Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
joel_bc

John Deere 170 wheels locked-up ??

joel_bc
10 years ago

I bought a used J.D. 170 lawn tractor last fall. The machine was in basically good condition, and my mechanic went over it, changed the oil and replaced a few parts.

A friend with a flatdeck brought the tractor over to my place from the mechanic's shop. We brought it down and started it and it ran just fine. I drove it about 75 feet into a shed, where it rested over winter. The engine started up readily and runs very well.

Problem: I unlocked the parking brake, depressed the clutch pedal, put the shift lever (this is a gear model) into reverse to bring the tractor out of the shed - let up on the clutch pedal, but the tractor would not move. Put it into first gear: it would not move forward... not in second gear either. I put it into neutral and shut the engine off. Left the parking brake lever in "off" position, but I could not roll the tractor either forward or backward. I'm too unfamiliar with the machine to really know, but it's as though the parking brake is still "on" although the lever is in the "off" position. (I'm not quite convinced the parking brake is rusted into place - though maybe.)

Is there some simple procedure I've missed? Unfortunately, the previous owner had lost the operator's manual, so I don't yet have one.