Topic: transaxle

[jmoose]

I got this mower for free and I wanted to turn it in to a racing mower.It is a 1986 JC Penny mower produced by MTD, it has a 12 hp B&S IC motor that runs like a champ. The thing that I am wondering about is the transaxle it says that it is a 7 speed but it is not.I think they got the gears from belt tension becasuse the gearshifter on the side that has the ranges 1-7 for speed is connected to both the clutch and brake.I has a shifter in the middle to select fwd and rev. Well I was wondering if you can get any speed out of this type of transaxle with basically one gear. Any help would be much appreciated.
Jmoose

[jake100]

follow this link

http://www.oeltra.proboards58.com/index.cgi?board=mowerbuildingsetuphelp&action=display&thread=1142194099

I think this what you are after

[jmoose]

Thanks Jake looks like there might be hope after all.

[dynamark]

i tryed to toy with one last year the heat will eat the belts up fast i went through 20 or more belts and a Fingertip the way i fixed it was install
a five speed transaxle with a 3in pully on it that way you can in a sence select your finel drive ratio and not create so much heat on the belts
hope this helps

dynamark

[George Herrin]

regardless of ratio you select in a 5 or 6 or 3 even the belts turn the same and generate the same amount of heat. What gear you run in doesn't change that!!!

[dynamark]

yep gorge your right the heat kills on that set up may/will be better going with a 700 and cart axl i know im building my first with a 700 .transaxles are neat but it's like they say can't put all your eggs in one basket if something lets go your down untill you tear it a part and hope you can find parts. i have a foote 5 speed i had to have the input/output gears made of steel witch was not cheap but it does work better .in saying better i mean i dont move the thing unless i'm racing.all the guys i race with are allways wheelin around and when it comes to the race something breaks. if ive learned anything here it's to take care of your mowchine

thanks dynamark

[George Herrin]

Absolutely, if I make a change i run 2 to 3 laps here at hope on the test track then if happy put er up. It isn't a toy it's a race mower. Take care of it it will take care of you. !!!!

[tory]

Jmoose,     Youre JC PENNY/MTD sounds like a torque converter set-up(the extra f-r shifter is the first clue) and will not hold up to racing condition.Youll have to convert to a transaxle or transmission set up.           Goerge I think dynamark was not refering to pully size as the culprit in eating belts as much as  he was the moving variable pully on the torque converter set-up in his first post.Not that racing is easy on any belt or set-up.