convert Eaton 1100 to 8 speed

[lynnmor 7,353]

1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said:

 

Do you know what year they started that  and what was the purpose ?        None of my old 1100s have a washer.

I bought a 1991 520H brand new and it had it.  My newest is a 1997 that was a one owner and it has it as well.
 

The axles normally have quite a bit of end play, the plastic washer prevents metal to metal contact when the hub moves inward.  Many older Wheel Horse tractors had the hub at a considerable distance, so contact was impossible.  With these close hubs, the seal should be recessed a bit to prevent contact with the washer.

[Lee1977 6,776]

My 1989 520-H has the spacer It already in there before the transmission was painted. 

[EricF 589]

I tend to give some credit to the tendency for them to burp or bleed some oil due to environmental changes. My 520 is always kept in a garage attached to the house. In my old house, the garage was on the south-facing side and tended to see some fairly wide temperature swings with the sun and weather. I'd get a random drop of oil the size of a silver dollar that ran off the axle housing on the pump/dipstick side from time to time, mostly when the temperature in the garage went up and down. Sometimes nothing, sometimes a drip every day. Never anything on the wheel/tire indicating an axle seal problem, though. The garage on the new house where we've moved faces more or less to the east, so it stays shaded most of the time and probably won't have as many temperature swings. We'll see what happens.

 

The tractor was moved cross-country in a storage pod, but it sat in climate-controlled conditions for a year and a half. Very little seepage at all underneath it in the pod; in fact, what there was looked fairly fresh when I picked it up a week ago, as if it had come out mainly while being shaken about and with temperature changes in shipping. Once home, it had some more drip off the axle housing, but not much more now that it's been in a consistent environment.

 

All in all, I'd tend to suspect that a little bit of seepage from somewhere around the dipstick tube or the flare fittings on the hydro lines might be typical. Movement and temperature changes might be making some of the oil creep or bleed out due to capillary action. Modern equipment might be less susceptible, with newer designs for fittings and tolerances... but the older stuff always seems to have some little spots where fluids work their way out since the day it was first put together.

It could be worse. I've had Land Rovers. "If your Land Rover leaks, everything is fine. If your Land Rover stops leaking, there's a problem!" 

[David414 289]

@elcamino/wheelhorse @EricF  We experienced wide fluctuations in temperature in Upstate NY, and after cleaning the transaxle and leveling it on blocks, and waiting three days, not one single drop of oil. You are correct that there is some "bleeding or burping" of the transmission in storage. Glad to say that there is no leakage at all now.

[tom2p 2,394]

back to the original question or concern - Eaton 1100 transmission  is a very durable transmission and will withstand a fair amount of use with neglect of proper maintenance  
 

the Wheel Horse 8 speed manual transmission has a great reputation for durability - the Eaton 1100 might be close or equal to in this category (possibly better ?)

if you cut a lot of grass - the hydro can be a  huge asset - and especially when pushed by a larger engine (16-20 hp) 

 

2nd gear on a manual transmission is often too slow and 3rd gear is too fast - but with the hydro you can select the ideal speed 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by tom2p