craftsman FNR tansaxle stuck.....

hey guys i got my new mower today. its a craftsman with a FNR transaxle. I had to drag it out of the truck because the rear end is locked up for some reason. so heres a run down of whats going on.....

i can start the mower like normal but when i put it in gear and start to let the clutch out it dies....same thing happens if i try to engage the mower deck....it dies.

I removed the mower deck thinkin it was prolly froze up or jammed....tried to engage the blades agian and it still dies.

I removed the brakes thinkin they were froze up and it still dies.

I jacked the rear end up and spun the wheels and they move fine so i dont tink the axle bearings are seized.

Im the first to admit i know nothing about these F N R tranaxles...any hlp would be greatly appreciated!

there might be an electrical problem if it dies when you try to turn on the pto... as for the tranny, im guessing that the shaft that the gear or the pulley that the engine turns is seized in there or its something internally wrong in it.

Your input shaft may be siezed up.

And it may be so badly out of tune that any load kills it.

thats a good point about the shaft, it ran and mowed fine as of a year or so ago, then it was parked and left uncovered out in the weather, Im thinking its just some kind of seizing from the weather. I dont think i have an electric pto, its all belt driven deck. I know the guy i got it off of said he bought a new one cuz this one would cut in and out when he was mowing and he thought it was the seat sensor....doubtin thats it tho

ok got an update on the problem! i started foolin around with it today and i slipped the belt off the pulley and tried to spin the pulley by hand, to me it seemed real tight, so i spun it a few times to loosen everything up and tried to take of in gear agian....and it died just like before....is there any more suggestions anyone can think of?

Check your brakes, the aluminum caliper and steel pins( that engage the brake pad) dont agree with each other, specially if sitting out in the weather ( corrode together) - pull the brake caliper off ( be careful not to break the screws off in the trans housing - spray with wd40 or PB blaster 1st!)


Once caliper is off, then see how easily the transaxle pulley turns. If it turns good, then you just need to pound the steel pins out of the caliper ( use a punch on a hard flat surface) clean them up with sandpaper, and then use a dab of never seize on them and the bolts when reassembling.

Most transmissions issues are due to the brakes seizing.

When you say the engine dies, does it act like you shut it off, coasting to a stop, or does it immediately stop?

i just took one out of a huskee/mtd and when it was in the tractor it seemed locked up i thing the double pulley deal was partially stuck because after i got it out it seemed fine it wouldent roll or nothing

shes fixed! turns out it was the stupid seat switch, as soon as i switched it it took right off when i let the clutch out, the deck and everything works fine...thanks for all the help guys!