Based on the amount of possible "dead" transmissions discussed in these comments, that someone might want to sell me a Primary Variable Speed Drive Pulley for my Craftsman 19.5 HP 42” LT2500 Lawn Tractor. (Sears Craftsman Model Number 944.602630). As discussed here in 2009 (for this one year only) Craftsman decided to use the problematic (plastic) General Transmission (GT/Gentrans) RS800 Transaxle. The tag attached on the transmission reads General Transmission 415663 (87007 C4) and 415663C0100033. It is a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)) and not a hydrostatic drive.
I replaced the variator belt on my neighbors Husqvarna YTA24V48 had exact same problem would not smoothly transition from forward to reverse, I had it apart three times could not figure it out...I thought the new belt was too short. This worked.
So If I push the forward pedal in and try to turn the secondary pulley and it will NOT turn at all and same with reverse pedal mashed, then the pulley needs to be replaced? Pulley turns fine until I hit the forward/reverse pedal. I have lost reverse on mower and forward just barely creeps. I have heard broken control cam, rotating cam, shift cam. Are these all the same and if so you think we could just agree on one thing to call it? Also hear I need a anti debris kit, a driven kit. I think I'm ready to light the damn thing on fire. And why the he'll do I need to buy a special tool in order to replace this companies parts? Who does y'alls marketing? Just up the stupid price of that pulley kit and include the damn tool in the kit already. It's about recall time isn't it boys? You have made enough money that you can now fix some of these problems that people have spent there hard earned money on that made you rich from these junk transmisdions. This isn't China. We don't want junk!
I have the same RS800 transmission in my 2016 Craftsman T3200 (made by Husqvarna). I was having a problem with the transmission sticking in forward or reverse - would not return to neutral. I'd blown it out regularly, but no luck. I actually had to take off the seat/fender support bracket and I found some walnut halves stuck in the variator (mouse or squirrel). If you don’t have the battery under your seat (easily removable), the gas tank is not so easily removable. But you can remove just the fender support bracket to get access to the variator. It's not as easy but solved my problem.
Checklist: 1. Buy a relatively cheap riding mower 2. Search for solutions to issues with your low hours mower. 3. Go to buy a different mower. 4. Check to make sure your potential purchase doesn't have this abomination attached to it.
Anyone know why when I pull the back rod to freewheel, it doesn't? Had mine about 5 yrs now and besides replacing one axle seal, there's been no other problems.
@@garymitchell6490 That means i somehow have to apply the clutch whila also around back pulling that rod...even when I manage to push the clutch pedal and pull the rear rod, it still doesn't go into freewheel.
Mine does not freewheel without making crunchy grinding noises. I cant pull or push the mower without it making these noises. It has only 80 hours of use. Husqvarna YTA22V46
@@martinberlanga4914 Yes, I took the transmission out to fully disassemble it. I pened it like a clamshell, threw old grease out, cleaned it all, put new grease, (High Pressure grease I think it's called) and no more problem.
@@martinberlanga4914 Nope, it's not sealed, it's glued together with some sort of poliurethane adhesive, you need to cut through it with a sharp thin blade, then very carefully pry it open. I also think there were some screws, but I just forgot the details 😅 Let me see if I can upload some pictures to a host so I can post you the links
Have the same mower. Awesome trans. Dumb idea to cover it with the gas tank. I cut my tank out and mounted an aluminum 3 gallon tank off the back. Now I can blow it out easily. It would go up the side of the house if I could get traction.
I have a craftmans T2200 with hydrostatic. I noticed both my rear wheel seals are leaking. I ordered parts to replace them. Also today after detaching my lawn, it started acting weird. Would not want to go in reverse, I had to force the handle backwards to get it moving. What could be the cause of this? It was really dusty and dirt job today.
Not sure if it would be a plus or a minus. Might reduce debris buildup, but also make it more difficult to blow out with an air nozzle or even a leaf blower.
I can commend they've updated the design and are making parts available, but it should cost the customer less. I'm working on a 3d print fix for mine. Original one failed and 150 for a replacement seems too much for a design flaw. I guess that's what I get for buying a plastic transmission.
@@LethologicaGaming I agree. It's not ok to leave that many moving parts & levers susceptible to interference from clippings packing in there, but not have access to clean them. It's huuuuuge design flaw to have to drop the transmission every year or two just to clean it, and to add insult to injury, they don't readily admit it so you would know what to fix. Instead they sell repair kits like the driven kit, knowing full well that the usual cleaning that automatically comes with that type of drop-the-transmission repair is really what is fixing the problem
jack it up, pull the dust covers on the axles, pull the retaining clips. slide both the tire/wheel assy off. don't loose the keys, you will need to put them back in the slots after you have the wheels back on. make note of the washers, they need to go back on in the seem place they came from. pull drive belt from the top pulley, pull the cotter pin on the clutch/brake spring. next, loosen the left support bracket bolt on the frame on the sides & toward the front of the trans, remove the support bolt on the right side. now above the axles, remove 1 trans bolt on the right side, just loosen the other trans bolt most of the way. remove the trans bolts from the left side. while supporting the transmission, remove the bolt from the left support bracket. unplug any wiring & disconnect any linkage. whils holding the trans up, remove the last trans bolt on the right side. put the trans where you can work on it. to put back in, reverse. when you put the wheels back on, USE ANTI-SEIZE on the axles where the wheels go!!!! get some in the key way slots too. do not cheap out, get good quality anti-seize. and no plain grease WILL NOT work. did you put the right washers on the axles before you put the wheels on? yeah, there are inner washers & outer washers. now rotate the wheels on the axles till the slots lineup & push the keys in. put the washes, retaining clips, & dust overs on. th-cam.com/video/3KS_8PCsCqs/w-d-xo.html if you did everything right & are lucky, you should be good to go. cleaning thses transmissions only seemed to work good about 1 in 10, & that is being generous. the trans needing to be cleaned like this should not be a thing to start with. good luck!
@@MyNewUserName47 Thanks for the detailed instructions on removal. I got it out and on the bench. I'm going to replace the seals and clean out the accumulation of debris on the top of the trans. I had a little trouble getting the nut off the variable pully. I didn't have the special tool.
@@MyNewUserName47 No fooling this should not be a thing that has to be done! Mine got stuck in reverse and I went about 10 yards down a hill before I could shut it off.
@@groron1 i had forgot about the nut on the vari-pulley, sorry. the special tool is nothing more than a thing that slids on the shaft with a groove in it to sit on the pin and you hold the tool on top with a wrench, it doesn't work very good because you have to hold a wrench on the tool & pull or push the wrench on the nut. its very unweldy trying to do it that way, doing it the way they want you to i figure is a good way to get hurt. i believe the nut is 7/8, a really deep socket with an impact will pull it right off. if you don't have a socket that will fit, i use a air hammer with a chisle bit to get them off.
My bypass rod is extremely hard to pull. My forward and my reverse dont work. The pedal still has a normal resistance. I'll try some of these steps but I fear the worst.
I had the same issues but went a little further. After removing the pulley I was able to remove one screw ( on the left of the dust cover ) and pop off a couple of the smaller dust covers( l&r) and pry up & blow up under the remaining ( larger) cover . Had amazing amount of debris come out for minutes of intense blowing. (Get one of those very long HF air wands) Also I moved the shifter in forward and reverse to help air get to more debris. The dust cover screw I removed also secures the neutral spring which came off the post. I was able to easily replace this during reassembly The parts all went back together and now my my mower is going as fast as ever. Still a little cussing going to reverse but I'll take it over getting another mower. This link is good too.. docplayer.net/44335100-Service-bulletin-date-january-17-2017-no-b-2153.html
Thx for the vid. I cleaned as described and the shifter pedals work much better now. Still not as good as when new, but if I use the brake between forward and reverse shifts it is useable.
there giving it a NO LOAD test and then calling it good ...wtf ??? . when i worked for white (mtd by any other name) the test was you secured the tractor by putting the front wheels against a stationary object . then under power you engaged the trans . if the wheels spun against the ground i was good
iT TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO FIND TWO ERRORS THEY MADE, MIN WAS FLYING IN & OUT OF REVERSE, i CORRECTED AND THAT WORKS BUT THERE WERE OTHERS, SLIPS IN REVERSE ON STEEP GRADE, nO INTERNAL PARTS ( junk ) OR THEY WOULD MADE PARTS AVAILABLE. tHE ERRORS i FOUND THEY MADE IN THE MANUFACTURING , hOW DUMB IS THIS--i FOUNF THEM BOTH . DO NOT BUY, IF YOU HAVE IT , GET RID OF IT AND NEVER BUY ANYTHING GENER. TRANS HAS MADE AGAIN. I GOT RID OF MY JUNKY GEN TRAN piece of JUNK.
Same issue here. Passes all video checks. No evidence of oil leaks. Replaced all belts. Looks like tension is good as nothing is blocking tensioner action. Comes to full stop up hills with throttle fully depressed. Belt is spinning but can't tell if tranny pulley is spinning with it. I have a new rs800 sitting next to it ready for replacement, but not sure if that's going to fix the problem.
@@josephtate168 actually, they are claimed to be made in the USA. i think most of the parts are made in china and shipped here, then the transmissions are assembled here. one of the Carolinas & also somewhere near the woodlands in Texas from what a customer told me,..he had some pictures dated just a few days before i came out. HZ, its done to cut costs, and it cuts quality too.
I have the same transmission on my Craftsman T3200. Its a PITA, but you can remove just the fender support bracket to get access to the clean out the variator. This video show that pretty well at the 12:30 mark. th-cam.com/video/tbcZePC0LQw/w-d-xo.html
Based on the amount of possible "dead" transmissions discussed in these comments, that someone might want to sell me a Primary Variable Speed Drive Pulley for my Craftsman 19.5 HP 42” LT2500 Lawn Tractor. (Sears Craftsman Model Number 944.602630). As discussed here in 2009 (for this one year only) Craftsman decided to use the problematic (plastic) General Transmission (GT/Gentrans) RS800 Transaxle. The tag attached on the transmission reads General Transmission 415663 (87007 C4) and 415663C0100033. It is a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)) and not a hydrostatic drive.
After owning one I would personally avoid buying another machine with this transmission.
Thanks a lot, got my Arien’s driving properly now!
This very helpful so you don't throw away a good transmission. Thanks
What do I do if the fuel tank is above the RS800 transmission
Am I going to have to remove the fuel tank so I can get to the transmission under my seat?
@@melaniedickerson507 No, just drop the trans. Full instructions on their website
Keeping them clean is the hardest thing to do Most people don’t never clean a mower at all and leave them out side to rust away
I replaced the variator belt on my neighbors Husqvarna YTA24V48 had exact same problem would not smoothly transition from forward to reverse, I had it apart three times could not figure it out...I thought the new belt was too short. This worked.
Sweeeet! Mine has a bad belt.
I was having the exact issues shown in this video. Thanks for the clear instructions. Easy fix.
Best boat anchor I’ve ever had.
These are truly just junk and keeping top clean is impossible to do Which causes most of the problems
So If I push the forward pedal in and try to turn the secondary pulley and it will NOT turn at all and same with reverse pedal mashed, then the pulley needs to be replaced? Pulley turns fine until I hit the forward/reverse pedal. I have lost reverse on mower and forward just barely creeps. I have heard broken control cam, rotating cam, shift cam. Are these all the same and if so you think we could just agree on one thing to call it? Also hear I need a anti debris kit, a driven kit. I think I'm ready to light the damn thing on fire. And why the he'll do I need to buy a special tool in order to replace this companies parts? Who does y'alls marketing? Just up the stupid price of that pulley kit and include the damn tool in the kit already. It's about recall time isn't it boys? You have made enough money that you can now fix some of these problems that people have spent there hard earned money on that made you rich from these junk transmisdions. This isn't China. We don't want junk!
Mine makes a grinding sound when it stops pulling. I tried this and it didn't help.
I have the same RS800 transmission in my 2016 Craftsman T3200 (made by Husqvarna). I was having a problem with the transmission sticking in forward or reverse - would not return to neutral. I'd blown it out regularly, but no luck. I actually had to take off the seat/fender support bracket and I found some walnut halves stuck in the variator (mouse or squirrel). If you don’t have the battery under your seat (easily removable), the gas tank is not so easily removable. But you can remove just the fender support bracket to get access to the variator. It's not as easy but solved my problem.
Checklist: 1. Buy a relatively cheap riding mower 2. Search for solutions to issues with your low hours mower. 3. Go to buy a different mower. 4. Check to make sure your potential purchase doesn't have this abomination attached to it.
EXCELLENT VIDEO. THIS DESCRIBES MY PROBLEM TO A TEE.
Is there a reliable replacement for the General Transmission RS800 CVT or should I simply put the tractor out to pasture?
tufftorque k46
K46 or k57
Anyone know why when I pull the back rod to freewheel, it doesn't? Had mine about 5 yrs now and besides replacing one axle seal, there's been no other problems.
Be sure break is off
@@garymitchell6490 That means i somehow have to apply the clutch whila also around back pulling that rod...even when I manage to push the clutch pedal and pull the rear rod, it still doesn't go into freewheel.
Should u. Change the belt mine is not pulling can't find the part number for the belt
This did the trick for me! Thank you so much!!!!
These Transmissions are pure junk, I paid a lot of money to buy a new mower and have had nothing but trouble from the first year.
Mine does not freewheel without making crunchy grinding noises. I cant pull or push the mower without it making these noises. It has only 80 hours of use. Husqvarna YTA22V46
@@jimhill6586 I opened it. Fully dissasembled it. Cleaned everything. I put new grease and it runs good now.
Did you have to remove the transmission?
@@martinberlanga4914 Yes, I took the transmission out to fully disassemble it. I pened it like a clamshell, threw old grease out, cleaned it all, put new grease, (High Pressure grease I think it's called) and no more problem.
@@phrodendekia I'm confused so the transmission isn't sealed? It seems sealed and the external parts you can replace.
@@martinberlanga4914 Nope, it's not sealed, it's glued together with some sort of poliurethane adhesive, you need to cut through it with a sharp thin blade, then very carefully pry it open. I also think there were some screws, but I just forgot the details 😅 Let me see if I can upload some pictures to a host so I can post you the links
Let me tell you how much fun it is going to be to clean this trans on my Craftsman 20390 (Twin Cyl), where the gas tank is installed above the CVT.
Have the same mower. Awesome trans. Dumb idea to cover it with the gas tank. I cut my tank out and mounted an aluminum 3 gallon tank off the back. Now I can blow it out easily. It would go up the side of the house if I could get traction.
I have a craftmans T2200 with hydrostatic. I noticed both my rear wheel seals are leaking. I ordered parts to replace them. Also today after detaching my lawn, it started acting weird. Would not want to go in reverse, I had to force the handle backwards to get it moving. What could be the cause of this? It was really dusty and dirt job today.
I hope a class action lawsuit comes about
The transaxle is a pos...
Why wasn't the dust cover installed when new from the factory ?
Not sure if it would be a plus or a minus. Might reduce debris buildup, but also make it more difficult to blow out with an air nozzle or even a leaf blower.
Never mind a leafblower. If homosexual special rights are not respected and affirned it doesn’t matter what Craftsman does !
I can commend they've updated the design and are making parts available, but it should cost the customer less. I'm working on a 3d print fix for mine. Original one failed and 150 for a replacement seems too much for a design flaw. I guess that's what I get for buying a plastic transmission.
@@LethologicaGaming I agree. It's not ok to leave that many moving parts & levers susceptible to interference from clippings packing in there, but not have access to clean them. It's huuuuuge design flaw to have to drop the transmission every year or two just to clean it, and to add insult to injury, they don't readily admit it so you would know what to fix. Instead they sell repair kits like the driven kit, knowing full well that the usual cleaning that automatically comes with that type of drop-the-transmission repair is really what is fixing the problem
How do you do this procedure if Husqvarna put the gas tank where your battery is?
jack it up, pull the dust covers on the axles, pull the retaining clips. slide both the tire/wheel assy off. don't loose the keys, you will need to put them back in the slots after you have the wheels back on. make note of the washers, they need to go back on in the seem place they came from. pull drive belt from the top pulley, pull the cotter pin on the clutch/brake spring. next, loosen the left support bracket bolt on the frame on the sides & toward the front of the trans, remove the support bolt on the right side. now above the axles, remove 1 trans bolt on the right side, just loosen the other trans bolt most of the way. remove the trans bolts from the left side. while supporting the transmission, remove the bolt from the left support bracket. unplug any wiring & disconnect any linkage. whils holding the trans up, remove the last trans bolt on the right side. put the trans where you can work on it. to put back in, reverse. when you put the wheels back on, USE ANTI-SEIZE on the axles where the wheels go!!!! get some in the key way slots too. do not cheap out, get good quality anti-seize. and no plain grease WILL NOT work. did you put the right washers on the axles before you put the wheels on? yeah, there are inner washers & outer washers. now rotate the wheels on the axles till the slots lineup & push the keys in. put the washes, retaining clips, & dust overs on. th-cam.com/video/3KS_8PCsCqs/w-d-xo.html if you did everything right & are lucky, you should be good to go. cleaning thses transmissions only seemed to work good about 1 in 10, & that is being generous. the trans needing to be cleaned like this should not be a thing to start with. good luck!
@@MyNewUserName47 Thanks for the detailed instructions on removal. I got it out and on the bench. I'm going to replace the seals and clean out the accumulation of debris on the top of the trans. I had a little trouble getting the nut off the variable pully. I didn't have the special tool.
@@MyNewUserName47 No fooling this should not be a thing that has to be done! Mine got stuck in reverse and I went about 10 yards down a hill before I could shut it off.
@@groron1 i had forgot about the nut on the vari-pulley, sorry. the special tool is nothing more than a thing that slids on the shaft with a groove in it to sit on the pin and you hold the tool on top with a wrench, it doesn't work very good because you have to hold a wrench on the tool & pull or push the wrench on the nut. its very unweldy trying to do it that way, doing it the way they want you to i figure is a good way to get hurt. i believe the nut is 7/8, a really deep socket with an impact will pull it right off. if you don't have a socket that will fit, i use a air hammer with a chisle bit to get them off.
now how do you get it to shift again
My bypass rod is extremely hard to pull. My forward and my reverse dont work. The pedal still has a normal resistance. I'll try some of these steps but I fear the worst.
Welcome to the club
I had the same issues but went a little further. After removing the pulley I was able to remove one screw ( on the left of the dust cover ) and pop off a couple of the smaller dust covers( l&r) and pry up & blow up under the remaining ( larger) cover . Had amazing amount of debris come out for minutes of intense blowing. (Get one of those very long HF air wands) Also I moved the shifter in forward and reverse to help air get to more debris. The dust cover screw I removed also secures the neutral spring which came off the post. I was able to easily replace this during reassembly The parts all went back together and now my my mower is going as fast as ever. Still a little cussing going to reverse but I'll take it over getting another mower. This link is good too.. docplayer.net/44335100-Service-bulletin-date-january-17-2017-no-b-2153.html
Thx for the vid. I cleaned as described and the shifter pedals work much better now. Still not as good as when new, but if I use the brake between forward and reverse shifts it is useable.
Can you hose it out? I did. Now it doesn’t work at all.
Great video, transmission starting acting up this fall, waited till spring watched your video again and now its working like it did when it was new!!!
This video totally did the trick for me!! Thank you for posting!
Those plastic transaxles is pure garbage. Can't believe john deere and husqvarna both use that cheap trash y'all produce.
Who thought requiring this service is a good idea for a consumer mower? Mine has the transmission under the fuel tank, so it's a lot harder to get at.
How much different if any would that be to do on a 2015 husqvarna built craftsman with the RS800?
The exact same cvt
@@lukeamundson7881 thanks
Is general transmission going to stand behind their product. Mine went out after starting it's second year on a Poulan 19 HP 42 inch cut mower!
What exactly "went out" on it ? Was it an Internal failure or what ?
@@Katmandu2 Internal failure, they stated that you could not open up to replace parts, so I had to buy a new one. Piece of trash.
No they don’t
Good video. Got me back up and running.
there giving it a NO LOAD test and then calling it good ...wtf ??? . when i worked for white (mtd by any other name) the test was you secured the tractor by putting the front wheels against a stationary object . then under power you engaged the trans . if the wheels spun against the ground i was good
Cant buy fucking parts for these pics transmissions
iT TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO FIND TWO ERRORS THEY MADE, MIN WAS FLYING IN & OUT OF REVERSE, i CORRECTED AND THAT WORKS BUT THERE WERE OTHERS, SLIPS IN REVERSE ON STEEP GRADE, nO INTERNAL PARTS ( junk ) OR THEY WOULD MADE PARTS AVAILABLE. tHE ERRORS i FOUND THEY MADE IN THE MANUFACTURING , hOW DUMB IS THIS--i FOUNF THEM BOTH . DO NOT BUY, IF YOU HAVE IT , GET RID OF IT AND NEVER BUY ANYTHING GENER. TRANS HAS MADE AGAIN. I GOT RID OF MY JUNKY GEN TRAN piece of JUNK.
I'm on my second RS800. Did you replace the entire mower or just the trans? I'm looking for a metal MTD mod to retro mine.
awesome video you are a life saver
I followed the video, but the problems persist. Any other suggestions?
For any technical problems, please contact us via our website www.generaltransmissions.com/en/contact-us/
@@generaltransmissions5634 Fuck these Transmissions.
What about losing torque going up hills?
I'm going to guess the belt.
Mine spent 2 seasons in the shop and never would climb an slope and would not reverse even on flat ground.
Lose of oil in transmission do to leaky seals at axle.20-50 oil
Lose of transmission oil 20-50 due to leaking axle seals.Noticeable by oil on inside of rear wheels.
Same issue here. Passes all video checks. No evidence of oil leaks. Replaced all belts. Looks like tension is good as nothing is blocking tensioner action. Comes to full stop up hills with throttle fully depressed. Belt is spinning but can't tell if tranny pulley is spinning with it. I have a new rs800 sitting next to it ready for replacement, but not sure if that's going to fix the problem.
Why is there so much plastic on the transmission
@@josephtate168 actually, they are claimed to be made in the USA. i think most of the parts are made in china and shipped here, then the transmissions are assembled here. one of the Carolinas & also somewhere near the woodlands in Texas from what a customer told me,..he had some pictures dated just a few days before i came out. HZ, its done to cut costs, and it cuts quality too.
Because they're cheap.
To save literally two dollars.
Wow, very nice video. Very professional and descriptive of how to repair/troubleshoot the RS800. Much appreciated!!
How about a video showing a Craftsman T3000 where you can't access the top of the RS800 transmission so easily?
J S was just going to comment on the same thing! Did you figure out how to remove the gas tank to get to it? I have a T3000 with the same issue.
Yes--pain in the xxx!
I have the same transmission on my Craftsman T3200. Its a PITA, but you can remove just the fender support bracket to get access to the clean out the variator. This video show that pretty well at the 12:30 mark. th-cam.com/video/tbcZePC0LQw/w-d-xo.html
For technical information about the General Transmissions products, contact service@generaltransmissions.com
Technical information and distributors contact are also available on the service part website services.generaltransmissions.com/en/home-page.html