Craftsman Hydrostatic - Not going backwords.

I have a 42" Craftsman Lawnmower 19.5 HP Briggs 2 cylinder- about 6 years old. The Hydrostatic drive works fine going forward, but reverse is so slow, I try not to get in a position that I need reverse.

I no very little about Hydrostatic. No leaks are seen, and the forward works fine. I could replace the drive belt that goes to the transaxle, but I am not sure that this is my problem.

What could I check to see why reverse is so slow. By slow I mean it take about 10 seconds to move 5 feet backwards.

Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks,

Chuck

 

Hello Chuck!

When the tranny shifter is put in the neutral slot, does the mower try to move forward still? It sounds like the shifter is not shifting the tranny back into reverse far enough. There is an adjustment on the linkage to compensate for this.

 

I was trying to find the right linkage to adjust. I started first on the friction adjustment. I think this was my problem because it was to tight. I loosened it, and the mower goes faster forward than it did, and fast backwards. I think this may have been holding back the linkage from moving the full distance it needed to.

Thanks,

Chuck

 

Good job! Glad you got it fixed, and thanks for the update!

 

I've got trouble with a Murray hydro transaxle. Where is this friction adjustment you found?

 

The Friction linkage is near the right tire where the speed and direction handle comes down from above the fender. I am not great at describing what to look for, but you should see two connections to the transaxle. One is for the brake, and the other is the speed control. It is a bolt with washers that connect to the transaxle near the front bottom right of the transaxle.

Loosening the bolt a little will make the handle shift easier. I think in my case this was to tight and not allowing the linkage to move the full distance it needed to to get into reverse fully.

I hope this helps you.

Chuck

 

I spray mine with wd40 a few times a year.. makes a huge difference in the force needed to move the handle.