# GT6000 Questions



## RODEO

Howdy All! 

Just picked up a new GT6000, and thanks in part to this forum. I researched a lot, and came across this forum which helped a lot! Now, it was time to sign up, and ask some questions!

I don't know the actual year, but it's a new GT6000, model# 917.288611

I bought it specifically to use with a JBJR, which I ordered yesterday. thanks in part to MGM's post in this thread:
http://www.tractorforum.com/f132/johnny-bucket-6451/

Right now, i have three questions:

1) Oil Filter - I saw somewhere in the many pages I read on the GT6000 the NAPA oil filter part number. Can someone provide oil filter options and part numbers? I'm headed to town and would like to pick one up.

2) Oil capacity with and without oil filter. Can't find it for the life of me in the manual???

3) sleeve hitch - see attached pic. that's from the sears site, a pic of the product. I assume that sleeve hitch does not come with the tractor??? I didn't get it, and want to be sure it wasn't supposed to be included???

I did get the brush guard included, that was good. at first they said they couldn't arrange that for me, but i guess it was there, so I got it!

So far, running fine. haven't done much with it but run it up the driveway to see if it could handle the steepest part (18% grade). it did more than fine!

I have several large projects that I need the JBJR for, and once I get started, I will provide feedback for all future people like me that are researching a tractor / bucket combination!

FYI, I am new to garden tractors, so I'm going to ask some stupod questions LOL

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP ON THE QUESTIONS ABOVE, CHEERS edro:


----------



## wjjones

1. Is it a Kohler, or Briggs?

2. The capacity will be in the specifications section usually page 6, or 7.

3. The sleeve hitch is optional I think they are about $129.99 or in that range but do not come with the tractor that I know of.

The brush guard is handy mine has saved my hood a bunch of times I think you will be very happy with its overall performance for what you need.


----------



## RODEO

It's a kohler, 26HP, 54" mower, hydrostatic!

Thanks for the reply. I read the manaul several times, doesn't seem to list filter part number or capacity. I'll look when I get back home.


----------



## wjjones

Look at my thread here in the Craftsman section (Kohler oil filter?) maybe that will help I am kinda new to Kohler engines myself.. I have always had Briggs engines on everything until I got an old Craftsman GT recently with a Kohler on it.. We will figure it out though...... I bet one of the other members will be able to help out here..


----------



## txsteve

The engine model is on the engine itself..year on the tag will be close what tractor year is..
The sv735 holds 2 quarts of oil with filter..The engine is air cooled..so use oil for air cooled engines..not like cars that are liquid cooled..


----------



## txsteve

You can still use the bumper with the JBJR mounted..Tricky but it worked out ok..little modifying needed..The bumper it on soild now permanently..it sticks out more so no tilting needed to open the hood..
More pics here .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/?saved=1







[/url]
IMAG1330 by Tx.Uploader, on Flickr[/IMG]


----------



## RODEO

txsteve said:


> You can still use the bumper with the JBJR mounted..Tricky but it worked out ok..little modifying needed..The bumper it on soild now permanently..it sticks out more so no tilting needed to open the hood..
> More pics here .
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/?saved=1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/url]
> IMAG1330 by Tx.Uploader, on Flickr[/IMG]


NICE! I'll be giving that a try for sure!

wwjones, u were correct, page 6, 64 oz, as txsteve confirmed, nice to know from txsteve that's with the filter.

what are u all using for oil filters? 

what type and brand of oil, where are ya buying it??? top priority for me, cause i'll be using it alot once the JBJR arrives.

Also, in the "adjusting the carb" section (I'm at 7000'), it says refer to the engine manual, whcih I don't think i got with the tractor? Am i missing this? 

Tractor is running well so far, i been having to move it a couple of times a day. seems on a warm start I'm flooding it. Seems no choke, and kick up the power handle as i start it is the trick???

Ya'll are great, thanks!


----------



## wjjones

I use the Briggs sae 30 oil in my Briggs, and Kohler engines you can find it at walmart, lowes, TSC, etc I have been using it for about 10 years now it does pretty good. Maybe someone can help you with that carb adjustment. I dont think there is one on the newer ones but I am not sure.


----------



## RODEO

Found the oil filter part number on the filter itself: Kohler 520 50 002 

went looking online, and found it on Amazon...

Found the following reviews:


> Kohler in their infinite wisdom has changed contractors in the construction of their oil filter. The black filter shown in the photograph is not what is often sold this year. They are selling a yellow painted filter using a Champion Laboratories "Eco" design with this part number. A quality oil filter has a metal interior with holes to allow the oil to flow through it. This metal cyclinder supports the paper filter element. The "eco" design uses a plastic grid with large openings. This does not fully support the filter and allows pieces of the filer element to pass into the engine. This naturally causes blockages which leads to engine failure. If you want a quality oil filter for your Kohler engine, use a Purolator L10241 (or PL10241) or the Wix 51348 as substitutes for this filter. The Champion Laboratores "Eco" design is probably worse than a Fram oil filter. I would give the "eco" filter a zero stars if that was possible.





> I bought this product thinking it was a Kohler product but it's really an off brand made in Korea. The filters seem adequate but they are NOT made by kohler.


I like Purolator, so I will try to track that down. If anyone can help me confirm those Purolator filters will fit/work, please let me know.

Still trying to figure out which oil to go with. I got a quart of Explorer SAE30 Heavy Duty Small Engine Oil, and will see if my local Sears carries that regulary ($7.99/qt). Other suggestions are welcomed!


----------



## dangeroustoys56

Usually only things standard when buying a new tractor are the tractor itself and the deck - only exception would be a return that is resold with all the extras already .

Whatever the manual says to use for oil - use it , specially while its still under warranty( if its under warranty) - because if you dont, and something happens to the motor- it wont be covered ( have to read thier fine print) . 

After installing the bucket, id regularlly check the chassis for cracks , ive seen one with the chassis folded right under after the owner hit a pile of rocks hard .

On newer motors, theres pretty much no adjusting them - per EPA standards everything is permenently set from the factory.


----------



## Bill Kapaun

When did Briggs, Kohler etal EVER make their own oil filters?

As *wjjones* pointed out, there is another thread on this forum with a list of oil filters that will work. (I posted it)

I like the diesel type oils like Delo 400 or Rotella because their anti wear additive package works better for flat tappet camshafts then the "new" automotive oils, which are designed for roller tappet cams.

The phosphorus & zinc in the diesel oils are bad for catalytic converters and have thus been banned from automotive oils.


----------



## txsteve

The 1/4" thick mount of the jbjr is bolted from the front of the tractor to the back of the engine..I wouldn't worry about tractor frame damage..


----------



## RODEO

txsteve said:


> The 1/4" thick mount of the jbjr is bolted from the front of the tractor to the back of the engine..I wouldn't worry about tractor frame damage..




That's good to hear!!!

Making progress. Picked up a couple of purolator oil filters. Got some sears small engine oil. Built a ballast box, whcih can hold a bucket of gravel. Chains arrived yesterday. And the JBJR is shipped out this afternoon!

Thanls all for the help


----------



## RODEO

Thought I,D share some pics!

I am filling a driveway that was built wrong by the previous owner. this is a circular driveway at the top of the property. The problem, when they built the circular part, they made a bowl of it, it is literally a watershed, and it ponds and pours out down the steepest part of the driveway, thus a big erosion problem.

I am pulling fill (sand) from a gulley about 1/4 mile from the work area, and it's 200' uphill to move the fill. Once filled, i will then grab some denser soil to top the work area, and then cover with roadbase.

So, i built a ramp on my ATV trailer, and load the ATV dump cart, and then haul the fill up the hill using the ATV. I am making great progress, and my arm and back are saved a lot of work!!!


----------



## RODEO

Question for ya'll...

when the tractor is mid throttle or more, i hear what sounds like "rocks rattling around" in the area under the hood. I am new to garden tractors, maybe this is normal???


----------



## wjjones

RODEO said:


> Thought I,D share some pics!
> 
> I am filling a driveway that was built wrong by the previous owner. this is a circular driveway at the top of the property. The problem, when they built the circular part, they made a bowl of it, it is literally a watershed, and it ponds and pours out down the steepest part of the driveway, thus a big erosion problem.
> 
> I am pulling fill (sand) from a gulley about 1/4 mile from the work area, and it's 200' uphill to move the fill. Once filled, i will then grab some denser soil to top the work area, and then cover with roadbase.
> 
> So, i built a ramp on my ATV trailer, and load the ATV dump cart, and then haul the fill up the hill using the ATV. I am making great progress, and my arm and back are saved a lot of work!!!



Thats one cool setup you got there......


----------



## RODEO

wjjones said:


> Thats one cool setup you got there......


Thanks! :thumbsup: I recently finished staining the siding on the house, which involved scaffolding to get to the second story, so I had a bunch of extra lumber sitting around. Came in handy getting the ATV hauler converted to a ramp for the tractor/bucket.

I've got five solid days of work done, and it's going great. I'm very impressed with the GT6000 and JBJR. I can move ~200lbs per load in the ATV trailer, and I average 20 trips in a day (that includes the time to break up the soil with the bucket). So, I'
m moving almost 2 tons a day, not bad!

I did learn to moisten the soil, it's pretty compacted, and definitely dry. I have two 55 gallons water barrels. I put one in the back of the SUV, and one down near the work area. I put the truck up on higher land, and gravity feed the lower bucket. Then, with a sprinkler head on the end of the hose, I let it trickle onto the ground. I first break up the ground by putting the shovel into it, so the water won't just run over, but goes into the cracks I make with the shovel.

With this setup, I am cutting into the land with ease. In the pic attached, the area in fron tof the shovel is a cut 3 feet deep into the slope. the pile just left of the tractor and farther left of the tractor is where I put it to dry overnight, before moving the next day.

Thought I'd share. The many reviews and testimonails I found here and elsewhere on the internet really helped me decide on the GT6000 and the JBJR, and since I am very pleased, I thought I'd also share my testimonial!

I've got 18 hours on the tractor. If this rig holds up, and doesn't break down, then I give it 10 stars out of 10 stars. Here's knocking on wood that will be the case!

Enjoy!


----------



## wjjones

Thats a pretty good system there, and seems to be working great.


----------



## txsteve

How do you feel about the reverse push in pedal yet ?. I used the tractor for an hour or two and that pedal needed to change asap.
So I used what ever I had that happen to be a VW Bug brake pedal..Then I also shaved the reverse slot on the transaxle so I had more speed n power in reverse..
I have pictures what slot to shave..
Works great back n forth,back n forth..
Then I added the snowmobile hood latch so the hood won't bounce..that show no movement in this video..
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFiVEmxBX_E[/ame]

Hood latch kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/POLARIS-HOO...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item43acaea288


----------



## wjjones

Yep I took your tip, and did the same thing to mine it really is faster in reverse now. Thankyou for the tip....


----------



## dangeroustoys56

The 'rocks' noise could be due to a number of things - something loose like a heat shield , if its OHV (most likely) could be just rocker clatter - personally ive used lucas oil in every oil change on my stuff - with air cooled motors and heat down here , every little bit help helps keep the motors running smooth.


----------



## RODEO

txsteve said:


> How do you feel about the reverse push in pedal yet ?. I used the tractor for an hour or two and that pedal needed to change asap.
> So I used what ever I had that happen to be a VW Bug brake pedal..Then I also shaved the reverse slot on the transaxle so I had more speed n power in reverse..
> I have pictures what slot to shave..
> Works great back n forth,back n forth..
> Then I added the snowmobile hood latch so the hood won't bounce..that show no movement in this video..
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFiVEmxBX_E
> 
> Hood latch kit.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/POLARIS-HOO...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item43acaea288


You guys are alright :thumbsup: Yup, I am desperate to get the reverse mod done, see below...

I hit 25 hours today, so time for first maitenance. Oil change was a breeze. I confirmed the Purolator L10241 fit!

Tried the reverse mod. Couldn't get the part off to grind, see attached pic. That brass bolt/screw (highlighted by red arrow), that doesn't need to come off, or does it??? I managed to get to that part, but could't figure out how to take that assembly off to grind it???

I like the hood latch mod :thumbsup:

I've got a couple of other maitenance questions I'll post seperately!

Thanks ya'll :drinkin:


----------



## RODEO

dangeroustoys56 said:


> The 'rocks' noise could be due to a number of things - something loose like a heat shield , if its OHV (most likely) could be just rocker clatter - personally ive used lucas oil in every oil change on my stuff - with air cooled motors and heat down here , every little bit help helps keep the motors running smooth.


Thanks dangeroustoys56, hopefully it's normal! I'll try to get a sound capture of it on a video, and post it. maybe that'll help!


----------



## RODEO

Maitenance questions:

1) TRANSAXLE MAITENANCE: it says to inspect cooling fan and fins... i am guessing this is the fan unit mounted on top of the trans (under the seat)?

2) Air Screen: It says to clean the air screen. I assume this is like the air screen on my chainsaw. But, where the heck is it located??? 

3) I greased my first zerk today  but, how much do i put in? Do you keep pumping grease in until it comes out at the fitting? i was doing the front tire zerk, pumped 10+ times, seemed grease was going in, but didn't know how long to keep pumping???

Thanks for all the help, being new to these tractors has me asking some pretty bumb questions... hope ya'll don't mind :dazed:


----------



## dangeroustoys56

The cooling fan is important to the life of the trans - you want to make sure it isnt damaged regularlly - it can over heat the trans and cause problems. Yep- its usually on top of the transmission - its a fairly large plastic fan. 

Air screen is on top of the motor - where the flywheel is ( actually bolted to it) - being an air cooled motor, it needs to draw cooler air in to keep the motor from over heating - sometimes grass and debris clogs it - periodically youll want to pull the shrouds off the motor and check for debris in there as well , then put them back on.

For things like steering/wheels - i sock the grease to it, debris builds up in those over time, constantly rotating it seeps out on its own also- its better to flush out some old grease - for deck berings i only give them a couple shots .


----------



## txsteve

In the picture with the arrow is one unit when you unbolted the tork bolt..then grind the slot longer where the black mark is..








[/url]
IMAG1180 by Tx.Uploader, on Flickr[/IMG]


----------



## txsteve

Rodeo..I sent info on your box


----------



## RODEO

Thanks DangerousToys! Tomorrow will be too hot to work on the project all day, so I"ll have time to look for that airscreen manana!

I did pump more grease into the zerks, and finally saw grease oozing out at either a) where the zerk mounts, or b) the edges of the area being greased. I got it now!!! There's a first time for everything :siren:

And, thanks txsteve! Got your message, and will work with ya offline!

I did manage to mod the reverse pedal!!! :headclap: See attached! That is a mounting bracket from an old garage door (sensor mount). I took the riginal plastic foot pedal off (rip it off actually  ), and screwed two bolts through. 

I needed that mod today, I was having to back up a incline with a full load of dirt in the JBJR, and the original reverse pedal could barely get me moving. So, I went to work! Now, I can really put my heal into it. I hit full throttle, and I'm kicking ass backwards outta here

So, not sure I need to do the extra step on the reverse mod. Don't really need more speed than I have now. But, I'll work with ya txsteve to get er done just in case!!! 

I'm now wondering what the smiley limit is on this forum, let's try this many  

:tractorsm

Thanks ya'll, MORE TO COME!


----------



## RODEO

Follow up question on the transaxle fan... I see it runs by a belt that pulls it on a pulley. Currently, without the mower deck on, that belt is just hanging loose, so i assume the fan is not spinning??? Is it that it only turns when the moxer deck is on, or is something not setup up correctly?

I've yet to have the mower deck mounted, so what this belt (the one on tractor's underside) does, I don't have a clue!

Hope ya'll had a great day! I moved another 30 bucket loads of dirt today, so ya know I had fun


----------



## dangeroustoys56

Im not exactally sure how the newer craftsmans are setup ( my newest one is a 90's) , usually the drive system is separate from the deck engagement setup by two stacked pulleys comming off from the engine pulley - the upper one runs to the back and the lower one is for the deck .

Is it loose when the tractor is running or shut off? 

Only time id believe it to have any slack is when the clutch is pushed in.


----------



## RODEO

dangeroustoys56 said:


> Im not exactally sure how the newer craftsmans are setup ( my newest one is a 90's) , usually the drive system is separate from the deck engagement setup by two stacked pulleys comming off from the engine pulley - the upper one runs to the back and the lower one is for the deck .
> 
> Is it loose when the tractor is running or shut off?
> 
> Only time id believe it to have any slack is when the clutch is pushed in.


Your question of "is it loose when running or off" got me thinking... perhaps it tightens when the brake is disengaged. Yup, that's it! 

I'm learning, slowly, but I am learning 

Thanks for all the support for this tractor newbie!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## steeleshark2

txsteve said:


> In the picture with the arrow is one unit when you unbolted the tork bolt..then grind the slot longer where the black mark is..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/url]
> IMAG1180 by Tx.Uploader, on Flickr[/IMG]


What black mark are you referring to?


----------

