dont u just sell the manual 1

Ur right i like mowing with a hydro way better than manual

[LynolsOffice]

The one that was originally a manual has a twin cylinder and the body is in great shape. The other one with the hydro had a single cyl. and was kinda rusty.

[stevensj13]

I have heard that the Hydros put out more power than standards? Is this true?

[rideyz3]

i cant cut whithout a hydrostatic

[LynolsOffice]

Bingo. Once you cut with a hydro, you can't go back!

[ma561]

do you know if it's possible to make a Hydrostatic DGS6500 move a little faster?

[LynolsOffice]

Is it pedal drive?

[ma561]

yeah pedal for forward and pedal for reverse

[LynolsOffice]

I found a thread on a forum about modding a DGS6500 to go faster in reverse, might work for forward too. I can't send you the link because you have friend lock enabled though.

[JDL1352646546566]

have you ever thought of making a racing tractor?

[JDL1352646546566]

where do you get belts for tractors?

[davidmuel11]

hey can you make a hydro trator a racing mower and budy??

[adb140275]

what are you doing with the rusty mess lt1000?

[LynolsOffice]

I actually ended up fixing it up and selling it. It wasn't as rusty as I first thought. I had to repaint part of it though, but after that it looked pretty good, so I junked the old rotted through deck and sanded and repainted a better looking deck, and sold it last week.

[sgfreak96]

how much

[LynolsOffice]

Sold, $300. Sorry.

[GrandpaTD]

why didnt you just swap engines?

[LynolsOffice]

The one the Hydro came off of was a rusty mess. And once we figured out how to do it, this was actually easier than an engine swap.

[matts6887]

Sounds and looks like doing the gearbox swap was a fairly easy job all things considered...cool deal!!! :)

[hole4hand]

thanks that was interesting...

you are good!

[deerechevy101]

the hydros r good if u r mowing a flat yard. but a redneck like me has to pull everything so i would rather have the manual. i have 2 hydro JDs and i dont like them, but i also live on a BIG hill.

[sgfreak96]

how much will u sell the lt 1000 for

[mikeycomputer]

I had that same LT1000 Tractor. The Deck was all screwed up and the tractor itself was pretty beaten up. The only thing that worked on it was the hydrostatic tranny and the Briggs and Stratton Engine. I loved that mower...

[jvanderman]

o my gosh! man i got the same lt 1000 i just bought a strter sunday

[LynolsOffice]

If you want to message me about your problem I'll try to help.

[lawnside82]

why didnt you just change motors?? wouldnt that be easier??

[LynolsOffice]

The one with the Hydro had a bunch of other problems, and it's has rust too.

[jvanderman]

hey im haveing electrical problems with that same lt 1000 if you no anything about that please tell me so i can e-mail you or somthing and tell you about it so i can maby work out the problem

[jvanderman]

now that lt1000 does that have a twin in the motor?

[LynolsOffice]

No, this LT1000 had a 13hp pull start Honda, but now it has a 15.5hp electric start B&S.

[jvanderman]

hmm mine is a 19 hp briggs and sraton twin (great engine)i bet if you had 1 that was like mine you would keep the hydro in it but mine is in a little better shape overall but its a great mower if you can get it running lol

[LynolsOffice]

We do have one like that. We have a green one with a hydro, had a 19hp B&S twin on it that seized, so we put an 18hp B&S twin on it. We also got another green LT1000 with a hydro we got over the winter with a 17hp B&S that has a thrown rod. We have a 22hp B&S V-twin we want to put on it, that ought to be sweet!

[jvanderman]

yea that will be sweet i always waanted a 22hp

[huskeemower3]

hey im getting a used murray from a pawn shop for 425.00$ and i dont know if its * shift on the go* or manuel.. the shifter dsnt have little notches tht hold the shifter in that spot. Know wut i mean? and it isnt pedal drive it has a clutch/brake.pedal . so hw do i know if its shift on the go or manuel

[huskeemower3]

whats the difference between hydro and regular trannys? and y does the hydro have tht fan looking thing by the pully?

[LynolsOffice]

A Hydrostatic transaxle is like an automatic transmission in a car, you don't need to use a clutch or shift gears to change your speed and you have an infinite range of speeds. A regular (gear driven) transaxle has to be stopped to change gears, or in some models, you have to use a clutch to change gears like a manual trans in a car. You also usually only have 5 or 6 speeds to choose from.

[jcomm333]

Should have left the damn thing alone. I didnt quite see the problem with the ones they where originaly on.

[LynolsOffice]

I wanted the Hydro on the bigger twin cylinder tractor. Once you do lawn work with a Hydro, it's hard to go back to a manual shift.

[pivotbum]

how do i take the pully off the transmission (i have a craftsman II with a 18 hp twin engine) so i took the bolt off but it wont come off after that

[LynolsOffice]

You're probably going to need a wheel puller, it must be rusted on. Might want to use a torch to heat it up, that can help free it.

[pivotbum]

i dont have a wheel puller or torch

[LynolsOffice]

You better get one or else you're kinda screwed.

[bigandrich22]

can u swap a pulley from a hydro onto to a manual

[LynolsOffice]

Don't know, never tried it. If the shaft that the pulley goes onto is the same size, then you should be able to.

[wassahilden]

awesome dude

[Ajaces]

Job well done. Did you have any trouble getting those rims off the axles?

[huskeemower3]

lol nt tryn 2 sound like a smart ass... bt if u wanted the 1 with twinn, bt needed hydrostatic.. y ddnt u just do a engine swap?

[LynolsOffice]

Good point, but I already have twin cylinder powered Hyrdo LT1000s. What I didn't have was a twin cylinder Hydro LT4000. See the method to my madness?

[huskeemower3]

nicee lol

[farmallBoy2015]

how much is a lt4000

[DannysCam]

i got a lt600 for free

[motox458]

those transmissions look pretty light, i have a spare 4 speed transmission from a jacobsen, and it takes 2 people to lift the damn thing XD

[LynolsOffice]

The big 6 speed low/high ones from the garden tractors weigh a ton too, these little ones aren't too bad.

[stlouissux9119]

Nice man. Lol nothing like putting a hydro in a 6 speed. I kind of like my 6 Speed but im sure hydro would be kind of handy for cutting so you dont have to constantly keep depressing the clutch.

Peace

5 Stars

-Stlouissux9119

[LynolsOffice]

Yeah, once you mow with with a Hydro it's hard to go back to a stick!

[smoshroxnigahigasux]

ur names like mine ends with sux lol

[dangeroustoys56]

Hydro transmissions are pretty cool- it seems like a novelty item tho- i know when i run my ' 99 17HP twin murray around- its a lil weird but fun at the same time- im still gonna build a deck for it sometime tho.

[themaritimeman]

Cool! Introducing the Hydrostatic Craftsman LT4000!

[paulbreor]

God This is what i had to go through with my craftsman when switching the hydro with the Manual......I totally made a new shifter for the manual trans and used the Hydro Linkage to operate the brake....

[Mississippi1313]

nice job guys

[pivotbum]

how do i free a frozen clutch

[LynolsOffice]

You mean a brake? There isn't really a clutch on these.

[30GB]

cool fan it has

[1944johndeerel]

cool!

[99minerkc]

5/5 video! Nice job guys!! You seem to work well as a team~sweet!!

[dangeroustoys56]

Cool video . Just like hot rodding- its a trial and error sorta thing - even tho its made by the same company.

Just a note- the LT4000 rear fenders look exactally like the ones on my 86 GTII- even with the gas fill. The LT1000 has rear fenders exactally like mine on the 99 weedeater.

The only difference is theres no shifter hole- mine shift from the chassis.

[LynolsOffice]

Yeah when they designed the sheetmetal for this frame, they stuck with it! That rear gas tank style fender (and corresponding foot rests) was used from about 1984 to 2004 or 5.

[dangeroustoys56]

The only odd thing i noticed on the weedeater however, is the fact that the rear wheels are just ever so slightly back to make em not quite line up with the fenders- i figured someone changed trannys and had to do that on purpose - till i saw a pic of an original one. Must be sears went cheep and ran short of sheetmetal.....I see now yours are the same way....

[LynolsOffice]

Yeah, the larger tires don't look right on it. If you see one with smaller rear tires it looks normal.

[dangeroustoys56]

Mine has the smaller wheels- the wheels off the LT1000 look like the ones on my 88 kleenkut- theyre huge!

[geoff390]

good video. never worked on tractor but they look good.

[1G0TP1NK8C1DB00TS0N9]

YES YES, Tractors and V-twins! Gotta love it! :D Well, you wanted to do all this swapping, so your going to have to deal with all these diference's. :P Hey, good job with the swapping! Proud of you! You love the word swap don't you? Swap swap, swap swap swap. Swapper the Snapper :P Thanks for sharing!

Peace :)