# John Deere 14SB Drive Issue



## The Gopher (Oct 9, 2011)

I have a John Deere 14SB Self propel lawn mower, this is the gray one with a Kawasaki engine. The drive is in the rear. All of the sudden it started to sputter and will no longer drive. here is what i know. 

- When i engage the drive lever the belt tightens and the pulley spins, so that seems OK. 
- I have removed the wheels and cleaned out the build up in there and the gears looks surprisingly good.
- With the engine not running and the drive lever not engaged i can push mower forward and hear the clutch clicking, pull it back and it is free to roll backwards. 
- With the engine not running and the drive lever engaged i can push the mower forward and hear the clicking but if i pull it backward both wheels lock. 
- The above two points (i have read) indicate that the clutch is fine.
- Someone suggested there is a little tension spring that might be missing, mine is not missing. 

What else can i look for?


----------



## paulr44 (Oct 14, 2008)

Tough one, at least for me as I don't work on these. I looked at the IPL, and it seems they use a system at the wheels akin to what Toro used for decades, and when you pull it backward I'd say that you should probably have SOME resistance.

Anyway, I'd check the control cable and it's adjustment first, after that from what you describe and what I see (in the IPL) you're probably looking at replacing the gearbox. For BOTH wheel to stop working it's UNLIKELY it's a wheel sprag issue (why would both wheel sprags fail at the same time - not likely at all). If the belt and input pulley are doing their thing under load, but the axle (AKA trans output shaft) aren't, then the trans is an issue. If you're handy, it may only be a worn shift fork, but you'd have to tear it down and visually inspect it.


----------

