Craftsman mower deck will not disengage 

Thank you for making this video. I'm a 57 yr old woman who has to fix things myself. It's videos like this that can help out a person tons. Good job!

Dude!! No bs. No lolly gagging Right to the point. Outstanding Video. You made this problem go away for us. THANK YOU. Please keep up the fantastic work.

Keeping my old mower running with your help! Thank you!

My old Craftsman experiences this problem, especially if I don't disengage it before turning the unit off. I had a lot of mowing to do that had to be done right away, so with the help of your video to locate the jamming engagement plate, I used a large standard screwdriver (for slotted screws) and with the motor off, of course, as it wouldn't start anyway while engaged, I slipped the blade of the screwdriver under the plate and twisted the screwdriver, and pulled the disengage handle down, and the mower disengaged immediately, and I was able to get the mowing done and also disengaged the mower before shutting the motor off so it will start next time. At the end of the cutting year I may remove the mowing ass'y and replace or repair the offending parts, if I can get through the rest of this year's mowing. You video was invaluable; thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Found your video last week, ordered the part on Amazon, did the job today, went great!

Thank you so much for posting this video! It would have taken me forever to figure out this problem without it. In my case, the indentation causing the problem could not be seen from the top, it was only worn out on the bottom 95% and not all the way through. Your video turned a real headache into a quick 30 minute job. Thank you again!

Awesome video! I loved how you showed the parts moving and how it should look while engaged. I realized that not only did I have a divot in the spot you showed, but also from the other blade brake. I realized this because I moved the right blade brake out of the way, then shifted the idler arm like you demonstrated, and the left blade brake was still preventing it from engaging. I lightly hand grinded them both down and now it works smoothly again! I know this is a temporary fix, but at least it will work until I can order the part and get it installed. It's Fall and I'm a women who knows Nothing about repairs, who was panicking because my mower is used to mulch or pick up my leaves. You don't know how much I APPRECIATE you posting this video! THANK YOU!!

Thanks for the tutorial, appreciate your effort and knowledge.

You saved the day! I don't think I would have found that defect. Great detail in your video. Thank you.

Super helpful! Thanks for explaining this in a clear and precise way. You ROCK!

Thanks so much for a great how to video. I am so grateful so that I can save money and fix myself. You are awesome. I am a 58 year old woman and don't have an air wrench but a tip to those who don't if you put your socket wrench on it and cant get it loose, put a long metal pipe over the handle of wrench and give yourself extra leverage.:)

Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Mower ru-vid.comUgkxTPN04aT-Qdjr_KS3ql7ng8wnU3wwsCqk also recommend This is what all push mowers should strive for. It was easy to push. It cut the lawn. The blades are sharp, very sharp. The one minus that everyone should be aware of is you need to be very careful taking the cutting unit out of the box. There’s a plastic guard so you don’t cut fingers as you take the main unit out of the box but it’s not taped down. As I took the unit out, I ended cutting a piece of my shirt. The plastic guard moved and my shirt touched one of the blades.

THANK YOU FOR THIS!! Our blades would not engage. We replaced the cable which was really stretched out and still nothing. We really don't know much about mowers and how they work. No one else actually showed us what the pulley was supposed to do. And the manual is fucking useless. As soon as we saw how the pulley was supposed to move, we had it fixed within 5 minutes. You, sir, are a lifesaver!

You make it look easy! I am going to try to do this later today. Wish me luck.. I will keep this video on loop as I do it.

great video good info doing mine, i always put a spot of W-D⁴⁰ on the threads weather nut on or nut off, great job

Awesome video. Attention to detail really means a lot. Now I know why my tractor deck belt runs all the time. Thanks

Excellent video! Thanks for the help!

Just ordered blade brake assembly for my LT1000. Going to give it a try. If i cant do it, I'll bring the deck over to you. Thanks Brad. Your the best.

Well done video better then most others on the subject

Excellent video.Thank you for sharing

well explained brotha, one of a few videos with good video and audio explanations for the new and old backyard mechanics, take care

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

You helped me immensely with this video !!! Thank you so much !!!

Thank you very much for this instructional! I was having the same problem with my Ariel’s and could not figure out why!?👏👏👏👏. Keep them coming!

EXCELLENT!! Thanks Brad!! GREAT VIDEO!! Sure appreciate it!!

Great how-to clip... thanks much

Really good video thank you help me a lot

Great video, easy to understand. Great step by step process. Great explanation on the reason to it needs to be fixed, divet on bracket and more important safety. Thank you, great video

I appreciate you uploading this vid. I have a Craftsman I bought new in the late 90s, mod # 917.259551, engine still runs great. But the blades won't disengage, I could stop the engine and yank on that pulley to disengage the blades, I thought a spring broke but, now I know. I have to order that part but I kind of like working on stuff like this. At first I could put the lever in disengage mode and the blades would take a minute to disengage while running, now they don't.

This was a huge help, thank you!

Excellent video. Very helpful. Thank you.

Dude. You are amazing!!! You solved the issue on my deck

Great video, I just worked on a friend's LT2000 that was the exact part that was bad I took it home and I welded it . I filled in the worn notches then filed & painted.. I made it look new again and it worked great.

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

Thanks, Brad. Your video showed me exactly the problem my LT1000 was having w/ the blades not disengaging. Clear, intuitive video.

You forgot to mention the other divot from the other engagement arm. I just used a flap disk on my grinder and smoothed the divots out. Worked beautiful. Thanks man.

Thank you so much for this video, i have not been able to remember how to put it back together. You saved me

Awesome and to the point. I like a few others was able to weld both of the divets fixing the issue. The nice thing about doing the weld is you only have to remove the left most pulley ( as viewed from the video). Thank you.

I have the same model, with the same issue. After watching this video, I feel good about my chances to fix it!

Good video. Very helpful. Thanks

Excellent video. Just took my mower deck off & there is NO RETURN SPRING (the one you removed) I figured there had to be one somewhere? Now I know... need to order that as well. THANKS!

Hi 😊! Thank you SO much!! I enjoyed your video! You are SO talented, SO smart. Have a great rest of your evening!! 😊

Exactly what I needed. Great video. Thanks! New subscriber.

Awesome job. Great job showing realignment

Thanks for the help and knowledge, success

Great Video, very clear and concise. Thank so very much

You just helped me save a ton, thank you for the video.

Excellent video!👍

Thank you for a great informative video. Quick and to the point without all the BS talking that does nothing but take up time.

Great video i am working on 2004 craftsmen dlt 3000 :) Thank you.

appreciate the video and detailed but easy to follow instructions

Excellent tutorial

Thank you!!! Explained very well! Lew

That explains it ! Thanks for posting.

Great video !! Thank you for the info !!!!

excellent instructions, thanks

Excellent presentation, detailed and time saving visuals - commend you on showing how we adapt to overcome life's challenges. Wishing you continued success, good health and happiness.

Thanks a ton brother, mine has been acting up for awhile. 👍

Thank you. Great video.

hey , great demo.... I just got the exact mower deck, minus a spring or 2 , pulleys rattle and deck won't disengage, got good view of spring location and hope now this will be the fix ....THANK YOU......

Great video, I used my welder and filled the divet then grinded it nice and smooth.

Great video man!

Great video ,thanks that showed me what muppets problem was and how to fix it.

Because of your video, we figured out the previous owner had put a few things on wrong. We kept going through engagement cables that would break at the PTO lever. Thanks.

Great video! It doesn’t look like any lube required around the bracket.

Great info. Thanks

excellent instructional, thank yo.

Thanks very much just what my problem was.

Thanks for sharing now I know what's going on with my mower

Great video thank you

I appreciate your video my blades keep spinning even after I disengage them. I will buy the part and get it fixed. Thanks

You seem like the right guy to ask my question to, I have an MTD 46 " 3 blade mower that my neighbor borrowed and while it was over there, his dumbass little brother-in-law took it apart and now I'm not too sure I got it back right. I don't have a manual or diagram for the cable, brackets, and springs to hook up to, and the little turd didn't take any pictures either. If you have any pictures or ideas where to find something that would work, please post it and I'll get it. Being as I'm a subscriber I'll definitely see it. One more thing, I can tell you are also one of us die-hard work-a-holics too and we got something in common my friend, I noticed you are missing your left hand and you have the working man's hands. Me too, I lopped both of mine off in an industrial accident but the doctors were able to repair a lot of them. Lost all the wrist bones on my left so no pivot there, and all fives fingers crushed on the right, lost only the middle one and can't straighten the rest all the way. They told me it would be 2 years before I could go back to work if at all, I told him he was nuts if he thought I was going to sit by and do nothing but watch Oprah all day, so I went back to work in 3 months. Not trying to be nosy or brag or what ever, just wanted to let you know I can relate .

Had a deck that wouldn't disengage and found a rando spring. Stupid manual didn't show where that spring goes. Thankfully this video did

Excellent

Exelent video man....thanks. I cant found the failure.....

Genius thanks so much (my spring broke also )

Thanks for sharing.

That was awesome. Thank you!

thank you so much!

Thank you! The position of the stationary idler pulley is what I was concerned about. Unfortunately, I had it installed correctly and that wasn't my problem, and I'm still on the hunt for the cause of my disengagement problem.

Thanks for making this video got the same mower, mine also runs rough, throttles up and down constantly until the blades are engaged then it smoothes out a bit. It also pops real loud when I shut it down 😳

Thank you for making this video! I have been troubleshooting my mower for weeks now and I think this is the issue. When you try to start it up the mower blades spin even with the deck disengaged.

I grinded that metal down and there was no longer enough push on the spindle brake, so my brake would remain engaged even while the blades were spinning. I should replace the part like you did! Also could you post a link to the part you bought?

Thank you sir!

Good precise how to video. Wish they were all this good.

Great tutorial, thank you. Mine does the same thing.. also if I let my grass get to thick or tall.. the blades barely turn. As soon as I get to cut grass they work like they "should". So I guess replacing this will fix that also?

I did mine as you showed, but then thought after, for the cost of a nut and bolt is it worth the agro. If I have to do another one I will grind off the nut and order the nut and bolt at the same time as the idler plate. Then since I would not be replacing it for sometime ( if ever ) I would tack weld the bolt head to the new idler plate which would make it easier to tighten the lock nut. Perhaps the manufacturers should have made it that way in the beginning,

Haven't looked at mine but this seems like a good possibility of what's going on.

My mowers doin same thing. Wont disengage. So i grinded them little worn spots out. But still wont engage. It has the 95.5 x half inch belt on it but seems that front pulley between wheels is turning the belt even when blade lever is not engaged.

I have just successfully changed my idler arm by myself thanks to your video. Your awesome! I am now changing spindles and blades. Do you know what size the bolts are that connect the spindles to the deck cuz the old bolts broke removing them so I have to get new ones? Thank you so much. Keep the videos coming, I'll need them :)

Came here while searching for answers on my old craftsman. I have the problem with no disengagement, but also no engagement! I took everything apart, cleaned it, and lubed with anti-seize. Things are working more smoothly now, but the mover will not properly/fully engage, and sometimes stays partly engaged. I will look for the divot (gonna weld it up and grind back into shape) but I am wondering if my belt is too long or worn out. It looks OK, but that may not tell the whole story.

Thank you for this detailed video on the disengage mechanism. It confirmed that my idler plate spring is missing!. PS: while servicing this area I noticed that my middle idler pulleys are at different heights and do not form a straight line for the belt with the outer blade pulleys? Is this correct?

Right handy video😂

Well...I wish I found this vid a few hours ago....Replaced both idler pulleys and do you think I could remember how they went back on...? Good vid bloke !

Thanks for this, have been looking for how to put all those parts back together. Took photos but they didn't come out too well. I took mine apart but don't have a groove/divot anything like that, but curious why you didn't grease the crud out of the moving parts that engages the blades?

Thanks buddy fer showing this wear problem n fix.not sure its my same problem,iam trying to help a lady friend who has exact model.found out she couldnt engage mowing blades due to cables little plastic pressure clip bent the split tab holding it in place i fixed that and removed deck .i ran it only a few seconds then disengaged.i bumped shit lever ,went back to i assume nuetral but now wont shift,can start but wont shift and i smell belts getting hot so i shut down.now i cant even free roll it into shed,one rear wheel turns but other acts locked or trying to roll backwards.my question is there a manaul overide rod to put into nuetral long enough to get it to shop?snooky pa.its possible that plate you shown has locked into place and now wont disengage transmission so blades wont engage.safety nannys!!!!snooky pa.appreciate any help.place i worked had john deeres and even if u couldnt start them there was rod to disengage trannys to nuetral.to push into shops!!❤😊😊😊😊😊

Thank you for the excellent video! I pulled mine apart and while replacing the blade engagement arm and ran into another problem. The 'blade-brake-rollers' are totally shot. They aren't riveted like in the video but are bolted into position. Do you have a part number for a replacement? It appears to be a 1/4" shoulder with a ~.575" roller with 10-24 threads. Can't seem to find it in any deck detail drawings.

Hello. Thanks for the video!! Help though. Replaced the idler arm, spring, PTO cable and the belt but, it still will not disengage! Did I miss something? Thanks very much !!

Working on one now.. My first riding mower deck. I'm finding all kinds of things wrong with the deck. Frozen tensioner, Bad idler bearing, springs missing

Well, after doing all the recommended adjustments and all the cams were moving freely and all the towers were working properly my blades would still not stop. I put a new 95 inch belt on and the blades continued to turn. So I bought a 96 inch belt and my problem was solved.