UNDI_DRIVE 3 speed Transaxle

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i have a round hood, round fender horse with the three speed unidrive. it was stuck in two gears at once when i got it and i took the shifter out and lined everything back up and used it for a while and it was ok. this mrning it got stuck in two different gears at once and i took the shifter out again and lined everything up. i used it for less than five minutes and it happened again and now the shifter set screw/bolt broke off in the trans and i need to find out where i can get a new one. alos this trans would not move in reverse unless i put it in 1rst or 2nd first and went ahead a little and then it would move in reverse. also sounded like when it was moving in reverse it was alot of noise going coming from the trans. also this tans was full of water when i got it too. i was hoping maybe the shifter is worn or something simple like that. or maybe a common fix that would take care of it. i have 1 qt of gear oil and a quart of atf in it to flush it out since it still might have had some water in it. :hide:

[Docwheelhorse 2,560]

Unfortunately your Uni-Drive is bordering on wrecked. There are several needle bearings and caged bearings in the trans-axle and soaking them in water for any length of time makes them rust and then when the trans-axle is put back into service the bearings grind into dust and the shafts mis-align and cause gears to jam together etc as you describe. You are destroying the gears and shafts as we speak.... You will need to start looking for a donor trans-axle---not difficult, or stop using what you have and be prepared for a complete teardown and rebuild. Sorry for the bad news but I have been thru it with a 603.....

Tony

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

so i can get away with putting bearings in it you suppose? i haven;t used it that much just tooling around on it. i got two others laying around too but i think it is the same story cause they were sitting outdoors long before i got my hands on them. i would be willing to tearinto the transaxle but i have no idea what exact model the tractor is. i seen a checklist around the forum the other day with critical questions on identifying a vintage horse... maybe i will look for it again. probaly without knowing what i have the parts might be difficult to order correctly for it without guessing at it unless they were virutally unchanged for like 20 years or something like that :hide:

[Docwheelhorse 2,560]

The Uni-Drive 4 speeds I am 99% sure are all the same from 1961 0r 1962 right thru the mid 70's when they permanetly disappeared. They are 1" axle four pinion setiups. There might be some small differences in axle length etc... The only exception to this is the 1963, 1964 and 1965 4 speeds that where in the 953, 1054 and 1054 A. You maybe allright with just bearings but I am willing to bet that a gear or shaft in there has been munched up preety bad...... 4 speeds are easy to find. Post for one here and I'm sure you willl get several responses, or tear into yours and hope for the best!

Tony

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

also i have another wheel horse i think a older r/fender ranger witht e little tires on it that i ran years ago and you would have to hold it in gear or it would jump out. it acted like there was no detent or lock to keep it in gear. probaly in order to fix that one i would have to tear it down anyways. i have another parts tractor that wont come out of gear. i think the water has got to that one too. grrrr :hide:

[clintonnut 126]

Hi

Take your tranny apart and check the bearings, gears, and seals. If they look ok then check the shift rods and shift balls as well as the shift spring and the rod inside the spring. We replaced the ball, spring and rod inside the spring on our 1054 and now it won't go in two gears at once. We can sell you a completly rebuilt uni-drive with all new bearings and seals for $200 They will be sandblasted, disassembled, cleaned, checked, parts replaced, put back together and painted the correct color.

good luck

Charlie

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i am still unsure of the model of the tractor and the toro parts page is not easy to use. can some one send me a link or something that would take me to a parts imager. and also any recomendations on what tractor number to use for parts lookup. i am gonna tear the trans out of this thing tommorow and i would like to go and get some parts for it if i could. thanks for all the help so far. :thumbs:

[Buzz 502]

Here's the link for the transmission manual. You can put almost any model number in, I used 854. So put 854 for model number and none for serial number and hit submit. You can then download your manual.

https://lookup3.toro.com/request/request.cfm

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

here is what i found

Attached Image

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i took the transaxle apart and i found that the two shafts that slide back and forth slide freely with no resistance. some gear are chewed some, but i am not worried about that. the bearings looked ok. is there supposed to be a set of springs and balls or some detentes or something on those shafts?

Attached Image

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

the spring and the one ball i see, but i dont see anything inside the spring. i cleaned things up a bit today and found one ball and a spring. the fluid on the bottom of the housings were like dirt with a covering of peanut butter and water mixed together. i had put a quart of gear oil in it and a quart of atf in it before when i was running it before it started acting up. i figured that would clean it good enough. i had to use a piece of plastic to clean it all out. 4 cans or brakecleaner later and everything looks decent. i am gonna get my new spring, 2 balls and the mystery rod and put it back together. ihave been reading the manual i downloaded and it has proceedures for reassembly, but it looks like there will be a "trick" when it comes time to put the springs and balls in there. i also see that i need some axle seals. looks pretty simple so far, better than i thought it would be. thanks for all the help so far. soon i will be :horseplay: back on the horse hopefully

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i got all my parts and started to put it together. i THOUGHT i had everything cleaned up and inspected. i found out i need axles bearings after i found needles floating around in the case halves. i had a question about the diffs in these transaxles. there is a spur gear type and a bevel gear type. what is the better of the two. i have the 5053 style trans in mine. its not gonna be a big worker or anything. hopefully a trike. just curious about the durability of them. mine has 1 inch axle in it. :thumbs:

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i have one more question. i may have got the axle assembly mixed around i am not sure. one of the axles has a key way for the hub that takes the half moon woodruff style key and one takes a straight key way like on the end of a crank of an engine. it appears that the straight keyway side of the axle is hagingin over the seal. do i have this in backwards or did i do something wrong. i also have installed the new acle bearing and seal in the same places they were.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

I can't add nothing to this cause I never opened one up I'm fixin to though cause I have a 701 that leaks earl like a sieve Ill be into mine in a couple weeks. I hope mine dont look like that inside but I bet it does cause the dweeb I got my yeller one from stored it outdoors Anyways good luck with yers!

[Electro12WH 50]

According to BP, the inner axle bearings are only available from Toro for $65 apiece. Also, the end bearings for the 11 tooth gear are becoming hard to get. Motion Industry doesn't carry them any more.

If you want a manual(it would be a real good idea) go to WheelHorse.org. Down load link #2.

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i got the trans back in it seems to work OK so far, but i put another new belt on it and i can;t figure out how to get the belt to stop turning when i push the clutch down. i had to trim the belt guard before but i was able to make the new motor fit. i tired tweaking the L-shaped bracket on the tensioner down a bit to help grab it but it still turns and it is hard to get in gear. is there supposed to be some rubber on the bracket to help cathc the belt and slow it down? i was thinking of gluing some kind of rubber to it to help slow the belt down without damaging the belt. i am pulling my hair out trying to figure this out. has anyone had this experience? the belt if a green napa lawn and garden belt. :whistle:

[JimD 3,345]

correct me if i'm wrong guys, but if the tensioner is on top of the belt your clutch will put more pressure on the belt when pushed down. the tensioner should be under the belt to put pressure in the belt when released. are you sure the belt just isn't too tight? i have been handed the wrong belt before, and though the tensioner wasn't touching the belt when depressing the clutch, it was still tight enough to turn, so, back to the store..... <_

[Coadster32 793]

According to BP, the inner axle bearings are only available from Toro for $65 apiece

I get my bearings and seals from Kaman Industries. Give them the sizes..OD,ID,and width, and they'll match you up useually under $20 each. I redid all of the bearings in my snowmobile, chaincase and track assy. about 12 bearings total for about $140. Some of those bearings were a cam locking type, pretty fancy. I also need to take apart a 3 speed. Seems the longer I wait, the more info and tips are out there. The thing I'm really looking for is the "trick" to get them back together. :thumbs:

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i found out that i put them first shift rail in, made sure the ball was in the detent of the first rail first, then a shift ball and spring and pin and then i used a T handle 1/4 inch allen wrench and put some grease on the end of it to hold the ball from falling then pressed it in and put the second shift rail in and started it and got it to hold the ball partially and then used a smaller allen wrench to push the ball in the way and then the second rail would slide in. i also had to shorten the new spring and rod for some reason. someone else here told me the same thing that they had to do that to their new parts. bythe way i got mine back together and drove it all over today with no problems getting locked up in two gears. i am still working on the belt brake issue yet. can hardly get it in gear without idleing the motor way down and easing it in. to all that helped me along the way. mine got the new detents axle bearing and seals. the alxe bearings were about 20 a piece through my toro dealer. :thumbs:

[oldandred 15]

Frist make sure you have the right belt

then if you trimed the belt guard even a little thats the problem the belt guard does two things keeps you leg or pants from going around and helps stop the belt from moving.

now what tractor are you working on ?

If not try posting pictures

[CasualObserver 3,406]

When you "trimmed" the belt guard, did you cut the tabs off at the engine end? Those tabs aren't just guides that follow the belt, they're there to push the belt out of the engine pulley's grooves. When you push down on the clutch, you cause slack in the belt which releases from those grooves, it loses it's drive and comes to a stop. Of course you also need the flanges on the bottom of the belt guard for the belt to push against and give you the slack that inevitably stops the belt.

Clear as mud? It's hard to describe, but all makes perfect sense if you see it in action.