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I have a Craftsman 22HP 42" Lawn Tractor Model 917.203900 purchased in 2014. Absolutley no issues until the past few months. The forward and reverse pedals have become hard to use. By this I mean I have to almost stomp on them to get the forward or reverse to engage. And then the mower jumps as it starts to go forward. I blow out underneath the unit with an air nozzle after each use, particularly in the rear around the transmission.

I looked at the pedal linkage underneath the engine and can't really see any problems. Would something in the pedal linkage be worn or would this problem be in the rear and the transmission?

Due to my workload, I don't know if I want to tackle this myself or call the sears fix it it guy. Anyone have this problem before or have a clue as to what is going on?

Zam driver said:

I have a Craftsman 22HP 42" Lawn Tractor Model 917.203900 purchased in 2014. Absolutley no issues until the past few months. The forward and reverse pedals have become hard to use. By this I mean I have to almost stomp on them to get the forward or reverse to engage. And then the mower jumps as it starts to go forward. I blow out underneath the unit with an air nozzle after each use, particularly in the rear around the transmission.

I looked at the pedal linkage underneath the engine and can't really see any problems. Would something in the pedal linkage be worn or would this problem be in the rear and the transmission?

Due to my workload, I don't know if I want to tackle this myself or call the sears fix it it guy. Anyone have this problem before or have a clue as to what is going on?

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does that help?

most likely it is nothing more than a worn transmission belt or the tensioning spring broken, loose etc
Is the brake pedal in it's normal position ?
can you pull it back further and if you do this does the mower run better ?

If you engage the bypass to push the mower, can you push it easily or does one wheel lock up signifing that the brake is locked on

bertsmobile1 said:

most likely it is nothing more than a worn transmission belt or the tensioning spring broken, loose etc
Is the brake pedal in it's normal position ?
can you pull it back further and if you do this does the mower run better ?

If you engage the bypass to push the mower, can you push it easily or does one wheel lock up signifing that the brake is locked on

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Thanks to Semimechanic and Bertsmobile 1.

First of all I have a 2014 model and the gas tank is above the transmission so what is underneath is hard to get at or even see. Gas tank appears to be a nightmare to remove.

If I pull on brake pedal with my foot when sitting on tractor I can move it back about a 1/4". I don't know if that made a difference when pulling and pushing forward and reverse at same time. The bypass pulls a bit hard but both wheels roll. What ever i did, (below) it pulls easier than before.

So I got out my air hose extension with a bend in it and blew in every conceivable way thru every hole in every nook and cranny. Blew ALOT of stuff out. It helped to jack the thing up. We live in sand country (northern Wis) so there was grass, sand, wood chips etc.

Pedals now, while not up to 100%, work alot better. I guess I just have to do what I did today more often and not rely on the leaf blower.

Thanks again and have a good rest of the weekend.

semimechanicman said:

does that help?

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Thanks and see reply to bertsmobile below.

I happen to have the same mower and the same problem. The rear of the transmission gets dirt trapped inside and has to be thoroughly cleaned. It's a known problem and the transmission manufacturer sells a "debris" kit which is really a shield to cover the rear of the tranny. I purchased and installed the debris kit but found it made very little difference and I still had to (completely) drop the transmission (I believe you are correct that the gas tank is nearly impossible to remove) and blow out the debris. This happened so often I've pretty much given up on using reverse, and just go forward. I mow 3 acres and it's rough on mowers no matter how much picking up I do, because some areas are dirt, and some are weeds around my pond. Let me know if you want me to find the debris kit name. I have it on my computer somewhere.

Have a great day!

Pete

phoyt said:

I happen to have the same mower and the same problem. The rear of the transmission gets dirt trapped inside and has to be thoroughly cleaned. It's a known problem and the transmission manufacturer sells a "debris" kit which is really a shield to cover the rear of the tranny. I purchased and installed the debris kit but found it made very little difference and I still had to (completely) drop the transmission (I believe you are correct that the gas tank is nearly impossible to remove) and blow out the debris. This happened so often I've pretty much given up on using reverse, and just go forward. I mow 3 acres and it's rough on mowers no matter how much picking up I do, because some areas are dirt, and some are weeds around my pond. Let me know if you want me to find the debris kit name. I have it on my computer somewhere.

Have a great day!

Pete

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You mention the debris kit fits on the rear of the transmission. I would think that the way things are built that debris would be just as likely to enter from the mower deck side. Just sayin!

I don't want to get rid of the mower as I only have 230 hours on it since 2014. Runs great otherwise.

Six bolts will drop the tranny about 1 foot ( 2 on each axel & 2 on the stabilizer at the front ) without undoing anything else
That is more than enough space to get in there with a long air duster & blast the crud out
Then with a can of Dry Lithium Spray Grease fitted with a straw apply grease liberally at every place where two metal parts move against each other .
This is a once a season job
During the season if you remove the rear wheels you can get in there with the duster.
Even better this reminds you to keep the rear axles greased .
I have found lanolin grease seems to work best there
And keep an eye on the drive key as they have a habit of staying in the wheel then falling out where ever you put them out of the way

Zam driver said:

rear of the transmission. I would think that the way things are built that debris would be just as likely to enter from the mower deck side. Just sayin!

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Zam driver said:

You mention the debris kit fits on the rear of the transmission. I would think that the way things are built that debris would be just as likely to enter from the mower deck side. Just sayin!

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All these parts replace your current rear tranny parts for debris protection. Drop the tranny as described above, don't lose the wheel keys, and I recommend replacing the axle seals too.

The fuel tank is not the easiest to remove; have done mine a few time already.