Is this a Deere made Scotts or Murray? If you look up the part number for the transaxle, it may show you on the parts look up or TT / the Googler could cross reference it. My guess is that they both have 1" axles, but I wonder on length as the Deere 54" had wheel flanges rather than the wheel sliding directly on the shaft. May be NBD.

Scotts 2048 is a JD.

The 2048 uses a TT K62, not a bad trans. Changing the oil to 20-50 synthetic should improve the performance. I don't know that I'd spend the money it will cost to go to a K66 cause you might have to buy hubs and wheels and K66 prices are pretty high now days.

Among the variations of the K66 are the control methods... foot pedals versus lever on the fender.

Hi...Yes, it is a JD.

Prices are very high for a K66 (JD = $1,700ish and TT = $1,200ish)

The goal I am working towards is to be able to use ground engaging equipment. I have 1 acre with slight hills (1% to 3% grades), and initially in the first year I would like to use a box blade for some smoothing. If the remaining life of this tractor is 500 hours, then I think 20 of those hours would be spent using a box blade, and the rest would be just cutting grass. I am not really looking for a full time "grader", just want to do a small bit of smoothing.

The problem is that TT leaves the final designation of whether a tractor is good for ground engagement up to the OEM. I am not super versed in tractors, but even with my limited knowledge I confound the people I talk to. If I walk into a JD dealership and start talking "K62 versus K66", their eye sort of glass over, and they start pointing towards a stock part number. If I call Husqvarna, they stutter, and then go to the public website for the same info I already have.

I wrote TT, and got a stock "talk to your OEM" response, so I called and tried in person, and the response was better. The person said the K62 and the K66 are very similar, that the main differences were internal, but he didn't really explain those differences.

I guess ultimately my goals was to use what I have without blowing it up, and if I had to rebuild, putting something tougher like a K66 in there so the problem did not come up again. I figured for differences like axles, I could always reuse mine.

Maybe the solution is to use what I have, and do the $400ish rebuild if a problem arises.

Jim,

Using a box blade for smoothing is really asking a lot of a lawn tractor.

A common rule of thumb for contemporary LT-GT tractors is if it has 1" axles and the rear wheels bolt on it is a ground engaging GT.

Rather than spend a bunch on a K66 you might consider selling your Scotts and watching for a good deal on a used GT on Craigslist.

Hi,

Yes, and that is where this becomes kind of blurred.

The K62 has 1 inch axles, the tractor has 5 bolt - bolt on wheels, and since the K62 shares the same body as the K66, the question becomes....

What really is the difference between the two?

I have to wonder, if I put them side by side, what differences would I see as I opened them up.

The fact that JD put a K62 in your 2048 and a K66 in the 2554 tells lots regarding the difference in their capability.

Thing is, the K66 gets a lot of wows when they replace a K46 but I've owned a few K66 GTs and their ground engaging ability is FAR below the ground engaging ability of my JD X500 with a K72. Not even close and that's why I bought the X500.

On the other hand there are people who have replaced the rear plate on their JD X300 LTs and added a sleeve hitch. I've never seen anyone who did come back later and marvel at how well that worked but there are more than a few people who used their LTs with a K46 like they were GTs and blamed the trans.

If you use common sense when operating and are sensitive to what your Scotts is telling you under load and it's your chose to give it a try you'll be the only one to blame if the K62 pukes. You can't expect us to absolve you of your responsibility of making the choice when you have to shoulder (pay $$$) the consequences..

I think that the K62 would definitely work but it would not work indefinitely.

My vote is sell the Scotts and put the money you didn't spend fixing the Scotts (if it pukes) toward a cherry used GT.

Darn it! I was hoping y'all would chip in!!!! :)

I agree, there must be a reason for the K62 versus the K66.

I have lots to do on this property other than smoothing. I think I will get a small cart to haul behind it, mow with it, and keep an I out for something a little tougher.

We'll always vote for spending more of other people's money when they ask us...

I realize this thread is about 18 months old, but did you ever do this conversion? I was recently given an inoperable S2048 and nearly have it completely working (I'm in it for about a $150 so far).

The service manual indicates we have a K-62C and that the S2552 has a K-66C.

I want to pull a 3000 lb trailer about 130' across mostly level ground about 6 times a year with this. I'm hoping if I go very short distances and allow the K62 time to cool I'll avoid tearing it up. I'm not optimistic, but again, I'm not out a lot if the mower is destroyed.

On the other hand, I don't know what I could sell it for and move towards a true GT, but I think the K66C would get me there.

I hear what you are trying to do with that 3000 pound trailer, but if you if fact get it rolling- don't put yourself in the position to where you can't stop it.

I'm planning on tying a cord to the electric breakaway brake I can yank on if needed.