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Hello all. We recently purchased a TB Pony (13AN77TG) 3rd hand. I m unsure of the hours on it, but it was purchased in pretty good condition for a good price.

A couple of weekends ago, I had the kids out trying to get the yard cut, as it started to slightly sprinkle. Well, it started jerking and catching. We managed to get done. Just figuring it was from the wet grass. Well, last weekend it was doing it again. And it hadn't rained in many days.

I have looked here, but am unsure of what I need to check. I can't really figure out how to replicate the issue, unless I am trying to use the mower. Is there a way to determine if it is the belt? Or some other spindle/pulley?

Also, how many belts are on this model? I see a deck belt. But, when looking at a parts diagram, I also see 2 more belts. Does this thing take 3 belts?

I have found a few walk thrus on replacing the deck belt, but none for the other(s). Any insight on where to look for those?


thanks for your time

JJ

Yes there are 3 belts, 2 for the drive & one for the blades.
Remove the battery and battery box and they will jump out & bite you
The pulley they both go around has a sliding seperator which goes up or down and changes the size of the pulleys.
If this sticks or jambs you get funny things happening.
The whole shooting match is controlled by springs.
From what you are saying I would expect to see one of the belts with a chunk missing from it or a deep pulley burn.
Both belts must be replaced at the same time, and when you see all of the rigger ma roll you have to do to change just one, doing them both at the same time will be a pleasure.

I drop the deck and stand the mower on its bum, it makes things easier to get at.
Photograph every thing before you pull them off and in particular where the springs are anchored.

Either buy OEM or Genuine MTD belts for this.
They are a different shape to standard belts.

bertsmobile1 said:

Yes there are 3 belts, 2 for the drive & one for the blades.
Remove the battery and battery box and they will jump out & bite you
The pulley they both go around has a sliding seperator which goes up or down and changes the size of the pulleys.
If this sticks or jambs you get funny things happening.
The whole shooting match is controlled by springs.
From what you are saying I would expect to see one of the belts with a chunk missing from it or a deep pulley burn.
Both belts must be replaced at the same time, and when you see all of the rigger ma roll you have to do to change just one, doing them both at the same time will be a pleasure.

I drop the deck and stand the mower on its bum, it makes things easier to get at.
Photograph every thing before you pull them off and in particular where the springs are anchored.

Either buy OEM or Genuine MTD belts for this.
They are a different shape to standard belts.

Click to expand...

Ok, thank you

Seems we need a lil more info, it seems your model number is incomplete, and also it would be helpful to provide your serial number as well, I did find this, parts listing but i'm not sure if it's the same as what you have, (you can try to locate yours with the necessary info.) Bert gave you some good info, ESPECIALLY ....... taking pics of things BEFORE you start disassembling things (springs, cable attach--points etc.) it will really save you headaches later , keep us up-dated ..... Boobala ..:thumbsup:

https://www.partswarehouse.com/Troy-Bilt-13AN77TG711-Pony-2007-Lawn-Tractor-s/254076.htm#

THESE LINKS ( MIGHT ) help !

http://service.mtdproducts.com/Training_Education/769_06667_700_series_riders.pdf

https://support.mtdparts.com/s/article/10584-1

OK thanks boobala. It wouldn't let me reply to you directly because of the links and my post count.

I did not see this post yesterday. I will check on that this afternoon and edit the info.

I have noticed, when looking at belts at HD/lowes, all I see are deck/drive belts. Are they (drive belt) labeled differently? Or is it that some riding mower belts do both?

huskerfoos said:

OK thanks boobala. It wouldn't let me reply to you directly because of the links and my post count.

I did not see this post yesterday. I will check on that this afternoon and edit the info.

I have noticed, when looking at belts at HD/lowes, all I see are deck/drive belts. Are they (drive belt) labeled differently? Or is it that some riding mower belts do both?

Click to expand...

As BERT stated ... buy ORIGINAL MTD or Original Equipment Manufactured ( OEM ) belts, buying any other "cheap" brands will cost you in the long run, OEM or MTD belts should have a Company Logo stamp on them, I know some packages appear to say belts are for more than 1 mower, well the belt may just fit a deck on some and the drive on others, a lot of belts are interchangable within the same make of mowers.

The tag shows....

13AN77TG766 1D197B70220 4/2007
233644 000001

This is how it shows on the tag. I'm on mobile and at work, so not able to upload.

I do know the shortest, uppermost belt is MTD 754-0241a. But I couldn't spin the other belt to get a number. I did notice it had a lot of slack in it tho. Hopefully that's my problem


Thanks
JJ

huskerfoos said:

The tag shows....

13AN77TG766 1D197B70220 4/2007
233644 000001

This is how it shows on the tag. I'm on mobile and at work, so not able to upload.

I do know the shortest, uppermost belt is MTD 754-0241a. But I couldn't spin the other belt to get a number. I did notice it had a lot of slack in it tho. Hopefully that's my problem


Thanks
JJ

Click to expand...

OK HERE WE GO... Parts Manual ..( Hope this is right ) ..

http://www.barrettsmallengine.com/mtd/partslist/769-01612.pdf

BELTS : ... View attachment 36185...View attachment 36186...View attachment 36187

you will NOTICE the P/Ns on the belts have CHANGED !! These pics are from (repairclinic.com) there are other places to buy OEM belts, but I have NEVER had a problem using the belts from here ! You can always check for latest P/Ns on the MTD site but you will need MODEL & SERIAL numbers .. be sure you write them down and store safely, ALSO : BEFORE you work on ANYTHING !! .. take pics !! ... LOTS of PICS ... they will save you countless headaches later, TRUST US on that !! .. Boo

I'll send my bill by UPS, .. it's way too heavy for the USPS !! ...:laughing:..:laughing:..

OK thank you. I can't see the belt attachments for some reason, but when looking at the diagrams, the drive belt numbers are what I have found this morning also.

I plan on getting them ordered and hopefully putting them on soon

Thank you for the time.


And with this post, I maybe able to reply directly from a post with attachments.

huskerfoos said:

OK thank you. I can't see the belt attachments for some reason, but when looking at the diagrams, the drive belt numbers are what I have found this morning also.

I plan on getting them ordered and hopefully putting them on soon

Thank you for the time.


And with this post, I may be able to reply directly from a post with attachments.

Click to expand...

Problem is !! the new correct P/Ns are on the attach pics you cant see ... here they are :

A: 954-04001A .. B: 954-05040 .. C: 954-04062 ... use these numbers to order the belts, these are the MTD new numbers !

Can't explain but it's this site that screws up the attachments !

If anybody may wonder the difference between a 754 belt and the 954 belt is the 754 is a loose belt whereas the 954 belt is the same belt in a cardboard sleeve.

ILENGINE said:

If anybody may wonder the difference between a 754 belt and the 954 belt is the 754 is a loose belt whereas the 954 belt is the same belt in a cardboard sleeve.

Click to expand...

ILENGINE, when I researched his belts only 1 754 # came up, so I went to the MTD home site and looked them up in the parts manual there, hence the 954 numbers, which states they are the superceded numbers, they SHOULD be the right belt numbers !!

Boobala said:

ILENGINE, when I researched his belts only 1 754 # came up, so I went to the MTD home site and looked them up in the parts manual there, hence the 954 numbers, which states they are the superceded numbers, they SHOULD be the right belt numbers !!

Click to expand...

Ok, I got the deck off, and the longer of the drive belts on. But, it's pretty loose. And guess which pic I can reference? You guessed it. Any idea where to find that? I believe I have the belt on correct. But there is one belt guide in the middle that I am unsure of.

How do you replace the short belt around the transmission pulley? We can't get it to break loose.

Thanks.

huskerfoos said:

Ok, I got the deck off, and the longer of the drive belts on. But, it's pretty loose. And guess which pic I can reference? You guessed it. Any idea where to find that? I believe I have the belt on correct. But there is one belt guide in the middle that I am unsure of.

How do you replace the short belt around the transmission pulley? We can't get it to break loose.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5_ly-o3fOE
watch the video at 2.50 taking the battery out

NorthBama said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5_ly-o3fOE
watch the video at 2.50 taking the battery out

Click to expand...

Thank you, I was watching that video earlier. My problem, is, I can't get the pulley loose. I have hit it with some PB blaster, and gonna do it another time or 2 for tomorrow afternoon. But, I bent a screw driver trying to loosen it up.

Not that it probably makes a difference, but in that video, it shows the nut on the back side of that crossmember. Mine is on the front. I can't find a good way to wedge the pulley to keep it stationary to move that nut.

If you can not remove the nut on the top of the shaft of the rear pulley, you can drop the transmission either by undoing the 4 bolts on the axel or undoing the front stabilizer and tilting.
There are subtle differences from one model to another.

bertsmobile1 said:

If you can not remove the nut on the top of the shaft of the rear pulley, you can drop the transmission either by undoing the 4 bolts on the axel or undoing the front stabilizer and tilting.
There are subtle differences from one model to another.

Click to expand...

OK, thank you. I have hit that nut again with some PB blaster, and gonna get my son to do it again sometime tomorrow. If I can't break it loose, I will try your suggestions.

Also, I found a video that showed the mower on the side. When you engage the parking brake, it severely loosens that belt. So, that makes me feel better.

thank you for your time also

JJ

Be careful tipping them on the side because the oil ends up everywhere that it should not be.
I remove the battery , put glad wrap over the fuel cap & refit it then stand them on their bum for most under mower repairs.
However as you have to access the rear pulleys from the top that does not work particularly well
Sitting it on some tall jack stands with the wheels removed does make it a lot easier to do the vari- drives.

bertsmobile1 said:

Be careful tipping them on the side because the oil ends up everywhere that it should not be.
I remove the battery , put glad wrap over the fuel cap & refit it then stand them on their bum for most under mower repairs.
However as you have to access the rear pulleys from the top that does not work particularly well
Sitting it on some tall jack stands with the wheels removed does make it a lot easier to do the vari- drives.

Click to expand...

I did not turn it up on its side, I did sit it up on the back end initially.

Whoever replaced those belts torqued those nuts/bolts way too much. And they could have just moved that bar slightly by a 1/4" so you could get a ratchet on that trans pulley

Here's some MTD (Troy-Bilt) manuals that may help in some way ...

http://www.mtdparts.com/equipment/m...Code=Enter+Zip+Code&proximity=10&brandCode=10.

Insread of fighting that trans. pulley, you might consider removing 2 bolts from the trans to frame mount and jostle the trans around to change that belt, then fight the trans bolts back into place being EXTREMELY care not to mis-alingn the bolts and stripping the threads going back together. just a thought.....Have you tried someone pushing in on the clutch pedal to see if that will give you enough slack to get the belt off..??

Found a shop manual ... https://data2.manualslib.com/pdf3/70/6996/699532-mtd/700_series.pdf?db35fc0c8d696c9236af1ffffd0025e5

see pages 57 and up for belt replacement dis-regard above procedure ...... sorry bout that !

huskerfoos said:

I did not turn it up on its side, I did sit it up on the back end initially.

Whoever replaced those belts torqued those nuts/bolts way too much. And they could have just moved that bar slightly by a 1/4" so you could get a ratchet on that trans pulley

Click to expand...

Being under the battery it gets battery fume and also water drips down the battery box and fight on to the pulley.
Then you have the splined shaft, the pulley and the nut. add some moisture and your are at rust central.
If you overtighten the pulley bolt the shaft breaks.
I found that out the expensive way when I hit it with the rattle gun in place of the tension wrench..

Well, I got the belts back on. I had to drop the transaxle enough to the left side and it allowed me to get the top belt on. Got it all back together, to have it keep slipping.

Is there anything else I can check, or any way to check something I haven't checked yet? Is there a somehow replicate this problem?

I did notice that there is a grease spot on the F-N-R side of the transaxle. Could this be anything? Is it possible it slips being low on fluid like an auto transmission?

thanks

JJ

I am definitely open to any suggestions

No the FNR is a simple dog cutch.
If they don't properly engage they grate.

You need to jack up & support the rear axel off the ground , start the engine let the brake off , move the shift selector from fully fast to fully slow slowly several times.
Watch the wheels they should spin faster & slower as you change the speeds.

If they do that OK then one of the springs is in the wrong place or the clutch is not fully dissengaging.

Check the condition of the engine drive pulley. Look for a worn groove in the V notch of the pulley that can create a bottoming out effect with the belt preventing proper grip. I have also seen the same effect with a worn groove in the variable drive pulley, but that only usually effects one speed.

bertsmobile1 said:

No the FNR is a simple dog cutch.
If they don't properly engage they grate.

You need to jack up & support the rear axel off the ground , start the engine let the brake off , move the shift selector from fully fast to fully slow slowly several times.
Watch the wheels they should spin faster & slower as you change the speeds.

If they do that OK then one of the springs is in the wrong place or the clutch is not fully dissengaging.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I will try this when I get home. But it's raining today, so not sure how i can get done.
I was using the F-N-R as a reference to the side. But was wondering on that grease spot. So, that's why I asked about it running low on fluid.

ILENGINE said:

Check the condition of the engine drive pulley. Look for a worn groove in the V notch of the pulley that can create a bottoming out effect with the belt preventing proper grip. I have also seen the same effect with a worn groove in the variable drive pulley, but that only usually effects one speed.

Click to expand...

I will look at this also.
I am not sure if I have tested the different speeds out. Since this all started just before winter and I never got it back out. I will see about this once it quits raining .

Thank you

bertsmobile1 said:

No the FNR is a simple dog cutch.
If they don't properly engage they grate.

You need to jack up & support the rear axel off the ground , start the engine let the brake off , move the shift selector from fully fast to fully slow slowly several times.
Watch the wheels they should spin faster & slower as you change the speeds.

If they do that OK then one of the springs is in the wrong place or the clutch is not fully dissengaging.

Click to expand...

I was finally able to get out and mess with it this afternoon. I have it up, and noticed and increase/decrease in tire rotation with each gear. I also noticed, that it does not take much effort to stop the tires from spinning.

ILENGINE said:

Check the condition of the engine drive pulley. Look for a worn groove in the V notch of the pulley that can create a bottoming out effect with the belt preventing proper grip. I have also seen the same effect with a worn groove in the variable drive pulley, but that only usually effects one speed.

Click to expand...

Nothing stands out to me with the spindle being wrong, but, I am not experienced enough to maybe tell the difference. I felt of it also, and you can feel a slight variation, but I was not able to get the belt to stall when I could get the tires to stop spinning. I hope that helps you understand what I am trying to relay to you.

thanks

When you stop the wheels from turning. which belt slips ?
Is the brake on , off or disconnected.
When you brake the big spring # 21 on https://www.partstree.com/parts/troy-bilt/mowers-lawn-garden-tractor/13an77tg766-troy-bilt-pony-lawn-tractor-2006/drive/ goes slack. Otherwise the engine & the brake will be working against each other.

There will be a switch on the brake pedal some where, put a cable tie around it so you can run the engine with the brake off and your bum not in the seat.

Buy some beer. jack up the rear end and put it on stands engage the drive AT LOW ENGINE SPEED and then get your friend to try & hole one wheel while you hold the other.
Look to see which belt slips.

I think earlier on you were advised to check the inside of the engine pulley for a shiny polished surface .
If it is the engine pulley is worn out,
V belts grab on the V sides , not the bottom, if the bottom is touching the belt it will slip under load.

bertsmobile1 said:

When you stop the wheels from turning. which belt slips ?
Is the brake on , off or disconnected.

The brake is still connected, but released and set into 1st

When you brake the big spring # 21 on https://www.partstree.com/parts/troy-bilt/mowers-lawn-garden-tractor/13an77tg766-troy-bilt-pony-lawn-tractor-2006/drive/ goes slack. Otherwise the engine & the brake will be working against each other.

The brake is released. I was able to stop both wheels. Both belts kept spinning. There was some knocking type sounds. Only happened when I held the wheels tho. Also, the spring doesn't have any slack with the brake pressed, it stretches

There will be a switch on the brake pedal some where, put a cable tie around it so you can run the engine with the brake off and your bum not in the seat.

Buy some beer. jack up the rear end and put it on stands engage the drive AT LOW ENGINE SPEED and then get your friend to try & hole one wheel while you hold the other.
Look to see which belt slips.

Both belts still spun

I think earlier on you were advised to check the inside of the engine pulley for a shiny polished surface .
If it is the engine pulley is worn out,
V belts grab on the V sides , not the bottom, if the bottom is touching the belt it will slip under load.

Click to expand...

The engine pulley end of the belt, is seated all the way. The variable speed pulley doesn't seat all the way.

Does that knocking sound also create a jerking type motion with the tires. I am wondering if the shift collar inside the tranny is worn or the shift fork is bent preventing proper engagement of the shift collar causing it to slip from notch to notch.

ILENGINE said:

Does that knocking sound also create a jerking type motion with the tires. I am wondering if the shift collar inside the tranny is worn or the shift fork is bent preventing proper engagement of the shift collar causing it to slip from notch to notch.

Click to expand...

Could be but that would make a grating more than a knocking wouldnt it ?

To me that vie of the sliding sheave looks very wrong.
The grey belt look too far out and the brown belt looks like it could be running on the spindle axis.

So I would have plugged for a spring fitted wrong or missing.
I have never been under a Pony , another model pretty thin on the ground down here.
Horses are the only ones I am familiar with but the varidrive system controls are nothing like each other.

Husker, does the vari drive pulley change when you change speeds ?

bertsmobile1 said:

Could be but that would make a grating more than a knocking wouldnt it ?

To me that vie of the sliding sheave looks very wrong.
The grey belt look too far out and the brown belt looks like it could be running on the spindle axis.

So I would have plugged for a spring fitted wrong or missing.
I have never been under a Pony , another model pretty thin on the ground down here.
Horses are the only ones I am familiar with but the varidrive system controls are nothing like each other.

Husker, does the vari drive pulley change when you change speeds ?

Click to expand...

When they slip it is more of a popping noise with the wheels creating a jerking motion when the collar slides in and out of the engaged gear. As far as the belts I can't tell if that one if not running square in the v notch since it looks fine on the edges, or the belt is disengaged in the picture. The vari drive pulley looks like it could have a wear groove at around the speed 4 setting.

I would also like to see a picture of the inside of the groove on the engine pulley.

bertsmobile1 said:

Could be but that would make a grating more than a knocking wouldnt it ?

To me that vie of the sliding sheave looks very wrong.
The grey belt look too far out and the brown belt looks like it could be running on the spindle axis.

So I would have plugged for a spring fitted wrong or missing.
I have never been under a Pony , another model pretty thin on the ground down here.
Horses are the only ones I am familiar with but the varidrive system controls are nothing like each other.

Husker, does the vari drive pulley change when you change speeds ?

Click to expand...

I'm still a couple hours from being home, but I will check.

Is it supposed to be relatively easy to change the speeds? Since I've had it up, looking at it, it seems a little hard to change thru the gears.

ILENGINE said:

When they slip it is more of a popping noise with the wheels creating a jerking motion when the collar slides in and out of the engaged gear. As far as the belts I can't tell if that one if not running square in the v notch since it looks fine on the edges, or the belt is disengaged in the picture. The vari drive pulley looks like it could have a wear groove at around the speed 4 setting.

I would also like to see a picture of the inside of the groove on the engine pulley.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm on mobile and it won't let me edit, it just deletes.

I will get a better pic of the pullies.

It does jerk, like it's engaging and disengaging. Not grinding like it's missing splines

EDIT

I tried again to stop the tires, initially it does jerk, but after listening, it starts grinding, I guess, sounding like a jack hammer.

The variable speed pulley does move as the gears are changed

I have tried to find other answers, but I am either missing it, or everything is correct. Is my next step, looking into the transaxle?

if you do not get an answer in a couple of days, click on the [more] link on the right side then from the window that pops up select the :anyone: emojie.
This will bump your thread back into the "New posts " list so when regular posters go on line it will pop up.
I ( and I suspect many others ) do not get emails from the forum, I get around 200 or so a day so another 40 is not on.
Thus when people stop posting , the thread goes dead.
From where it was it looks like the suggestion of a jumping dog will be correct so it is time to pull out the tranny,
Usually a dog not properly engaging can be heard from 50' away with its distinctive machine gun ( jackhammer if you like ) rattle cause by the dogs grating over each other.
In the original post you did not mention this which is why those who repair mowers for a lining were concentrating on belts, pulleys & springs as these are fairly well quiet when they slip.

Just one of those things that happen when you are trying to diagnose from text on a screen

So it will be out with the tranny.
A fairly simple job as you already are an expert in changing the belts, after that it is just a matter of dissengaging the FNR control rod and the brake rod.
Double check the parts diagram as there are the 4 bolts on the axel itself ( 2 either side ) plus some stabilizers that are easy to overlook.
Give the tranny a really good clean as you do not want grit to get in there as then you have to change all of the grease and that is really messy.
On some the big pulley can be left in place on others it overhangs the case bolts so it has to come off.
DO not pull the shaft out or you will have to replace the seals and this goes for the axels as well.
there are some pry points to lever the two sides apart and then lift the top off.

Usually you only need to replace the actual sliding dog.
The shaft that moves it has some indents that run over a spring loaded ball bearing to index the sliding dog.
It has a habbit of vanishing into space when you take the dog out.
I used to clean all of the old dry grease out but now I just add some fresh 00 grease to free things up a bit.

A bit clumsy to explain but once apart it will be very obvious how it works.
Apart from the actual sliding dog, the collar that shifts it wears and so does the bushes at either end which allow the entire shaft to move left right.
They are not expensive and usually I replace the dog gear and both bushes,
Some have facilities for shims to go under the bushes to take up the free play.

bertsmobile1 said:

if you do not get an answer in a couple of days, click on the [more] link on the right side then from the window that pops up select the :anyone: emojie.
This will bump your thread back into the "New posts " list so when regular posters go on line it will pop up.
I ( and I suspect many others ) do not get emails from the forum, I get around 200 or so a day so another 40 is not on.
Thus when people stop posting , the thread goes dead.
From where it was it looks like the suggestion of a jumping dog will be correct so it is time to pull out the tranny,
Usually a dog not properly engaging can be heard from 50' away with its distinctive machine gun ( jackhammer if you like ) rattle cause by the dogs grating over each other.
In the original post you did not mention this which is why those who repair mowers for a lining were concentrating on belts, pulleys & springs as these are fairly well quiet when they slip.

Just one of those things that happen when you are trying to diagnose from text on a screen

So it will be out with the tranny.
A fairly simple job as you already are an expert in changing the belts, after that it is just a matter of dissengaging the FNR control rod and the brake rod.
Double check the parts diagram as there are the 4 bolts on the axel itself ( 2 either side ) plus some stabilizers that are easy to overlook.
Give the tranny a really good clean as you do not want grit to get in there as then you have to change all of the grease and that is really messy.
On some the big pulley can be left in place on others it overhangs the case bolts so it has to come off.
DO not pull the shaft out or you will have to replace the seals and this goes for the axels as well.
there are some pry points to lever the two sides apart and then lift the top off.

Usually you only need to replace the actual sliding dog.
The shaft that moves it has some indents that run over a spring loaded ball bearing to index the sliding dog.
It has a habbit of vanishing into space when you take the dog out.
I used to clean all of the old dry grease out but now I just add some fresh 00 grease to free things up a bit.

A bit clumsy to explain but once apart it will be very obvious how it works.
Apart from the actual sliding dog, the collar that shifts it wears and so does the bushes at either end which allow the entire shaft to move left right.
They are not expensive and usually I replace the dog gear and both bushes,
Some have facilities for shims to go under the bushes to take up the free play.

Click to expand...

OK, I finally had a good weekend to start looking at this thing. I will post some pics at the bottom, but they are just of the trans after I took it out, and some are before I cleaned it up. Pressure washer, then a scrub brush and some dawn, then n the tight areas some brake cleaner.

My trans pulley sits over 5 bolts, but unless they are extremely long, I should be able to get them out. You mention the "dog" not engaging. Are you referring to the shaft that slides over the ball bearing, or the peace that engages the fwd/rev gears? I did find a youtube video and this is the problem they had, but he couldn't engage drive at all according to him.

I have an early movie date with the wife and kids tomorrow, but will be home around lunch to crack this thing open.

Thanks for your assessment on my situation, as to all the others that that had replied previously.

In photo 5 there is still some grass under the pulley , it should just blow off.
The two sides join together along the split line you can see, it s flat so that is as long as the bolts will be.
You will need to remove the brake by undoing the two small nuts on the outer edges, leave the big one alone.
Take a photo of where the lever sits and the springs anchor as it is not apparent when you go to refit it.
Inside the caliper are 2 very short rods, a steel shim brake plate the disc then another brake ( Puck ) another steel shim.
These bits tend to vanish into an alternative dimension when you dissassemble them so pop a carton underneath the brake to catch them .

The gap in the cases at the join line in photo 5 is a pry point to split the 2 halves, there are a couple more of them, they all look the same.
Gentle is the word, the joint face is usually held together with silicon but splits well if you have some long pry bars ( screwdrivers etc ).

Inside will be a revolting mess of grease so it is glove time.

The type of clutching mechanism where two parts with slots lock into each other is called a DOG CLUTCH don't know why ,
One side is fixed and the other slides.
The sliding part is called the DOG or Sliding Dog

By now you should have the Peerless ( Tecumseh) manual and read the relevent bits.
Some need to come apart upside down and others right side up.
You will not do any damage but loose parts can fall out causing confusion.

I have the MTD professional shop manual that was referenced earlier in the thread. It does not mention whether it needs to be taken apart upside down or anything.

I also was not able to remove the pulley, so, I'm hoping that won't be a problem in checking things during the process.

bertsmobile1 said:

In photo 5 there is still some grass under the pulley , it should just blow off.
The two sides join together along the split line you can see, it s flat so that is as long as the bolts will be.
You will need to remove the brake by undoing the two small nuts on the outer edges, leave the big one alone.
Take a photo of where the lever sits and the springs anchor as it is not apparent when you go to refit it.
Inside the caliper are 2 very short rods, a steel shim brake plate the disc then another brake ( Puck ) another steel shim.
These bits tend to vanish into an alternative dimension when you dissassemble them so pop a carton underneath the brake to catch them .

The gap in the cases at the join line in photo 5 is a pry point to split the 2 halves, there are a couple more of them, they all look the same.
Gentle is the word, the joint face is usually held together with silicon but splits well if you have some long pry bars ( screwdrivers etc ).

Inside will be a revolting mess of grease so it is glove time.

The type of clutching mechanism where two parts with slots lock into each other is called a DOG CLUTCH don't know why ,
One side is fixed and the other slides.
The sliding part is called the DOG or Sliding Dog

By now you should have the Peerless ( Tecumseh) manual and read the relevent bits.
Some need to come apart upside down and others right side up.
You will not do any damage but loose parts can fall out causing confusion.

Click to expand...

This is what I am looking at, and of course more pics can be taken if needed.

I see some round over, on the edges, not so much on the dog slide, but still some. The only thing I realize I didn't do, is keep up with which gear was fwd, and which was reverse. To see if the fwd, had more wear to it.

Does this look like my problem? I am not an expert in any of this, but I do know gears usually have to have a good interlocking connection to work. But, I would have thought there would have been more wear.

Outside of the reduction gear, should I replace all the other parts? spacers, shims, and gears?

Thanks for helping me out with all this to everyone who has been contributing

JJ


**EDIT** After further review, I only had 1 washer on the right side, opposite the brake.

All three parts in your pictures are worn and will need to be replaced. The reverse gear is the same as the forward gear so it doesn't matter which one goes where. I would check the axle bushing if it has them and make sure to clean everything good and put in new grease. Also replace any seals that you find on the brake shaft, and wheel axle. Also check the shift fork to make sure it isn't bent or badly worn.

ILENGINE said:

All three parts in your pictures are worn and will need to be replaced. The reverse gear is the same as the forward gear so it doesn't matter which one goes where. I would check the axle bushing if it has them and make sure to clean everything good and put in new grease. Also replace any seals that you find on the brake shaft, and wheel axle. Also check the shift fork to make sure it isn't bent or badly worn.

Click to expand...

Do you have any idea if this Pony takes a seal on the reduction gear? I did not pull one off, but, I am also not sure it hadn't dried and rotted away either.

The MTD manual presented to me earlier, says to replace the seal, but when looking at parts tree, and partswarehouse(?), and even the parts manual presented on the 1st page, nothing mentions a seal.

thanks

JJ

I put this trans back together, all seemed fine, until I bolted the casing together. I couldn't hardly budge the pulley. So, I loosened it back up and still, everything turned fine.

I noticed, even with the slightest of pressure on the casing, that, it was a little hard to turn, and in neutral, it seemed to grab, and spin the axle.

So, something in there is tight, I am guessing? I didn't add any washers, but should I have to remove one or more? Maybe now since its got thick fresh grease?

I am at a loss. I really don't want to take it to someone to fix. So, I am hoping I can get it done on my own

thanks

JJ

huskerfoos said:

I put this trans back together, all seemed fine, until I bolted the casing together. I couldn't hardly budge the pulley. So, I loosened it back up and still, everything turned fine.

I noticed, even with the slightest of pressure on the casing, that, it was a little hard to turn, and in neutral, it seemed to grab, and spin the axle.

So, something in there is tight, I am guessing? I didn't add any washers, but should I have to remove one or more? Maybe now since its got thick fresh grease?

I am at a loss. I really don't want to take it to someone to fix. So, I am hoping I can get it done on my own

thanks

JJ

Click to expand...

Yes, some thing is binding.
Slather grease over everything , bolt it up with a few bolts then pull apart without turning anything.
Where it is binding will be clean as the grease gets pushed away.

Without being there It is hard to advise but t is easy to get things in the wrong place, or pinch one of the thin spacers washers ( if you have them ).
Sitting on the bench, turn the shafts as if the pulley was powering the box, change the gears and see if some thing pops up cause it is in the wrong place.

Good job for 14 y/o boys who seem to revel in the muck. :laughing:

bertsmobile1 said:

Yes, some thing is binding.
Slather grease over everything , bolt it up with a few bolts then pull apart without turning anything.
Where it is binding will be clean as the grease gets pushed away.

Without being there It is hard to advise but t is easy to get things in the wrong place, or pinch one of the thin spacers washers ( if you have them ).
Sitting on the bench, turn the shafts as if the pulley was powering the box, change the gears and see if some thing pops up cause it is in the wrong place.

Good job for 14 y/o boys who seem to revel in the muck. :laughing:

Click to expand...

Ok, this is where I'm at. I'm on mobile so mistakes may happen.

I tried many times to not have the gears not get stuck. Sitting on the side of the F-n-R gears, every time I bolted up the right side, it binded up. Took apart, adjusted many, many times. Finally, decided to try my old bearings again. Well that worked. I can't figure out why, but tightening the right side down, was putting some sort of pressure on that sleeve, and stopping the reduction gear from turning.

So, as of now, the only new items i have replaced are the 2 gears and the collar.

EDIT** My concern here, is that initially, I showed to be leaking grease, and am concerned with it leaking now. I am unfamiliar with the properties of grease, and not sure if old grease will leak, and new grease be thick enough not to leak.

So, I'm guessing that sleeve was warped enough to cause the issues. Or, there is a slight difference in the 2? I have no idea. I have not put it back in yet, but plan on doing that today or tomorrow depending on work.

Thanks for the help everyone

JJ

Re: Another Slipping Pony **RESOLVED**

Ok, I was able to ride the mower around the yard last night with no grinding. I even tried to add my thinnest washer (020), just to see if I could take out some of the slack to keep this from happening. But was not able to seat the top of the transaxle even by hand. So, I wasn't going to force it down.

I still can not figure out why my new bea rings would not seat on the right side. But, I'm not gonna complain on losing out of that $12 considering it would have cost probably 200, or more, to have someone do that for me.

Is it good practice to change the grease occasionally? I know you can't get it all out easily, but would think replacing majority would be good.

Thanks everyone who chimed in with suggestions, help, questions, etc... And I hope this helps someone else in the future.

JJ

Congratulations.
Grease is a mixture of a powdered lubricant and a liquid to allow the stuff to move or be pumped.
Over time the carrier ( liquid ) dries out and the grease goes hard & cakes.
In this condition obviously it just sits there occupying space
Thus it is good practice to change grease on occasions.
Nowhere near as often as oil as it does not wear out burn or get contaminted with the by products of combustion.
On these types of boxes I usually take out the bulk of the really hard grease and put some lighter grease in.
It gets a little tricky unless you know what you are doing because you can not mix different types of greases together.
When you are next is a auto parts store or real hardwear shop have a look at the greases.
You will see they are labled as being "lithium" "Molly" "graphitic" or Clay.( there are others but these are the common ones )
These are the powders that do the work and what can not be mixed.
After that there is generally a number from 000 through to about 9.
That is the sloppyness of the grease 000 is thinner than water and 9 is a bar of soap.

Some greases are suspended in waxes so as they get hotter they flow more
Some are suspended in oil ( most common )
and some are suspended in water or alcohol ( graphite & teflon ).

I thought I had responded to your previous post about binding but I don't see it here.
Where the edge of the bushes sit on the shafts , the shaft tends to wear up a lip.
Mechanics generally run their fingernails along the shaft to feel for some thing that catches it.
If there is a wear lip big enough to catch your fingernail then it needs to be removed with a fine file or some emery paper wrapped around a paddle pop stick.
When you assemble the box if the little lips have not been removed they catch and can cause shafts to bind.
The old bushes have worn to the shaft ( & visa-versa ) so the lips make no difference to them.
Also some times a bush wears oval and allows say a gear to mesh at an angle and replacing the bush then causes the gear to mesh square on and that can cause binding as well.

What you see leaking out of the box is the carrier fluid and a little bit is nothing to worry about.
Over time of course they all add up and the loss of carrier makes the grease stiffer till eventually it can not move at all.
A lot of the older boxes had a grease nipple and they get 1 or 2 strokes of a grease gun a season to keep the grease fluid.
That is about a 1.5" length of toothpaste by volume to give you an idea, not really much.

Once again congratulations one of the things that get our rocks off is when some one who has never held a spanner, takes on a big job they think they can not do then gets it done.