** Grasshopper **

I don't post much but read most ... anyway I'm wondering if there is ANYTHING I can do for my grasshopper Hyd. drive ?? it's an older model { around 3o yrs old } with the chain and hyd drive on each side ...
the last time I mow , I notice that one side I had to push the lever farer ahead than the other .. the more I mow the slower that side seem to move ..
Would changing the oil and putting in new help ?? or is there a better oil than an other that should be used ??

Yes I did go to the grasshopper dealer .... new pump cost was around 900.oo and he said if I replace one I should replace both ....

THANKS for any advice you want to share ...... mark

Sadly, I don't think new oil will help now. Maybe regular oil changes would have helped prolong the transmission's life, but its probably too late now.

I'm glad that your guy thinks a new transmission is available for that unit. We had one with the larger Eaton transmission in the shop last Winter and those are no longer available from Grasshopper.

The way I look at it is this. If the unit has not received timely oil changes and there is no hydraulic filter, then you have a bigger problem than you think. More likely than not, there is a single oil reservoir that supplies two hydrostatic pumps which in turn, drive the individual wheel motors. Dirty oil will have been wearing all four items (both wheel motors and both hydros) and one side is now showing weakness.

But before throwing in the towel, I would carefully inspect the control lever linkage for any free play and then take the steps to eliminate it. The stroke length of the control levers is an exaggeration to how much it actually takes to rotate the swash plates in the hydro pumps. Small amounts of free play can add up and greatly affect how well you can control the pumps.

I do not know what oil Grasshopper spec'd for that machine but for what it is worth to do a full oil change, I would gamble on that making an improvement. The alternative is to either scrap the machine or part it out because doing a full repair by replacing both pumps and motors is simply not cost effective. Let's say that the machine is supposed to use 10W30. I would go with 20W50 instead and hope that the higher viscosity when the oil is at operating temp will give me a few more years of service..

THANKS TOM .... I was wondering what steps I should take and you answer that ...

THANKS again ............. mark

You've got nothing to lose - try what I did. I drained the hydrostats and replaced the oil in them with fresh 15-40 Rotella oil. It works like a charm. It hasn't been bothered by heat or mowing duration at all. One of the guys running around here somewhere told be he's been running 20-50 in his JD hydrostat for many years and still works just the same. What have you got to lose?

Mine is only a mowing ZTR. I don't use it any other season. I can tell it might be harder to start and use in winter because of the thickened oil. I park it in the fall anyway.

Take a deep breath.. He is not too far off base. Cleaning, you might luck out. Are there any in line filters. They are very tiny and right in the hose.

Before you dig into the hydro's make sure the drive belt isn't going bad, if the belt is worn the tensioner does have much travel and the belt will slip on the hydro drive to one side making you think the hydro is bad.