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captrequin

craftsman 917270670 tractor , mower won't engaged

captrequin
14 years ago

Hi there ! i had to replace the cable that engaged the mower deck ,it was broke at the end where it connects on the engaged handle . the tractor is a craftsman 917270670. the tractor will start and drive but the mower won't engaged. i tried to bypass the switch,i even tried my safety switch on a different tractor. the safety switch works. I need HELP, my lawn is getting longer.thanks for any help.

Comments (7)

  • mownie
    14 years ago

    ***"the tractor will start and drive but the mower won't engaged. i tried to bypass the switch"***
    ???? bypass the switch? I suppose you believe this "Switch" has something to do with engaging the belt drive??? The Craftsman tractor you have (if 917.XXXX number is correct), does not have an electric "engagement" feature. It is completely a "manual engagement". If the switch you refer to, is on the deck, it is only there to "sense" when the deck is engaged. Has nothing to do with engaging the deck. You mention that you "tried the switch" on a different tractor. Is this "test tractor" identical to yours? If so, you need to get down and see if the deck drive belt has been thrown off of the pulley on the engine.

  • rustyj14
    14 years ago

    I got a call from one of my customers. He said the mower deck wouldn't go down. The blades turned, but the deck refused to lower. So, i went over to his place and looked at it. I found the knob that controls the height of the deck was turned all the way to "high" and it never got close to the grass! This was also a Craftsman tractor mower. I think his kids must of messed with it, to harass him.
    When i was around ten or so years of age, our Uncle would take me, my brother, and several cousins to town for ice cream and "pop". He drove an old Hudson/Terraplane make of car, and it had an electric shift controller on it, and had a removable floor shifter handle, which could be used for when the battery was low!
    He'd always go into the tobacco shop, so us kids would stay in the car. And of course, we'd bug him in all kinds of ways. We'd shut off the electric shift and hide the floor shifter handle, and he'd cuss a blue streak since he couldn't make the car move without it!

  • captrequin
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    i checked , the mower goes down, the belt and the pulley spins when you rotate them by hand,the tractor runs fine except the mower won't engaged...when you engaged the handle to mow for the mower deck, the tractor stay running.. what else should i be checking?
    thanks again for any inputs.

  • mownie
    14 years ago

    ***'i checked'***
    Does this mean that you got down and looked under the tractor to confirm the the deck belt is actually in the groove on the engine pulley???
    ***'the belt and the pulley spins when you rotate them by hand'***
    Well, I can't see it from here. How exactly, are you turning by hand?
    Look at the image below to see what I am taking about. The belt may have jumped out of the pulley groove and landed on top of the pulley. That would allow you to turn the belt by hand but would not drive the deck from the engine.

    {{gwi:336804}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: Visual explanation

  • rcbe
    14 years ago

    Sit in seat normally. Start engine normally - let it run for a minute if engine has not been running recently to warm up.
    Fully engage mower lever on dash upwards, then to the right a bit - into it's operating detent position. Mower blades should be running and stay running w/o your hand on the mower lever. If not, ck that new cable you put in.
    Then stand up, leaving mower deck lever engaged. Engine should quickly stop by itself. All this is correct normal operation.
    If it all doesn't work that way, first RE-CHECK your previous cable changeout - it may be wrong. Then check engine to deck drive belt for good condition, properly routed, etc.

    Also read manual from link below, paying close attention to operation instructions and maintenance instructions for your problem areas.

    Here is a link that might be useful: owner's manual

  • tomplum
    14 years ago

    The cables on these frequently fail on these when the idler cam on top the deck is not working freely. So, installing a new cable corrects 1/2 the issue. Remove the deck and remove any debris that may be preventing the arm from being pulled back by the cable. You may have to take the idler bolt out and clean the rust out and lube for it ti work freely. Reinstall the belt watching that it is on the inside of the brake arms and guides and it will likely work fine. On some occasions , the rear weld of the top plate of the deck can break making it impossible to hold tension. You will see pulley wear on the top of the brake arms if that is the case.

  • corvetteguy
    14 years ago

    On a recent $50 purchase of a Craftsman II 42
    inch deck, I found that the blades were also
    not engaging. After removing the deck I found
    a lot of fishing line wound around one AYP spindle.
    One spindle had star blade keeper ground down.
    Also The force needed to engage the cam brake pads
    at the end of the engage throw seemed excessive.

    After fixing all these things the deck now works fine.
    I do notice a bit of drag at the near top of the
    lift up engage caused by the brake cams. I think this
    may be nornal.

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