I have a T3000 craftsman riding mower. It is a 2015 model. I have about 20 hours on it and the shifting in and out of forward and reverse is difficult. Sometimes I have to push the brake several times to get it stop. then I can go forward or reverse. It just started doing this and still works, but seems like it needs adjustment or something. Is there any adjustment?
most models require the drive belt to disengage before shifting can occur. when you step on the brake, the belt is also disengaged. this takes the tension off of the gears in the transmission so it can shift. if it is difficult to shift, the drive belt/brake needs to be adjusting. there should be a guide in your owners manual to do this.
As it turns out there is a design issue in this type of mower/transmission. The grass collects under the belt unit on top of the transmission keeping the unit from disengaging and changing from forward and reverse. If I took it in under warranty, I'm sure they would have been happy to charge me to clean it out. The clean out task is not an easy thing. I will, in the future, figure out a way to clean it out regularly without taking it apart as I had to this time. Having only 18 hours on this mower you see that it clogs up fairly quickly.
Grass responds very well to wind.
The best way to do it is using a very long dusting gun on an air compressor.
You can get them up to 4' long with strait or bent ends.
The worst thing to do is wash as the water does not shift the grass which adsorbs water and packs in tight.
Never heard of a design flaw on these units, but debris build up can be a cause. Brake adjustments should be under warranty, but I understand with Craftsman you get what you pay for, when you purchase and when you go for repairs.
