dyt4000 with hydrostatic trans kohler engine will not cut in reverse.

[mitchstein443]

I have an older (probably 2000 or so) Craftsman DYT4000 mower with a kohler single piston engine and hydrostatic trans. The issue is it stalls if the pto is engaged and you pull it in to reverse.
One shop told me that it is by design and another shop told me that it is a problem with the transmission.

So my first question is: Is this by design?

and my second question is: How can I make it cut in reverse? I absolutely love this mower, I've had it for 5 years and use it daily If for nothing else then as transportation to and from the house and barn, cut the front andb ack yard once a week and plow my driveway. I've used to to move severl crs and trucks I was rebuilding as well as move my 10' enclosed trailer around the yard. My LT1000 can not move those things.

I just wish it would cut in reverse like the LT1000 does..

 

[Kevin Toadman]

My 2008 Troy Built (MTD) does the same thing. I believe it's a safety feature. I would like to disable this.

 

[enigma-2]

Not familiar with your machine, but usually there's a position on the ignition switch you turn to after starting to manually enable reverse with accessory on. Look for a mower with an arrow icon.

Some mowers have a button you step on when pressing the transmission reverse pedal.

One last thing to try, try disengaging the mower, put mower in reverse the engage the mower. This is not supposed to work, but under certain circumstances it does.

 

[ILENGINE]

The mower not mowing in reverse unless the operator does some function to bypass it is mandated by federal law. The early 2000 models didn't have the push the button and turn the key or something on that order until mid 2000's

 

[bertsmobile1]

Follow the speed control pedal down to the transmission
Some where, usually near the transmission you will see a switch that cuts either the engine off or the blades off if your mower is equipted with a "no reverse mow" safety switch.
Comes out of a BS legal case supposedly about mowing over a toddler while reversing .
Some people are too stupid to be allowed to reproduce but apparently it was the fault of the mower company.

 

[StarTech]

Follow the speed control pedal down to the transmission
Some where, usually near the transmission you will see a switch that cuts either the engine off or the blades off if your mower is equipted with a "no reverse mow" safety switch.
Comes out of a BS legal case supposedly about mowing over a toddler while reversing .
Some people are too stupid to be allowed to reproduce but apparently it was the fault of the mower company.

Not BS about the toddler. One here in New Hope, AL was ran over while the operator was mowing is reverse. We also had young girl in Athens, AL that lost part her foot because the same thing. So it did and does happen. I personally have seen toddlers to ran up behind the mower operator to show daddy or mommy something here.

And yes it is a little bit of pain to switch or push a button to mow backwards but it just might save a kid's life or from being manged for life.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Toddlers & small children should always be inside or at least in the other yard when mowing is happening and ALWAYS under direct supervision of an adult when outside.
No if, buts maby's , neighbour distracted me , etc, etc ,etc .
If you can't supervise them then you should not have them .
Same thing for reversing a car / truck etc you check where every one is before you move .
The parents should have been gaoled not the mowers modified and the rest of their children sent to some where or some one who can properly supervise them .
And the same thing could happen with a ZTR as with a tractor .
yes I am an old nark, but we all have responsibilities for the safety of ourselves and for others in our immediate surroundings .
Adding the lock out is another example of what I call the "Superman Syndrome"
No matter how stupid I am nor what I do SOME ONE ELSE will jump in and save me so I don't have to think about what I am doing .
I have about 1.5 miles of street verge to mow .
I manage to do it without impacting the traffic because I do 2 runs from the fence throwing out then all the rest 6 to 8 runs throwing towards the fence so the last run is the actual street border & I throw all of the bottles , beer cans & other debris back towards the fence.
When the council mow the other side they just put up the "Caution Mowing " signs and mow from the street in throwing all of the debris onto the roadway .
The sign abrigates any claim for damage to vehicles passing rather than the workers mowing in a mannar to reduce the chances of damage.

 

[mitchstein443]

Not familiar with your machine, but usually there's a position on the ignition switch you turn to after starting to manually enable reverse with accessory on. Look for a mower with an arrow icon.

Some mowers have a button you step on when pressing the transmission reverse pedal.

One last thing to try, try disengaging the mower, put mower in reverse the engage the mower. This is not supposed to work, but under certain circumstances it does.

Spot on bro! for the last 4 years I wondered why it had two run positions, just figured it was fr some optional addon or something..

So long story short, I found there was a switch by the reverse lever (it doesn't have the pedals it has the lever next to the seat). just disconnecting the switch (either at the two pronged coupler or cutting one of the two wires and heat shrinking off) worked. But since I have the reverse setting on my ignition like you said, I re-hooked it up and tested. it works both ways..

Right after I posted this message it just bugged me so I put the mower up in the air and poked around the tranny and just followed the speed control linkage back to the lever and found the switch..

But your way is much better..

 

[beenthere]

Not BS about the toddler. One here in New Hope, AL was ran over while the operator was mowing is reverse. We also had young girl in Athens, AL that lost part her foot because the same thing. So it did and does happen. I personally have seen toddlers to ran up behind the mower operator to show daddy or mommy something here.

And yes it is a little bit of pain to switch or push a button to mow backwards but it just might save a kid's life or from being manged for life.

Can't fix stupid. Anyone with toddlers or even adults that mow while they are in the yard is the problem. Risk of injury from flying objects is real.
Legislate all the knee-jerk fixes they want, but can't fix stupid and those who do not have a clue what a lawn mower can do.

 

[enigma-2]

Yup. I took a required class on liability years ago. One example was for the warning on "no toes under deck". This was due to several people loosing one or more toes that had gotten under a mower deck.

Backstory: a retired guy in Florida wanted to go golfing, but had to trim his hedge first. His three pals stopped to pick him up and he told them he had to trim the hedge first. So these four geniuses put their brains together and figured out if they lifted the electric lawn mower over the hedge, they could just walk along and trim they hedge in a couple of minutes. So the three lifted up the mower and the homeowner flipped it on. Fingers went everywhere. So they sued the manufacturer. And won! Seems the manufacturer put a warning in the mower to keep toes from under the deck. But never told us not to put your "fingers" under the deck.

Court ruled that the manufacturer was at fault because he "should have foreseen all possible conditions that are consumer could use the product". That ruling is the reason you get a owners manual that has the first five pages of dangers, warnings and cautions. It's known as "failure to forsee".

Stupid is assumed.