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This is a powerful bugger, good for my sloping lawn, I hope. But I have two major issues with the machine.

1) The steering wheel is too low, so that I have to lean forward to drive. That means my weight shifts forward, and the mower's rear wheel (one or the other) sometimes spins. The tires' tread is in good shape.
I am wondering is there is a way to add a "spacer" tube or whatever between the SW and the shaft. I have not taken the wheel off yet. I assume that I have to drive the pin out. Any suggestions?

2) The gear selector is a bit "indistinct." Neutral seems ok. But finding first, second, etc. is a job. When I am moving, engaging the clutch going uphill means serious slowing down, and the opposite going downhill. Basically, I have to find a gear and stay put, using the brake alone to control speed. My 1980 Snapper is much better in this regard. I found a section in one of the Toro manuals about adjusting the neutral position, and I wonder if playing with that might help. Otherwise, I don't see any clutch or gear selection adjustments that can be made. Any help on this?

Thanks very much!

Whether the shaft is splined, has a roll pin, or threaded should make no difference. Get a compatible pipe / shaft and extend it. Regarding the difficulty of finding any given gear, it's a toss up. Some are great and others not so great. Take a peek under there and look at the gear shift rod. You might notice some slop that can be easily addressed. If not it would be internal which I guess is not something you want to get into. Can you not select one gear for downhill and another for uphill to mow in a safe manner? I wouldn't be real trusting of the brake in a downhill, runaway mower situation. Make sure the brake is fresh and adjusted and especially make sure the drive chain is in good condition and that it's tensioner is properly adjusted.

logan01 said:

Whether the shaft is splined, has a roll pin, or threaded should make no difference. Get a compatible pipe / shaft and extend it. Regarding the difficulty of finding any given gear, it's a toss up. Some are great and others not so great. Take a peek under there and look at the gear shift rod. You might notice some slop that can be easily addressed. If not it would be internal which I guess is not something you want to get into. Can you not select one gear for downhill and another for uphill to mow in a safe manner? I wouldn't be real trusting of the brake in a downhill, runaway mower situation. Make sure the brake is fresh and adjusted and especially make sure the drive chain is in good condition and that it's tensioner is properly adjusted.

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Terrific, thanks a lot for your comments and suggestions. My old Snapper had adjustments for the shifting lever/gear location which were pretty straightforward, and worked well.

On selecting a gear for uphill or downhill with this mower at the bottom or the top of the yard, yes, I could do that, since I usually am mowing across the gently sloping yard. Maybe I just got spoiled by the Snapper.

And thanks also for your suggestions about checking the brake's condition. That had not occurred to me!

I'll see what I can come up with regarding extending the SW shaft.

Thanks again.

You bet. Let us know if you need anything else and any progress you make.