Wheel

2015 Husqvarna YT42DXLS. Both transaxle support struts broke causing the transaxle rotated forward and shear transaxle mounting bracket. The transaxle was not damaged. All 3 parts required replacement. There are some good youtube videos to watch to show how to complete the repair.

HINT: I removed the mower deck and placed jack stands under the frame to support the rear end of the mower. I then supported the transaxle with a floor jack. This worked great for positioning/aligning the transaxle up to the frame after the new mounting bracket was installed.

HINT: Due to the shearing of the transaxle mounting bracket, it was difficult to get a socket to seat correctly on the some of the nuts securing the transaxle to the mounting bracket. I highly recommend getting 4 new nuts because you will likely damage/strip the nut while removing it.

HINT: The youtube videos all show removing the rear tires. The rear tires can be difficult to remove; and there are some interesting youtube videos on removing stuck rear tires. If you have a stuck rear tire, you can complete the repair with the tires on; it is just a bit more challenging to squeeze your hands behind the tire to reach the bolts. I was able to only get one tire off.

HINT: If I wasn't able to do the repair with the rear tire on, my idea for getting the rear tire off was to fabricate a bracket that would work with a gear puller. The plan was to utilize the two symmetrical 1/4 inch-ish size holes in the rim to install 12" long bolts. I would then install a C-channel over the bolts, which would place the C-channel directly over the axle. I would then drill a hold in the C-channel for the gear puller bolt to go through. The shoulders of the gear puller bracket would then push against the c-channel. I was planning on using a few large fender washers on the back side of the rim to help prevent the rim from getting damaged when pulling the tire. You will be pulling the rim about 3 inches to get it off the axle.

HINT: It look four hours to repair plus another half hour of watching youtube videos; probably would have taken two hours if I didn't spend two hours trying to take off one of the rear tires that was stuck.

HINT: Since I was working under the mower, I also replaced the drive (motion) belt as preventative maintenance.