Honda HRR mower will not roll backwards

[rbjenterprises]

This will probably be for Robert.

Honda HRR216VKA, Ser#MZCG-9501855, purchased 7/18/15.

Ran great for a year. This summer the rear wheels stopped rolling in reverse or if they did I was on asphalt. I have followed the cable adjustment procedure, pulled both rear wheels and cleaned the gear area. I have used a spring scale and it takes 40+ pounds of force to the wheels to roll backwards with the cable adjusted correctly or all the way loose. With the smart drive engaged the mower goes forward great.

I am finally getting around to fixing the problem, what next?

 

[primerbulb120]

Your rear wheel bushings have seized. This is the one major problem with Honda mowers. Other than this they are great machines. If I had one improvement to suggest for these mowers, it would be the addition of high quality bearings on the axle shaft instead of Teflon bushings.

I have to clean or replace my bushings every 20-30 hours to keep the wheels rolling backwards. Typically the replacement bushings will need service more often than the original ones. Only reason I don't go to Toro is because I can't stand their Personal Pace drive system.

Hmm, maybe I'll try putting Smart Drive on a Toro... :laughing:

 

[rbjenterprises]

That was the problem! Took all the parts apart, cleaned, greased and put back together. I wish Honda would put this in the manual next to the cable adjustment. It is just as necessary. I did not have any Teflon bushings, just steel on steel.

 

[primerbulb120]

You can't have steel on steel. I tried replacing the Teflon bushings with metal ones. About 50 hours later, the sand had eaten big grooves in the wheel height adjusters and ruined the axle shaft.

 

[rbjenterprises]

I do, steel running thru the steel height adjuster assembly. There was a rubber seal on the inboard side.

 

[primerbulb120]

I looked up the parts diagram and it's the same diagram as mine. There are Teflon bushings pressed into the wheel height adjusters. They are grey and can easily be mistaken for steel. There is a rubber seal on the inboard side just like you describe, it's pressed in there. You can remove it with a flatblade screwdriver. Under that seal there is a Teflon bushing that goes all the way through to the other side.

Here's the parts diagram, bushings are #15:

http://peparts.honda.com/powerequipment#/browse/lm/hrr/hrr216/HRR216K9-VKAA

 

[primerbulb120]

They look like this: http://www.shankshondaparts.com/med...139433887a97daa66f/4/4/44327-VG3-B00_01cw.jpg

 

[rbjenterprises]

Thanks for the info. l will check at a year when I break it all down to clean and lube it.

 

[bogdaN]

Same problem here,cleaned bushing--lube, put that together and still not rolling back.Removed gear box checking on bench turning very nice.What I did is put washer -spacer between pulleys discs .Now belt go little deeper in to the pulley.Lot of work but that baby moving--rolling back easy.

 

[buffettck]

Just pull the wheels and use some good silicone grease on the axles. I've been using my Honda mower for years and have never had a stuck wheel bushing.