Hello, I have a 19 yr old simplicity lawn tractor that shifts very hard when the motor is running. When the motor is off it shifts fine. It still has the original belt believe or not and nothing has ever been adjusted. When the clutch pedal is pushed in the trans pully does not stop turning. Is it suppose to in order to shift properly?

 

The turning pulley is the problem. Is the belt getting loose when you hit the clutch?

 

The belt does loosen and you can stop the pulley from turning by just putting slight pressure on it with a piece of wood from the top with the clutch in, It just won't stop on it's own. I read somewhere that rusty pulleys can cause problems but mine are pretty clean. Do you think a new belt would help? The old belt still looks to be in great shape which is amazing considering it's age.

 

It may help to replace the belt. The woven sheathing on the belt is made to "clutch". It should easily slip when loose, and grip when tight. When the cloth sheathing wears thin, the inner rubber makes contact and rubber wants to grab, not slip. That could be the case here.

 

update on this problem. I replaced the belt with a new one and the problem was much worse. The pully wouldn't stop at all. I tried everything I could as far as adjustments and it seems to make no difference. It seems as there should be some kind of friction device to actually stop the pully when the clutch is in but there isn't. The belt seems to be as loose as it can be without falling off yet it continues to turn the trans pully. The pully can be stopped with slight pressure from a piece of wood while turning but won't stop on it's own. This is a 19yr old 4212 5 speed Simplicity. Any ideas?

 

It should stop on its' own. The belt should stop turning which would stop the tranny pulley. If the belt is continuing to move, something is wrong at the other end, not the tranny end. Maybe it's not releasing enough, or maybe the engine pulley is rusty and dragging the belt instead of smooth and slipping, or maybe a pulley is bent?

 

That's the problem alright, the belt keeps moving...but why? The belt tensioner idler adjustment is as loose as it can get, the little idler pully behind the trans pully is as loose as it can get and the pulleys are straight and shiney clean. I used a simplicity belt so that should be good quality. I don't know what else to try on this thing.

 

Do the brakes work on this mower? You might try adjusting the brake a little tighter to stop the pulley from turning if they aren't already tight enough.

 

Also make sure all the belt fingers & guides are in place If someone bent the belt fingers to change the belt, they may not be keeping the belt in the correct position,, Just another thought,,, Roger