Transmission Leaking

[Erick]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum, and new to 6X6 ownership. I recently purchased an early 70s Hustler off of ebay, and on the first ride noticed that there was a small amount of oil being thrown from both sides of the transmission. I am guessing it needs seals, this is the T20 transmission, can anyone tell me how big a job it is to pull and change seals on this transmission. I plan to order a manual, but don't know if it has repair instructions

I doesn't have the original engine, it has a 40 hp Curtis Wright snowmobil engine, really fast but may have contributed to the transmission seal failing.

By the way, this is a really amazing and friendly site. I have really enjoyed surfing through the forums. There were a couple of things I found on my maiden voyage that I did not run across on the site (maybe common knowledge) 1) With the tires reversed it won't go forward in the water, but goes great in reverse. 2) If you go very fast in reverse, water will wash up into the engine compartment. 3) Since the sprocket wells are the lowest point on the "hull" a little water is all it takes to through it up onto the drive belt and torque converter. 4) you can't climb out of the river with a wet belt.

Thanks,
Erick

[Mike]

Hi Erick,

Welcome to the site. It sounds like your large seals on the output shafts are leaking. I had this happen to me 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately in order to get to these seals you have to completely disassemble the T20 transmission. On the bright side though if you can wait for about a week I will have the T20 rebuild article posted up with step by step rebuild instructions. Another good thing is that the T20 is really simple to work on and you can still get the seal kit from Recreative Industries.

As for your tire issue, what kind of tires do you have. Most V treads need to be run backwards in order to propel you forward in the water. Unfortunately most amphibious atvs have that same problem that you are experiencing with the wet belt. If that happens it starts to slip.

[jpswift1]

Mike gave you some excellent advice there. Here is the number for Recreatives Industries Amphibious Six-Wheel Drive All-Terrain Vehicles: MaxATVs - Call 1-800-255-2511 By the way, the Hustler is an excellent machine, and I think you will have lots of fun with it. Welcome aboard!

[Erick]

Thanks for the welcome guys,

The guy I bought it from told me he had rotated the wheels because the treads looked backward, but then noticed that all the 6X6s have them reversed. I thought it might be an issue in the water, just didn't realize that it would have almost zero propulsion. Didn't matter much though, you can't hardly help but have on with it.

Mike, I will really be looking forward to your rebuild article, great break for me.

jpswift1 , thanks for the contact info for the seals, I think I'll go ahead and order them. Even if it turns out to be something else, bound to need them sooner or later.

Thanks again,
Erick