thanks rustyj14 i have a old one i am working on but i want to get my garden up so untill it gets going i have to do the best with what i have and very little money well thanks for the advice it was not any of the stuff i was told to look at but from lifting up the rear end to get where i could see the transaxle i got alot better look at the clutch pulley and there was a plastic pulley and it was melted almost in half so it was a cheep pulley if the small town i live in would off had the part so i went to tractor supply and got a steal pulley the right size just had to do a little machining on a bushing and it worked great problem fixed but if it had not been for you telling me to look at the transaxle i would have never seen the pulley from that angle so thank you very much for the help

The detail about how you can "floor it", or "press the gas to the floor" and keep it going. Does this Yardman actually have a foot operated "gas pedal" that you are pushing to open the throttle on the carb.? Or are you pushing down on the foot control pedal for the transmission, and just calling it "giving it the gas"? Or are you moving the engine throttle adjustment lever on the "dash board" and calling that"giving it the gas? I know I probably sound idiotic "askin' alla these questions"!!!!!!!!!!! But you yourself said this was becoming a challenge, and so we start sifting through the "small details", looking for the big answer. I really want to know: "Flooring it, gassing it", whatever you are doing..........would that action normally increase the ENGINE RPM, or would it make the tractor go faster across the ground, without increasing engine RPM??

Hi All, Thanks for all the tips; you actually helped me solve my issue (the clutch did not engage). Two years ago, I decided to buy a “Portable Car Battery Charger” instead of keep buying new battery every winter, which apparently was the root-cause. I used the “Portable Car Battery Charger” to jump-start the tractor then disconnected it and start plowing but this year the clutch did not engage. Apparently, the clutch need some power from the battery and since my battery is dead it simple didn’t engage. So, as a "temporary solution" I ducted tape the “Portable Car Battery Charger” to the tractor hood and I keep it connected after the initial “jump-start” and the clutch (and me) are happy. Next week, I will get a new battery for the tractor and a “Battery Buddy” to keep the battery alive during the summers. Hopefully, this post will save others some time & $$

Okay guys, i REALLY appreciate the help. I'm new to lawn tractors (my first, and WAS so happy to have it, cuz .7acres with a 22" push is balls!) ... but help me out a little more, puh-lease! I think what ya'll are telling me is that the "mandrell" is probably shot? Check out this schematic: http://tinyurl.com/murrayparts What specifically are ya'll thinking? I hear bearings and i *know* that is in the mandrell ... it is $29.95 on that site, but this one here (http://tinyurl.com/altmandrell)has it for $17. SWEET. Looks like "mandrell", "blade housing" and "spindle assembly" are all terms for the same part, part 492574. Looking at that part, i can see how it would get fudged on impact. Reckon everything else is probably salvageable. Just nuts and bolts. No pun intended. Guess it probably woudn't hurt to just go order the spindle\jackshaft too, for another $10. From what i'm guessing it could be bent too. This looks like its a simple operation. Bolt unscrews on either end. Pull washers and spacers out, replace, reassemble? Put new blades on while i'm at it,too. huh? Thanks for all the tips and help. -Nick-