Craftsman garden tractor goes into forward when reverse is selected

Hi

I have a three year old garden tractor, 42 inch deck 19.5 HP motor. It backed out of the shop fine, but when I needed to back up while grass cutting it would go forward when I selected reverse. Forward selection works fine, but not reverse.
It has an infinite variable speed transmission, which I assume is hydrostatic.
Anyone else have this problem? How was it resolved.

Thanks: Gerry

 

How are you getting the tractor stop when going forward?
If you have to engage a clutch to go from forward /stop/ reverse, you have a gearbox drive. The problem you have is in the gearbox.
If you have hydrostatic drive, my guess is the linkage from the forward/stop/reverse actuator to the hydrostatic control valve is out of adjustment or broken causing the problem.
Good luck.

 

Welcome to the forums.
When you try to reverse while cutting grass, does the mower shut off the blades? Usually the blades will stop when backing up. I'm wondering if a switch is preventing reverse if the blades are spinning.

 

An awful lot of assumptions have to be made going by the limited info provided.
If you indeed have a variable speed, then it is not hydro static, rather, it would be a variable pulley system driving a single speed transaxle. In this case you should have a shifter to engage fwd/N/rev, then either a pedal or other lever to engage motion. I am guessing this is what you have because there is not much possibility of a Hydro behaving the way you describe.
Either the linkage from the shifter for direction is loose broken etc, or something in the transaxle is not shifting as it should.
If this is the system you have than I also assume you have a riding mower and not a garden tractor. We need the model number, which you should find under the seat, off the product to help you any further.