Transmission swap on a Walk Behind

[Barkleymut]

My Lesco 36" WB has been slowly losing its transmission. I was happy to finish up the year without having to do surgery on her. I now want to replace the transmission which I have never done before but I wanted to make sure there were no surprises after I started. I know it is a Tecumseh 5 speed tranny. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also anyone have a guess on how long it will take to replace? Thanks. Also I know it is the tranny and not just the belt under the frame as I have kept it plenty tight.

[Richard Martin]

There are no suprises involved, it is straight forward. It should take you around 2 hours the first time you do it.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I disagree on the surprises.

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Hex key/Allen screws are going to be real tight or frozen
Make sure you take the "C" clip off the input shaft
Make sure you use locktite on the gear shifter bolt when you reassemble
For ease of greasing make sure you line the couplers back up by zerk fittings
While you are doing so check the support bearings on the frame of the mower
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If you are any good with tools about 45 min to an hour.

[lawrence stone]

Most likely there is no need to replace the entire tranny. The weak link is the input shaft bearings. They cost about $40 and are easy to rebuild.