#k46

K46 unnamed: 1974-1981

Originally known as L46

Son of K18 Kiska

Brother of K17 Pacheena and K21 Cappuccino

Probable brother of K40 Raggedy

This tractor is used mostly for towing around a big wagon/trailer for hauling trimmings from the landscaping... especially this time of year, when things have been growing like crazy all year long and you finally get tired of not being able to easily look out the windows of the house because eg rose bushes that were 30" in the spring are now seven feet tall.

We also have a small lawn that's mostly tended to by the ducks and geese now, but it needs an occasional cutting too, and I mow our orchard once a year around the trees. TBH I need goats, but that's probably next year or so.

So, the tractor wouldn't go. Push the pedal, it makes "go" noises... and doesn't go. I look online and find references that say that it's either the drive belt (thanks, I replaced that last year) or the transmission... and the tranny in this unit is "unserviceable". Bad news. Local shops won't touch them, they say "we'll install a new one for about $900 in a few weeks, we're pretty backed up right now". I priced a new one at about $650, still no thanks. I'll get a push mower first, honestly I don't know how much longer the engine will last, these things "aren't built like they used to!" and most people have ditched theirs long before 15 years (I replaced the starter and coils a few years ago, and spindles on the mower deck... it's like a used car and something is always going wrong).

Still, people manage to change the oil in these allegedly unserviceable things, so it's obviously not entirely unserviceable.

It turns out it's fairly simple to take the trans out of the tractor. Or get it out from under it. Yeah it's dirty.

Likely problem. The oil cap is cracked and probably has allowed some water to infiltrate. The transmission is a "hydrostatic" one which means it's full of oil; the engine drives a pump inside the tranny which immediately drives a hydraulic motor which drives the wheels.

If there's not enough oil, a hydrostat won't go. If you mix water into the oil, the filters will clog and you won't get oil flow, and it won't go.

I drained the oil and found that it looked like thick creamy chocolate shake - very dirty and signs of water. Decided that it really needed to be taken apart and cleaned. The oil cap obviously needed replacement, so I bought a seals & filter kit from the builder of the transmission - apparently they sell service kits for their unserviceable transmissions... curious

Lots of parts. Gears etc. Filter covered in goo definitely not going to flow oil well.

Pulled it all out, saw mayonnaise (oil & water emulsion). Yuck. Cleaned out, replaced some seals, put it all back together (skipping many hours in the narrative here, I've never done this job so I'm super slow), filled with oil.