Go to deere.com
Click on Service and support then Service parts
Click Find your Part Number
Enter the Model number then click search
Then click on "Sectional Index"
Then click on "Steering and Brakes"
Then click on "Brake Pedal and Linkage"
OK now you have me confused.
I gather this is the same mower as in our previous post with the short drive belt ?
From the top there is no emergency brake,
There is a brake combined with the clutch and a latch to allow you to use it as a parking brake.
IF you have the clutch now releasing the belt enough to allow it to slip on the engine pulley the next thing is to adjust the brake.
Well in your case I would remove the brake and have a good look at the brake pads.
Remove the right wheel and you will see it staring you in the face.
The two bolts either side of the saddle hold it to the gearbox,
The center nut is the adjustment
The lever is a cam and presses two pins down onto the front brake pad onto the brake disc.
The disc sits on a spline so it is a floating disc and when the brake pad pushes on it it moves back and presses against the rear pad.
Crud builds up around the disc preventing it from working and the pins can rust solid.
Go to the same JD web page and print out the brake parts break down to ensure all the bits are there.
Pads are a service item and discs can also need replacing particularly if the brake has been dragging for a long time.
The rod that operates the brake also has an adjustment.
This is for timing only and some twits crank this up to make the mower stop better,
Its job is to adjust when the brake is applied, not how hard and the idea is the brake lever does not activate the brake till after the clutch has dissengaged the drive belt otherwise the brake will be working against the engine and in time it will damage the input gear on the transmission.
Sorry.
I should have checked first.
One of the ways they made Scotts cheaper was to do away with the adjustment.
Usually there woud be a nut on the other end of the rod to vary the compression on the spring.
The part number 10 in the linkages diagram is the brake cam and it also appears in the diagram of the brake proper which is in the power train section ( because it is part of the tranny ) as part number 5.
It has a crease in it which pushed on the pins shown as part no 4.
make sure the pins move freely .
The two brake pads are identical size when new so if one is thinner than the other get a replacement set.
Take your old one to any real mower repair shop and ask for a pair of these, There is only 3 or 4 different size pads and I am yet to find one that Tecumseh pads will not fit & they are around $ 15 down here so they should be almost free in the States.
Just be wary of the shim pad (no 2 in brake diagram) as they tend to be stuck to the back on the pad & then end up in that parallel universe with all of the left socks and spare car keys.
Downside of no adjusting nut is if you can not get enough adjustment with the center nut ( part 8 in brake diagram ) to make the brakes work then you will have to replce all the bits with wear or build them up with weld and reform rod ends & holes.
The brake works on the layshaft, not the mower axel so if there is a problem inside the box then the brake might not work.
Locking the layshaft means the diff can not turn so one wheel can only go foreward and the other can only go backwards thus the mower goes nowhere.
After considerable use the layshaft bearing can leak onto the brake thus lubing a little "too " well.
So if there is a lot of oil / grease around the brake you might have to replace the seal/ bearing as well.