Hydrostatic mower not moving?

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454cid

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My dad's sears craftsman/husqvarna rider has decided it doesn't want to move. It's been having issues with low power in reverse, but now it's not moving at all. Any ideas what to check? I didnt notice a hydraulic fill or dipstick. I did notice the frame seems to be broken, though.
 

454cid

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Just talked to him on the phone, and he's aware of that. He's got the battery on the charger.

He's going to take a look at it again tomorrow..... I noticed both frame rails are broken. He said he's noticed it "flexing" :oops: I'm thinking the best option for him is to take the good engine out of this mower, and put it in the other tractor that spews engine oil everywhere. He says the other tractor rides much nicer anyway.

He also says he's got a line on a Kubota of some sort. I think I have him talked into pursuing that.

I'm noticing that my dad seems to have issues with mowers.
 

Erik the Awful

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If it's a tractor-style riding mower, those are dirt cheap now that everybody's buying zero-turns. Keep it as a parts mower and buy another. If it's a zero-turn, you can sometimes find broken ones cheap, and that's a consideration if the frame's weak.

If buying another isn't an option and the hydrostatic drive wasn't disengaged, you're looking at a hydrostatic drive rebuild. They used to be inexpensive to rebuild, but last time I went to buy the kit to rebuild the K46 on my JD L130 the prices had jumped up to the same price as a new drive. The drives themselves are fairly easy to rebuild.

If you can improve the airflow to your hydrostatic drive, do it. The heat is usually what kills them.
 

PlayingWithTBI

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I have a Craftsman Professional (not to be sold in CA, ha ha) 24 HP hydrostatic drive that gets grass and dirt buildup under the deck which doesn't allow full travel of the linkage to tension the drive belt enough so, it loses power in gear and slips. The 1st time it happened, I had the Sears repair dude come out. He knew exactly what the issue was, he called it a "design flaw", and took about 10 minutes to clean it up. He gave me a spare belt too but, I haven't needed it yet.
 

454cid

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If it's a tractor-style riding mower, those are dirt cheap now that everybody's buying zero-turns. Keep it as a parts mower and buy another. If it's a zero-turn, you can sometimes find broken ones cheap, and that's a consideration if the frame's weak.

It is a tractor style, but he'd like a zero turn. He has a large yard, but also some difficult areas to maneuver. He's probably also seen the commercial guys zipping around with their zero turns.... of course those are commercial mowers with greater capability.


If buying another isn't an option and the hydrostatic drive wasn't disengaged, you're looking at a hydrostatic drive rebuild. They used to be inexpensive to rebuild, but last time I went to buy the kit to rebuild the K46 on my JD L130 the prices had jumped up to the same price as a new drive. The drives themselves are fairly easy to rebuild.

There is a sticker on this one that says something about not being user servicable, which I suspect means oil. Is the "gas pedal" a valve? Do those stick or cause issues? Maybe I'll look up a rebuild on Youtube.

If you can improve the airflow to your hydrostatic drive, do it. The heat is usually what kills them.

Good to know. It didn't look like it ever had grass packed around it..... aluminum still is un-corroded. It could be this model is prone to issues, though.
 

454cid

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I have a Craftsman Professional (not to be sold in CA, ha ha) 24 HP hydrostatic drive that gets grass and dirt buildup under the deck which doesn't allow full travel of the linkage to tension the drive belt enough so, it loses power in gear and slips. The 1st time it happened, I had the Sears repair dude come out. He knew exactly what the issue was, he called it a "design flaw", and took about 10 minutes to clean it up. He gave me a spare belt too but, I haven't needed it yet.

I was trying to look how the thing routed power, and I saw a belt for the deck, but I didn't see much else. I was assuming I'd see hydraulic hoses, but maybe it's unitized with the drive? My dad did say he replaced some belt that's not for the deck, so maybe it's the same as yours.

I'll look at it again today, and maybe get it up on ramps.
 
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