Quick question............

Goose · Jun 20, 2015

Since I can't find my owner's manual.

We have a Poulan garden tractor, 24 hp with a 54" deck, hydrostatic, 300 some hours on the meter, maybe five years old.

Lately, the hydrostatic unit has been acting strange, delayed engagement when you hit the pedal, etc.

I don't remember, are these hydros sealed, or do they require servicing? I ran a similar unit over a thousand hours once until most everything else BUT the hydro was worn out and never did any service on the hydro.

This isn't our main mower, but I like to use it to pull a garden cart, etc.

todd hamilton · Jun 20, 2015

I had a hydro jd saber for ten years. When I sold it the pulley on the hydro unit was getting play in it but the function was still normal. The hydro unit was sealed and replacing it was $500.00. Cost prohibitive on a $1500 mower ten years old.

Dachshund · Jun 20, 2015

I think I have the EXACT mower! I've had mine about the same time frame. I started to feel the hydro getting weak about a month ago. Now, when it runs a few minutes, it will barely move in reverse, and is sluggish forward. I called around to see if it was "fixable", and found that it is a sealed unit, and a new one is closer to $1200. I decided to bite the bullet, and get a new mower - a GEAR drive one this time. The new one has a 46" deck, and a 17 HP, motor. It will mow circles around the bigger machine - even when it was new. Don't think I will bother with anything HST again.

T.R.K. · Jun 20, 2015

Most late model Poulan tractors use a sealed hydro unit. If your hydro is failing, its usually not cost effective to pay a mechanic to go into it.

One thing you can check: 1. the drive belt can slip. It may need to be replaced and/or:

2. Sometimes grass piles up on the plate above the steering gear and interferes with the clutch pedal stop. Then the belt does not tighten enough to provide positive drive to the transaxle. The problem is usually on the left side just 1 to 2 inches inboard of the frame rail.
You might want to check #2 first.

T.R.K. · Jun 20, 2015

Well, actually two things to check.

pat sublett · Jun 20, 2015

The first few years that they made Hydros they would outlast gear drives. Competition is fierce and the price of run-of-the-mill riding mowers has not changed in 20 years. Something has to give and quality goes first. Most hydros have always been sealed. The only exception that I know of was the HYDROGEAR brand transmission which was repairable. I had a repair shop and was an authorized repairman but rarely saw one with a problem. They were on the more expensive units.

RayP(MI) · Jun 21, 2015

We have a couple 1970's with Sundstrands in them.still working fine. Change the filter every few years, keep them topped off with ATF. Good to go.

pete 23 · Jun 21, 2015

Any one been inside of those so called sealed units. A good hydrostatic drive uses pistons with slipper skirts, swash plates etc and are repairable. A cheap one uses centrifical force with steel balls or something similar to that. I remember repairing one about 40 years ago by installing a new brass bushing in the center but cannot find a picture of the unit to refresh what it really had inside. It was a so called throw away unit and the reason I remember it was the guy brought it in taken apart. It had a drain or fill plug only and when I put it together I guessed wrong on what end was up. He installed it and hit reverse and promptly ran forward into the wall. No damage, just learning experience.

Quick question............

Goose

Well-known Member

todd hamilton

Member

Dachshund

Member

T.R.K.

Well-known Member

T.R.K.

Well-known Member

pat sublett

Well-known Member

RayP(MI)

Well-known Member

pete 23

Well-known Member

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