Started cleaning up the transaxle tonight!

So I went after the transaxle for a bit tonight out in the garage, thanks to Kidlet #2 being handy to keep an ear out for LTBabe….

The hitch plate and rear support for the tractor is bolted onto the axle supports and the top of the transaxle. It took a bit of work and some WD-40, but soon I had a naked transaxle.

Hitch plate’s gonna need some sandblasting, I’d say

Main drive pulley will likely take a puller to get it off

I thought that, perhaps, there was some sort of gasket on top of the transaxle…. Until I dug into it with a screwdriver and found that it was actually a thick, peat-like layer of dirt and oil, complete with fossilized remains…

45 minutes of scraping with a screwdriver later, I’ve ALMOST got the top cleaned off enough to see the bolt heads!

Thank goodness for the ATV lift! It’s doing a bang-up job of serving as a workstation! Tomorrow, I go for the underside, hopefully!