Wheels Locked-Up! Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Fix

[@Smudgie]

I had a very similar problem to this and your video helped thanks. I was starting to think I might need to buy a new cable but they cost nearly the price of a 2nd hand lawnmower!

[@donnagunn4124]

Thank you for the video. My exact mower just did the same thing. Since I have to fix it all by myself I depend on you tube videos and folks like yourself for help. I will try this and hope for the best. good instruction btw. easy to follow. Thanks

[@Buckwsr]

Thank you for watching, and I wish you good luck with your mower.

[@runamuckretreatmccarthy1554]

I'm having the same problem your friends mower has. I don't see where you fixed "the problem" he complained about. He said the wheel was "locking up." But it wasn't locked up when you looked at it. Your solution only dealt with freeing up the cable for easier engaging of the drive. It didn't explain why the wheel/gear was locking up. Mine is doing the same. I hit wire that a workman tossed into the grass and the mower stopped. I removed the wire, started it and began mowing again, but all the sudden the wheel froze. I worked the lever a few times (my lever works fine) and then, for no apparent reason, the wheel freed up again. This happened 3 or 4 times. I looked under that cover for something apparent, and under the mower, but natta. If your friends wheel was locking up randomly like mine is, the cable isn't the problem. The cable simply creates the tension to tighten the belt, ie.. engage or disengage. If engaged, the wheel should move with the drive, if disengaged, the wheel should turn freely by hand. In no instance should it "lock up." I'm going to take my gear box apart to see if a tooth broke off or something along those lines, because thats the only scenario I can imagine that would be able to cause a random, complete seize of the wheels, but if I jarred it out of the way, would allow it to turn again.

[@runamuckretreatmccarthy1554]

M Gomez , yes, I did and I didn't even have to go as far as opening up the gear box. I decided a first, more obvious answer might be in the drive wheel itself, and I was right. I found fragments of the outter shell of the wheel in the wheel gear teeth. That wire I hit punctured a hole in the plastic of the wheel and the broken plastic got in the tire gear. I removed the loose plastic, covered the hole so nothing else will get in and put the tire back on. Worked like a charm.

[@JamesKelly89]

I've already resurrected a couple of mowers that had been abandoned to the elements for several years. My fix for seized cables is that I took a big Taco Bell cup I had lying around and cut a hole in the bottom for the cable and sealed the hole with hot glue after running one end of the cable through the hole. I then filled the cup with PB Blaster and then let the cup hang for a couple of days. So far it's worked every time.

[@Buckwsr]

Thanks, James. My fix is a few dollars and a few clicks on amazon.

[@moes8137]

a mix of engine oil and diesel works great on them we worked on it for over 40 years and a duck nose spray bottle

[@bludragontruck9743]

SOB! I just saw this clip and I was having the same problem, only my dumb ass took it to the repair shop. Shit!!! Thank for the insight though.👍🏼

[@TexasAmericaUSA]

The wheels on my Toro recycler froze up when I turned the engine off -- I couldn't push the mower into storage. For me, it was the drive wheel bolt had rusted frozen in its shaft. I just removed the wheel. Pushed out the bolt. Oiled bolt and shaft after I wiped inside of shaft.

[@rodricklillard3606]

Didn't say how to unlock wheels...I'm having that problem now

[@eddierice3254]

i never had this type of mower looks neat

[@echoman1985]

Hi, My wheels locked up because when I was mowing I hit something with the wheel when it was turning. I took the wheels off and cleaned off some plastic that had broken off and was getting caught up in the gear inside one of the wheels. Easy fix.

[@robertleidy8396]

Thanks for your post. 1 wheel was locking up intermittently. A piece of wire was wedged in there. Easy fix.

[@4TIMESAYEAR]

Mine is fine when the engine is running and the self-propel works. Only locks up when off going forward

[@4TIMESAYEAR]

So many things can go wrong for such a small part. Hope you can get it fixed...(it was apparently the cable on mine)

[@roymg]

After you clean that drive cable with WD40 u might try some dry lube. I found some in a spray can form at Lowes. May make it smoother.

[@Buckwsr]

good idea. thanks for the tip.

[@waynecartwright9478]

I am working on the exact same front drive system....I have a question for someone that may know ?? The differential/transfer case below the pully in this video.....Does it require gear oil or something and is it serviceable or a sealed unit ?? thanks for any help....

[@bowlweevil4161]

if your gearbox is working ok look on top of gearbox casting, there is a plastic plug, CAREFULLY pry iit out with 1 or 2 small screw drivers and pump 5-6 pumps into hole with grease gun, every day chassis grease will do, dont use oil because box is not sealed very well and will leak make sure 4 bolts on top of box are tight, it comes with grease from factory good luck

[@angelapaolone5588]

I can't get the wheels off my craftman self propell. Nut comes off but can't wiggle the wheel off to replace.

[@bowlweevil4161]

take a med flat file and file around the axel a little right in front of wheel bushing and grease the axel when you put wheels back on

[@joewatson3261]

Always wondered, why a front wheel drive? Any advantages?

[@Buckwsr]

Yes, it's so you can press down on the lawn mower handle, lifting the front wheels off the ground, and pivot to turn without having to disengage your drive wheels.

[@jorgeangel-mira3657]

Do you have a picture of the inside of the lever mechanism? How do you put it back together?

[@KaveMan812]

Jorge, I have the same problem! Did you ever find any information on how to put it back together?

[@marshallborder9089]

Good learning video - Thanks

[@runamuckretreatmccarthy1554]

So fast forward a little while. I didn't need to get to the point of taking the gear box apart. I noticed a hole punctured into the drive wheel. Took the wheel off and found the broken pieces, with one piece actually inside the gear teeth. Problem found. I have a feeling your friends mower is having similar issues. Theres something in there thats rolling around in the gears, which is why its locking up randomly on him.

[@Buckwsr]

Good job diagnosing and fixing the problem! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Futurenow77]

Thanks for your video. Very helpful.

[@sheddski2942]

hold the cable up in the air and let the WD TRICKLE DOWN TO THE RUSTY AREA IN CABLE

[@bowlweevil4161]

if you get it moving free with wd-40 hang it up and squirt motor oil doen it every few hours, do both ends and slide the cable back and forth to distribute oil, wd-40 is good to loosen it up but will dry up

[@brianmott728]

I own a front wheel propelled Craftsman that has an issue with the self propulsion. Sometimes the pulley on the top of the transmission will not turn and I hear a squealing noise. What would the problem be?

[@Buckwsr]

Hi, The pulley should spin any time the engine is running. If it locks up for some reason, the squeal could be the belt slipping. You'll have to determine the cause of the pulley locking up as your next step.

[@brianmott728]

Today I engaged the front wheels with the engine running. The wheels turn very slow and they do not move at a constant speed. They turn rough in other words. The pulley continues to spin with no squealing now. So what would the problem be now?

[@Buckwsr]

HI Brian, I would want to be sure that the drive mechanism is fully engaged, that the cable which engages the mechanism is moving fully and freely, and that the arm on the gear box to which the cable connects is moving completely into the engaged position. Try this with the engine off: Remove the cable from the arm on top of the gear box, raise the front wheels off the ground, and manually move the arm into the engaged position. Does it engage properly with the wheels and the pulley spinning together? Next, manually move the arm into the disengaged position. Turn the wheels by hand. Has it disengaged properly, wheels spinning but not pulley? These are the tests I would do. It is possible for the gears in the transmission to get stripped out or worn. That could explain the inconsistent or jerky movement you're experiencing. But it sounds to me like more likely that the gear drive is only partially engaged when you squeeze the handle. Hard to diagnose without actually seeing it. Hopefully it's something simple. Worse case scenario, give up on the self-propelled feature, and just mow the old fashioned way: Push it! Good luck.

[@brianmott728]

I've already examined the cable and the lever on the transmission. The lever clicks when I push it all the way down and the lever on the transmission moves as far as its supposed to. The pulley spins constantly but when I engage the wheels they still turn in a jerky movement. The wheels only turn when I'm pushing the mower with them engaged.

[@Buckwsr]

One more idea. Take off one or both wheels and examine the gears inside them. They are usually plastic, and I can envision them being worn or partially stripped out.

[@warrenpeas]

can you tell me why the wheels would only lock up when pulling backwards but work fine going forward?

[@Buckwsr]

hmmmm....hard for me to know without looking at it...hope you can figure it out.

[@warrenpeas]

well if i take off the belt they will roll backward no problem. for some reason the belt is not releasing tension enough when not engaged to drive forward.

[@Buckwsr]

The belt tension is constant, never released. Rather, the wheels are engaged by the lever on top of the gear box to which the control cable is attached. My guess is that that lever is stuck in the engaged position, partially or fully. Remove the cable from that lever, and play with the lever to check full movement from the disengaged position to the engaged position.

[@jamman012]

May be the return spring . That’s what was wrong with mine .

[@healthyamerican]

my mower wont disengage, as soon as you start the mower the drive wheels take off. 2010 craftsman front wheel drive. looks like a husqvarna but is black

[@bowlweevil4161]

it is made by husky sounds like cable might need lube, see if lever on top of gb is moving back and forth when handle bar lever is moving

[@tracyclaystowell6431]

Should have started the video with the seized wheels. Mine also are seized. It has been sitting a couple years. Can not seem to find the right video for seized/frozen wheels. It also pops belt off when engaging lever. Clay

[@tracyclaystowell6431]

Looks just like my Husqvarna 56hs model .

[@randallwindschitl4703]

What is the model number of that mower? I have the same one but my model number sticker came off.

[@Buckwsr]

Sorry. This repair was a long while ago and I do not have the model number....

[@bowlweevil4161]

POULAN PRO PR45Y22SA

[@JasonSmith-qx3zh]

Why is the brake lever down should it not be up???

[@nostalgiachase]

My dad fixes other people's engine problems as well.

[@juntjoonunya9216]

I don't get how the wheels get locked up because of a tight cable

[@rickclark7846]

i had the same problem.

[@runamuckretreatmccarthy1554]

Rick Clark : Did you get it working again? See my comment above. If your wheel is locking up then there may be something rolling around in the wheel or drive gear.

[@rickclark7846]

my cable was rusty and woud,nt spring back so it was stuck in drive.

[@rustynuckles3662]

White lithium grease is a better lubricant than WD40. WD-40 GUMS UP AFTER A COUPLE DAYS AS WHERE LITHIUM DOES NOT.

[@Buckwsr]

Great suggestion! Thank you.

[@bowlweevil4161]

the grease would be great if you can get it down through the cable, i use motor oil cause i can dribble it down the hanging cable takes a while but i'm retired

[@mikehrdlicka8635]

What complicated system throw it away

[@brad3933]

You didn't say anything about y the wheels locked up. Maybe change the title of this video

[@jerrypeal653]

Cable oilers are cheap