John Deere D125 won't move forwards or in reverse, moves by hand whether bypass rod pushed in or out

[Sounder]

Thanks guys for all your help. I pulled the rear wheel off of the side the previous owner had up on blocks and it looks like the axle key is indeed missing. I've ordered a new one and will update you when I get out to the property again to make the fix (probably this weekend).

Just for kicks, I took the other rear wheel off and what do you know the axle key slipped out when I pulled the wheel off! I can see how if you're not paying attention to it, you could easily miss that thing slip out.

I'm not sure why I thought the axle wasn't spinning the first time. But this time after I saw the axle key was missing I paid close attention and when I pushed the mower by hand I saw the axle moving a little bit (and spinning freely in the wheel).

If it's fixed, I'll go ahead and do all the maintenance listed in the D100 series operator's manual I found online. Is there anything else I should do besides what's in the manual? Or any handy tips to doing the listed maintenance?

Thanks again all. Will check in soon.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Well that is a good result
Now very important is to clean the axels up nice & shinny then coat with copper anti seize or heavy axel grease and make sure you fit the plastic caps over the end.
Because the wheel moves with the axel they tend to rust on over time then if you pull them too hard you rip the axel right out of the transmission
When I do the I grease the axel then fill the key slot with grease , fit the wheel then push the key in till it is just flush with the outer edge of the axel hole
Then when it is time to take the wheel off I can tap the key further in if it is rusted up to break the rust bond and allow a passageway for the penetrant .
IT needs to be done around every 3 to 5 years depending upon the weather & where the mower is stored .
The owners manual shows a lot of places to be oiled
I have found that dry lithium grease works a lot better which I apply using a long straw & nozzle from a WD 40 can
Do not use WD 40 in place of grease.
If you have a compressor, use it with a long air duster ( you can get them up to 4' long ) to blow the underside clean, particularly inside the frame rails and between the mounting plate the steering fan gear and the mower frame .
Spray every place where two parts rub, rotate move against each other with the same dry grease then allow an hour for the solvent to evaporate
Do not use water to clean any part of the mower and in particular the deck when it is hot.
The air duster will shift most fresh cut grass and do not forget about the mower spindle pulleys
Dry grass clippings under there can catch fire from the friction of the belt running against them .

 

[bertsmobile1]

From the top
We were a UK colony so we got UK cars most of which will fit inside a US car with space to spare .
Thus roads are narrow so lanes are narrow a lot of the US SUV's that have become popular because of the influience of US TV & Social media will actually take the entire lane with their wheels on or over both lane markers .
Even worse in very congested areas an already narrow 4 lane road gets 6 lanes by just moving the lane markers
Thus the trailer width restrictions in NSW & VIC
Queensland OTOH had a lot of US service men who went AWAL post WWII or returned after being demobbed as it is such a great place to live
As such they had a lot of "Yank Tanks" and a lot of ex US citizens on planning committies during the post WWII boom years so they have wider streets and smaller cities .

Where I am we mow all year sort of from twice weekly to weekly to fortnightly to monthly ( once or twice ) then back to weekly then twice weekly etc , on a good year
On a drought year is is weekly-twice weekly from September to Jan, dust bowl Jan to March the bi-weekly April to September
Flood years are all over the place because we get summer floods or winter floods depending upon the ocean cycles

Aussies used to be a lot more sofisticated purchasers and bought more on quality than price but since the www has been here the ability to brag on social media about how little you paid seems to be more important than the quality of the item and that is right across the board.
Add to that models that fail in the US market get dumped down here .
Point in question I have around 20 articulated Husqvarnas & 2 Jonsorreds that sole in Aus for lower $ Aus than the original $ US
These are the EU spec that failed in the US because US owners did not read the manuals and kept rolling them over.
The US spec goes slower , is wider, longer and has a bigger turning circle than the EU spec

 

[Its Me]

Well it seems to be that I was not able to find a Metal Idler of that size, one is a "V" and the other a "flat back", if your going to leave the mower running when you are not cutting grass lock the clutch down, that will keep them from spinning, that is a poor design, if the would have put the third pulley like the MDT and Murry Mowers you would not have to pull the steering Columb to change the belt. Joe

 

[Sounder]

Update: installing the missing axle key worked! The mower now moves.

I have the maintenance kit and so will be doing all the maintenance in the manual and checking through the suggestions here on what else to do to get it in top shape.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[TobyU]

Update: installing the missing axle key worked! The mower now moves.

I have the maintenance kit and so will be doing all the maintenance in the manual and checking through the suggestions here on what else to do to get it in top shape.

Thanks for all your help!

Really, you should just relax a little bit. Sometimes people go overboard trying to do things on a machine they recently acquired and cause themselves more trouble or expense than if they just left it alone. Lol
I have a John Deere 42-in rider that has a mulching kit installed, which I wish it didn't but that's the way it came, and I don't even know the model number of it. It's a little bit more of an upper level one well just a step or two because it does have a Briggs & Stratton 22 in tech v-twin. If it were a real base model it would have a single Briggs with lower horsepower and if it were a little better it would have a color or something else.
I know it came from Lowe's but it was given to me because they told me someone said the engine was shot.
I don't know what shot means to them, but it started right up and ran. It even ran on both cylinders so I just shrugged and wondered why.
The only thing I can find is it has an oil leak I believe around the base gasket but it's not excessive and it's not worth fixing for the time involved.
I might try my gasket fix vacuum cleaner / sealer RTV trick or I might just pour some of the Blue devil engine oil stop leaking it which will probably fix it right up.
Point being, I've used it for the past two seasons to cut my lawn and all I've had to do is charge the battery twice and air up the tires every time I use it because they leak and frankly I'm too lazy to fix the three that leak or replace them or even take my gallon jug of slime out there and pump some into it..
Eventually, they blade belt will probably break and then it will be a decision as to whether to replace the belt or just throw the machine away and scrap it in my scrap metal pile which pays me money.
If I had to buy a John Deere belt the answer would certainly be scrap it but I will probably just get something that fits and make it work. Lol