Among the horror stories are many posts of K46's doing what they're supposed to do for years when used properly. Changing oil and cleaning up the cooling fins was a great thing to do, will definitely add years to the machine.

I have a L110 with the K46. I was just curious to know if the plug was hard to remove or re-install without messing it up.

I found the plug a bit tricky. It is a round black fitting that appears to be in two parts - a hard thin round outer edge and a softer inner plug. Actually it is all one piece and you need to pry the entire plug away from the shiny metal casing. It was in pretty tight, but I got it out with out damage. It doesn't seem to be particularly fragile - took a bit of force, carefully applied. Reinstalling it was easy, just set it and push evenly, with a couple of taps to get it completely set. If concerned, a new plug should be pretty cheap to have on hand, just in case. You do need to pull the drive pulley and fan off the shaft to get a good access to pull the plug, but that is simple - one spring clip. This seems to be well worth the small effort to change old fluid and extend life of whole tractor.

I'd like to get some feedback on my question in original post as to small amount of play in drive pulley - worth dropping in a new pulley on old shaft?

The pulley metal is softer than the shaft, that said it would probably help to change the pulley, Also the shaft is only about $20 so if you order the pulley you might want the shaft also from Tuff Torq. It is simple to change without pulling the whole trans apart. Search the internet for "K46 repair guide with pictures" - it is about 85 pages long but has everything you can think of explained.

I did have an idea that the shaft was an easy change. Should the parts be ordered direct from Tuff Torque, or do I have to go through a retailer? Thanks for the tips.

Shaft from Tuff Torq, the pulley may be only from Deere. Tuff Torq has a minimum of $20 so you might get a vent plug or magnets as spares as they are cheep. Call Tuff Torq they are very helpful - 423-585-2000 Have all the numbers from the Tuff Torq plate on the K46 handy. Replacing the shaft is described on the "K46 repair guide with pictures" somewhere.

Searched and found this https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/docs/repair/K46_INPUT_SHAFT_REPLACEMENT.pdf

great link. Exactly what I need when I am ready to drop tranny next - probably in fall. Best part of preventive maintenance is the open deadlines. Thanks

And they say it's a sealed unit and un-repairable - yea right.

Does the shaft have play or is the play where the pulley mounts to the shaft? Since the pulley is held in place by a retaining ring and not a bolt, I think you would expect a slight movement.

there is minor play in two directions an mine . pulley moves up and down along shaft a small amount, due to normal looseness from use of a spring spacer in that assembly. separately there is side to side play allowing pulley to rotate on shaft slightly before splines on shaft are fully engaged. I would expect a pulley to fit snugly onto the splined shaft since leaving it loose will encourage accelerated wear of splines. Interestingly, there is a similar amount of rotational play with the plastic fan on the same shaft. That seems to suggest that there was some play in both pulley and fan on shaft from new, since by now the pulley would have seen a lot more force and wear than fan. It was the fact that there was some play in both fan and pulley that prompted my original question to see if when new there would have been no play or if a little was normal.

Yes, you are correct that there is normal give in the system. Also,the spline on the pulley will wear at a greater rate than the shaft. I've not yet had to replace a shaft on one of these , but maybe 2 pulleys a season and then they are good for years to come.

I read through the instructions on changing the shaft. With careful attention and just a little luck, it seems doable to me.

Tomplum, do you mean you change two pulleys per year on same machine? Or you just see two separate machines that need a pulley. I think I will buy at least a new pulley and drop it in when I get a a chance - see if I get another 12 years out of it.

Separate related question: my JD has a spring/ hydraulic damper mechanism on the shift rod just before it connects to the TT unit. Is this common to all manufacturers or a bit of extra stuff added by JD? It seems to be a good way to reduce shock loads on the TT unit, but I didn't see it referenced in the big write up's on pulling the tranny off the machine to change oil, etc.

No, I do L&G service for a living. So I tend to see two frantic lt owners or so a year that have this transmission grinding noise and no drive. Some of the larger ones as well. There was a handful of Hydro Gears on Husqvarna products a few years back that the shafts would wear, but they are about the only ones. The guys at the JD counter say to add some JB weld if they get too sloppy....You don't see those dampeners on other LTs besides the Deere , at least that come to mind.

Thanks Tom. I assumed you meant it that way but had to ask ;) Do you happen to have any other recommendations for preventive maintenance on LT's - aside from oil, filters, greasing and adjusting? The Kohler Command doesn't seem to need valve adjustment, but anything else good? Thanks again

Blow out the engine cooling system. It seems to get overlooked. You can accomplish quite a bit w/o out pulling the shroud, but it is best if you do at least once in a while.

I forgot to list that. Removing the shroud on mine is very easy, but I still only think to do it every couple of years - so far, nothing much trapped in there. I have seen pics of some pretty thick mats created in fins by mice, etc. which is a good reminder to clean it. Thanks again