Picked up one of these several months ago - was like many Deutschers, rather mistreated by previous owner and I've in my spare time been chipping away at getting it back up to 'fighting condition' prior to cutting it loose on my acre of hyperactive Kikuyu.
The Nikki carb had been leaking, but a few seal set fixed that - and the Intek 10.5hp started 1st pull today (with none of the scary kickback I'd read about).
So I placed some Nulon oil flush in the engine - ran for 15mins, drained that.
Also dumped the transmission fluid while it was still warm.Upon inspection it was well under the 750ml these units are meant to carry (I did tilt & use compressed air to blow out every last bit in there), pretty cloudy but no sign of overt metal fragments etc (transmission itself ran well no probs at all shifting or staying in gear through range of hills etc).
MY QUESTION is should I run some kind of a transmission flush or a DIY cleaner (have read kerosene or diesel as a flush in trans is ok) through it just to get out any crap or metal filings? I'd normally not use one but as i don't trust the previous owner and the level of the fluid was I'd guess ~50% I reckon there's a tad of gunk in there.
As luck had it I already had the synthetic Penrite 85w-140 gear oil onhand - is meant to be good stuff but also wondered if an additive might be handy for the transmission's happiness or is that snake oil/BS?
FWIW ended up putting up on stands, filled the transmission/gearbox with kerosene, ran in low and reverse for a few 5-10mins - no load as up on stands. Drained, no metal bits or filings etc - but decent amount of black/soot etc. Used compressed air to blow as much of the kero out as possible, filled will Penrite 85w-140: https://penriteoil.com.au/products/gear-oil-85w-140-mineral
Seemed to run smoother than before - but likely placebo effect.
Exemplary work ! THAT'S how machinery should be treated. For absolute OCD perfection though see if you can fit magnetic drain plugs, amazing what they pick up.
My intoduction to brushcutting was reclaiming a couple of abandoned Husqvarnas which included squirting some general chassis grease into the (dry) bevel gearboxes. Next time at the mower shop I asked the mechanic if that grease was OK for the purpose.
"Anything's better than nothing which is what most people do" was his reply, pointing to a dozen brushcutters hanging up awaiting repairs.
Thanks MM, I grew up in a poor household, had it imparted on me early that products lasted a lot longer & ran better if you gave them a tad of TLC - amazing the horrible condition most 2nd hand small engine gear is in.
Spent the arvo with it propped up on one wheel, using drill with wire brush attachment to strip back the underside of the deck - superficial rust but have given it a coat of ruster converter. Will hit it again tomorrow, then lightly wash this back to remove any acid residue. Then pop some primer and paint on it. Doing the same with the blade carrier. Just find such things, make easier long term - though I'm pretty good at washing underside of decks after usage etc.
Penrite would be overkill for me ,I would rather use cheaper oil and use that to flush the transmission. Cheers Max.
Hi Max,
Yes oh I just had it onhand already so $0 cost - notthat I think there's a lot of 85W-140 gear oils around - I did consider flushing with some diesel motor oil I had - but went with the kero in the end - as seems a common choice for tractor users etc thats regarded as effective and relatively safe - didn't have in there too long as didn't want to run risk of damaging the seals etc.
I've heard kero can swell old seals and soften the rubber material but as it wasn't left in for long it should be ok .That's why I'd usually just use new engine oil to flush parts as the cheap new oil is only $2. a litre.
And then for todays entertainment I spent probably 6 hours converting an H26 to swivel front wheels. Not sure why I keep doing this sort of stuff for people, because nobody else would be bothered but it fills in the day and keeps the brain working hard
Yes I would think that's about 6 hours x $70 to $120 per hour at a shop so they aren't usually getting these things done ,I guess that's why there are so many cheap mowers because people won't pay to get them repaired.
Hi Max, Yes it was a pig of a thing to mow in between all the fruit trees, you get a big upper arm/shoulders workout using them when you have to keep lifting the front wheels off the ground to turn them. Next thing is to set it up with electric start, then it will be a great machine, because you have to be a man mountain to pull start these. At least with the zero turn front conversion I have an H660 here with the swivel front so I could copy what Deutscher did to the later models. I bag engineers for bad design but I must admit that whoever came up with the way they used the chassis rails to set up the zero turn wheels was a brilliant piece of design and would have saved Deutscher a bundle and also made a much improved mower. Well done to that man
Hi Max, Don't know if you can help me with the transmission on this H26. Today I was trying to sort out why it would not go into reverse. Reverse obviously had not been used in a very long time. Took me a while to get the selector freed up, so I guess that will start leaking oil once I change it. My problem with it now is once I adjusted the rods to allow it to go into high/low and reverse, they were so far out somebody did it on purpose or they had no idea what they were doing. Problem now is with it in neutral something is dragging in the transmission because it is so hard to push
Hi Max, The H660 here is ok to push and from memory the H26 was about the same before I worked on getting reverse to engage, now it is dragging badly. It is selecting gears easily now but something in the box is now dragging
Is it dragging like one gear is still engaged or partially engaged , because It sounds like since you engaged reverse the reverse gear may not be fully disengaging , first off I would check the detent springs and balls
You can pull the detent plugs out to check the springs haven't lost tension or the ball isn't jammed ,worn etc.
As we know the following potential Issues from Faulty Detent Springs and Balls
Insufficient Spring Tension: If the detent springs are weak or damaged, they may not apply enough force to keep the detent balls securely in their respective notches. This can cause the balls to lose their grip, leading to difficulty in fully engaging or disengaging gears.
Sticking or Jamming: Dirt, debris, or corrosion can cause the detent balls to stick in their positions. If a ball is stuck, it may not fully seat into the notch when you attempt to shift, leaving the gearbox in a partially engaged state.
Misalignment: If the internal components of the gearbox, including the mechanism that houses the detent balls, are misaligned due to wear or improper assembly, this could prevent the gear from fully engaging or disengaging. This could keep the gearbox in a situation where it feels like it's partially in gear.
Worn or Damaged Balls: Worn, damaged, or incorrectly sized detent balls may not fit properly into their notches, which can cause them to skip or not engage correctly.
Incorrect Adjustments: If the gear selector mechanism is not adjusted correctly, it may not allow enough movement to engage or disengage the gears fully, leading to a partial engagement situation.
I like to check that all the selectors are adjusted correctly because when they are you can use a long nail to feel the notch that the detent ball would fit into or a bright light to see.
Otherwise possibly the selector forks have come loose on the selector shafts as there is just a nut to hold them in place but to fix that the gearbox needs dismantling.Check when moving the selectors if there is slack before they move the gears.
Thanks Max, I had it tipped on its side yesterday while I was working on freeing it all up, works smoothly through the gears now but it must be hanging up slightly in reverse When it engages each gear it locks it up solid so it is selecting no problems, I think it is not disengaging reverse and I'm wondering if this is the reason it was locked out of reverse I will keep working on it Thanks again Norm
Ok all good now Max, as you said it was the reverse detent plunger not releasing fully, hopefully with a bit of use it might free up, just a bit sticky due to lack of use, only concern now will be the "O" ring
Next thing is to set it up with electric start, then it will be a great machine, because you have to be a man mountain to pull start these. At least with the zero turn front conversion I have an H660 here with the swivel front so I could copy what Deutscher did to the later models.
Norm, you've made my day reading this - as well at 5'10-ish and ~70kg a Paul Bunyan I am not, especially after a terrible fortnight of anxiety over the potnetial of having a rare genetic illness thats wiped out much of one side of my family. Ever want to drop weight, try anxious stress x 100. I dropped 6kg (8% of my weight in just over a week). Gallows humour as I don't know if I've dodged the DNA bullet yet.
But thus far the B&S 10.5hp engined model I have - was darn easy to start - and I'd heard they were buggers with nasty kickbacks.
Agree the H26's would be PITAS to turn/use - I was adament of getting a H660/HE660 only. One of the first things I was keen to see on getting was how easy they were to turn, as I feared a 'land barge' experience but very nice centre of gravity & is pretty nimble in the turns if you work the clutch properly.
Thank fully the gearbox in mine seems very good - gave her a solid flogging around the property before draining/flushing - easy changes, no issues. She's been up on stands for the couple of weeks since then getting a top to bottom new paint job, literally out in the hot arvo sun now trying to harden up the 2nd coat of Brunswick Green (was close but not quite the original) enamel. Will post pix when done as I could not have done without the guidance of the forum sages. Hope your one plays along well ASAP. Cheers.
Hi Nick, The owner of theH26 has just left here a few minutes ago, he is stoked it now has the zero turn front and electric start he is so happy and so am I. A few more bits to do to get it all sorted I hope things work out ok for you and that your Deutscher serves you well, they are a good tough machine. Now I have to see what I can do to the head on the H660 so I can get the e/s to turn it over
