Tag: riding lawn mower transmission repair

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

I Press The Go Pedal and Riding Lawn Mower Does Not Move

On many riding lawn mowers, the pedal on the right side is called the “go pedal”. When you press it the riding lawn mower simply goes. Depending on how hard you press it will determine the speed that the lawn mower should go.

When your right foot presses the pedal, the linkage tightens the belt on the pulleys or moves a valve on the transmission to make the riding lawn mower move. In many cases if the lawn mower does not move, it is a belt that has come off of a pulley or has worn out. The linkage could also be sticking or the transmission itself could be experiencing a problem.

It is best to remove the deck to check out this problem so you can have access to the belts and linkages. Remove the deck and that should give you enough clearance to look under the deck. Visually inspect the belt for wear and ensure that the springs and pulleys are all working as they should.

Depress the go pedal and see if the belt becomes tight and if not, you have most likely found your problem. Replace that belt and test the machine to see if it works as it should.

If you need professional assistance, visit our Locations page for a riding lawn mower shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

Riding Lawn Mower Moves When in Neutral

A riding lawn mower can move in either forward or reverse direction when in neutral and it can become quite annoying. Creeping is common when the drive linkage is out of adjustment or the transmission has a problem.

The drive linkage on many riding lawn mowers is pretty flimsy in their drive to reduce the cost of the mower. This is the first area to inspect to make an adjustment and check for any debris that may be causing the linkage to bind up.

Sometimes mud will build up in the shifting rod on the transmission, so check for that and a buildup of grass on it as well. Also check to be sure that the linkage is not bound up by rust and will move in its full travel.

Make any adjustments that are necessary and then try to operate the mower normally and see if it still creeps. If it does, it is probably a good time to call in some professional help to get the transmission figured out.

You can find a riding lawn mower transmission repair specialist on our Locations page.

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

One Wheel Turns on My Riding Lawn Mower and Other Does Not

Riding lawn mower transmissions are normally a one wheel drive at a time. You may notice it especially on hills where one tire slips on the uphill side.

On many riding lawn mowers, this is a perfectly normal situation. There is a sort of limited slip built into them and slippage like this is common.

If your riding lawn mower is supposed to have both wheels turning, then you may have a transmission problem or one of the wheel keys to holds the wheel to the axle may not have been installed after recent work.

One way to tell if your transmission is working properly is to put the rear up on jacks and then spin one back tire. The other tire should rotate in the opposite direction on a normal lawn mower. They should both turn in the same direction on a mower where both wheels engage.

Check the wheel keys. They are just a square piece of steel that slides into the axle and the wheel itself.

If you cannot find the source of the problem, visit one of our Locations for a riding lawn mower shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

The Rear Wheels on My Riding Lawn Mower Don’t Turn

There could be many reasons for this happening, but the first question is “what has changed?”

Did you do anything to the lawn mower such as change the rear tires? Did you pull out the tow rod to move the mower and forgot to push it back in?

Those are a couple of the common problems that we normally see in the shop and they are easy to sort out. When the back tires are changed, some riding lawn mowers such as John Deere what have wheel keys that fall out when you pull the wheel off. You don’t notice until you put the wheel back on and the transmission shaft just spins but the wheels do nothing.

The other thing that happens is the drive belt becomes so loose or it will break. There may be one of two belts depending on the make and model of riding lawn mower. Check those to see what condition they are in.

A linkage could also have broken but this is not very common.

Lastly, the transmission could be low on fluid or it could be broken and needs replaced. The newer plastic transmissions have a lever that can get stuck when a twig or rock gets behind it, so check that as well.

If you need professional riding lawn mower repair service, visit our Locations page for a lawn mower shop near you.