Tag: riding lawn mower wont go in gear

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Won’t go into Gear

Riding lawn mowers can sometimes be tricky to get into gear or out of gear. These machines are made on a high speed production line and are not always exactly perfect.

Sometimes the shifting rods will become slightly bound up and a gentle rocking back and forth will get the mower into gear. You can also check to see that grass is not interfering with the shift linkages. Rocks and caked on dirt can also cause the shift linkage to bind.

Clean out the area with a leaf blower or compressed air and then lubricate the shifting rods with dry silicone or similar lubricants that don’t attract dirt and debris.

If this does not fix the problem, then something internally may be the problem or you may not have enough fluid in the transmission. Check the fluid level and add more if necessary.

If the problem is internally in the transmission or gear case, it would be best to have a professional resolve that for you. You can find a lawn mower transmission repair shop on our Locations page.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

Riding Lawn Mower Won’t go in Reverse

If you can go forward but not reverse, let’s be sure we are on the same page with this problem. Will the gear lever move into reverse? Or does the gear lever not go all the way into reverse?

If it goes into reverse, you may have a transmission problem that needs inspected. If it doesn’t go all the way into reverse, check to see if there is something such as a stick or debris at the transmission shift shaft that is blocking it.

Debris can cause the shaft to not move in a certain direction or block it from its normal travel. If you cannot find anything that is causing it to not go into reverse, this would be a good point to take your mower to a repair shop for an evaluation. You can visit our locations page here to search for a lawn mower repair shop near you.

Sometimes the shifting parts get bent or seize up with rust. A bolt can become sheared or a pin come loose. There are many different things that will cause this issue and a good lawn mower professional will find the issue and resolve it.