Repairs Transmission

[sadgrove]

Craftsman Model no. 944.600801 20.5 HP 42" Lawn Tractor (Note the model no. is for a Canadian unit) I have both the owners manual and the illustrated parts list.

After running the tractor for about 30 minutes to cut grass I stopped the mower and put it in neutral.

When I next started it to put it away I could move the lever to forward and reverse but got a grinding noise and no movement either way. I turned it off and pulled the freewheel control out to push it but the rear wheels were locked like when the freewheel control is in to run the mower.

I wondered about fluid in the transmission but could not find a plug to check or top up the transmission fluid. Can someone tell me where that plug is and if you feel it might be a fluid issue or something else?

Thanks

 

[bertsmobile1]

Remove the right wheel and check the brake.
You will most likely find it locked solid with debris.
jack up the rear end.
The brake works on the layshaft so it locks the diff causing 1 wheel to go forward and the other to go backwards, which is how the P position works on an auto tranny.
If the brake is locked you should be able to turn the wheels in the air and they will go in opposite directions.

 

[NorthBama]

What is going on with all the junk on the post above is it a hacker

 

[bertsmobile1]

Yes but the moderators remove the spam when they find it so pleas refrain from commenting because it becomes very confusing when your post has nothing to relate to.

 

[NorthBama]

thanks I will remember

 

[sadgrove]

Remove the right wheel and check the brake.
You will most likely find it locked solid with debris.
jack up the rear end.
The brake works on the layshaft so it locks the diff causing 1 wheel to go forward and the other to go backwards, which is how the P position works on an auto tranny.
If the brake is locked you should be able to turn the wheels in the air and they will go in opposite directions.

Thanks Bertsmobile1 that was the issue and now I have forward and reverse working as they should with the following exception.

The mower tends to creep forward when in neutral unless I have the clutch fully depressed.so the belt must be engaging slightly. I checked the spring setting at 1 and 9/16 " as called for in the manual. Any suggestions/

 

[bertsmobile1]

Which type of tranny do you have ?
A speed controller and a separate foreward reverse switch
or
A single foot pedal for both direction & speed.

 

[sadgrove]

Which type of tranny do you have ?
A speed controller and a separate foreward reverse switch
or
A single foot pedal for both direction & speed.

The speed control is a lever on the rear fender that you push down from Neutral to go forward or up to go in reverse. No foot pedal.

 

[bertsmobile1]

So you have a lever with 4 to 6 foreward gears then Neutral and finally reverse with a sort of dog leg to go from foreward to reverse.

This means you have a manual gearbox with real gears.
Run through the entire box make sure all the gears work.
This box actually has a neutral where no gears are selected.
AFAIK there is no adjustment on the gear change lever so you have either bent the selector or the detent in the box is worn.
If you follow the gear change rod to where it goes to the tranny it should slot into a lever.
Disconnect the rod from the lever and move the lever by hand ) you will need a shifter on it as it should be quite stiff.
Check that it "clicks " into place for all of the gears, count them, from top all the way back through neutral to reverse.
If they are all quite firm then select neutral and try pushing the mower along the ground.
It should move easily and freely.
In that case the gearchange rod will need a little bending so that when in the neutral gate, the box is really in neutral

 

[sadgrove]

So you have a lever with 4 to 6 foreward gears then Neutral and finally reverse with a sort of dog leg to go from foreward to reverse.

This means you have a manual gearbox with real gears.
Run through the entire box make sure all the gears work.
This box actually has a neutral where no gears are selected.
AFAIK there is no adjustment on the gear change lever so you have either bent the selector or the detent in the box is worn.
If you follow the gear change rod to where it goes to the tranny it should slot into a lever.
Disconnect the rod from the lever and move the lever by hand ) you will need a shifter on it as it should be quite stiff.
Check that it "clicks " into place for all of the gears, count them, from top all the way back through neutral to reverse.
If they are all quite firm then select neutral and try pushing the mower along the ground.
It should move easily and freely.
In that case the gearchange rod will need a little bending so that when in the neutral gate, the box is really in neutral

OK we are all Ok as of now. Thanks for the input.