________________________________________________________________________________

John Deere 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 - Transaxle service

JD 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Tractor Wheels

John Deere 130, 160, 180 Lawn Tractors are equipped with a 5-forward speed and reverse gear transaxle. The transaxle is a complete unit, consisting of a transmission and differential. Gear shifting is done with a gear shift lever connected by linkage to the gear shift fan. The transaxle has automotive-type alloy gears. The gears are lubricated from grease packed inside the case. Needle or ball bearings are used on the closed end of the countershaft, differential axle shafts and input shaft. Bushings are used on the ends of the shifter and brake shaft and on the case end of the countershaft. A neutral-start switch (not shown), installed in top of case, detents in the shifter fan to prevent the tractor engine from starting when the transmission is in gear.

John Deere 130, 160, 180 Tractor - Replace rear wheels

Lift rear of tractor so rear wheels are off the ground. Put blocks or supports under tractor frame. Remove snap ring and washer. Remove wheel. Inspect shaft key and washer. Replace if necessary. Put lubricant on axle. Install washers and snap ring. Measure clearance between wheel hub and axle housing. Add washers behind snap ring until clearance is 0.25-1.02 mm (0.010-0.040 in.). Remove blocking from tractor. Replace rear wheels (John Deere 165, 175, 185) - Lift rear of tractor so rear wheels are off the ground. Put blocks or supports under tractor frame. Remove snap ring. Pull wheel off axle. Inspect washer and shaft key on right axle. Inspect three washers on left axle only. Put lubricant on shaft and install wheel. Install snap ring. Measure clearance between wheel hub and axle housing. Add washers between hub and axle housing until clearance is 0.25-1.02 mm (0.010-0.040 in.). Remove blocking from tractor.

John Deere 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Drive belt

Traction drive belt care and maintenance. The traction drive belt transmits power by friction and a wedging action against the sheaves. The belt is subject to normal wear through periodic heavy load and should be checked regularly. To check for normal wear, the belt and sides of sheaves should wear evenly. A slight raveling of the belt covering does not indicate premature failure. Cut off the raveling if the covering peels at the lap. Check for the causes of unusual belt wear as follows: Examine sheaves for bent or chipped sidewalls. Check for excessive sidewall wear. Damaged sheaves cause rapid belt wear. A bent sidewall reduces the gripping power of the belt. Replace sheaves having any of the above defects. Check to be sure dirt has not lodged and packed in sheave V-groove. Loosen dirt so it will fall out when tractor is started.

Clean traction drive belt

Clean belt by wiping with a clean cloth. Immediately wipe off any spilled oil or grease. Do not use solvents. They soften the belt and cause the clutch to grab. Do not use belt dressing. Dressings shorten belt life and often give only temporary gripping action while softening the belt and causing eventual deterioration. Replace traction drive belt (JD 130, 160, 180, 185) - Remove mower from tractor. Remove electric PTO clutch. Loosen adjusting idler nut. Remove two cap screws and nuts. Rotate steering support so it is parallel to drive belt. Disconnect drag link. Loosen two nuts and remove belt guide. Remove two cap screws and nuts and rotate clutch support parallel to drive belt. Depress clutch pedal and remove drive belt from sheaves. Replace drive belt on sheaves. Install and tighten two cap screws and nuts on clutch support. Install belt guide on clutch assembly. Connect drag link. Install and tighten two cap screws and nuts on steering support. Adjust traction drive belt. Install mower on tractor.

John Deere 165, 175, 185 Tractor - Replace traction drive belt

Remove mower from tractor. Remove electric PTO clutch. Remove two cap screws and nuts. Rotate steering support so it is parallel to drive belt. Disconnect drag link. Remove pin and disconnect transmission linkage. Remove traction drive belt. Install drive belt on transmission sheave, idler assembly, engine sheave and idler. Be sure drive belt is routed from right-hand side of engine sheave to TOP of the transmission sheave. Connect linkage to transmission. Fasten steering support with two cap screws and nuts. Connect drag link to steering arm. Install electric PTO clutch. There is no adjustment on the traction drive belt for hydrostatic tractors. Install mower on tractor.

John Deere 130, 160, 180 Tractor - Adjust traction drive belt

Remove mower from tractor. Put transmission control lever in gear to hold tractor. Put foot clutch in engaged or in up position. Loosen nut on adjusting idler. Slide adjusting idler in slot until a dimension of 94 mm (3.7 in.) is obtained between inner surface of flat idler and inside of frame. Adjust belt guide to be parallel with drive belt and maintain a clearance of 5 mm (0.20 in.) between belt and guide. Tighten nut on adjusting idler. Loosen belt guide and center belt in guide loop. Tighten cap screw. Install mower on tractor.

John Deere 130, 160, 180, 185 Tractor - Remove traction drive clutch assembly

Loosen two nuts and remove belt guide. Remove clutch spring and return spring. Remove clutch support and clutch assembly. Inspect clutch assembly for wear or damage. Replace parts as needed. Install traction drive clutch assembly (JD 130, 160, 180, 185) - Put lubricant on bushings and ends of sleeve. Put bushings and sleeve in bell crank. Install traction clutch assembly and clutch support. Tighten three nuts. Install return spring and clutch spring. Install belt guide. Adjust traction drive belt. Remove belt tensioner (JD 165, 175, 185) - Remove traction drive belt. Disconnect spring from frame. Remove nut and belt tensioner assembly. Inspect tensioner for wear or damage. Replace parts as necessary. Install belt tensioner (John Deere 165, 175, 185) - Put lubricant on bushings and ends of sleeve. Install belt tensioner parts on cap screw one part at a time. Connect spring to bell crank. Install and tighten nut. Connect spring to shaft on pedal assembly. Install traction drive belt.

John Deere 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Transaxle

John Deere 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Tractor - Remove transaxle

Remove mower. Put transmission control lever in neutral. Remove rear wheels. Depress clutch pedal and remove traction drive belt from transaxle drive sheave. Disconnect brake linkage. Disconnect neutral start switch wire. Remove two cap screws and nuts from front support. Remove cap screw and washer. Disconnect shift arm. Remove four nuts from U-bolt and lower transaxle from tractor. Remove external transaxle parts - Remove two self-tapping screws and remove support. Remove snap ring. Remove transaxle drive sheave and key. Remove neutral start switch. Remove two cap screws and washers. Remove brake assembly, disk and brake puck.

Remove internal components

Remove Allen-head screw. Remove spring and detent ball with a magnet. Remove 17 cap screws. Tap sides of case with a plastic hammer and remove top half of case. Remove shifter fan. Lift gear assembly out of case as one unit. Lift differential assembly out. Remove old grease from case halves and parts. Wash parts with solvent. Disassemble input shaft - Remove snap ring and pinion gear. Remove thrust washer and O-ring. Remove input shaft, thrust washer, and snap ring. Inspect input shaft, pinion gear, O-ring, and thrust washers for wear or damage. Replace parts if necessary. Inspect input shaft bearings for wear. Replace if necessary.

Disassemble gear Assembly

Remove needle bearing, square cut seal, thrust washer, output gear, and output pinion. Inspect needle bearing for wear. Replace if necessary. Remove O-rings from each end of output pinion. Inspect needle bearings for wear. Replace if necessary. Pull ends of shafts together and remove drive chain. Remove sprocket, bushing, thrust washer, spur gears, and bevel gear from countershaft. Remove square cut seal, bushing, and thrust washer from shifter and brake shaft. Observe the position of thrust washers on shifter and brake shaft. Raised back side of washer is away from brake spline. Remove spur gears and thrust washers alternately. Remove bushing, thrust washer, spur gear, spacer, and sprocket. Remove shifter collar and keys. Inspect gears, bushings, washers, and shafts for wear or damage. Replace parts if necessary. Inspect roller chain for damaged or broken links. Replace if necessary.

JD 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Tractor - Disassemble differential

Remove ball bearings and bushings. Remove spring pin using a punch. Remove pinion shaft and thrust washers. Rotate axle to move pinion gears out of position. Remove pinion gears. Remove snap ring. Remove bevel gear, thrust washers, and axle. Inspect bushings for wear. Replace if necessary. Inspect differential ball bearings, bushings, shafts, and gears for wear or damage. Replace parts if necessary. Assemble differential - Install shorter axle through gear side of ring gear housing. Install thrust washers, bevel gear, and snap ring. Install longer axle, thrust washers, bevel gear, and snap ring in ring gear housing. Install pinion gears on opposite sides of ring gear housing. Rotate axle to move pinion gears into alignment with pinion shaft holes. Insert thrust washers behind each pinion gear. Slide pinion shaft through ring gear housing, thrust washers, and pinion gears. Install spring pin. Install bushings and ball bearings.

Assemble shifter and brake shaft

Put John Deere High Temperature Grease or an equivalent in keyways of shaft. Position keys near end of shaft in keyways. Put shifter collar over keys with thicker shoulder of collar towards shaft. Slide collar and keys on shaft. Install sprocket with thicker shoulder towards shifter collar. Install spacer, spur gear, thrust washer, and bushing. Put five thrust washers and spur gears on shaft with raised side of thrust washers towards shoulder of shaft. Flat side of gears MUST be towards shoulder. Install thrust washer, bushing, and square cut seal.

Assemble countershaft

Install bevel gear with bevel towards center of shaft. Install spur gears, smallest to largest, thrust washer, and bushing. Install sprocket with thicker shoulder towards bevel gear. Put countershaft and shifter and brake shaft ends together. Install drive chain. If needle bearings were removed from output pinion, replace with new bearings. Press bearings to a depth of 3.43-3.81 mm (0.135-0.150 in.) below top surface on each end. Put John Deere Grease between needle bearings. Put O-rings in each end of output pinion. Install output pinion, output gear, thrust washer, square cut seal, and needle bearing.

John Deere 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Tractor - Assemble input shaft

If needle bearings were removed from top cover, replace with new bearings. Press top bearing flush with cover. Press lower bearing from inside of cover, to a depth of 3.43-3.81 mm (0.135-0.150 in.) below the surface. Put John Deere High Temperature Grease between needle bearings. Put snap ring and thrust washer on input shaft. Install input shaft in cover. Put O-ring and thrust washer over input shaft. Install pinion gear and snap ring.

Install internal components

Install differential assembly in case. Install gear assembly in case. Make sure tabs on bushings are rotated into notch in case. Install shifter fan, putting pins in groove on shifter collar. Put approximately 1.0 L (2.2 pt) of John Deere High Temperature Grease around gears in transaxle case. New transaxle cases have untapped bolt holes. Use the self-tapping cap screws when assembling. Install cover. Install and tighten 17 cap screws to 12 Nm (100 lb-in.). Install detent ball, spring, and Allen-head screw. Tighten screw one turn below flush with case cover. Install external transaxle parts - Install puck, disk, and brake assembly. Install and tighten cap screws and washers. Install neutral start switch. Install key, transaxle drive sheave, and snap ring. Install support and fasten with two self tapping screws.

JD 130, 160, 165, 175, 180, 185 Tractor - Install transaxle

Position transaxle under tractor. Lift transaxle and fasten with two U-bolts and nuts. Install shift arm, washer, and cap screw. Cap screws for support also fasten belt guide. Install two cap screws and nuts. Connect brake linkage. Connect wire to neutral start switch. Install rear wheels. Adjust traction drive belt. Adjust brakes. Adjust transmission control lever. Adjust transmission control lever (John Deere 130, 160, 180) - Check control lever adjustment. It must be centered in the neutral slot and 1 mm (0.040 in.) from edge of slot. To adjust lever, stop engine and engage park brake. Put transmission control lever in neutral position. Loosen nuts. Use nuts to move control lever forward or rearward to center lever in slot. Tighten nuts. Loosen nuts and turn stop screw until control lever is 1 mm (0.040 in.) from edge of slot. Tighten nuts.