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My Yt16H Won't Pull A Hill

6K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  seb21051 
#1 ·
My "new" yt16h runs great and looks pretty good , if I say so myself. I discovered though that it won't pull the little hill behind my house that all my other mowers and tractors pull easily. I haven't checked underneath yet but the fluid for the hydro is full. I'm hoping it's a belt slipping. Anything else I should look for? thanks.
 
#2 ·
I am not familiar with that tractor, but I think you have the right idea, especially if the tractor behaves fairly normally on flat terrain. Increased load on the hydro pump from trying to go up the hill could easily cause belt slip.
 
#5 ·
I'd be looking at the belt if the tow valve is set correctly. Good luck!
 
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#8 ·
OK, it's time to tell my YT18H story. You have to read it all to see how it's related to thom's problem

I purchased a mint YT18H with a 48" deck and two stage blower for really cheap because the previous owner said the transmission was shot. He said it ran great but wouldn't move at all. He had a reputable source look at it and had tried all kinds of things, including disconnecting the tow valve cable to get that out of the circuit. He was fed up with it and didn't want to put any more money in it.

I got it home, started right up and ran great, I put the pedal down and it sounds like the tranny is straining, I get a small forward jerk then nothing. Tranny sounds like it's loaded but no movement. I suspect the brakes. Spend lots of time looking into brakes to make sure they're not seized. Rule out brakes. Now I'm tinking it must be some internal seals leaking and he was probably right. I don't give up yet...

I noticed the fluid had been changed and there was ATF where the manual says 20wt engine oil. Thinking the viscosity of ATF is thinner than engine oil, I decide to flush and fill with 30wt (since I couldn't find 20wt) and maybe the thicker oil would work better....next day...after letting it drain overnight (not easy to fully drain one of these units) I filled it with 30wt and crossed my fingers...So it ran and I was able to pull it out of the shop. Got it down to the bottom of my driveway, turn... slowing... stopping... the thing wouldn't go back up the very small grade of the driveway. Argh. I thought I had made progress. That was all an illusion. Feeling very discouraged I parked it for a long time...and started long for a donor. Somewhere along the line I filled it with 80w90 gear oil with similar results.

Fastforward 2 years, the Ford is no longer a priority, sitting forlorn in the back of a shed, and a YT16h pops it's hood out in a picture of some tractors in a scrap yard on Kijiji. I call him up, go see it on New years eve day in the depths of Canadian winter and pay a bit too much to haul it home, with thoughts of returning to the scrap yard for more tractors in the spring. I get it home and next to the YT18 and notice it's not exactly the same. I knew there would be some differences since the 16 had manual lift, and the 18 had hydraulic, but I still figured I could work around. I pulled the tranny out of the 16 first, wasn't exactly easy. Got the 18 up on stands, started taking the wheels off, and, here it comes......one wheel was missing the square key that makes the connection to the hub!!!!! Duhhhhhhh. ABORT mission!

Took one of the keys from the 16, put the wheels back on, filled the tranny and went for one hell of a spin!!

We used the 18 all year last year to mow 2 acres at the cottage and then I took it home, put a cab on it and hooked up the blower. I used it all winter to blow my large driveway/parking lot almost daily this year. I now plan on putting the 16 back together this summer, since it actually cost me more, and getting some use out of it. Right now it was just an expensive key or a lesson learned.

Sorry about the long post, hope you enjoy the story.
 
#11 ·
Great story, I know I have had things like that happen to me. They are good tractors. I have a yt16h. Great for cutting grass. Noel
 
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#13 ·
Ok, tell me how to check for a sheared key without disassembling . Should I be able to see an axle turning and the wheel not turning? I realize I would need someone else riding and attempting to climb a hill while I watch from behind , of course.Would one wheel be any more likely to be the culprit? I'm still hopeful that I can salvage this mower without replacing the trans. Thanks.
 
#14 ·
Just pull your rear wheels off. You should see a slot where a key belongs on the axle. If you don't see one and it is not stuck in the wheel slot then that is your problem. You should be able to go to your local mower shop and get a new key.
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have let the Ford sit for a while. I had almost made up my mind to either sell it , thinking the good running 16hp Briggs twin is worth more than I paid for the tractor, or find another mower to use the engine on. I decided to check it out one more time. I removed the deck, again, and slid under the tractor for a good look, one more time. It seemed that the belt , which I had replaced already, was too loose. There is no adjustment. I decided to clean the pulleys,with some brake or carb cleaner. Don't know why, it just seemed like a good idea at the time. After the cleaning I tried it and it actually seemed to pull better. On the third or forth attempt at the hill in the backyard it almost stopped and the belt began to smoke. Suddenly the thing began to pull as it should and made several passes up the hill with no trouble. Tomorrow I will buy a belt one inch shorter than the current one and I expect to fix the problem.
 
#18 ·
Oh happy day! I put the shorter belt on this morning and believe it or not I can climb hills now. I can stomp the pedal and do wheelies too! My wife is not sure the wheelies are a good idea.I have learned some lessons with this machine.

From now on I will not overlook the simple things.

I should have known that the first belt was too loose when I installed it.

I'm glad I didn't junk a good running, good riding mower because I had the wrong belt on it.

I think now that the Ford is worth the $50 I gave for it last year. Last week I would have sold it for $100. I have spent about $50 on belts but the $18 belt that was wrong will fit another project I have so it works out.

I will now resume the hunt for a deck wheel that is missing and deal with a couple of the tires that leak.

Maybe these hydro thingies ain't so bad after all! Thanks.
 
#21 ·
I have a yt-16g I can not get to turn over unless I jump the solenoid.I think my problem is in the brake-clutch switch but I cant find it.Any help will be appreciated
According to the service manual (page 47), the switch is either between the fuel tank & frame or on the steering and PTO support cross member.
 
#23 ·
Hi All. Have a problem with a YT16 that has been sitting, unable to start because of ignition problems.

The trans is locked, so I am unable to move the thing around. How exactly does one free it up for pushing around?

Also looking for an owner's manual for free download, if any one has one.

Thanks!
 
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