Duff 206 #1 Posted November 24, 2008 Hi, gents, Although I'm a devoted WH owner, I have two JD's that are my 85 y.o. Mom's that my brother and I use to maintain her property since my Dad passed away. The GT235 is fairly new and going strong. The other tractor is a '95 STX46 that was my Dad's first "real" tractor. For this reason it has some sentimental value (Mom calls it "Little John" and the 235 "Big John") and I'm trying to keep it going. The motor has close to 3,000 hours on it (original Kohler vertical!) and except for a little smoke at start-up and some rpm searching when not under load it runs amazingly strong. Dad took very good care of his equipment. It's the hydro tranny I'm concerned about. My dealer said it's better to just toss the tranny and buy a new one rather than trying to rebuild it. It's been howling like a banshee for two years but still pulls smooth and strong both forward and reverse. Supposedly the tranny filter(s) is not replaceable. Does anyone have any advice/experience with one of these or can you direct me to some accurate skinny on this tranny? I've got all winter to play with it, but if it is indeed a "throw away" item then I'll just run it until it quits entirely and try to find a new one ($750 I don't have to spare in this economy). Thanks as always, fellas, Duff :hide: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 19,652 #2 Posted November 24, 2008 Hey Duff. I dont know anything about the tranny in your Deere but maybe you could find one in a similar Deere tractor with a bum motor but with less hours(3000 is A-LOT!). Maybe E-Bay? Joes Outdoor Power sells all sorts of used tractor parts and he even has an E-Bay store with fixed prices. Mike........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 19,652 #3 Posted November 24, 2008 Do you have a part #? I bet that tranny was used in a few differant models. Mike........ http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Deere-LX186-Tract...1713.m153.l1262 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,345 #4 Posted November 24, 2008 Duff, Even though I'm a JD guy, the STX series wasn't JD's finest hour. They have an unibody frame type construction that's not the strongest. Hoods seem to last a nanosecond on those and most still running today don't have the hoods on them. The hydros were light duty and non-serviceable. Your dealers recommendation is correct, though I guess if you had the money and time and know how, you could repair that one. But, it would be easier and almost cheaper to buy a new one, and certainly easier and cheaper to buy an used one. Transmissions to look for includes one from a STX38. But with that many hours on the engine and transmission, not to mention that unibody frame and non-descript mower deck, I wouldn't hesitate to retire that whole tractor when the trannie gives up the ghost. Sorry, but that's my opinion, even if it's a JD. There are better JD's out there, like your GT. Mike, If I'm not mistaken, that transmission in Duff's STX was a lighter duty one than that one on ebay. One from a late 80's 100 series, i.e. 165, 175 and 185 might work, but again, you're dealing with a 20 year old light duty, disposable transmission. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
