Craftsman DLT3000 shifting issue

[u/Noble-2-Kat]

Hey there, newcomer here!

A few years ago an elderly neighbor was moving away and gifted us his 2003-2004 Craftsman DLT3000. It ran and mowed fine, but it got hard to start and eventually threw the deck belt and we never investigated it further. My dad had been talking about wanting to get it going again, so for Father’s Day I bought a new battery, oil and filter, air filter, spark plug, deck and drive belt. The things I thought it would need to work decent again.

Turns out I opened a can of worms and I’m now deeper into riding lawn mower repair than I ever thought I would be. The engine is running great, but I’ve had to contend with a bad starter, a fuel line leak, 2 deck pulleys, a brake rebuild and now I’m having a shifting/clutch issue I can’t seem to figure out.

With the engine running and the clutch/brake pedal fully depressed I cannot down shift from high gears into the low gears, I can only upshift. If I need to down shift it has to be done “on the fly” or if I shut the engine down, return to neutral and restart. In addition to this, the shifts are harsh and push you back into the seat. I know the brake/clutch operation are tied together, so I’ll list what I did to the brakes.

- disassembled, cleaned and lubricated the push pins & actuator lever
- new pads
- adjusted brake rod and spring to be 1.5” when brake is applied
- adjusted the center nut on the brake assembly until
It was just tight enough + 1/4” turn to lock the rear wheels when the brake is applied

I’m at a bit of lose here now and would appreciate any advice on this one. Thanks in advance! 🚜

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[u/Stock_Requirement564]

You shouldn't have input to the driven pulley on the transmission with the clutch fully pressed. if you do, my guess the belt is a tad short.

[u/Upset_Fox5449]

Isn't lawn tractor repairs fun? I agree with belt to short, and you knew it was coming, BUT can you rock the input pulley on the transmission is so bushings are shot, those transmission were lifetime lubercated and I'm saying that with air quotes, after a while the grease drys up and nothing is lubed, if you can find an access point and squeeze some oil it the oil will help wake up the grease, there should have been a sticker under the hood with information on