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Snapper Differential Problem? Help!

17 years ago

Hi, I have a Snapper walk-behind self-propelled mower. Today, near the end of a marathon leaf mowing session, the mower decided to stop rolling. With the clutch released (in roll mode), it takes quite a bit of pressure to push or pull the mower. I greased the differential, but this didn't really help. With the clutch engaged the mower has enough power (6HP) to propel it, but you can barely push or pull it after releasing it. I also noticed that if you lift the back end and manually roll one of the wheels, the other one spins in the opposite direction.

I searched this site for answers and it sounds like I may have a problem within my differential that will cost me lots of money.

I would much appreciate any assistance.

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Comments (9)

rdaystrom
17 years ago
I have had a similar thing happen to my Snapper. The final drive belt jumps off the lower pulley and gets caught between the pulley and a bracket. It still tries to pull itself but is hard to roll when trying to push it. Look closely at your belt and follow it to the lower pulley and you may see that it has jumped off to the side. This is the final drive belt not the one from the engine. Also your differential sounds like it's working properly. The other wheel should turn backwards when the mower is lifted and one wheel is spun. That's how they work in that situation.
jlsnapper
Original Author
17 years ago
I'll check the pulley, but it seems like the tightness is coming from inside the differential.
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jlsnapper
Original Author
17 years ago
Well, it turned out to be a bad transmission (differential). This is a $300 repair job that I'm not going to waste my money on. I looked at the part on-line and can get it for ~$140, but with the time involved to pull it apart (and my inexperience), I think I'll put my money towards a new mower. Snapper is not on the list. Oddly enough, I also had a previous problem with a Honda transmission, so maybe the Toro Recycler is worth a look. Any suggestions?
jlsnapper
Original Author
17 years ago
Wait, hold the presses. I opened it up after I got home and it was just a stuck bearing. I loosened it up and got it back up and running pretty well. I'll order a new bearing and a new seal and for less than $15, I'll be back in business.

The lesson here is do not ever take your mower for an estimate at a shop called 'Honest Engine'!

They charged me $14 for an estimate. I'll be talking to their owner in the morning.
rdaystrom
17 years ago
There ya go....you figured it out. "Necessity is the Mother of Invention."
I'd rather dive into a machine not knowing anything about it than to take it into a shop a pay someone who doesn't know anything about it.
mattv21
17 years ago
"The lesson here is do not ever take your mower for an estimate at a shop called 'Honest Engine'!"

LMAO!! That's a classic line that should be added to your forum signatures. I'm glad you second-guessed them for a couple reasons. First, there's no rocket science in tearing open one of these diffs - you can do it and fix it rather than replacing the whole diff. Second, you can go on eBay and find a bunch of used diffs in good working shape for cheap. So the other lesson here is: There is nothing on a Snapper that can't be serviced for a reasonable price, so they are almost always worth fixing.
biglumber
17 years ago
Don't forget the good snapper grease. Maybe honest engine has some.
What are you going to say to the owner of honest engine?

Peace
edwardh1
17 years ago
IS the differential diagram online anywhere?

did you have grease in it?
mattv21
17 years ago
Yes,it's in the parts manual for any Hi-Vac and can be found online from the Snapper site (search "literature").

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