I know this is an old question, but since I recently had the same problem I wanted to share the solution I found with everyone. I was also having problems with my rear left wheel, the gear kept getting stripped out after about 30 minutes of use. I went through 3-4 wheels before I found the true problem. The wheel is mounted to the body/frame of the mower, which is just sheet metal. From mowing sideways across the face of hillsides the mower's weight all goes onto the lower back wheel, and after a year or two of use the body/frame has bent. Now the wheel is not square with the drive shaft/pinion. This causes the gears to not mesh properly and the wheel gear to strip out. I bent the frame back then welded some 1/4" plate to the inside of the body/frame to stiffen it up. Since then the self propel system is working great.

Hi. In response to your post, I have owned two self propelled walk behind mowers. One was a rear wheel drive and the one I have now is a front wheel drive. The first I had many years ago was a Toro, and now I have a Craftsman 22 inch. At first I wondered what is the purpose of having front wheel drive when rear wheel does it all. But I found that they both have advantages and disadvantages. With rear wheel drive, the traction seems a little bit better, but the front end has a tendency to float more especially when the bag starts to get full, and with quick take off from a stop. For some reason, this isn't quite as bad with the front wheel drive Craftsman. But with front drive, more effort is needed to push the mower up a hill especially with a bag of grass behind. Rear drives shine in this, but you need to keep the front down (on both types) to cut the grass. One big thing about the front wheel drive Craftsman that I like is that I can make a sharp left or right turn without taking it out of gear just by raising the front end up then dropping it back down after the turn. For my own preference, the next mower I would get would probably be a Toro again with a Briggs & Stratton engine being a must. Briggs has been around a lot longer than Honda or the others and has been making engines since the late 1800's. They are tough engines, "tried and true," and has stood the test of time. I don't need to buy a Jap lawnmower for that.

WPM's and riders both have historically been pitched to the front. In the early days, it was a way to get a more complete cut w/ the horsepower they had. Remember the days of 4 and 5 HP riders? A whole other topic. I've had those w/ super recyclers pitch the deck rearward that had thick lawns with good results. Especially those that left the lawn higher. Give it a try and if it helps finish your cut bit- great! If it worsens the cut, it's 10 seconds to set it back. Multiblade decks normally still play by the pitched forward rule due to other factors involving quality of cut.

weshorn, I didn't take any offense at your comments. I haven't personally owned any Tecumsehs either, but my general impression is that they are not a downgrade over a new B&S engine. Compare that Tecumseh to a Briggs Quantum (the motors in the Craftsman and Troy Bilt that you first referenced) and you have two pretty similar motors. The SensaSpeed/PersonalPace drive systems are pretty simple and battle-tested. Lots of users here have them and don't report any real problems. The only controversy about them is whether you like the way it actually operates (you push a variable bar) vs a more normal drive system that pulls the mower and you along if you let it. That Lawnboy is on HD's website for the same $349, so whatever sale was on is apparently off. But it comes with everything you need to bag, mulch, or side-discharge. You should probably go check it out along with that Husqvarna and see for yourself. I will say that the drive system on the Husqvarna is probably a lot more suspect in terms of durability. I know some people with Cub Cadets and other mowers with the same system have had issues. I also don't know about the engine on it: is that an Intek or the new "Dove?" If it's the new engine, there's no way to judge its reliability yet. Let us know what you end up with and how you like it!