Mini Fastrak 36" overheating hydro?

[jstonemo]

My MFT 36" has been having a problem with the left hydro. After mowing for an hour or more, it starts to not respond going forward, like it is overheating. The dealer tested the mower and said the hydros were still strong, but he did retension the drive belt to take up some slack.

Am I just running it too long without a break? Mostly flat ground, with some slight slopes here and there and I am running it close to top speed.

[mowerconsultant]

How old is your unit? how many hours do you think are on it?

[jstonemo]

I bought it Mar. 2007. Have no clue as to the number of hours. I would guess over 400.

I posted about it overheating last year when the fan pulley blades were sheared off by a stick. The new pulley stopped the overheating then, but now it seems to be doing it after using it for a long time.

I read the Hydro Gear EZT manual, and it mentioned about the oil being changed if the oil was breaking down. You have to remove the hydro to do that which I can do. I thought maybe the oil got too hot when the fan broke and prematurely degraded the oil.

[mowerconsultant]

Changing the oil may help, I would try it before replacing the hydro.