# craftsmen LT1000 goes slow and then crawl



## nater848 (Sep 2, 2018)

HI

I have a LT 1000 tractor and it does seem to go alittle slow. After about 20 minutes of using it comes to a crawl on a level ground and barly goes forward at all and no reserve. If I wait about 30min it seems to start up and be fine again. Its a 19.5 turbocooled hydro drive. The drive belt seems ok but hard to tell without removing it and the mower deck.

THanks
Nate


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

If the drive belt is good, you likely need to service the hydrostatic transmission.


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2018)

Hello and welcome to the Tractor Forum. We have some very knowledgeable and experienced members and although I am not experienced with your machine, I'm glad to note that RC Wells is already helping.

Here's your invitation to put your tractor in the Showcase (located under the TRACTOR button at the top of the page). A perk is that if you add your tractor to the Showcase, it becomes instantly eligible to be entered in our monthly tractor contest, in progress right now. Please be sure to add your vote for October's Tractor of the Month, which is found on the main Forum menu as the fourth category, listed as "Tractor of the month". The poll will start shortly and will be at the top of the page. Thank you for your vote, and again, welcome to The Tractor Forum!


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Howdy nater848, welcome to the tractor forum.

I copied this from an old post written by aRBy, et. al., on MTF regarding this same topic.

"It (your hydrostat) takes 20W50 motor oil. There is a plug at the top where you can check the level. Fill it as full as you can. It has a separate expansion tank with vent cap so it cannot be overfilled. You would be best off replacing all the oil (but this requires removal of the tranny and dumping it out the fill hole). Keep the hydrostat topped up during the purging process detailed below.

You will probably have the purging steps several times (I had to do it 4). Also the section about “after the tractor moves approximately 5 feet”, the first attempt this took quite a while. I was sitting there for about 20 minutes before the tractor started to creep forward. And it still took several minutes for it to move those 5 feet. Each attempt thereafter took less & less time to complete. After you complete one purge, let the tractor set for about 10 minutes before another attempt.

After your done the tractor should feel a little faster, and also the hydro should feel a little more responsive.

•Place tractor safely on level surface with engine off and
parking brake set.
• Disengage transmission by placing freewheel control
in freewheeling position.
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine
is running, move throttle control to slow position.
With motion control lever in neutral position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal.
• Move motion control lever to full forward position and
hold for five 5 seconds. Move lever to full reverse
position and hold for five 5 seconds. Repeat this
procedure three 3 times.
NOTE: During this procedure there will be no movement of
the drive wheels. The air is being removed from hydraulic drive
system.
• Move motion control lever to neutral position. Shutoff
engine and set parking brake.
• Engage transmission by placing freewheel control in
driving position.
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine
is running, move throttle control to half speed.
With motion control lever in neutral position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal.
• Slowly move motion control lever forward, after the
tractor moves approximately five 5 feet, slowly move
motion control lever to reverse position. After the
tractor moves approximately five 5 feet return the
motion control lever to the neutral position. Repeat
this procedure with the motion control lever three 3
times.
• Your tractor is now purged and now ready for normal
operation."


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## nater848 (Sep 2, 2018)

thanks every one for the quick responses. Is there a way to check if the drive belt is good without removing it first? Should it be really tight or snug or should it have a little slack in it?


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## nater848 (Sep 2, 2018)

Also where is the plug at the top? Is it under the tractor seat or under the hood or where do I find this plug to check the level.

Also how do I put it in freewheel position?

thanks again


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