7010 Six Speed Questions

[arnoldir]

Hello All, I'm considering adding a 7010 Six Speed to my collection, can someone explain the guts of the transaxle. Is it 6 forward gears, 3 gears with High/Low, or stepped pullys off the bevel box ? Also any other possible areas of concern. It's a 5 hour drive so I can't go kick the tires first. Thanks in advance.

[Karl_Brandt]

The 7010 6-speed has the same tansaxle (3 speed) as all of the Simplicity tractors (except for the Shuttle which has 4 forward speeds instead of the 3 plus reverse). The 6 speeds come from a double set of belt pulleys (and belts) from the bevel gear box back to the transaxle. The clutch or belt tightener can shift between the belts and get a different pulley ratio (it is a lever that looks just like the hydro/vari-speed/shuttle lever). The pulleys are set up to use the same size belt for both sets. So you get 2 different ratios for each gear (and also reverse). It is a "simple" system and works good as far as I know. The 7010 was the low end and many did not have headlights. Good Luck! Mike.