[gadberry]

hello, i have a Snapper Rear engine rider (301014BE) that is 'stuck' in neutral.

It shifted fine during my last use, but the gear selector acts as though its stuck in the neutral position and won't move into
reverse or any forward gears. I've stood it on end and watched the mechanism below as i tried to shift and nothing appeared "obviously" broken or out of place, but i've not had much experience with the snapper drive system. I plan to repair it myself but i don't want to throw parts at it without proper guidance.

The Drive belt seems very loose but I don't think it's off the pulleys, though i've not removed the guard yet, to confirm. I can pull on it and spin the blade but it seems darn loose... I downloaded the owners manual and will review it tonight.

Anyway, when I try to shift out of neutral, the 'vertical drive wheel' mechanism doesn't seem to be able to move out of the neutral 'trough' of the horizontal guide, and I'm afraid to apply too much force to the shift lever for fear of breaking something else... it seems like such a simple mechanism i feel as though something must have broke but I can't find it. thanks in advance for the assistance!

Gadberry

 

[bytheway]

Not trying to act too simplistic, you are pushing down on the clutch before attempting to shift right?
The reason I ask is that I'm not sure that you are depressing the clutch while it's standing on end and trying to shift.
Are you getting any pressure from the clutch pedal, does it spring back? If not its a sign of disengaged cable.
Let us know what you find and good luck.

 

[propwash]

Welcome to the Snapper forum:first off you should go to the Snapper index page "sticky" and download the series 14 parts manual,and the "series 4,5, &6,and later service manual.When you get into the shift "train",and the drive system,it can get complicated,and a picture is worth a thousand words.There are several things,in the train,from the shift "quadrant" to the chain case(which holds the "rubber disc"). The spindle that the shifter is attached to,one of the 2 links or the "bellcrank."To speed up trouble shooting,I would sit it up on its rear,and disconnect the nut on the chain case bracket. then try to move,the shifter,if it doesn't move, then the trouble is between the shift lever,and the chain case. If you can move the shifter,then try to move the chain case,from side to side,if that doesn't move,then you may have to pull the boots back,and look,at the "hex tube,for burrs,or binding from lack of lubrication,or rust.

 

[tomw0]

I can see it now: " Boots ?? What boots? All I see is some gray rings dangling on each side... They are on what looks like a rusty 6-sided axle of some sort. "
With the driven disk removed, the chain case should slide back and forth freely without any 'sticky spots'. If it cannot move freely, you will have a hardER time moving it when it is under load. Speaking of which, to put less load on the monkey-motion-mechanism {it took me a while to retrieve what I originally wanted to say: Rube Goldberg mechanism} that is the shift linkage when shifting, I gently press a little on the clutch/brake pedal to take some of the load off the disk. Shifts up and down a lot easier. If you want to experience the hardest shifting, try down-shifting while climbing a hill. I'm afraid to pull on the shift lever as hard as it would take to shift while moving ... unless I press on the pedal just a little.
tom

 

[propwash]

Yeah, the RER may have been OL Rubes,last design,with just a little care and maintenance they run forever, though. as to the belt,it is checked with the deck engaged,it's very loose when not engaged,so loose they use the "guards" to keep the belt on the pulleys.I've had a couple of problems,with shifting,once one end of the "short link" froze up,and once I had to re-build,and lubricate the "shift spindle"(the piece that the shift handle attaches to)The boots must be good, to keep the "hex tube" clean,and lubricated. The shift linkage,and drive, is like a jet engine,what it does is very simple,but the way it does it, is very complicated.

 

[gadberry]

Thanks for the replies, thoughts and Ideas everyone. To answer a few questions.

1. yep, i've been depressing the clutch/brake when attempting to shift from neutral but will try again with the machine standing on end.

2. The boots on both ends of the axle are in bad shape and in need of replacement so that's a hint that I'll pay close attention too.

3. I'll review those older (Series 4, 5, 6, etc) manuals too and see if those images help with the issue diagnosis.

I"ve not had any time to look into this issue so far this week but I will get to it and post back w/my results. I'll try and take some pictures too to help with the solution search.

thanks again,
gadberry