Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I just purchased a Craftsman lawn tractor with a hydrostatic transmission.  I did purchase it from a neighbor that recently moved.  The mower is a little over a year old, but I'm having transmission problems.  It cranks up fine, but when I let go of the clutch, there's no forward or backward movement.  I've used it 3 times before with no problem, and have seen no sign of fluids on my garage floor.  I've made sure the release is not disconnected (for pushing).  Also, I've noticed that I can push the mower even if the release is disengaged or not.  The belt underneath is turning.  Any ideas on my trouble?

Thank you!!
Michelle

Try purging the transmission, see "purging transmission" in the owners manual.

Make sure you haven't mistaken the mower belt for the drive belt then the problem could be the drive belt is broken or something. The easiest way to identify the drive belt is it's the belt that goes to the transaxle pulley.

Note  my 25 HP 48" modle 917.273241 tractor had a extreme drive belt slippage problem due to a too small of a spring on the idler pulley. If yours has the same problem (transmission pulley isn't turning when the clutch and drive petal are engaged) you can verify that with someone checking that using a mirror while the other person is operating the tractor.