I wanted to share the results from someone else who tried this mod and had issues. The person who kindly shared feedback indicated that he tapped the vent hole by hand because he didn’t have a drill press. His threaded barb ended up being crooked and leaked. Just a word of caution for anyone else trying this: make sure you tap your vent hole perfectly perpendicular to the case so it makes good contact where it screws in. The compression of the threaded barb + washer against the top of the case is what makes the seal (not the threads).
@patrickpk6299 I assume he used a crush washer because one comes with the threaded hose barb that I used. He said he bought all the same stuff that I used. I’m not sure what else he tried if anything.
don’t blame tuff torque for not putting oil change holes in , thaey make these transmissions for many manufacturers and the manufacturers specify NO DRAIN HOLES !! Because they want to sell you a new trans when this one burns up .JOHN DEERE !! That’s right eh JOHN DEERE .?
Nice job on the drains and i too have thought about modifications to allow filling eithout removal of unit. Its all for nothing though. I have done full service and overhauls on several dozen of these and the issue is never just the fluid. The filters always clog, sometimes in as little as a year. Chaning the fluid/oil without changing the filter provides very little if any improvement.
Well that's a bummer. When you say the filter is dirty, is it like totally caked with stuff? When I took mine apart for this video series, the filter didn't look clogged at all. My trans had 130 hours on it. I guess I'll see what the oil looks like when I drain it in the spring. Another thing to consider is if you overheat the trans, oil can't spew out of the vent cap anymore because of the expansion tank. When I took the trans off before the mod, it had dried oil all over the case on the vent side.
@@MostlyBuilds yes, almost completely clogged. Sat old filter on flat metal workbench and filled filter with fresh oil, that small volumn of oil took almost 12 min to seep thru. Love you work though. Im older in declining health. I wonder if a you guy like you who is more up to date on tech things couldnt use 3D printer to make a new lower cover with a removable cap to allow changing of the filter without removal of transmission, would be great with your other mofifications.
@@robt3305 thanks for the kind words. I like the idea of a removable filter mod. Totally replacing the bottom pan is interesting. I’ll have to give it some thought. Hope you consider subscribing.
never forget to try to turn the brake disk before torquing the bolts on the center case. That way you can make sure that both the motor shaft bearing and the motor housing are seated correctly!
The major flaw of the K46/TJ40 transaxle is that you need to split the cases to clean the magnets and filter. Just changing the oil is only 1/3 of the work.
Now that I can easily change the oil, I’m curious if doing that annually will reduce how dirty the magnets + filter get. I’m with ya though, it sucks that you have to split the case to access the magnets and filter. I don’t know that it’s a flaw though. I think it’s an intentional design decision to keep the cost of the trans down. Ignoring that, it’s a pretty simple & clever design for the price point. If I was in the market for a new machine, I would probably be hunting for something with a better trans that’s fully serviceable out of the box!
@@MostlyBuilds I agree, if you take apart the transmission to drill tap and change the filter and clean the magnet and housing then change the oil every 50 hours .. i highly doubt you will clog those filters in say 500 hours or more as most of the particulates will be in suspension and those will get removed every 50 hours not allowing them to build up on the filter and magnets.
Hi Will. Unfortunately all the fluid won’t drain if you do that. Only the pump side will drain, not the gear side. The two reservoirs are connected at the top, not the bottom. If you are drilling drain plugs, it is probably my advisable to only drill them in the two reinforced locations where tuff torq intends for them to be. The rest of that bottom pan is pretty thin. I’d be worried about the bolt stripping out because it doesn’t have enough to grab onto. Best of luck with your transaxle journey!!! Consider subscribing. I posted an update for this project the other day (linked in the description of all the videos in this series)
@@MostlyBuilds outstanding reply! I’ll drill them like you did; glad you stopped me from uh ohh; the hydro is still on my tailgate! My lil local retailers don’t have 5W50, so I’m now waiting on oil from Amazon. I also used your links for a couple other things. Thanks for your advice!
@@willloy8901 awesome! Thanks for supporting the channel! I highly recommend double checking the sizes of your drill bits, taps, and fittings. I linked directly to all the stuff I used, but it can be easy to grab the wrong thing if you click around some of the Amazon pages to look at different variants of things. Best of luck with the project! I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you have any thoughts for further improvements.
I know that a variant of the K46 exists with an expansion tank. I didn’t know what JD models used it though. Before I started this project I looked at this variant to see if I could just put that OEM tank on my K46/T40J. It appears that the K46 with an expansion tank has a different upper case that has a neck where the tank connects to. Here is the product page for the one with the tank if anyone following along is interested: www.tufftorq.com/product/k46/ Here is a parts diagram where you can see the neck on the case that is different from other K46 variants: tufftorq.ordertree.com/catalog/partslist/view/group_id/426906/?assembly=Parts&assembly_id=2673
@@MostlyBuilds video in which a guy cleans the transmission in the x155r, because the cap fell out of the oil expansion tank ruclips.net/video/dp8gX6VLJZA/видео.html
@@75tomeks nice! This is a solid reference. Looks like he has another video for putting it back together: ruclips.net/video/H6FGLmKHbRY/видео.html You can get a good view of how the case is different. This doesn’t change anything for my mod, but it is a bit validating to see that the two reservoirs are connected in this variant too. Someone was asking me about oil migration between both sides of the case and if this is ok. I basically just assumed this was the same situation for the K46 that comes with a tank. Thanks for sharing the link!
I haven’t tried filling through the expansion tank. I worry about air pockets. It might be possible. I would def follow the air purging procedure and let it sit for a bit afterwards to see if adding more oil is needed. I think filling from the bottom is better though. This is how you fill the lower unit on outboard motors with gear lube.
It’s about 3 quarts with the over filling that my mod requires. That’s a good point, I could totally try filling it from the expansion tank and see if there is any oil left over. Next time I do this procedure I should pay more attention to how much oil is left in the 3rd bottle. I’m pretty sure it was only a tiny bit because I didn’t save it.
Tuff Torq recommends their blend of oil called Tuff Tech 187Q0899000. Here is their chart: tufftorq.ordertree.com/media/promo/TuffTorq/Fluids%20and%20Lubricants.pdf You can find it on Amazon: amzn.to/3OIKzKP If you prefer to use an off the shelf oil, the general consensus online seems to be to use a good synthetic 5w50. Tuff torq says to use their brand of oil because they put special additives in it. In my first video of this transmission mod series I talk about the history of Tuff Torq’s oil: ruclips.net/video/0GN0Tk957Ho/видео.html
I have used mobil1 full synthetic 5w50 in my hydros. You mileage may very but it is VERY good stuff. It s like ly overkill if you are changing it out every 50-100 hours but its a lot cheaper then down time or a bad transmission.
Consider using Permatex hydraulic thread sealant too. I put that on everything especially anything with tranny fluid. Buy a magnum sized tube and you'll have a lifetime supply.
Ah that would have been good for the 3 bolts on the center case for the pump. I’ll get some and give it a shot if I open the case again. Thanks for the tip.
Pretty smart of Tuff Torque to sell equipment without drains and threaded, accessible fill ports. Those that can, will drill and tap their own. Those that cannot will buy a new trans. from TT or buy an entire new tractor that benefits Red China. Brilliant business model, and they don't even seem the slightest bit ashamed of their incompetence or greed.
It’s definitely a bummer that the trans isn’t serviceable. A few additional thoughts: - The mower manufacturers are who spec out what features the trans gets (within the capabilities of the k46 design - drain plugs for example) - The limitations of the trans might in part be what enables riding mowers to exist at this price point. Otherwise a riding mower might be out of reach for many. What bugs me the most is that the mower manufacturers just say the trans is a sealed, non-serviceable unit (that’s what John Deere says at least). When in reality it’s totally serviceable, but inconvenient. I’m sure it’s not worth it for a dealer to service them. But a handy consumer could totally service it with some effort. They could share info about “advanced servicing” or something. Thanks for checking out the video and for sharing your thoughts. Hope you consider subscribing.
@@MostlyBuilds The mower manufacturers are who spec out what features the trans gets (within the capabilities of the k46 design - drain plugs for example) - The limitations of the trans might in part be what enables riding mowers to exist at this price point. Otherwise a riding mower might be out of reach for many. *Gibberish
I haven’t tried this but I’ve seen a few people attempt this with solutions that look a little hacked together (using things like JB Weld). Here are two: www.mytractorforum.com/threads/k46-oil-cooler-custom-my-way.1321309/#replies (Expand the first post on this one) Another one I found when I was looking up that first link to paste on here: ruclips.net/video/mhgfeOZvSDI/видео.htmlsi=KgD5ZbpDEOTr5_1B I think it would be interesting to add an oil cooler. I’d also be interested in building in an oil filter that can be easily replaced. I might do this one day, but I’d like to come up with a more “production” looking design than the two links I pasted. Please share if you come up with anything or have any interesting ideas. Would love to collaborate.
I don't think it's worth going thru the trouble with the lowest end trans the tuff torq makes. I'm in the process of doing the mods you did here but that's as far as I would go with this trans. Tuff Torq should have stopped producing this k46 and recalled the rest of them. They are not built to last.
@ggtaruc2578 I get what you are saying. I don’t know if it’s like pure evil though. Imagine one company releases a cheap and totally accessible riding mower with the k46. Now someone who could never afford a quality machine can get the cheap one that will last them 10 years with their totally flat yard. Then other mower manufacturers who wouldn’t have considered putting their names on a low quality machine suddenly are losing all this market share. Then they jump on the bandwagon and suddenly everyone is selling budget machines rocking the k46. I don’t know if that’s really how it happened but multiple manufactures sell machines with the k46. They all know what they are doing. Is the alternative better where there just isn’t an affordable machine at all? Dunno. My beef with them is they aren’t more up front about the limitations of the trans. Just my opinion 😀. Good luck with the mods. Would love to hear how it works out for ya if you have time to write back about it!
The fact that the mfgs spec these transmission without serviceability tells you everything you need to know about what their intentions are. Tuff Torque makes their full line of transmissions with expansion tanks and drain plugs installed at the factory. OEMs are the ones that spec them W/O these critical feature. Sealed OEM transmissions are a giant SCAM to force you to buy a new mower every 5-7 or years.
Your generation always wearing gloves to work on things. It's so hilarious. How could you be killed? will the transmission explode. I need to do this to my john deere x320 K58 tranny without taking the bottom case off. My destroyed lumbar region of my spine won't allow me to do all of this. Come to my house in south florida this winter and spend a few days and do it for me. thanks.😁You don't need a specific sealing washer. You can also put silicone on the threads or teflon tape. Teflon tape has been used for many many years. Your funny. 😄
@@MostlyBuilds You younger people. Germaphobes and boo boo aphobes. Dawn or gasoline will clean all the grease and oil off of your hands. Your not making love to mechanics or anything else. 🙄🙄☺☺
There is some "evidence" that repeated exposure to petroleum products is detrimental to your health , and perhaps it is but that not why I wear gloves. I prefer not to get oil and grease all over everything I own and/or have to wash my hands with pumice soap 5 times a day. I would rather not have everything I own be a greasy mess and not be allowed in my house by my wife b/c my hands are covered in grease and stain everything I touch. I don't live in a garage where grease an dirt is perfectly acceptable. My houses floors also dont look like the bottom of a oil change pit b/c I take my boots off ... b/c im not an animal.
On mine the block with pistons that’s on the input shaft slid off/on very easily. Not tight on the shaft with the splines. I didn’t really play around with it to see how much play there was. Nothing tipped me off as suspicious though. I slid off without any prying. Hope that helps (I’m not an expert!)
I wanted to share the results from someone else who tried this mod and had issues. The person who kindly shared feedback indicated that he tapped the vent hole by hand because he didn’t have a drill press. His threaded barb ended up being crooked and leaked.
Just a word of caution for anyone else trying this: make sure you tap your vent hole perfectly perpendicular to the case so it makes good contact where it screws in. The compression of the threaded barb + washer against the top of the case is what makes the seal (not the threads).
wonder if he used a crush washer like a car oil pan? thread sealant would also work, even some pipe dope
@patrickpk6299 I assume he used a crush washer because one comes with the threaded hose barb that I used. He said he bought all the same stuff that I used. I’m not sure what else he tried if anything.
don’t blame tuff torque for not putting oil change holes in , thaey make these transmissions for many manufacturers and the manufacturers specify NO DRAIN HOLES !!
Because they want to sell you a new trans when this one burns up .JOHN DEERE !! That’s right eh JOHN DEERE .?
Nice job on the drains and i too have thought about modifications to allow filling eithout removal of unit. Its all for nothing though. I have done full service and overhauls on several dozen of these and the issue is never just the fluid. The filters always clog, sometimes in as little as a year. Chaning the fluid/oil without changing the filter provides very little if any improvement.
Well that's a bummer. When you say the filter is dirty, is it like totally caked with stuff? When I took mine apart for this video series, the filter didn't look clogged at all. My trans had 130 hours on it. I guess I'll see what the oil looks like when I drain it in the spring. Another thing to consider is if you overheat the trans, oil can't spew out of the vent cap anymore because of the expansion tank. When I took the trans off before the mod, it had dried oil all over the case on the vent side.
@@MostlyBuilds yes, almost completely clogged. Sat old filter on flat metal workbench and filled filter with fresh oil, that small volumn of oil took almost 12 min to seep thru.
Love you work though.
Im older in declining health. I wonder if a you guy like you who is more up to date on tech things couldnt use 3D printer to make a new lower cover with a removable cap to allow changing of the filter without removal of transmission, would be great with your other mofifications.
@@robt3305 thanks for the kind words. I like the idea of a removable filter mod. Totally replacing the bottom pan is interesting. I’ll have to give it some thought. Hope you consider subscribing.
never forget to try to turn the brake disk before torquing the bolts on the center case. That way you can make sure that both the motor shaft bearing and the motor housing are seated correctly!
Great advice! Thank you
The major flaw of the K46/TJ40 transaxle is that you need to split the cases to clean the magnets and filter. Just changing the oil is only 1/3 of the work.
Now that I can easily change the oil, I’m curious if doing that annually will reduce how dirty the magnets + filter get. I’m with ya though, it sucks that you have to split the case to access the magnets and filter. I don’t know that it’s a flaw though. I think it’s an intentional design decision to keep the cost of the trans down. Ignoring that, it’s a pretty simple & clever design for the price point. If I was in the market for a new machine, I would probably be hunting for something with a better trans that’s fully serviceable out of the box!
@@MostlyBuilds I agree, if you take apart the transmission to drill tap and change the filter and clean the magnet and housing then change the oil every 50 hours .. i highly doubt you will clog those filters in say 500 hours or more as most of the particulates will be in suspension and those will get removed every 50 hours not allowing them to build up on the filter and magnets.
if you pack your taps with grease it will catch the filings
Great tip thanks!
Great video
Excellent !!
great video !
Thanks! Please consider subscribing 😀
Wow! I have my tt laying on my truck tailgate. Just starting this journey. If I put a single drain under the filter, will all the fluid drain?
Hi Will. Unfortunately all the fluid won’t drain if you do that. Only the pump side will drain, not the gear side. The two reservoirs are connected at the top, not the bottom. If you are drilling drain plugs, it is probably my advisable to only drill them in the two reinforced locations where tuff torq intends for them to be. The rest of that bottom pan is pretty thin. I’d be worried about the bolt stripping out because it doesn’t have enough to grab onto. Best of luck with your transaxle journey!!! Consider subscribing. I posted an update for this project the other day (linked in the description of all the videos in this series)
@@MostlyBuilds outstanding reply! I’ll drill them like you did; glad you stopped me from uh ohh; the hydro is still on my tailgate! My lil local retailers don’t have 5W50, so I’m now waiting on oil from Amazon. I also used your links for a couple other things. Thanks for your advice!
@@willloy8901 awesome! Thanks for supporting the channel! I highly recommend double checking the sizes of your drill bits, taps, and fittings. I linked directly to all the stuff I used, but it can be easy to grab the wrong thing if you click around some of the Amazon pages to look at different variants of things.
Best of luck with the project! I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you have any thoughts for further improvements.
on John deere x155r and x167r this oil expansion tank is factory fitted
I know that a variant of the K46 exists with an expansion tank. I didn’t know what JD models used it though. Before I started this project I looked at this variant to see if I could just put that OEM tank on my K46/T40J. It appears that the K46 with an expansion tank has a different upper case that has a neck where the tank connects to.
Here is the product page for the one with the tank if anyone following along is interested: www.tufftorq.com/product/k46/
Here is a parts diagram where you can see the neck on the case that is different from other K46 variants: tufftorq.ordertree.com/catalog/partslist/view/group_id/426906/?assembly=Parts&assembly_id=2673
@@MostlyBuilds video in which a guy cleans the transmission in the x155r, because the cap fell out of the oil expansion tank
ruclips.net/video/dp8gX6VLJZA/видео.html
@@75tomeks nice! This is a solid reference. Looks like he has another video for putting it back together: ruclips.net/video/H6FGLmKHbRY/видео.html
You can get a good view of how the case is different. This doesn’t change anything for my mod, but it is a bit validating to see that the two reservoirs are connected in this variant too. Someone was asking me about oil migration between both sides of the case and if this is ok. I basically just assumed this was the same situation for the K46 that comes with a tank.
Thanks for sharing the link!
Great video!
Can the transmission be filled from the top instead of the bottom?
I haven’t tried filling through the expansion tank. I worry about air pockets. It might be possible. I would def follow the air purging procedure and let it sit for a bit afterwards to see if adding more oil is needed.
I think filling from the bottom is better though. This is how you fill the lower unit on outboard motors with gear lube.
@@MostlyBuildswhat is the oil capacity of the transaxle? What if you fill it to capacity? Wouldn't that ensure proper fill?
It’s about 3 quarts with the over filling that my mod requires. That’s a good point, I could totally try filling it from the expansion tank and see if there is any oil left over. Next time I do this procedure I should pay more attention to how much oil is left in the 3rd bottle. I’m pretty sure it was only a tiny bit because I didn’t save it.
What oil do you use for a k46
Tuff Torq recommends their blend of oil called Tuff Tech 187Q0899000. Here is their chart: tufftorq.ordertree.com/media/promo/TuffTorq/Fluids%20and%20Lubricants.pdf
You can find it on Amazon: amzn.to/3OIKzKP
If you prefer to use an off the shelf oil, the general consensus online seems to be to use a good synthetic 5w50. Tuff torq says to use their brand of oil because they put special additives in it.
In my first video of this transmission mod series I talk about the history of Tuff Torq’s oil: ruclips.net/video/0GN0Tk957Ho/видео.html
I have used mobil1 full synthetic 5w50 in my hydros.
You mileage may very but it is VERY good stuff.
It s like ly overkill if you are changing it out every 50-100 hours but its a lot cheaper then down time or a bad transmission.
Consider using Permatex hydraulic thread sealant too. I put that on everything especially anything with tranny fluid. Buy a magnum sized tube and you'll have a lifetime supply.
Ah that would have been good for the 3 bolts on the center case for the pump. I’ll get some and give it a shot if I open the case again. Thanks for the tip.
Pretty smart of Tuff Torque to sell equipment without drains and threaded, accessible fill ports.
Those that can, will drill and tap their own.
Those that cannot will buy a new trans. from TT or buy an entire new tractor that benefits Red China.
Brilliant business model, and they don't even seem the slightest bit ashamed of their incompetence or greed.
It’s definitely a bummer that the trans isn’t serviceable. A few additional thoughts:
- The mower manufacturers are who spec out what features the trans gets (within the capabilities of the k46 design - drain plugs for example)
- The limitations of the trans might in part be what enables riding mowers to exist at this price point. Otherwise a riding mower might be out of reach for many.
What bugs me the most is that the mower manufacturers just say the trans is a sealed, non-serviceable unit (that’s what John Deere says at least). When in reality it’s totally serviceable, but inconvenient. I’m sure it’s not worth it for a dealer to service them. But a handy consumer could totally service it with some effort. They could share info about “advanced servicing” or something.
Thanks for checking out the video and for sharing your thoughts. Hope you consider subscribing.
@@MostlyBuilds
The mower manufacturers are who spec out what features the trans gets (within the capabilities of the k46 design - drain plugs for example)
- The limitations of the trans might in part be what enables riding mowers to exist at this price point. Otherwise a riding mower might be out of reach for many.
*Gibberish
haha! I tried! All I can say is that I've had really positive interactions with the folks at Tuff Torq. I can't say the same about John Deere.
Is there a way to add external oil cooling radiator?
I haven’t tried this but I’ve seen a few people attempt this with solutions that look a little hacked together (using things like JB Weld).
Here are two:
www.mytractorforum.com/threads/k46-oil-cooler-custom-my-way.1321309/#replies
(Expand the first post on this one)
Another one I found when I was looking up that first link to paste on here:
ruclips.net/video/mhgfeOZvSDI/видео.htmlsi=KgD5ZbpDEOTr5_1B
I think it would be interesting to add an oil cooler. I’d also be interested in building in an oil filter that can be easily replaced. I might do this one day, but I’d like to come up with a more “production” looking design than the two links I pasted.
Please share if you come up with anything or have any interesting ideas. Would love to collaborate.
I don't think it's worth going thru the trouble with the lowest end trans the tuff torq makes. I'm in the process of doing the mods you did here but that's as far as I would go with this trans. Tuff Torq should have stopped producing this k46 and recalled the rest of them. They are not built to last.
@ggtaruc2578 I get what you are saying. I don’t know if it’s like pure evil though. Imagine one company releases a cheap and totally accessible riding mower with the k46. Now someone who could never afford a quality machine can get the cheap one that will last them 10 years with their totally flat yard. Then other mower manufacturers who wouldn’t have considered putting their names on a low quality machine suddenly are losing all this market share. Then they jump on the bandwagon and suddenly everyone is selling budget machines rocking the k46.
I don’t know if that’s really how it happened but multiple manufactures sell machines with the k46. They all know what they are doing. Is the alternative better where there just isn’t an affordable machine at all? Dunno. My beef with them is they aren’t more up front about the limitations of the trans.
Just my opinion 😀. Good luck with the mods. Would love to hear how it works out for ya if you have time to write back about it!
The fact that the mfgs spec these transmission without serviceability tells you everything you need to know about what their intentions are.
Tuff Torque makes their full line of transmissions with expansion tanks and drain plugs installed at the factory.
OEMs are the ones that spec them W/O these critical feature.
Sealed OEM transmissions are a giant SCAM to force you to buy a new mower every 5-7 or years.
Your generation always wearing gloves to work on things. It's so hilarious. How could you be killed? will the transmission explode. I need to do this to my john deere x320 K58 tranny without taking the bottom case off. My destroyed lumbar region of my spine won't allow me to do all of this. Come to my house in south florida this winter and spend a few days and do it for me. thanks.😁You don't need a specific sealing washer. You can also put silicone on the threads or teflon tape. Teflon tape has been used for many many years. Your funny. 😄
No glove no love!
@@MostlyBuilds You younger people. Germaphobes and boo boo aphobes. Dawn or gasoline will clean all the grease and oil off of your hands. Your not making love to mechanics or anything else. 🙄🙄☺☺
There is some "evidence" that repeated exposure to petroleum products is detrimental to your health , and perhaps it is but that not why I wear gloves.
I prefer not to get oil and grease all over everything I own and/or have to wash my hands with pumice soap 5 times a day.
I would rather not have everything I own be a greasy mess and not be allowed in my house by my wife b/c my hands are covered in grease and stain everything I touch.
I don't live in a garage where grease an dirt is perfectly acceptable. My houses floors also dont look like the bottom of a oil change pit b/c I take my boots off ... b/c im not an animal.
Is the pump block supposed to slide down snug on the main shaft splines, no play? I just opened mine.
On mine the block with pistons that’s on the input shaft slid off/on very easily. Not tight on the shaft with the splines. I didn’t really play around with it to see how much play there was. Nothing tipped me off as suspicious though. I slid off without any prying. Hope that helps (I’m not an expert!)