craftsman lawn tractor with 16hp kohler??????????

[whitearrow]

good evening fellas. i have a 10 yr old craftsman lawn tractor powered by the 16 hp kohler command engine also with a manual transmission. my question is when i move the blade engagement lever to the disengage/down position it doesn't disengage the blade fully. the blades seem to be spinning about 25% of what they do when they are engaged. it cuts fine and engages the blades fine but when i want to disengage the blades it doesn't. what is happening?
thanks,
whitearrow

 

[olddognewtrks]

I'm having the same problem, and intend to work on it this weekend. My initial check says the idler pulley spring is shot, or missing, and it's not pulling the idler pulley back completely, i.e. there's still enough friction to keep the belt spinning the blades. It's the shiny flat-faced (not vee) pulley accessable from the right side of the deck. Push/pull on it with your hand to see if it moves. Also check the cable from the instrument panel lever to see if it's gummed up from dirt. You'll probably need to drop the deck to do the fix, but it's only four or five cotter pins to pull after you slide the belt off the motor pulley.

 

[JTK]

I assume since it's got a lever for the PTO, it has a mechanical "PTO" as opposed to an electric PTO. Like olddog- says, most likely a tension adjustment needs to be done. Look under the tractor while working the lever by hand to see how it engages. There's usually an adjustment rod or three.

For a "PTO" system on some of the real cheapies, the deck swings rearward as you lower it to tension the engine to deck belt. As you raise the deck, the belt slackens and the blades stop.

Joel

 

[big_impact]

Originally Posted By: JTK

For a "PTO" system on some of the real cheapies, the deck swings rearward as you lower it to tension the engine to deck belt. As you raise the deck, the belt slackens and the blades stop.

I think this is a typical MTD design, but i doubt this craftsman is MTD made

 

[JTK]

If it's the 'swing back' deck style engagement, proper belt length is critical. Maybe your belt is stretched and worn? I'm not overly familiar with Sears machines and was not aware American Yard Products (makers of Sears/Craftsman riders) made a machine with this type of PTO.

 

[whitearrow]

if it helps fellas it doesn't matter whether the deck is at the highest or lowest level it still acts the same way.i haven't had a chance to check it out yet but will post my findings when i do. i have let quite a bit of grass pile up on the deck so i have to clean that all out before i can see clearly. heck maybe that will solve the problem lol.
thanks for all of the help,

 

[ddrumman2004]

I have had this problem as well with my 7 year old Craftsman mower. I found that the brake pad on one of the arms that are used to stop the pulleys was missing. I rigged a piece of an old v-belt for the missing pad and it helped stop the blades from spinning.

Plus, I also did a thorough cleaning of the deck and lubed everything. Works okay now.