Craftsman ZT7000 Zero Turn Mower - Transmission Service - Making A Sealed Unit Serviceable

[@Guido_Sarducci007]

Nice update! Trans will last 10x longer!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Yup. Still going strong!

[@johnwehunt4305]

This is the best video on serving the non-servicable hydrostatic transmissions.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Thanks bud. Worked great. Still going strong a year later.

[@elliottmarshall7899]

i suggest taping about a quarter inch line on your drill bit to keep an eye on how deep you go

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Good suggestion!

[@mdpenney]

What a great mod for these zero turn non serviceable transmissions. My Toro Timecutter started making a whining noise on the right trans and loosing power after 15 minutes. Was about to remove the trans and drain it through the fill hole. Your video saved me a lot of time and worked like a dream. Works great now! Thinks for the great video.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Good deal bud!

[@hackthehoneydolist]

Great video! Was thinking about doing this to my Cubby ZT, now I know I am. Thanks brother.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's worth it. Thanks for watching

[@marktwainchapman9016]

They make them non serviceable so that you have to buy a new one, the throw away world we unfortunately live in, thankfully there are people like you that aren't that way

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

That's a fact bud. No point in throwing it away if it can be fixed... especially with the cost of a "cheap" mower these days.

[@donhendricks2950]

Now I can quit racking my brain about how to change the fluid in my old gravely mini zt. Thanks for sharing what you know.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

No problem. Hope it helps!

[@michaelfarris2556]

Well that was to the point. I have a cub cadet zt1 50 3 year's old. And for the price of a drain plug beats $3,500 for the junk they are putting out this year. Hell now they are wanting battery one's in alot of state's. So i say repair and replace what you can or man they will get in your pocket. Thanks for the advice ill be plugging mine soon enough. Thanks again

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

That's a fact bud. Glad I could help. Thanks for watching

[@Cad1900]

This is such a well made video and exactly what my brother and I decided to do with my Hustler Raptor 52. I got it stuck in my creek and the vents sucked muddy water into both transmissions. I’m going to do this mod and your video reinforces the fact that this works. Great job thank you!!!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Good deal! Yeah it would suck to rip the transaxles out to service them every time it's needed. This has worked well for us.

[@davidferrell1876]

Awesome video. Very professional. Thank you!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Thanks for watching. It's still going strong over a year later.

[@victorjudice7344]

It's like the new b&s engines on the new lawnmower. Nonservicable. My brother drilled a hole at the bottom of the case, and drilled a hole, and put a plug in it. Now you can change the oil in it.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Yup.. everything is throw away now. "Just buy new". And we wonder why consumer debt is through the roof... nothing lasts and the dollar is in the toilet.

[@kevins4611]

Thanks for the DIY. I have a z6600 and, hopefully, eventually plan to do the same to it. I'll have to do the investigation like you did before trying. Although, even as it only has 400hrs and still runs great. The Bad Boy dealer is only willing to offer $400 on trade in. So, "when" it starts limping and needs work I won't be out anything if I mess it up. Thanks again!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@theamerican7080]

I refilled mine through the vent tube after removing the check valve on the end.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Not a bad idea

[@jeffreyevans6892]

Well done

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Still going strong. Thanks for watching!

[@davidruiz5383]

I have a cub cadet zero turn with the same transmission the your tractor has. my concern is drilling the hole on the bottom. But the idea is great and you should become the engineer for some zero turn companies. Drill a hole on the frame and on the transmission. Again thanks

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Just take your time and grease the bit. Flush it out after the fact. This unit ran great all season with out an issue since.

[@amossnowdaharleyman9179]

I just picked up a John Deere Z 225 with a cracked case and thrown rod in the engine for $300.00. Paid that because the deck had been replaced with a JD new deck 2 years ago and other than the bad engine it was a decent unit. Installed a new Briggs and Stratton 19HP engine that was $1149.00 and 4 new tires. Have 1 good rear as a spare and 1 good front on rim as spare too. Ended up with a new engine,near new deck and 4 new tire mower for $1800.00. This winter I will be doing your hydro-drive drain mod: dang good idea.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It works really well and makes servicing them cake. I don't understand why they didn't put a drain plug in them from the factory.

[@amossnowdaharleyman9179]

@@NotSoGrandGarage The $1000.00 per side replacement cost comes to mind.... Most people would take it to a shop who would push for the replacement. Shops get a discount on the part (20% to 40%) and then charges customer full retail, plus labor for the change out.Easy money for them. There are rebuild kits available for hydro-drives at $200.00 to $300.00 per side btw.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@amossnowdaharleyman9179 Makes sense. Thanks for the info on the rebuild kits. I may need them at some point. Currently it's working okay.

[@amossnowdaharleyman9179]

@@NotSoGrandGarage no problem. Happy I could offer some advice.

[@johndorrell1]

The HydroGear website now shows that drain plugs are optional to the mower makers. Guess they'd prefer a shorter life and more mower sales.

[@anthonyfejeran1891]

Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for this video.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Thanks for watching!

[@damarpo5467]

Great Job! I like it!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Thanks. It's still kicking! Thanks for watching.

[@altonrowell613]

Ok thanks man. O have a 2023 Hustler Fas trak 54 inch deck. IT uses 20W50 engine oil.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

No problem! From what I've been reading, most can use either 15w40 or 20w50. I went with 15w40 because I had it on hand and it never gave me any issues. I just put a video together of servicing this unit out for this season and it'll be up here soon. Everything still working great.

[@altonrowell613]

@@NotSoGrandGarage I'm really glad to hear that. When I hear stuff like that I think wow if his holds up that good then my new mower should last a lifetime.

[@altonrowell613]

@@NotSoGrandGarage yes my Hustler Fas trak takes 20w50 or 15w50. I live in a hot climate so I use 20w50. My brother in Tennessee uses 15w50 on his mower. It's cooler up there.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

I'd say so... keep up on maintenance and they'll typically keep chugging along.

[@tbar1047]

I do believe it's a way around anything 😂 👍

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Indeed.

[@LukeKnoester]

Hi there, thanks ! you’ve addressed a problem I was thinking about solving in the same way. How are the plugs holding up 1yr later ? Any updates would be awesome. I’m going to check the diagrams to see where I can safely drill the hole.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's been 2 seasons now without issue. Still going strong!

[@james-ze2je]

pro tips use a locking collar on your drill bit save you a lot of headaches

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Not a bad idea at all

[@KentuckyFriedFixes]

This is a great mod. I did the same thing on my Cub Cadet RZT 50. It was either that, pull the drives, or turn the entire mower upside down. I did pour some diesel fuel down the filler hole to flush it out. (mine was really noisy) What came out was scary looking! Lots of aluminum. After the mod and the new oil, it has been very quiet and pulls great! Getting ready to do the same thing on RZT 50 # 2 soon. Only thing I did differently was the flush with diesel fuel and I did use 20W50 synthetic oil.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Same story with this one. Has been rock solid all season since the mod. Wouldn't pull after a half hour prior to that. Thanks for the comment!

[@chasechildress3736]

@kentuckyfriedfixes I have a cub cadet rzt50 as well. Just curious as to whether the transaxle on it is the same as in this video. My left side stops pulling after about 20 min. Want to change the oil and maybe drive belt as well. Since you did this mod. I assuming they are the same Trans. I'm just a single income family construction worker. Can't afford a new mower or even a new Trans. Let me know as your able.

[@KentuckyFriedFixes]

@@chasechildress3736 Hi Chase! My RZT 50 was the same as the White Zero Turn MTD and the Craftsman. It uses the same Hydro-Gear transmission(s) it does not have an external filter or drain plug. I know there is a different design Hydro-Gear used on the Cub Cadet "tank" Zero Turn (the mostly black color ones) as I found one of those transmissions for sale locally, but it would not fit the RZT-50. There is a filler plug on top you can get to by removing the plastic cover/fender section. After drilling the hole, I flushed mine with diesel fuel and lots of junk came out. I was surprised by the amount of stuff I flushed out and this gave me doubts the oil change would work for me. But it did! Fresh Synthetic 20w50 and it was good to go!

[@seniorchief48]

It looks like you have water mixing in the oil causing it to emulsify. My craftsman garden tractor had the same problem. Possibly a bad vent cap. It ran great all year long until the outside temperature got below freezing, at which point it would freeze up the transmission.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's possible. The oil had never been changed in those units. The 2nd change was just ran and was a bit foamy or aerated.

[@adamarnold2075]

I have a question? My fill plug is rounded off so I cannot get the Allen wrench to loosen it so is it possible to fill it through the vent plug. I can get that fitting loose? Great video by the way!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Last time I changed the oil, I filled it through the vent hose. Only issue is you can't see how full it is so keep track of how much comes out.

[@johndorrell1]

Sorry for the late comment. Just found your video. Great stuff! An alternative method would be to use a vacuum oil extraction unit to simply suck out the fluid.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

I couldn't get the tube to the bottom of the units.

[@johndorrell1]

Thank you! I'll plan accordingly, and thanks to you, I know what I need to do.

[@elliottmarshall7899]

this simple trick is something they dont wont you to know about. imagine how many people get screwed after warranties thinking their mower is dead

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Yeah that's no joke. It's still going strong without issue.

[@daganhaddad]

don't fancy having any neighbors - but damn if you were within zeroturn traveling distance lol - awesome job - I found out the hard way the hese sealed units WERE serviceable...$1400 later - 2 yrs back a buddy McGuyvered the other side back together & suggested seal kit which is $100+ - better than the price of another unit

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Oof... yeah they are spendy. Apparently you can get rebuild kits for them for a few hundred bucks. I've not looked that far into it.

[@dianebrown6317]

You think its possible to slowly push oil back into the new drain plug as my fill plug is in a very bad spot.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

You can always fill through the vent hose.

[@dkiiv]

does that vent hole / bolt you pulled from the top go all the way down to the pan? i am curious if one could put an oil extractor / vacuum tube down that hole and suck all the oil out that way like you do through the dipstick on some german vehicles.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's just a fill. The internals of the transaxle are right below it. Not sure how you'd get something small enough to get down to the bottom.

[@dkiiv]

@@NotSoGrandGarage ahh ok, was worth an ask but i suppose this would have been too easy of a solution ;) lol

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@dkiiv if only. Lol. Its not bad to drill and tap drains though.

[@dkiiv]

@@NotSoGrandGarage it really isn’t a bad solution, I just worry about sending the drill bit into the internals of the box and doing more harm than good

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@dkiiv Oh I definitely understand that. I was to the point where I had nothing to lose as the units were failing to operate. I'd struggle doing this to ones that are in good shape.. however making them serviceable would keep them in good shape for MUCH longer... it's a toss up.

[@wadenjames58]

I like this I want to do the same thing to mine cause it's just like yours

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's pretty simple to do and mine is still going strong.

[@steve-gp1nc]

Drill, tap and plug size please. Great idea, thanks.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

1/8 npt tap amd plug. Drill size for the tap... can't recall

[@andybecker2693]

That Kohler Courage single is more concerning and usually doesn’t last as long as the transaxles.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

When I got it... it had dropped a valve seat. Got the mower for $100... found a new head for cheap and slapped it on. Been going strong since.

[@nhojcam]

i think that it is a horrible call on the part of the manufacturers to not put drain plugs on ANYTHING that requires fluid. in fact, i think from a consumer standpoint that it should actually be against the law to not include a way to drain fluids. "sealed units" are bullshit! all it is is a way for manufacturers FORCE or COERCE you to buy the higher level "commercial grade" mower. total bullshit!

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Agreed 100%!

[@joefro9473]

Where would the hole need to be drilled at on a zt 2200 the space that you drilled out is way bigger than the one I have

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

No idea on your model. You would need to find out what drives your unit has and look up a repair manual for them. With that, you should be able to find a diagram that shows if there is anything in that area or if it is safe to drill there. On mine, I chanced it as I was ready to replace the mower at that point if it didn't work out.

[@moneyshot239]

I have a zts600 looks the same but red craftsman. Loosing power on the right side . Where do I get the little plugs from

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Any hardware store... big box store like lowes, menards, etc. They are just pipe plugs.

[@chasechildress3736]

Where did you get the 1/8" npt tap and type r drill bit?

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Local hardware store. Amazon has them also

[@melcoeb]

Is it the Hydro-Gear EZT tranny? Asking because manual calls for 20W-50.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Not sure really. It's done well with the 15w40 though

[@chasechildress3736]

I did this modification, got it drilled and tapped just fine. However, I can't seem to get it tight enough to stop leaking it's a very slow leak. So, I do t want to bottom it out as you mention, but how much should the threads be exposed.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

That depends on how far you ran the tap in. With tapered threads, the further the tap goes.... The larger the threads/hole gets. You can grind down the plug a bit of need be.. or use some thread sealing tape.

[@jameswalsh2433]

Teflon tape.

[@johnslot7397]

Also use a brass pipe plug which is same thread on the video but get one that has an Allen type plug would make it a tad bit slimmer

[@dianebrown6317]

Wonder if I can fill it from the bottom???

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Probably not. You could use the vent hose though

[@jasonverner1]

Hydro gear says 20w50 and on my cub cadet its 1. 7 quarts hyrdo gear has specs on all these they build

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

20w50 can be used as can 15w40. Mine were supposed to be 20w50 but spec said 15w40 could be substituted.

[@jasonverner1]

@@NotSoGrandGarage a gallon of 20w50 is 44 bucks haven't bought 15 w 40 in a bit. They both work but the 20w50 has a longer service interval as it's designed for hydrostatic transmission use. Think exmark says 250 hours on conventional oil and 500 hours on synthetic so I base all my maintenance on those intervals

[@dodostains]

I use 20w 50 in my zero turn

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Yup. 20w50 is pretty common for them. I only used 15w40 because I always have it on hand.

[@Charlestart-n2m]

You have video how to replace a slayer. It's supposed to charge battery. Sorry if spelled wrong

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

I think you're looking for a stator and no I don't. I've replaced a few. They can be pretty indepth

[@StormKingLand]

Q: "Why they don't make them serviceable is beyond me?" A: $$

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Bingo

[@kez3000]

I think I'd use an ⅛" ball valve instead of a plug.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

You could... but it's pretty close to the ground. In my mowing area, I'd be concerned with breaking it off. Now if you are talking a normal lawn, it'd probably do just fine. Then again... the engine oil drain is a plug too... so it doesn't really matter that much.

[@tinacamacho1123]

You know why they don't make them serviceable.....

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

They'd much rather you replace them or take the unit to a dealer to service them.

[@dianebrown6317]

1/8 inch plug looks like it might be a 3/8 inch

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's 1/8" npt.

[@kidnamedcolin007]

do you still have this mower

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Yup. Use it all the time. Hasn't given me any issues since. I do plan to service the drives every time I service the engine from here on out but it's been doing great.

[@kidnamedcolin007]

@@NotSoGrandGarage do you have any more videos of it

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@kidnamedcolin007 not currently. What are you wanting to see and I'll see what I can do.

[@kidnamedcolin007]

@@NotSoGrandGarage i would like to see videos of doing the service and mowing i cant find anything on this model

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

@@kidnamedcolin007 I'll see what I can do as its due for service. It might be a little bit though

[@coolruehle]

They don't make them serviceable because they want you to come back and buy a new one every three or four years.

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Facts.

[@kidnamedcolin007]

can you make vids of mowing pls

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

Of mowing or working on mowers?

[@kidnamedcolin007]

@@NotSoGrandGarage of mowing

[@micahmorrison2112]

If u can pump it in why not pump it out

[@NotSoGrandGarage]

It's a fill plug. Can't get to the sump because of the internals of the transaxle. Might get some out but not much.

[@tinacamacho1123]

Dang i like that idea LOL