Hi, My name is Randall, my kids call me Poppie. I have a 14.5hp Craftsman riding lawnmower with a 42" deck. I also have a 19 hp Craftsman which also has a 42" deck. They are both older models but have never given me much trouble,until now. I don't think it's a major problem but my lack of knowledge is making it more difficult than necessary. The 14.5hp was given to me a few years ago by my father in law. It has always been a little hard to shift gears but now it is to the point that it's almost impossible the change from one gear to another. It runs fine once it's in gear and all the gears work it's just hard shifting from one gear to another. I don't want to continue using the mower in case it will make things worse. I think the transaxle either needs more fluid or it needs cleaning but I can not find any way to check the fluid level. I have searched online and several places shows where the level is checked but mine does not have this opening. I was also told to use 80/90 gear oil, is this correct? It's a craftsman 14.5 hp with a 6 speed spicer transaxle.The model number is 917.270532. If anyone has any helpful information it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Poppie