Gator

9/9/2019 – Bought John Deere Gator W004X2X018648 from Barry Brenot, 11264 Landon Lake Blvd. Gulfport, MS 39503.

  • WO04X2X018648
    • Wo – Factory Designation (Welland Works)
    • O4X2 – Model or Machine Designation, 4X2 – Gator Utility Vehicle
    • X – Configuration Code*
    • 018648 – Serial Number
  • Engine – FE 290D 23??9 Kawasaki engine
  • Common ID’s – 4×2 and PC2387

* The configuration “alpha” code identifies a variation of a product. Example: A machine may be manufactured as a two-wheel or four-wheel drive unit, and be shipped with standard or wide cutting units; thus four variations of the same machine exist. It also identifies different products which have the same model or machine designation (a tractor and an attachment tiller may have the same model numbers). If no configuration “alpha” code is required, space is filled in with an “X”.

  • Parts Catalog here.
  • Operations Manual with links to other manuals here
  • Service Intervals here
  • Service Engine here

Primary Drive Clutch (15.5 MPH) – ST637994 exploded view here.

When checking the oil level rest dip-stick threads on tube’s threads.

Gear engagement grinding & Clutch Notes

  1. Lower idle speed
  2. Shift quickly
  3. Check motor-trans alignment
  4. 11-04-2009, gatoraider; Join Date: Nov 2008
    1. Premium Member — 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster Posts: 537
    2. Your clutch will never stop turning, it is supposed to turn. Your transaxle is designed to shift into gear at 1100 RPM or less. If you are idling at around 1000 to 1050 RPM that is where you should be. When you shift from neutral, the shift operation should be crisp, don’t try to ease it into gear. If you can’t shift it with a hard stroke, you probably have some gear issues in the transaxle.
  5. As far as this grinding goes. My shift collar was shot and I bought a new one from Tuff Torq. The new one has twice as many splines in it as the old one did. I suspect my rust bucket is a mid 90’s model. It still goes right into gear if the idle is not too high.

The Clutches

Watch the primary closely and shut the engine off to see if it opens a bit more when the engine is off. At idle and when shifting the belt can be lightly moving but it should not be engaged and driving with power. Step 1 is to see if the belt is being driven with power when at idle. If it is then step 2 is to figure out why. Whether it’s the primary clutch still not completely opening or if there is something still wrong with the belt.

The big differences between [the secondary clutch] and the primary is that it is actuated by torque/tension on the belt and it opens/closes in the opposite direction as the primary. When at rest it will be fully closed (side plates close together) forcing the belt to the top. 

Transaxle Driven Clutch – ST637996 exploded view here.

Braking Noise

1996 Gator 4×2 Braking Issues – “You need to change the oil in the transmission. The brakes run in the oil in the transmission. The John Deere Low Viscosity HyGard can be picked up at any John Deere dealer. The brake chatter is indicative of poor quality or contaminated transmission oil. This information is in the troubleshooting section of the manual and the how-to procedures are in the maintenance section.”

“I’ve changed the trans fluid twice in 300 hrs of operation. The brakes had become increasingly noisy; chattering and squealing when coming to a stop. [img]/forums/images/gremlins/frown.gif[/img] I talked to the shop foreman at the JD dealership I use about the noise. He had the exact fix for the problem- a bottle of John Deere Friction Modifier. Just add the entire bottle of fluid to the transmission and drive. The brake noise subsided almost immediately. Almost no noise now.”

Speed Test for Ag Spraying

Test distance is six pecan trees in the orchard that are 40 ft apart for a total of 240 feet. The speed is based solely on our typical comfortable speed over level grass. There is no way to duplicate the speed other than personal perception.

Timing Run No.Seconds for 240ftMPH
1
2
3

Misc Notes

  • They didn’t start the letter designations TS, TX, TH until 2005 with the round headlights. Prior to that, it was just 4×2, 6×4, and 6×4 Diesel. All of them shared the same service manual… TM1518, I think. 

From Here