What is the best transaxle for a mudder?

How can you go faster with the automatic trans? The pulley has already been swapped for a smaller one.

How can you go faster with the automatic trans? The pulley has already been swapped for a smaller one.

They don’t really go any faster than stock. They just get hotter and fry the pump. A hydro is pretty much stuck at 10 mph tops and they don’t last long there

Jd150atl wrote:

How can you go faster with the automatic trans? The pulley has already been swapped for a smaller one.

ya
I don't know a ton about hydros but I know that some of them are really strong like the ones in some Snappers with 1in shafts and 5 lug hubs are super tough. Although you can not increase the imput speed, if you have a strong one you can put some big tires on it and that will give you alittle more speed. I know a guy with a hydro Cub Cadet and he put 27s on it and it goes like 12mph. Which is enough for mudding or riding through the woods.

I can go faster then 5mph going down a hill

Sorry can’t go faster then 5 mph

Jd150atl wrote:

Sorry can’t go faster then 5 mph

I was waiting to see if someone really answered first but let me try to lay it out for you. Options are limited, in order of simple to complex:

put bigger tires on

swap the trans out for a gear type

(in theory) have the case opened and have someone machine larger passages where the hydraulics flow to give more volume

that is literally just about all you can do with everyday hydrostatic transaxles (or automatics)

I would like to see someone port out a hydro and bulletproof it for speed. Might have to try that some time just as an experiment when I have time

Well... This just got complicated...... But, I just happen to have a sped up hydro.

So, like the others said, there's not much you can do. If you don't want to do @fatboy_dan's last option, (it'll probably work, but it's a long hard project) then bigger and better tires are a must. You can also put something like a 6in pulley on the front, and that'll crank a little more speed out of it. The others say it's the worst thing you could do to it, but I've been running mine since December with a 6in on it, and it hasn't given me any trouble since besides some belt slippage. I may end up eating my own words but I don't care.

Now, if you plan on mudding it, then you have more problems. For one you have the cooling fan. That's on top or bottom of your imput shaft. If you get that covered in water or mud, or if you get a stick wedged in it, it's done for. You can replace it, but since mine isn't made anymore, it would've cost me $70, so forced a craftsman one for $15 to fit, and you'll have to drop the tranny every time it breaks. You may be able to protect it with some type of screen or something, but you'll never be able to protect it from water. Two, your drive system pulleys. Whenever my belt gets wet, I can barely get up the hill, so you'll need some crazy tension on your belt. And with that much tension, any plastic pulley will melt in no time flat. ALL the pulleys need to be metal. And three. If you swap the engine pulley like I did, in the winter you need to warm it up for a few minutes. That means DON'T USE FULL SPEED for the first few minutes. If you let it sit for a few hours, you'll need to do it again. You don't need to worry about it much in the summer because it'll already be warm on the inside. So, basically, it'll be fine splashing through puddles and stuff, but it won't come close to surviving FearlessFront style mudding.

As for working purposes, it won't pull anywhere near it's original towing capacity with the new engine pulley.

Now for normal mudding purposes, the best way to go is to lock the diff, much bigger tires with with mud tread, and a bigger front pulley. But, It's not gonna serve you well if you don't take care of it.

If your looking for plain speed and nothing else, the hydro has to go.

(if your considering the pulley swap...)
Does your JD have an electric clutch for mowing? If not, is the top pulley smaller than the bottom? On most hydros they're not. But I have a JD with a hydro that does. So if yours has a small top pulley, try flipping it upside down (you may need a new belt). If it has two big ones, then you need to buy a 6" pulley for it.

I know that is a lot of information, but that's the simplest way to do it. Remember, don't care for it, don't ride on it.

does anybody know how much speed redneckcomputergeek got out of the hydro he used to drive a solid axle with chains, if it worked well then that could be an option for keeping the hydro but getting more speed by playing with the sprocket size, if you was to run a 40tooth on the hydro and a 10 on the solid axle it would give you an overdriven ratio of 1 to 4, so if the hydro goes 5mph the axle would be turning 4 Xs that at 20mph, i am curious as to weather something like that would actually work

At the moment it's a fail. The chain was too loose, and the roads were covered in ice 3 years ago when he tried it. I went on one of his Wednesday Night Live chats and asked him about it and if he was gonna bring it back. The story goes that he got smart and tore the hydro apart to clean it, and couldn't get it back together. He was upset about it for the longest time and shoved it off to the side, but he's ready to start on it again. He's putting a new hydro in it. Anyway, It will work, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Not to mention the blood, curse words, and frustrations that are bound to happen.