Is it possible to "flip " a transaxle?

I had to have my brain mostly uncoupled (IE just barely awake) to understand he was right.
There are 4 ways you could mount a transmission. All 4 of the following scenarios are starting with the transmission in stock location and orientation, and assume you work out the mounting, linkage, belt alignment, and that the belt is not being twisted to reverse rotation:

A. Stock mounting position. The pulley is on the top, the front of the transmission is facing front.
1. The transmission is being run "forward".
2. The tires will carry the tractor in the stock direction.

B. Spin the transmission 180 so the left tire swaps places with the right. The pulley still on top, the front of the transmission is now facing back -
1. The transmission is still being run "forward".
2. The tires will carry the tractor in the opposite direction from stock.

C. Flip the transmission over so that the left tire swaps places with the right. The front of the trans is still front, pulley is now on bottom -
1. The transmission is being run in reverse.
2. The tires will carry the tractor in the opposite direction from stock.

D. Flip the transmission over in the same rotation as the tires turn. The front of the trans is now facing the back, the pulley is on the bottom -
1. This is equivalent to doing both A & B.
2. The transmission is being run in reverse.
3. The tires will carry the tractor in the stock direction.


Mind = blown LOL

yep. ya blew my mind to at A

Thunderdivine wrote:

TheRainbowBoxer wrote:

Sorry mate, I disagreed with him on this and got egg on my face. Let me try to help.

If you flip it over (pulley on the bottom, front of transmission still facing front), the transmission is now running backwards. On this you are correct (as was I). You now have one gear forward and whatever number of forward gears you had going backward.

Now, when you spin the axle 180 degrees, the transmission is still being driven backward (nothing has changed here), but the tires, turning in the same direction with regards to the transmission, are now turning forward with regards to the tractor.

No he don't mean with changing gears, not his first post anyways.
Even his drawing is wrong, cus on his 2nd stage when it's flipped he has it running the same way but it should be the opposite way, and this is doing my head in, we need to see this in irl, and I don't have a damn transaxle to try it on lol.

You are correct, I am wrong, well the drawing is anyway. I just took a spicer transaxle and flipped it over and put the front towards the rear. It ran backwards. I then tuned it so the front was where it was supposed to be but upside down. It ran forwards. So basically I just flipped it upside down from the L to R. I had reverse where it was supposed to be and forward where it was supposed to be. I was turning the clockwise rotation looking from the top. But it works.

Think about how the transmission is built. It has straight cut gears. The input shaft comes in from the top. Just imagine if the shaft were to pass all the way through and come out the bottom.
Now, if you flip the transmission over L-R you now have the shaft coming out the bottom. If you spin it the same direction the motor would turn it , it still runs forward in all the forward gears and stilll has only one reverse gear and the N of course.

TheEquineFencer wrote:

Thunderdivine wrote:

TheRainbowBoxer wrote:

Sorry mate, I disagreed with him on this and got egg on my face. Let me try to help.

If you flip it over (pulley on the bottom, front of transmission still facing front), the transmission is now running backwards. On this you are correct (as was I). You now have one gear forward and whatever number of forward gears you had going backward.

Now, when you spin the axle 180 degrees, the transmission is still being driven backward (nothing has changed here), but the tires, turning in the same direction with regards to the transmission, are now turning forward with regards to the tractor.

No he don't mean with changing gears, not his first post anyways.
Even his drawing is wrong, cus on his 2nd stage when it's flipped he has it running the same way but it should be the opposite way, and this is doing my head in, we need to see this in irl, and I don't have a damn transaxle to try it on lol.

You are correct, I am wrong, well the drawing is anyway. I just took a spicer transaxle and flipped it over and put the front towards the rear. It ran backwards. I then tuned it so the front was where it was supposed to be but upside down. It ran forwards. So basically I just flipped it upside down from the L to R. I had reverse where it was supposed to be and forward where it was supposed to be. I was turning the clockwise rotation looking from the top. But it works.

Well you added the 180 rotate part later so that might work, my little brain haven't gotten there yet, hahaha but good it worked once 180'ed.

This thread hurts my brain. Too much thinking for 2:50am.

To get to the point, yes you can do it, but I wouldnt do it with oil unless you make some sort of better lube system (like pressure).

Theres something WTS needs to do, pressure lube T-axle...

Doug Fackler wrote:

This thread hurts my brain. Too much thinking for 2:50am.

To get to the point, yes you can do it, but I wouldnt do it with oil unless you make some sort of better lube system (like pressure).

Theres something WTS needs to do, pressure lube T-axle...

That was an idea for once I got the oil cooler done... run the pump off the idler pulley for the drive system.

Soon I'm getting my first one, ima try this and show you guys in a vid.

Just to clarify, when I flipped it over I first moved it away from the lift, then towards. Hope that helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErT5arOQ6ZA

WellThatsSuprising wrote:

Just to clarify, when I flipped it over I first moved it away from the lift, then towards. Hope that helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErT5arOQ6ZA

Beat me too it

Nice, now imagine you are the engine and can only go one way on the pulley.

Btw I commented, that thing looked huge, tho I've never seen any irl yet. Well my JD one but that's tiny.

Does anyone know if running a mower backwards at 2:00 AM is dangerous? Also, how fast can an inverted mower go without danger to the driver?

Edited to add: I meant run the blade backwards while running the mower forward. Would the grass glue itself back together?

you could also mount the transaxle inline with the frame with the output shafts front and rear then off the rear output shaft coupled to a gearbox that goes to the rear tires and on the front output shaft you have a nice double disc hydraulic brake that when applied will force the power out the rear output shaft at varying amounts if desired.