It’s not uncommon to face some Husqvarna lawn tractor hydrostatic transmission problems. You are not alone.
A newly bought Husqvarna lawn mower might seem to be in mint condition, but the equipment slowly getting diagnosed with problems is a common scenario.
In winter and spring, the air in its system hinders power supply, thus restricting reverse and forward movements. The transmission problems get worse in summer. Let’s read on to learn more!
The Transmission Concerns
If you have used a Husqvarna lawn tractor before, you might have come across the problems we are going to state in this section.
However, if you are a newbie, consider these heads-ups before your lawn tractor starts acting up.
- Hydrostatic Drive Problems
When moving uphill, the lawn tractor might lose its actual pace. Even if you push the pedal with whatever it takes, the mower might be as stubborn as a mule!
- Supply of Power
Any hindrance in the system’s airflow will restrict efficient wheel movements. Thus, the obstructed supply of power will lead to awkward reverse and forward movement.
- Pedals Problem
Obviously, you wouldn’t want to move downhill and press the forward pedal to only keep moving without engaging the clutch. This could straight up send you flying down – eventually crashing into a tree!
At times, the lawnmower might even start moving without any pedals depressed.
- Wire Loop
When it is pulled out, the wire loop does not disengage hydrostatic transmission sometimes. This can be your issue as well.
- Accumulation Of Debris
In any weather, the inside of your lawn tractor might pile up debris. Without any doubt, the dirt will cause transmission issues.
Potential Problems For The Hydrostatic Transmission
Problems can be caused by mechanical parts like rubber, metal hoses through which the fluid flows and drives axles to remain.
Just as we saw above, any failure in these mechanical components – clogged filter, wire loop, or even a broken hose can give rise to hydrostatic transmission problems.
Furthermore, hydrostatic transmissions consist of a pump that affects the hydraulic fluid locked in a closed system. Its reduction gearing acts to the hydraulic pressure changes.
However, the most potential problem will be the oil issues. They include leakage and viscosity troubles.
- Leakage
Any oil leakage will substantially reduce internal pressure that causes shifting difficulties. You might easily observe this when your lawn tractor no longer responds to shifting or exhibit the power it initially did.
- Viscosity
External temperature affects the oil viscosity. Therefore, choosing the right oil will give the advantage to your machine to perform best in any decent weather.
You might check the operator manual of your Husqvarna hydrostatic transmission to overcome the viscosity problems.
Shifting problems will also occur when the control arm is out of adjustment. When the lawn tractor starts moving automatically, you first check the oil issues.
If they don’t solve it either, time is ripe to access and fix your adjustment bolt.
How To Solve The Husqvarna Hydrostatic Transmission Problems Fast?
Now that you know where the issues lie and their reasons, you might also want to learn how to amend the flaws.
Without any further ado, let us check some of the steps you can take to quickly adjust Husqvarna hydrostatic transmission problems!
- Purge Husqvarna Hydrostatic Transmission
When the air gets into the system, zero-turn hydrostatic problems arise. This condition is called cavitation. The pump cannot generate the required pressure to offer power if it is filled with air in place of oil.
When it comes to zero-turn lawn tractors, this is a very common scenario. Thus, it is considered a good idea to purge Husqvarna hydrostatic transmission before use.
Not only this, if your motor or engine is slow or sluggish, this is a good initial step.
TIP: If your lawnmower or lawn tractor features a transmission that needs servicing, make sure you purge it before use and after the servicing is done.
- Lift the Husqvarna lawn tractor’s attachment lever on the operator seat’s left side to the highest place. Now walk to your lawnmower’s rear side to pull your freewheel control down and outward, securing the transmission in a disengaged position. Next, push the lawn tractor in an open area of the lawn.
- Hop on the operator’s seat. Using your left foot, press your brake pedal to engage the tractor’s brake. Keep holding the brake pedal in that place. To disengage your cutting blades, press the attachment clutch switch dash’s right side.
- To activate the choke, pull it out below the throttle control on the left side of the dash and adjust it to a fast setting. When the engine initiates, insert and turn your ignition key to the right, then release it immediately.
- Reduce the speed of the engine by lowering the throttle control. Put the motion control lever in the middle, neutral position on the seat’s right side. Slowly depress and release the clutch/brake pedal.
- For 5 seconds, lift the motion control lever to “Forward.” Next, hold the motion control lever in the “Reverse” setting for five seconds. Repeat this process 3 extra times. Finally, turn the ignition key to an off position and place the motion control handle to the center, neutral position.
- Go to the rear side of the lawn tractor. To engage the transmission, hold the freewheel control and press it inward. Turn on the engine and reduce the speed to around one-half of its maximum. Next, gently depress the clutch/brake pedal.
- Set the motion control lever to the “Forward” setting and drive approximately 5 feet. Set the motion control lever to “Reverse” and back up 5 feet. Place the control lever in the neutral position in the middle. Three times more, reiterate the forward-reverse-neutral cycle.
Voila, you are done! You have successfully purged your Husqvarna hydrostatic transmission. Now, your lawn tractor is armed for action! Watch this video to have a clear perspective.
- Monitor The System
Purging should remove all the transmission problems. However, if you still face issues, it is better to try some basic troubleshooting. For this, you can begin with an entire visual check of your hydraulic system.
- Monitor the hydraulic system using the required equipment.
- Examine the hydraulic system’s oil level and pour some more oil if required.
- It is not unusual to encounter signs or damages due to leaks even after purging. Thus, you can inspect your hoses and other connection for any cue of leaks.
- Using a brush, compressed air, or a rag, clean up the pump cooling fins. Next, check if you can find any damage there.
This should solve your transmission concerns. If not, check the later steps.
- Change The Steering And Hydraulic Fluids
After several uses, your fluid might become old. Due to the overused fluids, your lawn tractor might portray sluggish operation.
If steps 1 and 2 are of no use, it might be because of the presence of old fluids. So it might be time to discard your old fluids and replace them with new hydraulic fluids.
- Hire A Professional Troubleshooter
No leak, damage, or overused fluid? Then it might be a problem that needs expert help. Dial in your lawn tractor’s service department for professional troubleshooting assistance.
Next, make an appointment to solve your problem.
Final Words
So that’s a wrap! Unfortunately, it is not that easy to solve Husqvarna lawn tractor hydrostatic transmission problems at home.
That is why we have carved out an easy process for you to follow. First, learn about the problems, the reasons behind them, and later try out the solutions accordingly.
We hope that this article came of help to you. For any help, do let us know!
About Author
I just purchased and picked up a new Husqvarna TS242XD riding lawn mower, there is more to this story than I will put here, but while trying to move it on a pallet into position so we could pick it up with a fork lift and set it down on the ground, we started it and let it run for a few minutes, engaged the transmission disconnect lever in the back of the machine, engine on idle, pushed on the reverse pedal, got movement, then lightly pushed on the forward pedal to move the front wheels out from between two cross supports on the pallet to move it forward the the next opening between two more cross supports so the weight would be forward more, and it did not stop once it got on out between the cross supports it was stuck in, I had my foot completely off the forward pedal, and it went into the next cross members opening up and out and surging forward, I hit the brake and tried pushing on the reverse pedal at the same time to try and stop it, but to no avail, the lawn tractor went off the pallet and over the end of the trailer (approx. 4′ drop) and hit the ground on the front of the engine cover, etc., and continued going over on top of me, it would not stop! I pushed my upper body out to the left side of the tractor (opposite of the discharge shoot side), with my legs, I hit the ground on my left side, broke my left hand/wrist, the tractor crushed my left foot, got some cuts and bruises and a good knock on my right forehead, but I’m alive. It hit me on my right side on my back/side somewhat, but fell mostly off of me on it’s left side, engine died. This all took place in a mere few few seconds and no time to react fast enough to keep it from going off the end of the trailer where the pallet was placed. Before this, the combo pallet/crate it was supped in, the bottom part of the crate was destroyed in shipment, and the front of the lawn tractor was half way pushed through the box and off the pallet. the pallet part of the crate was destroyed so someone put it all on top off another larger pallet it should not have been put on. The company I purchased this through should not have accepted delivery of it, they won’t the next time. Husqvarna should make changes to who is moving these machines around, and fire anyone who does this to a crate and yet continues to ship it out in the state this one was in, it could have been a lot worse and I could have died, hope Husqvarna reaches out to me offering me some help. I do like the product and that it is made here in America, and hope I heal well enough to use the new one they are sending to me to replace this one, I’m a disabled Navy Vietnam Veteran, I’m going on 66 years old and this really hurt me bad and set me back health wise, but I think Husqvarna makes a damn good riding lawn mower, with all options this model has it should work out great, it obviously has plenty of power, Semper FI!