Is this hood restorable?

1186 Views 11 Replies 10 Participants Last post by grant_baker, Dec 2, 2014

mikesjd317

Discussion Starter · Jun 12, 2012

I have an L120 that has trans problems. I know most of these 100 series did. Mine has almost 400 hrs on it and gets really slow when it gets hot and pretty much won't move until I let it cool down. I know the only real fix for this is to get a new k46 or swap in a K66 but I don't have the cash right now so I would like to try putting fresh fluid in. Does anyone know what kind of hydraulic fluid these trans take? Do I have to use the John deere trans fluid? I have a pump and got most of the fluid out already. Thanks for any help.

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woodpecker41

· #2 · Jun 13, 2012

I would call your JD dealer service manager and ask what they use and if they have found anything that helps ailing transmissions. You might be surprised with the help they can provide. If you do an internet search on Google for K46 fluids I have seen a bunch of recommendations. Are you sure your tractor has a K46 as a lot of them had K40Js in them. Roger

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bleed_green

· #3 · Jun 14, 2012

I just put the 5W-50 synthetic oil in the Tuff-Torque K46 tranny in my LA150 and it made a world of difference. I bought it for $500 from the JD dealer with this problem ... would start getting sluggish after about 30 minutes of mowing. It only has 220 hours on it. However, if you just do a simple search on the internet there are posts about how to fix it all over the place...not sure why the JD dealer didn't just fix it themselves. Option 1 is to put the 5w-50 synthetic oil in it to prolong the life and Option 2 is to replace the hydro pump and motor for a couple hundred bucks. I opted for #1 because my wife broke my other 2 mowers and I needed it quick and the oil only cost me about $30. She just mowed our whole 4 acres with it the other day with out any problems so option 1 seems to be working out just fine for now. Probably won't last forever, but at least I can put off replacing the hydro pump and motor for a while. Here's a link to the Tuff Torque procedure for changing the oil ...

https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/ttcoil/pdfs/cc%20K46%20K57%20T40%20MODELS%20WITH%20INTERNAL%20RESERVOIR%20CHECKING%20&%20%20ADDING%20OIL.pdf

I would not recommend putting a new transmission in it. Why spend $700 for a new tranny when you can fix it for <$200 worth of parts? They are all readily available from Tuff Torque.

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mikesjd317

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 15, 2012

Thanks for the reply's. I just got my L120 back together. I ended up taking the trans out and emptied out all the fluid. Got a little over 2 qts out. Fluid was very dirty and almost black. Taking the trans out was very easy to do. I put Mobile 1 15W50 synthetic back in and it works great. It's a little faster than it was but the big thing is it now makes it up the hill with out stopping even when it's warm. Before I changed the fluid I would get 20-30 min of cutting before having to stop because it wouldn't move any more. For under $20 I think this was well worth trying.

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lutt3

· #5 · Aug 28, 2013

Mike,
How is the trans doing still? need to do the same to a L120 and was just wondering how it has lasted for over a year.

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Grant Baker

· #6 · Dec 1, 2014

Hey everyone/anyone,but mostly glass guys.Is this hood restorable or is it ready for the junk pile? I know absolutely zero about fiberglass(and hope to remain that way),just wondering if this hood has a chance.Has anyone repaired worse?

Let me know what you think please

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ed_lincoln

· #7 · Dec 1, 2014

If there was no other choice, yes. I have a mold so those bad hoods are fixable.

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dd57chevy

· #8 · Dec 1, 2014

It depends on what your expectation/demands are . If you're putting together a show tractor AND you've never worked with fiberglass , maybe hire it done .

The work I've seen from Ed , he could probably do a 99% restore . Mine was maybe 1/2 as bad as yours & it came out at maybe 80% . If you stand at 30' it looks perfect .

The thing is I lost about 3 1/2 seconds of sleep over it . Not worried about what perfectionists think .

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sreynolds

· #9 · Dec 2, 2014

you would rather do this as opposed to buying one on ebay?

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lgates110

· #10 · Dec 2, 2014

Restorable, yes, easy, maybe not, but it can be done! I once replaced the front hinge corner on a 74-112 that was completely missing & replaced with a sheet metal patch. And I hadn't done much fiberglass work either, takes time, but not as hard as it looks! ~~ Lowell

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charms

· #11 · Dec 2, 2014

I'll agree and say it could be done, but it would be less work to start off with one in somewhat better condition.

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Grant Baker

· #12 · Dec 2, 2014

Thanks guys,I think I will keep looking for a better doner

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