Repairs craftsmen II 12hp rear end locked up!

[kneehighgrass2013]

I think the rear end on my mower has locked up. I can't push it while in nuetral. It sat for two years and now this. I have gone thru and cleaned it up as much as I could. All pulleys are moving by hand including the big one above the rear trans axle. When I jacked it up and tried turning the wheels by hand the wheel I moved went one way and the other wheel went the other way. Any ideas?

 

[DaveTN]

Check the lever on the back of the mower and see if it's in the freewheel position, or the mow position. Most Craftsman riders won't move while that lever is in the wrong position. Hopefully it's something simple!

 

[kneehighgrass2013]

Ok I will check when I get home. I didn't even know there was a lever back there for that. Thank you!

 

[okfine]

You also might look at the brake sometimes after sitting they get rusty and stick

 

[kneehighgrass2013]

That I did check. I pulled the whole brake apart cleaned it and lived up the two pins so everything moves really well.

 

[kneehighgrass2013]

Ok I seen no lever on the axle except for the gear selector. Other then that nothing.

 

[DaveTN]

Some Craftsman riders have the 'roll' lever you pull out and lock in place. Then when you start to mow, you move it the other way. Mostly a nuisance to me really. I've had mowers a long time before those gadgets came out. A long shot on this situation might be a drive belt stuck in the groove of the trans-axle pulley and stuck on the drive pulley of the engine as well. I've seen a few like that where they've been sitting a long time where the belt will stick and hold the mower from rolling. It is possible something has locked up in the trans-axle but not likely from sitting. If it was running good before it was shut down, then it should be ok now.