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Hello forum! I have what is probably a 1998 Craftsman 6-speed/ 42" EZ3. This might be very similar to an LT1000. I didn't really hit a brick wall but it darn near felt like it. There is a small area of my yard near a tree where grass doesn't grow and the dirt that was butted up against sidewalk edge has washed away exposing about an inch of the side of the sidewalk. I was mowing from an direction I don't normally come from and wasn't thinking about that edge... the bottom front lip of the blade deck crashed into the edge and stopped me cold. After that, I could not get the mower to reverse or get into a speed gear and move at all. I had to turn it off and push it to the backyard. I also could not get it to start again. Now I do need to mention that my battery is not great and I typically need to charge it up before starting. I charged it up again and in my opinion, it sounds like it is is giving good enough juice to start, but it just cranks and won't start. I looked the best I could for any springs, linkage, rods that may have come loose but wasn't seeing anything. Is there something I should look for that could cause the moving and starting issue? Should I be able to start it as long as the battery is good enough even if there is something loose/broken relating to the trans?

Take the battery to any auto parts store. Will check for free.

You did disengaged the PTO?

Also need the model number off the serial number tag. See we need to look at the electrical schematic as it sounds like a safety is not where it should be.

Y'all thanks... had to go out of town and just got back yesterday to finally get to truly checking this mower out. Turned out to just be the drive belt had popped off of the big rear pulley. I could have sworn it felt like it was still on but I couldn't see it was off until I jacked the mower up and could get my hand in there and feel it. The battery is bad but I got it charged up enough to see that the mower starts fine so not I'm going to replace that.

BuddyC99 said:

Y'all thanks... had to go out of town and just got back yesterday to finally get to truly checking this mower out. Turned out to just be the drive belt had popped off of the big rear pulley. I could have sworn it felt like it was still on but I couldn't see it was off until I jacked the mower up and could get my hand in there and feel it. The battery is bad but I got it charged up enough to see that the mower starts fine so not I'm going to replace that.

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a bad battery can damage the charging system. Replace the battery.

Here we go again, so I’m willing to learn something. Sg, please explain to me how a bad battery can damage a small engine charging system? In all my years I’ve never heard anyone make this claim. Only thing I can think of is it might over heat a regulator, if you have a manual PTO.

sgkent said:

a bad battery can damage the charging system. Replace the battery.

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Yeah that was bad typing... I meant to say "Now" I am going to replace that.

Running with dead battery overloads the charging system which as you know is not meant to run full power all of the time .
I can not count the number of stators & regulators I have replaced because the owner was too cheap to replace the dead battery so they jump started off their car .
Usually takes a full season or 3
I have one customer who refuse to buy a new battery .
In his eyes a $ 110 battery is more expensive every 3 years or so than a $ 75 stator every 3 or so years .

Never remember having to do one that I could point to a bad battery as the cause. Sg is life cry you baled him out.

Rivets said:

Never remember having to do one that I could point to a bad battery as the cause. Sg is life cry you baled him out.

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Your customers are just not as cheap as mine
I found the logic a bit backwards but he was big in the mens shed so he had spread this far & wide