# Toro PowerShift Transmission Maintenance



## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I have been meaning to remove and open up the transmission for some maintenance, but the process of removing it seemed to be somewhat complicated. Today, I decided what the heck . . . gave it a shot.

I found a set of transmission removal instructions on the Internet, so that was helpful.

Here is the process with a few of my tweaks and some pictures, for anyone who may need it.

1) Drain the gas (unless the tank is fairly empty)

2) remove the top belt cover pull it to the right side 

3) tip the machine up on the bucket 

4) disconnect the shift linkage at the ball joint near the transmission & remove the chassis back plate that covers the transmission 

5) rotate the wheels to move the chain until you see the master link & remove the master link & the chain 

6) remove the wheels 









7) remove the 2 large shoulder bolts that form the pivot of the powershift & remove the axle assembly 









8) remove the lower belt cover 

9) remove the retainer for the cable that leads through the chassis on the right side & slide out the barrel end of the cable to make it loose









10) remove the pivot latch assembly by removing the bolt on both sides and detach the cable that controls the pivot latch by removing the retaining plug, be sure to account for the spring that provides downward tension on the pivot latch upon re-assembly.

11) remove 2 bolts on both sides of the transmission mount that hold it to the chassis 

12) push the transmission up & remove the belt 

13) pull the transmission mount out and turn it so that you can access the top bolts holding the transmission to the mount.









14) remove the 4 bolts that hold the transmission to the mount 

15) remove the forward/reverse cable from the transmission by loosening the retaining bracket 

















I got the transmission on the bench for disassembly. There are a couple of roll pins that have to come out before you separate the case halves.









The gears and linkages looked pretty good as there was a fair amount of grease in the transmission case.









I don't think I'll need to do too much work on it, since there is no internal rust on the gears, etc. The whole disassembly of the machine seems like a lot of work, just to get a glimpse inside the tranny, but probably something that is only needed about every 10 years or so.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

clean it up, pack with new white lithium grease, and put back together........if any rust, wire brush on wheel every gear and shaft....then put back together.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

This guys got a 5 part series on the PS trans.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

Sblg 43 has a three or four part video that rocks....also the Powershift service manual is cheap and good!


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Yes, I've seen the YouTube series that @*Sblg43* has on the tranny rebuild. My issue was understanding how to get the tranny out of the machine to begin with. Flipping the machine up on its bucket was the key to success.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Wow, that is quite a process. Nice job getting it out and apart! 

After working on my lawn tractor's transmission this fall, that type of transmission setup is now more familiar. My tractor transmission wore out its differential gears, and began slipping. It ended up being cheaper (and easier) to buy a used replacement tranny locally, rather than to buy the ~6 individual differential components. 

It probably has no "bearing" on things, but the worn-out tranny had grease in it. The replacement had gone to gear oil. The grease had pretty much all been pushed away, as shown in yours, so it was piled up next to the gears. The gear oil at least *seems* like a good choice to me, as the gears sit in the oil, and distribute it whenever the tranny is spinning. There was a lot of grease in my worn-out tranny, but most of it was next to the moving parts, and no longer on the gear teeth. I'm hoping the oil-holding replacement will hold up better. 

At least you can redistribute some of your grease onto the gears. I've heard not to mix different greases, as some are incompatible, and will not lubricate well if mixed. So it might be good to get the old stuff out, if you're going to add something different.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I was thinking of going with oil to keep the lubrication up. Any reason I should not just add oil to the the grease in the gear case? 

Since there is no rust, I don't plan on taking the gears out.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Adding some gear oil to the case is kind of what I was thinking. Maybe that's a bad idea, but it seems reasonable to me. 

You don't want to flood it and have it dripping everywhere. But adding some oil, enough to have the larger gears dipping into it, seems like it might be useful. It might get tossed around enough to help keep a coating on things. But not so much that it will overflow out the holes where the shafts exit, since I'm guessing they don't have seals for this. 

I'm curious what people with experience with these say, however. 

I don't have access to a parts washer at the moment, which seemed like the proper tool for cleaning old grease off the gears, casings, etc. So I was kind of glad I didn't have to try and decide whether to replace the grease in my old transmission. So far, I prefer the idea of oil in the replacement tranny.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I added the link to the videos since someone coming here later on looking for info would likely benefit from finding out how to remove the trans and tear into it. I know I have. Will bookmark for this summer hopefully I'll have a chance to work on one of mine.

I haven't looked in a service manual for it but I would think 00 grease would be the thing to use. It's what they use in lawn mower and lawn tractor transmissions. It's thinner than grease but thicker than oil. That's why it works well in cold temps and doesn't get past a good seal.

.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I poured some Quicksilver gear oil that I have for my boat engines into the lower case of the transmission. Just enough to have the gears dipping in the oil as they turn. I'm thinking the combination of the oil and grease will make a slurry of lubrication.

As I work on this Toro Powershift, I am thinking it may have gone in for major maintenance about half-way through its 19 year life.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I buttoned up the transmission and cleaned up the casing. I put a bead of flange sealant around the casing half before closing it up, just to make sure it had a good seal and would not seep any oil, etc.









then I went to install the transmission using the reverse of the 15 step process. Tightening the bolt on the reverse cable bracket . . . and . . . ooooppps. the bolt went in and before I could even put the slightest amount of torque on it the thing spun freely. :surprise: . . . the threads were stripped :sad2:









Not sure at this point if I should go with a helix coil or just tap the next larger screw as a fix. :icon-shrug: thoughts?

In other news, I was cleaning up the wheels and decided to take the tires off to clean up the rims. I managed to puncture the inner tube on one of the tires. It seems like I don't have the proper tool to remove the tire. I got a full-size tire changer tool, but not something that is small enough for OPE tires/wheels.

Any help with the tire changing? Do I need the inner tubes, or will the bead hold air like on an automotive tire?

For now, I'm going to limit myself to re-painting some of the chassis frame parts, hoping not to do any more harm. lain:


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Ugh, that sucks about the stripped screw, sorry. 

I can't tell from the pic, does it go into a boss raised up from the rest of the tranny case? Or is it flush with the top of the case? 

If it's good with the case, then hopefully there's a decent amount of metal around the tapped hole. 

Can the mating piece accommodate a larger diameter screw? If it can't take a larger screw, then you'd have to use a Helicoil. If you can use a bigger screw, then I'd figure out which method requires a smaller hole. I suspect that a Helicoil would require a larger hole, increasing the risk of breaking through the side of the boss in the tranny case, when drilling and tapping.

I was under the impression that most of these blower tires are tubeless. But if this has tubes, then maybe it requires them, either due to wheel/tire design, or possibly leaky tires at some point in its history. I don't know, sorry. 

I've heard people say that removing/reinstalling the tires on these can be a real bear. Even with the small Harbor Freight tire changer.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

The screw abutment is slightly raised from the surface of the case, but also sunken into the case for thread depth. I think it is a 3/4" long bolt, 1/4" - 20 thread size. I checked the bracket and it will not take a 5/16" bolt without a reaming. So, I think I'll go the helix route.

As far as the tire, maybe I can patch the tube, otherwise it is off to Tractor Supply to get another one. I assume that the tube was there for a reason.

I guess this is one of the reasons to have more than one snowblower, because if you go to work on it an stuff happens to delay the process, you've got a back-up or two lain:


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

The tap drill size is a little smaller for a 5/16"-18 thread (0.257"), vs a Helicoil for 1/4"-20 (0.266"). So, if it was easy to drill out the hole in the bracket to accommodate a 5/16" bolt, then going to a 5/16" would leave just a little bit more material in the tranny casing, vs using a Helicoil. 

Also, on sealing the transmission halves. For my tractor, I used a "Hylomar"-style sealant by Permatex. It was recommended because it's thick enough to help form a seal, but it doesn't harden. So, unlike silicone, for instance, you aren't gluing the tranny halves together, which can make them kind of a bear to disassemble in the future. 

It worked out well, because sure enough my first fix didn't work, and I had to open the case a second time. Fortunately, it split pretty easily, just fighting the tightness of the alignment dowels. But if I had used something like silicone around the entire housing surfaces, it would have been much harder to open again without damaging something.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Thanks Red O,

I may go with the 5/16" , or even some JB Weld :smile2:

For the tranny case halves I used "Permatex Anerobic Gasket Maker" comes out like a red jelly. Not sure what it all means, but it is what was recommended for my 2-stroke outboard that I re-built last winter.

In other news, I got the tires/rims separated. The inner tube may be OK afterall.









The tubes are necessary as they are carrying the valve stems. There is a bit of rust on them and even inside the rim. So, I will take care of that then re-assemble


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

If I have tire issues I always remove the tubes and add valve stems and use bead sealant, Also put the Green tire slime in all my small tires and have yet to have a issue, My only issue with tubes is if a leak does happen the only option is to pull the tube and that is a bit much in the snow, Tubeless in a pinch can even use fix a flat but the tire Slime seals leaks as they happen thus why I like it.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Quick Update . . .

I got both a 5/16-18 (standard thread) and a 5/16-24 (fine thread) tap and matching hardware. Not sure which would be better to use . . . fine or standard thread. I am thinking the fine thread would allow for more precise tightening with less risk of over-tightening and ripping the threads. Not sure of that logic vs. a bigger thread of the standard thread pitch.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I would probably use the coarse thread. Your existing bolt was likely coarse, 1/4-20, not fine, 1/4-28. 

The coarse 5/16-18 requires a smaller tap drill (0.257) than the fine 5/16-24 (0.272), leaving more metal in the tranny case.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Thanks, Red O :smile2: Standard thread it is. I sort of came to that same conclusion as well once looking closer at the threads.
Here are the new threads cut . . . I was able to bore about 0.55" into the casing abutment, then tapped the hole.









I got the 5/16" bolt installed. I could only get a 3/4" bolt, whereas the original 1/4" bolt was 1/2" . So, I used a couple of extra washers to take up the slack.









Now moving forward with the tranny installation.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Very nice! I'm glad the threads worked out ok. Hopefully the transmission will be in good shape for a long time to come.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

tpenfield said:


> I was thinking of going with oil to keep the lubrication up. Any reason I should not just add oil to the the grease in the gear case?
> 
> Since there is no rust, I don't plan on taking the gears out.


 * Woah now there cowboy!!! I would NOT go adding gear oil to the punch bowl. TORO specs oot LUBRIPLATE Mag1 grease. but that ride the white lighting lithium grease will also work.*


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I agree with Todd....white lithium is my choice.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> * Woah now there cowboy!!! I would NOT go adding gear oil to the punch bowl. TORO specs oot LUBRIPLATE Mag1 grease. but that ride the white lighting lithium grease will also work.*


Yup, one or the other and always go with the recommended lubricant after a cleaning. Lubricants do not last forever and I would think you got your moneys worth on the original fill.:happy:


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Well, it is a bit late to change the lubrication approach. . . .

The tranny is back in the machine.









Just working on getting the tires back on the rims . . . makes the tranny work seem like a cake walk. lain:


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Quick update. . .

After watching a few YouTube videos on small tire mounting, I managed to get the tires back on the rims. However, I patched a puncture in one of the tubes, but managed to make another puncture upon installing the tires :crying:

So, I'm 50% on tire installation . . . :sad2:


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

But thing of all the experience you gained, priceless :devil:

.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

* I TRUST you got a new panel fastener for it also.*


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> * I TRUST you got a new panel fastener for it also.*


:smiley-confused013:


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

All set :smile2:

















I managed to figure out the tire mounting thing and got both tires mounted and holding air.

I ran the machine out in the road a bit just to test out the transmission. It shifts a lot smoother. So it all should be good for a while. :wink2:


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

Saved another one Ted....you are my hero......that PS will outlive all of us now!


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

cranman said:


> Saved another one Ted....you are my hero......that PS will outlive all of us now!


Thanks, @cranman

Regarding the Toro PowerShift's, I see more and more of them listed on CL. It seems like more Powershift blowers than the bread & butter Toro 521 and 724 models. I wonder if the PS line was a bigger seller back in the day, or if the ones that were made are still around because people keep 'em rather than junk them. :smiley-confused013:

There is a PS 824 out near Pittsfield MA listed on CL for $50 that is advertised as having transmission problems . . . wondering if that is just a simple fix, like the linkage, or something more involved. . . could be a money maker or a money pit. :smile2:


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## old ope mechanic (Feb 16, 2018)

or cheap spare parts, 
as to sales we never had any left over,every one we could get sold out .
they are a beast as far as construction goes, kept up 30 years is easy


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

old ope mechanic said:


> or cheap spare parts,
> as to sales we never had any left over,every one we could get sold out .
> they are a beast as far as construction goes, kept up 30 years is easy


Weren’t the PowerShift machines about $1,500 new back in the day?


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## old ope mechanic (Feb 16, 2018)

depending on the machine ,we sold them from 900 to 1500.and up the early ones with the mitsu motors were the ones we had problems with, gearbox wise i never had to service the insides of one but did change lots of worn linkage parts .the tie rod ends would wear out ,get sloppy not push to where it should have
the gear box itself was really lifetime greased, only had a certain amount inside.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*When my Dad bought the 8-28 back in 1993. I think it was around 1800.00 bucks for it.mg:mg::emoticon-south-park*


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> *When my Dad bought the 8-28 back in 1993. I think it was around 1800.00 bucks for it.mg:mg::emoticon-south-park*


Wow :surprise: That would be about $3,000+ today.

I wonder why Toro does not bring back the Powershift models along with some Powermax features to better compete with the high-end Ariens and Honda machines?


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

tpenfield said:


> I wonder why Toro does not bring back the Powershift models along with some Powermax features to better compete with the high-end Ariens and Honda machines?


I'm gonna guess 2 reasons: cost, and money  

I don't know. I'm not aware of other geared-transmission machines at the moment. Either those trannies were just too expensive (likely), or they didn't have enough appeal to consumers. Which is admittedly kind of 2 sides of the same coin. 

The PowerShift feature itself has a lot of fans around here. And I haven't gotten to use it myself, but I understand how it helps. But I wonder if it's just not enough of a selling point, for the complexity that it requires. 

Any machine will clear snow. As I understand it, the biggest benefit to PowerShift is EOD, or other scenarios where the bucket wants to ride up on top of the snow. That obviously has advantages. But maybe people get more excited about bigger engines, or other "flashy" features (electric chute controls, etc), vs a feature that offers its main benefit under somewhat specific conditions. 

There was also Toro's drum auger. No one else seems to be using that now, though I don't know the reasons for that. 

Maybe the PowerShift was just a bit too much of an "odd duck"? Geared tranny, movable wheel position, and drum augers, are all features that seem to have gone away, for better or worse. Maybe they'd be fighting an uphill battle against cost, as well as educating consumers about why they should want those features? 

I see your point, though. I now consider some sort of steering-assist function to be a really nice feature on a machine, to make it less of a handful. Add trigger steering and maybe Quick Stick to a PowerShift, and you could have quite the machine on your hands! Even if you had to go to a friction disk transmission, you'd still get a bunch of the functional PS benefits. 

I was looking to buy a PowerShift to replace my MTD, ~6 years ago. Primarily for the geared tranny, as I was sick of the slipping disk in the MTD. But I ended up with an Ariens, and haven't tried dipping a toe in the PS water. I now realize that a good friction system can transfer enough torque to spin the tires, which makes the geared tranny a bit less compelling.


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## old ope mechanic (Feb 16, 2018)

IMMO

item one would be having to buy the trannies from their competitor HUSKY since they purchased the peerless tranie line when tech went under,
item two would be lowering the costs to help sell in box stores since the gearbox was a major cost and friction drives cheaper


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