21" 917.378490 Front wheel's dont engage

[velani]

Hello,

I have a 21" front wheel drive self propelled mower which started to show signs of slippage and less pull from front tires end of last season. I adjusted the cable tension and that seemed to make a difference. This season, the wheels do not turn no matter what I do.

I have checked and replaces the belt, checked pulley which looks great, the shaft attached to pulley spins perfectly, which drives the horizontal long shaft connecting the wheels. The teeth on both front wheels looks perfect and so does the metal gear wheel that drive the wheels.

I put the mower on a saw horse, and with the wheels off, I started the engine, engaged the power drive but the metal gear that drives the wheel does not turn consistently.

Is there a tension or a clutch mechanism that would engage the wheels when I pull the drive lever? What else can I check or clean, that would get the front wheels spinning? I held the horizontal shaft by hand and then a needle nose plier and turned the belt/pulley and there was no slippage.

Please help with thoughts/suggestions. The mowing season is in full bloom here

TIA

 

[velani]

Ok, so after much troubleshooting etc, decided to take the gear case apart to find that the Helical Gear #171755 is basically worn out, causing the wheels not to turn. Yikes..... Thanks to everyone who took the time to view the request. Hopefully this helps someone out.