Water in the tranny and other fluid musings

[Arthur Dent]

This weekend I started changing the fluids in dad's LoBoy highway mower. Gosh, it sure needed it!
I drained more than a gallon (or so it seemed) of milky watery "crud" out of the transmission. Let it drain for a few hours then filled to the proper level with HyTran. I'll run it for a while then do it again a time or two, hopefully get all that water out of there eventually. Dad always kept it in the barn out of the rain, and I have kept it in the barn too, no telling how it was treated before that though.
I was going to check the oil in the finals, thought I knew where the plugs were from looking at the drawings in the manuals, but haven't found them yet.
The Touch Control fluid is low, I drained out just enough fluid to get a look at, it's bright red. What would that be? Can I just top this off with HyTran and let them mix, or do I need to drain this out and replace it?
Oil change went without a hitch.
I still have to do the de-speeders, ran out of time.

[Barnyard]

Arthur, Next time you flush it use about 3 1/2 pints of fuel oil and drive it for about five minutes or so and then drain that and refill with hy-tran. That will clean it good enough so you won't have to do multiple flushes with your hy-tran.

[SundaySailor]

"The Touch Control fluid is low, I drained out just enough fluid to get a look at, it's bright red. What would that be?"

Sounds a lot like automotive style automatic transmission fluid.

Can you smell it? Is it rotten/putrid smelling? Hytran doesn't smell all that bad. ATF does even when it is fairly new.

[Arthur Dent]

Now that you mention it, it did look like ATF, I couldn't place it at the time. I couldn't smell it, my nose was full of that nasty gear oil smell from the stuff in the transmission. I guess I should drain that out and not mix the HyTran with it?

[Arthur Dent]

Arthur, Next time you flush it use about 3 1/2 pints of fuel oil and drive it for about five minutes or so and then drain that and refill with hy-tran. That will clean it good enough so you won't have to do multiple flushes with your hy-tran.

I'll try that, thanks.

[SundaySailor]

Now that you mention it, it did look like ATF, I couldn't place it at the time. I couldn't smell it, my nose was full of that nasty gear oil smell from the stuff in the transmission. I guess I should drain that out and not mix the HyTran with it?

I wouldn't think you would want to mix both types of fluids. It may not hurt, but why take the chance? I know I remember reading on a number of websites where people are opting to use ATF in hydrostatic transmissions, and even here in the touch control of Cubs.

The ATF must be good, otherwise why would it have been made and have so many uses?

Hytran is supposed to help keep out moisture which is great for Cubs. IH knew what they were doing and it's obvious.

Good luck with your Cub. I get a great big smile every chance I get to ride on mine.

[Mike in Louisiana]

I was going to check the oil in the finals, thought I knew where the plugs were from looking at the drawings in the manuals, but haven't found them yet

It is a 3/4 in pipe plug kind of hidden behind the draw bar bracket.

[Arthur Dent]

Ah, now I get it. So on my "stretch" model LoBoy, the left plug would be hidden behind the fender mount (photo below). I seem to remember reading that the finals are mirrored, so the right one would be "up" too, yes? If it was "down" it wouldn't hold much oil.

[Glen]

Hi,
The level plugs on a LoBoy are usually seen from the rear of the tractor, but I guess your housings face the other direction, so try looking from the front, just ahead of the final drive, but I'm not sure, I've not seen a Cub like yours in person.
Mike posted info for a regular Cub, the plugs are not between the implement holes on a LoBoy.
Here is a pic from TM Tractor showing a LoBoy final drive and the plug. Hope you can figure it out from the picture.

[Arthur Dent]

I've not seen a Cub like yours in person.

I get that a lot. Funny thing is that this is the first Cub I ever saw, and the only one I have any experience with, that makes things like this a little frustrating.
Thanks for that photo. I'll look there the next time I get her out of the barn. It makes a lot more sense for the plug to be there in the Lo Boys than any of the other places.