How to Replace-Drive Control Cable for Craftsman Mower

[@andreac8571]

Thank you for posting this! Like you, I needed to figure out where to hook it at the bottom. Your tip was just enough for me to get the job done. Saved me the cost of paying a repair shop! We now have a self propelled mower again! Thanks!

[@travislaw9367]

Thanks, you were the only one I found with a matching lawn mower after 30 minutes of searching with how the cable should go.

[@mediamaker2000]

That was nice of you post this for anyone else that needs to replace the cable on their mower. I love videos like this. They've made my life easier many times! When our Samsung TV died, I found a KZbin video about it and fixed it myself the next day for 98 cents plus tax!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

That's why I love YT Dale. I was surprised no one had a video of this. It was a common question on sears parts.com, but no one had any pics or videos. Frustrating so I decided to do one once I found out how to do it .

[@IndoorHydroponix]

Small engine equipment, the bane of my existence. Nice instructional!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Not my fav either John, but I hate paying someone to fix my stuff. Thanks !

[@ammoalamo6485]

Thank you so much for saving me a lot of time finding out where the spring and everything else goes. It did take me about ten minutes, plus another thirty finding the right tools in my messy tool area, and some more draining and refilling the gas tank to prevent gasoline all over the place. I was trying to put a carb kit in on my Briggs engined Craftsman tiller one day and lost sight of where a certain spring attached itself. Like you, it took me hours on the Internet looking around before I finally found the spring's correct attachment point. Then, to add insult to injury, once rebuilt the damned carb wouldn't work. It would start right up with some fluid sprayed directly into the carb, but would not run after that fluid burned away. I tried this for hours one day and again the next and the next... Finally I set the thing aside where it has set for three years. As you might suspect the only small engine repair shop around is owned by a ripoff artist who I won't deal with ever again. Anyway, you're the greatest for saving so many people so much trouble.

[@zeldaqueen23]

Thank you so much for this video. The cable broke on my Craftsman mower yesterday and I had no idea how to get that end attached again. You're a lifesaver!! :)

[@justinschomer2739]

A

[@donc9803]

A great video which helped us repair our 20 year old identical lawn mower. Using an OEM cable, we had a slight issue with installing the cable as seen at 1:52. For us there was metal on metal contact with the cable and chassis near the spring and pulling the cable control bar required a lot of effort. My wife spotted the chassis hole which is part of the space where you mount the cable clip (1:38) and put the cable ball end through the hole first before clipping the cable into place. Doing this allowed the cable to slide downward into the channel within the clip and the lawn mower drive works like new!

[@gpspilot1]

I think you're right about that. My original cable had not been run through the "big opening." It had gone through the same hole where the clip goes, as you said. And the original cable had broken somewhere else, not at that location, so the way we did it seems like a good bet.

[@donc9803]

Thank you again for your video, it’s greatly appreciated!

[@tammyhackenberg496]

thank you for posting this! I have a Honda mower with a broken cable. This video and the comments regarding the cable placement was exactly what I needed to fix it. I called a local repair shop and was told it was probably the transmission and wasn't worth fixing. It wasn't the transmission. The new cable fixed it and all is good! Thanks!

[@josinabraham1861]

Thanks so much for this short and accurate steps for replacing the drive cable for my craftsman lawn mower. This helped me to stick with my mower without spending extra $$$ for a new mower.

[@smarshall1]

Thank you for posting this, Larry! You saved me a lot of time (and money!) It cost me about $20 for the new cable, and I watched your video on my phone while I replaced the cable. One thing though--My cable broke near the hole where the clip is. I deduced that it was because the cable rubbed against the edge where you said to "run your cable right through that big opening" (1:27). Looking at that plastic clip, there's a curved channel inside for the cable, and the hole that the clip goes in is kind of shaped like a keyhole for a reason. You'll see that the round part of that hole is just big enough to feed the spring through, so I fed my cable through that way. Anyone else notice that?

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Thanks for sharing that Sean - i will take a look & see if i can find that. Thanks Larry

[@CountryInClovis]

I ;put my cable the first time through the key hole. The wheels wouldn't turn. I then did it the way the video shows and it works great now. I agree that it should go through the key hole as that is where it was when I took it apart. So what am I doing wrong?

[@patricksullivan5272]

I'm here cause the spring broke on the drive cable and I have no idea where it goes. Thank you for saving me the 2 hours of looking you were the first video to pop up.

[@nanolight108]

God Bless you for placing this video on You Tube. It was the exact repair I needed to make. In fact, your video helped me to select the right parts from another place than sears who is no longer carrying the cable with the correct connectors. Thank you so much. I could not put my mower into my car and get it to a repair shop. You helped a girl get her mower back in service. I truly appreciate the help.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

+Nanolight Thank you for the kind words Nanolight !

[@matthewmoore5334]

Thank you so much. The cable broke today and I could not find out how it attached. I finally found it thanks to your video. I ordered part and new belt since i was fixing things . A lot cheaper than sending it to the shop.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

matthew moore Oh yea lots cheaper plus they double the price on the parts

[@erinmeekhofsturgill5620]

Thank you for a great video! I spent over an hour looking for a photo or video of how to attach the end of the cable to the transmission. The videos I ran across before this didn't give enough detail or weren't close enough. I did it the way you showed and had it attached in seconds! 👍👏

[@suec4630]

Thank you so much for this video!!! I already spent about an hour trying to install the new drive cable..... The large spring was also missing. The manual showed a spring, but not where to hook it up to. Great video. Thanks again!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Sue Culbertson Glad I could help out Sue !

[@KentRobertSwickJrAroudTheWorld]

@@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel what was the replacement part number? Same problem!

[@winstonfjr]

Thank you brother. I ordered the part from amazon, once it came in I installed it in the time it took my pops to get a couple of beers. You were lots of help!

[@shaulbengera1943]

Can you please help me with the part number of the cable?

[@katiemcauley7469]

Oh. My. God. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I legit spent too much eff’n time trying to figure this bad boy out. I had it all installed, but could not find anything that showed me WHERE to connect it. Mine also broke off, so I had no idea where the end or spring went. You’re my favorite right now!!! 👍

[@gingercox6468]

Thanks. My cable was fine. The belt had come off the wheel. There was no tension on the belt and I learned by watching ur video that the handle puts that tension on the belt. I used a hose to clean out the accumulation of grass underneath the mover and under the cover for the front end.

[@mercedesschneider5771]

Very helpful. I needed to know where to attach new cable after old one broke, and I could not tell how exactly to attach to drive control unit. Thank you so much.

[@shannonbalser]

Great video, I looked for an hour trying to attach the cable to the drive unit, Watched your video and found the hole. Thanks!!!!

[@damon323]

Seriously, big thank you for posting this video!! By the comments I’ve seen with this video being 7 years old, you’ve helped a lot of other people out as well! Thanks again man

[@tedthez]

Thank you so much for this video - it saved me hours of trying to figure it out. Also, thank you for those who noted to make sure to put the spring through the hole right in front of the clip! The video is very well done!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

tedthez Thanks Ted !

[@daniellange7505]

Thanks very much. This was a huge help. I can't find "the hole" for anything and will try again tomorrow. I also appreciate the comments about putting the cable through the clip hole. Thank you! Very helpful.

[@CountryInClovis]

Your video was a life saver. I am a 61 year old, single so if I could do it anybody can :)

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Ela Volk Thanks for the kind comments Ela !

[@cva39v2e]

Thank you so much. I would never have found the connecting spot or the cotter pin. You have saved me some money as well as saving me a lot of embarassment if I had to haul it to a repair shop.

[@chazzbomedia8197]

Many thanks...saved me hours of frustration...clear and to the point...the way every video should be

[@Kg98914]

Awesome You saved us from buying a new mower. Thank you so much.

[@tropicana2k]

Thanks for the video and great tip on turning mower on oil side down to find the hole. Great info!!! I’m going to try this once I receive new cable.

[@dnguyen787]

Thanks for the video! I also had a hard time to find the hole for my Husqvarna HU700F. After watching this, I use a toothpick to uncover the hole full of dirt.:-)

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

+Dan Nguyen Thanks for the nice comment !

[@Superkeyruns]

Thank you! I had the exact same scenario. Your video is a real time saver. Also, my cable was a little too short. I had to drive a new hole in the handle to mount the cable holder higher up, to reach the self-propel handle.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Superkeyruns Thanks for the kind comments !Larry

[@asgary]

I'm very thankful of your video. I have a Husqvarna mower, couldn't figure out where and how to attach the spring end of the cable to the drive box, fortunately it was the same as yours. Thanks for sharing it!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Asgar Taj Thanks for the kind words Asgar !

[@Goldenwoodz]

Have the same identical model. Absolutely LOVE IT! They don’t make them the same anymore 🥲

[@tridang7017]

Thank you so much for showing how to replace the drive cable. Great job!!!!

[@RemiPut]

My self propelled cable broke today , thanks for the upload man I appreciate that !!!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

+Remi Put Thanks for the kind words my friend !

[@RemiPut]

You're welcome !

[@thebrewgeek]

Thank you so much for posting this. I couldn't for the life of me find that stupid hole. You saved me some $$ today. :)

[@StampinScrapinT]

OMG, Thank you so very much! I would have never found the hole to put the spring.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

StampinScrapinT Glad I could help.

[@jmahaneydroid]

Thank you. It’s 2020 and your video was exactly what I needed. Manual doesn’t show the connection underneath. Thank you. The only difference for me is I have a 650 series and my cable does run through the same hole as the clip.

[@jeffwelt4957]

Excellent video. Saved me a lot of time. If anyone was watching me I would look like I know what I am doing. Thanks.

[@jacklopez5628]

Thanks, worked out great, lawnmower shop wanted for 3 weeks, again thanks!

[@drumno5]

But the cable doesn't go through the big rectangular opening in the deck. That would cause it to rub against the edge of the opening every time you pull on it; it will just keep wearing out and breaking over and over. What you have to do is put the spring through the circular opening at the front of the slot where the retaining clip snaps into the deck before you snap the clip into place. It looks like it won't fit, but if you line the spring up vertically and insert it straight downwards it will wiggle right through the hole. Then snap the clip into place and attach the spring as shown in the video. Hope this helps.

[@smarshall1]

That's what I already said... 8^\

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Sean Marshall Thanks Sean for bringing that up.the other day i finally went & out & checked my cable-finally. cable looked fine but i'm going to move it. How did work for you ? Was it easy to feed through plastic clip.

[@smarshall1]

***** Is your cable through the "keyhole" or the big rectangle? Mine's through the clip, through the "keyhole", and it works perfectly. I haven't opened it up to inspect it though. I thought if it was through the big rectangle, it would rub and eventually break, like drumno5 said above.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

yea its still through the big rectanagle , but will move it. thanks again ! Larry

[@diannemarinari7936]

I just replaced this cable on my mower and I'm sure glad I read your comment after watching the video. It was a breeze to replace. Thanks!

[@johnvincent527]

Good simple explanation. Thanks. Be sure to read the comment from drummo5 for cable location. I ordered the cable from a site on e-bay. It was about half the cost of purchasing direct from Sears parts.

[@nimblor]

Thank you! this saved me a lot of time and expense sorting this out.

[@brandintalley7979]

Thanks My cable broke yesterday and this was huge help

[@md1967gb]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, would have taken me 2 hours to spot that little hole too as I had the mower tipped the other way. But agree with another comment below. The cable should go through the hole. That was how it was threaded on my original cable and the little plastic clip has a conduit to guide it down. EDIT: Ah, the annotation you added about that issue unfortunately doesn't show up on mobile KZbin which is what I was using in my garden shed! :-)

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

+Martin Bayly Thanks Martin & sorry for the confusion

[@carlgriffin9444]

Thats right Sean, feed the cable spring hook through the hole where the plasic clip is to be attached.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Carl Griffin Thanks Carl & Sean, after seeing that hole in the plastic clip i tried it. Thanks Guys ! Larry

[@Crazy-bout-a-mercury]

Your video explained a lot but the problem I'm having is how do I get that cover off to attach the cable back? I enjoyed the simple instructions on you know where to put it and look for that tiny hole but I need to take the cover off of the front wheel drive first and I don't know how. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[@slatzify]

Thanks for posting this. What a help and actually will now be easy to replace this cable.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Hi John, glad i could help. Larry

[@amywest4054]

Helpful video but you already have the top cover off when you start. How do you get it off? I see the bolt head easy but it is recessed just enough that I can't find a thin walled enough socket head to get in there!

[@mymkii406]

Great Video! I did mine but ran the cable down the hole where the plastic housing snaps in. That way the cable doesn't run over the edge and cut through.

[@reggiehowze1891]

My cable broke yesterday. Thanks a lot

[@jeremy32100]

Great video and thank you for the advice but I have a question I just purchased my 1st self propelled Craftsman it's similar to that 1 but what I want to know is if for some reason that cable fails Or anything goes wrong with the front wheel drive transmission Would I be able to just push the mower manually To cut my grass

[@johnbush4966]

Thank you...u saved me lots of time..

[@maddagger2000]

thanks for sharing.do you know the part number for the cable?

[@ddd228]

On my Craftsman mower # 917.375923(4WD),the hard part is to figure out the debris guard removal! ONE bolt on the bottom and 2 screws on top: One next to the hose wash out fitting and the other inside the battery box!(Electric start). WHEW! Used a bicycle cable for the replacement. Don't forget to add lube to the front gear drive box. I just used 90 wt. gear oil.

[@mediaoneproductions305]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Only thing I did, was put the round part of the cable along with the cable, as it was before. Thanks

[@mbitzan-powell1126]

thank you for posting this video! It was very helpful!!

[@juliecook5583]

That's were I got lost. Thank you for your video

[@olegsilyuk4593]

where did you get that cable? can't find it anywhere

[@phillipfrye3499]

Thank you, perfect directions!

[@GuzzyMan]

Thank you. you saved me some time.

[@randallantill8803]

Thank You for making this video i had the same problem even made the same mistake running the cable into the big hole even after you added the correction comment .trying to save money can cost you more

[@TOMCAT631]

Thanks you saved me 2 hours!

[@pepperann2589]

Could you please tell me what color key came with this lawnmower? Have a bet going.

[@oatnoid]

Great, do the throttle cable next. Please.

[@sbushman46]

great video saved me a couple of hours too

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

sbushman46 Glad i could help & several people added helpful tips also.

[@dsrost]

thank you! this was driving me crazy

[@MadWeiner]

Excellent instruction.

[@VETTE-wj8qq]

Thank You... Very well done sir...

[@gregorystarr5977]

Could you tell me what part number of the Replacement cable? Can't find it now

[@Ziglabeu]

thanks for the vid! save me a lot of time !

[@alexvalentin1971]

Thank you so much. Very helpful 👍

[@milestj]

Thank you for posting this!!!

[@mikehorton3877]

Anyone know what length belt the 650 series takes? I went to a shop and they cross referenced the part number. Gave me a 3/4"x33" belt and it's too long!

[@johnkuhne7870]

This was SO helpful. Appreciate you posting it!

[@mcastro72]

Thank you. Very helpful.

[@juliecook5583]

Very helpful indeed!

[@sixstringepic7052]

This helped so much, thanks!

[@jasonlytle6047]

thank you for making this video.

[@Trex1268]

Mine just broke. Thanks for the vid!!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Thanks for watching !Larry

[@wr38621]

Awesome video

[@lucyvillacorta9862]

How long is the cable

[@jean-sebastiencote8624]

Can I get the cable on Amazon?

[@ziakas420]

thanks for the post helped me!

[@20bucks55]

Thank you so much because a hade it on the gasoline side all the time. 😂

[@WayneMeador]

Ahhhhh Larry, my least favorite thing to work on....a small mower! LOL Ok, weed-eaters may trump it but... haha Good video. If you monetize this one, you will probably make a good deal of $ off of it... Just a thought.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Thanks Wayne

[@shaulbengera1943]

Can you please help me with the part number of the cable? Craftsman EZ walk 700 series

[@jdkilduff]

great vid. thanks man

[@crsuperman1]

awesome, THANK YOU!!!!!

[@nasariocelaya9217]

How do I remove drive cable on a craftsman 9.50 223cc walk behind mower

[@cc-gq9jd]

the cabl goes throuth the round hole under the cable or if you do it in the big hole it will rub and break

[@kevinmartin4787]

Thank You sooooo much!!!!

[@voyageur767]

What's the part number of the cable?

[@mowerrepairshopfortscottkansas]

Good Video

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

+KB'S Small engine Repair parts & Service Thanks KB

[@victorclare9376]

HEY BUDDY THANKS . JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. SAVE ME ALOT OF SWEAT.

[@openmindedtruth]

nice! thanks!

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Glad I could Help !

[@toddjohnson9919]

What is the part number for that cable?

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Todd Johnson Can't remember, go to sears official site & type in your model # & it will take you to the parts info. easy to find.

[@AustinFamilyGardeningChannel]

Todd Johnson Price was reasonable also. Hope this helps.Larry

[@jonbell7296]

Thank you

[@Kay-dx8vm]

Damn, I picked up a used mower and wondered how the hell that my mower moves slower as I pull the handle toward me. Turned out the cable was not hook to the right position.

[@soniaallen8659]

Nice 😀

[@pepperann2589]

Does anyone here know the color of the key that goes to this lawn mower?