Craftsman 42 in. Precision Cut Plus 24hp Lawn Tractor - Answered Questions & Fixed issues
Bled on cutting deck spins free and will not cut
Hi there,
I assume you mean the blade on cutting deck?
Is the pulley that drives it still firmly connected to it? (I mean the pulley and the blade spin together as one, and not independently)
If the blade is loose on its spindle check under the deck for damage, and that the blade securing bolt(s) are intact and tight.
If the problem is that the pulley isn't getting driven by the deck belt, that is a different story. Most likely the deck belt isn't getting enough tension to grip the pulley. Check the tensioner is working properly and the spring is still hooked up and working.
Craftmans mover blade keeps hitting ground
Is the deck too low or one side lower than the other? Level the deck side to side, front should be a little lower than back (about 1/4 inch). check tires for correct air pressure. Make sure blades are balanced.
Craftsman 42 inch riding lawn mower is not cutting evenly
The first thing to check is your blades. If one is bent, it will never cut even. It happens a lot hitting roots, antbeds, etc. Mulching blades will bend easier than a straight blade. It's best to take them off and lay one on top of the other to see if they're bent.
Even on the highest setting, it still cuts too
When you put it in the highest setting can you see the deck actually moving in an upward direction? If not the linkage might be broken or damaged. When you raise the deck up or down with the lever it should move, a deck setting in the full up position is a pretty high setting you have to have some long grass to be cutting in the full up position and still think its to short. You might be able to reposition the deck, if when you look under the unit you see a bracket that controls the deck height setting that has a number of holes in it(maybe even 2 brackets), there should be a pin(s) in one of the holes this could be set in a low position and therefore you can change position to change height of deck.
I sharpened the blades at the end of last mowing
The problem you discribe is the classic broken blade spindle or quill. The tube that supports the bearings between the deck pulleys and the blades is almost certainly broken. Look under the deck [mower OFF] at the piece right above the blade that is malfunctioning and you will probably find a bad bearing or a chunk of the tube that holds the bearing/blade to be missing. That happens when the blade gets 'wacked'. The outer edge is cutting too high because the belt is pulling the shaft toward the center of the deck. The quills are fairly easy to replace. Get the model number off your tractor before you go to buy the part.
The engine is backfiring in
Yes you could have water in the fuel. Drain it and save it. Unless it is over a year old. You can pour the good gass off the top of the water after it settles. The biggest job after removing the fuel line from the carburetor and draining. Then removing and replaceing the fuel filter, is removing the carburetor floar bowl and removing the water inside, then cleaning the bowl. After removal, be carefull not to damage the hanging float. Dont use carburetor cleaner on the carburetor after you remove the float bowl, due to the rubber o-ring. It can't handle the chemical, it will swell to the point of it being to large to fit back in, and you will have to replace. Next, leave the fuel line off at the carburetor and fill the tank to wash out any trash in the lines. Once fuel starts to run ( catch it in a oil drain pan or empty oil can), then install new fuel filter, then reinstall fuel line on the carburetor. Problem should be solved. I as a preventitive and cleaner/stabilizer pour in some sea foam additive. :) If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at
https://www.6ya.com/expert/matt_8dbc24bf722649ac
Looking for manual for Craftsman 917.256552 15HP
if you go to sears.com click on parts direct
enter your mod # and to the right of the next page says get manual click on that and then click on view manual and it should come up for your mower
Cuts out after 10 mins , no restart until it
Most likely it is the ignition coil that is going bad. It is located next to the flywheel. You can use a business card as a feeler gage to set the gap between the new module and the flywheel.
My 24 hp 42 inch
Yes I would figure out who made the motor, B&S, Kawasaki, Kohler, Tecumseh are common. Go to their website, find your engine model number and get the valve clearances. Find a mechanical person in the neighborhood, avoid brothers-in-law, and give him a 12 pack of beer to adjust the valves for you. I think you will find your mower runs way better, backfiring will be gone. After 100 hours or 3 or so years you will note most of those companies recommend an adjustment. You most likely have a 2 cylinder and there are two small rocker covers near the spark plugs, Pull off the covers and the rockers will be exposed. Adjusting the gap between the rocker and the valve takes some skill and understanding of where the pistons are in relationship to the valve train and doing it wrong can be expensive. I know there are many videos on youtube if you want to take it on yourself.
The belt that drives the
With the mower off.
Look on top of the deck.Find the pulleys for the blades then find the engine pulley.There should be one more pulley that is the tension pulley.Watch that pulley as you pull the engage blade lever,while still turned off.The belt will go on the blade pulleys,and the engine pulley,it needs the tension pulley to push it tight.So you need to make sure it goes on the inside of the tension pulley.If you get the belt on and it does not engage,just remove it and replace it on the opposite side of the tension pulley.
Mower deck clutch cable removal (model 917.28722).
You should not need to remove the deck or the clutch cable just to change the belt.
- ensure mower clutch lever is in the off position
- lift the front of the tractor approx 24 or more inches.
- lower the mower deck as far as it will go
- locate & remove the cotter pin from the right (discharge) side mower lift arm where it attaches to the rear of the mower
- release the lift arm from the mower deck to allow it to drop (it will hang from the other 3 points)
You should now have plenty of clearance to change the belt. Remove the belt from the engine pulley first and replace the new belt on the engine pulley last that will make it easier to change the belt.
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My craftsman 42" mower isn't
Check to see if the blades are seated correctly. One may be at an angle. Also make sure they are the proper blades, if they are too short, they will leave a strip down the middle where they do not overlap. Levelness is very important also, check while parked on level surface to measure the far edge of each blade to the ground. I once had this problem, it turned out to be a low tire on the mower when I sat on it, it looked ok when I was off the mower.
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