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lawn mower issue


91stranger

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So I know there are lawn mower forums out there but they suck and you never get the answer you need. I get more help from this forum than anything. I have an older craftsman lt1000 model#917.273180 and reverse is extremely slow. also it will not go uphill anymore or does it extremely slow. I noticed it had no balls either when I was plowing snow. I am assuming the belt is getting old, I saw it had cracks and seemed pretty loose for being engaged when I checked it with the mower turned off. anyone know if this is just a belt issue or if there is a more serious issue with the transmission? I really think its the belt. I live paycheck to paycheck so spending $10-15 on a belt that may not be needed is a serious matter to me. I also want to try to add a tighter spring to the tensioner pulley to help the belt. I just need some good old fashioned redneck advice to fix this. I think a good spring may get me by till I get some extra money. Also, is there a suitable section on this forum to post about lawn mower questions? the "general discussions" is my go to thread. Here's is a pic of my mower. I added that rack on the back. found it at the junk yard and think all mowers should have a rack like this for odds and ends. right now there is about 60 pounds of weight on it to help with plowing.
 
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RangerFabWorks

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In between the rear tires. Do you have a pin you pull out to let the mower free wheel around? Make sure that’s pushed in.
 
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91stranger

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Yeah its in all the way. I think part of the issue was I had it parked for a few months with the parking brake on. I think that stretched the already worn out belt. When belt is engaged there is a lot of play. That's why I want to try to modify the tension pulley to make it tighter to get the belt tighter.
 

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I am leaning toward belt too. if you can get the tensioner to put more oomph on the belt, you might be able to test your theory. depending on your parts supplier, go ahead and buy the belt, and if htat doesn't fix it, return it and get your money back.

keep the packaging and receipt :)

Regards,

AJ
 

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I have the same lawn tractor but grey. Sounds like the belt. You could also try puting a larger diameter clutch pulley on it to take up some slack. I think its a flat pulley that rides on the back of the belt if im not mistaken. Deck idler pulleys are usually a bit bigger in dia.
 

91stranger

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I do have a few extra pulleys but I do not know I they would bolt up or not. I think for now I'm going to modify the tensioner pulley and see if a tight belt solves the slow reverse and no torque up a hill issue. I got that mower for a steal at $75 running and driving, just had a broken front stabilizer link on the front of the deck which can be welded. those decks have two stabilizers on the front so it still had one. I was able to use a 1/2" zip tie to secure the deck up in place and was actually able to mow with it. I've been finding extra wheels and that rack at the scrap yard where they let you pick from the pile for so many cents a pound. I have 2 full sets of wheels so I can just keep chains on the one set. I found that plow on craigslist for $20. can't beat that. So all in all I have maybe $120 with the stuff I bought from the scrap yard in this. I figure a little maintenance and keeping the battery charged and it will last a while.
 

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If it has a mechancial (guessing a variator) transmission a belt is probably what is needed. You shouldn't need to play with springs or pulleys to make it work as designed... just a new belt.

If it is a hydrostat... and especially if it gets helpless after it has ran awhile... it might be time to go mower shopping.
 

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91stranger

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If it has a mechancial (guessing a variator) transmission a belt is probably what is needed. You shouldn't need to play with springs or pulleys to make it work as designed... just a new belt.

If it is a hydrostat... and especially if it gets helpless after it has ran awhile... it might be time to go mower shopping.
Did you not read the part where I don't have the funds for much? i'm talking about cheaping out on a $10 belt and your talking about mower shopping? I live by the "if its not broke don't fix it" modo and this is the case right now. its not broke, just needs some "influence" I have no issue modifying things. I do have issues with spending bookoo money on something I don't need lol. just saying.
 

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Did you not read the part where I don't have the funds for much? i'm talking about cheaping out on a $10 belt and your talking about mower shopping? I live by the "if its not broke don't fix it" modo and this is the case right now. its not broke, just needs some "influence" I have no issue modifying things. I do have issues with spending bookoo money on something I don't need lol. just saying.
All the springs and belts in the world wont fix a dying hydrostat.
 

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Allright, sometimes having more time and stubborness and curiousity than money to burn makes for some entertainment, at least, and hopefully a solution that keeps you in the game for awhile.

You mentioned that the belt seems loose, even when engaged, and were figuring how to put a bit more adjustment on it to try tightening things up to see if that would help. Outside of trying a new shorter belt, this seems like a sound course of action; ie: try whatever you need to do to tighten the belt and see if the slippage goes away. You are probably in the best position to figure out what you can do (pictures might help us armchair mechanics, you know!) - scrounge a bigger idler, move a mounting hole, lengthen a bracket etc.

When you do get it tightened (or even replaced), it may still slip a bit b/c it's been running loose for awhile and maybe glazed some pulleys. One trick to deglaze pulleys borrowed from fanbelt life support is to rub a little chalk on the belt when it's running IF YOU CAN DO SO WITHOUT RISKING ENTANGLEMENT. The chalk will deglaze the belt and pulleys some, and is lots less yucky/messy than belt dressing.
 

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Most likely the belt. Leaving the parking brake on doesn't stretch the belt, there's no tension on the belt when the brake is set, the belt is just there at that point. Only time there's tension on the belt is when the clutch/brake is released.

Is this a hydrostatic unit or gear driven? If its hydrostatic the transaxle may be low on fluid.
 

91stranger

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It's a hydro static trans. haven't checked the fluid yet. I really haven't messed with it much. I just narrowed it down to either a bad belt or low fluid from everything I have read. I live on a tight budget so normally I try not to spend money on something that "hopefully" fixes the issue. I like knowing exactly what is wrong to fix it right the first time. as for now, I will play with the spring on the tensioner pulley and check the fluid.
 

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It's a hydro static trans. haven't checked the fluid yet. I really haven't messed with it much. I just narrowed it down to either a bad belt or low fluid from everything I have read. I live on a tight budget so normally I try not to spend money on something that "hopefully" fixes the issue. I like knowing exactly what is wrong to fix it right the first time. as for now, I will play with the spring on the tensioner pulley and check the fluid.
I would pick on the belt first, adding more tension to a cracking belt won't be a long term fix. They are pretty cheap too.

It doesn't really sound like the hydrostat. It is getting weak on my parents mower, mom has to mow the bank first because if she does it at the end when everything is warmed up it can't drag itself up the bank and gets stuck down there until it cools off.
 

91stranger

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Yeah I think its the belt as well. the mower ran great in the summer time. Now that winter is here and has been in the negatives quite frequently the mower doesn't like it too well. It is also kept outside under some tarps too. I have been trying to make space in my one car garage but that is hard to do with a 4 wheeler, push mower, air compressors, tool boxes, table saw, floor jacks, work benches, couple shelves and a dryer in the way. The mower looks small until you put it in a garage and then it takes up a third of the space. I swear this spring I'm going to over haul my barn and get it organized. Seems like I get a good start and then fill up the space all over again. I'm considering building a small lean to for the mower to go into. Maybe two lean too's for my mower and my log splitter on the other side by the wood pile. hell, maybe just one big lean to so my firewood doesn't get so wet.
 

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