To:Esquire 1 and others,
I have a JD L120 mower 4yrs. Old w/ 82 hrs. use. It now will only move forward or rev. 8 to 10 ft. very,very slowly.It's as if it's in a bind or trans. Isn't working properly.I have maintained it very well. Any suggestions? ----Buckminster

You have been maintaining the transaxle too correct?

L120 has a K46 transaxlw that ia suppose to not require any servive. I have about 140 hours on mine. It is starting to slow down and have difficulty on steep grades

The ony solution I have found to fix it, is to replace it. I am considering changing it out for a K66 transaxle. You can find a complete change out kit on E-Bay

The K46transaxle used in the L120 and at least one sears model is junk.
They are okay for very light use. But if you pull the little trailer or have a large yard; they are likely to quit around 200 hours. If you do a internet search for the "L120 transaxle" You will see what I mean! I have talked with the JD dealer, They know about the problem. They sell no parts for this axle. They will replace the axle(about $900) but it too will fail in around 200 hours. The dealer suggested I drain the trans and replace it with 10-50 motor oil. I did this, it worked for about 50 hours. Then quit again. I opened the trans; it was a mess inside. I found bearing races broken and surfaces damaged. Junk! BUT I have a good engine, if I find something to put it in.
If you are lucky enough to have one of these and it hasn't gave you any trouble. Before you use it again. Change the trans oil. Get a good synthetic hydraulic oil. To do this you need to pull the transaxle. Then remove the vent plug (little black plastic plug on top) while you have it upside down install a drain plug. Be careful the bottom is very thin. But there are two bosses on the bottom, use the outside one. It is thicker there. There is a man selling a upgrade kit with a K66 transaxle, much better unit. Good Luck