LT160 gear problem?

[Ed 22]

Hello, my little John Deere LT160 lawn mower never had any mechanical problem until today! It starts, lawn mover and both belts rotate, but no way to go forward or backward when I push on any pedal.

Only thing I noticed is that gear seems never engaged, as you can now freely push it around, without pulling that little lever behind.

I had to lift it a bit the other day to change a wheel, but I can't see how this could be related? And it's not the first time I do it.

Any idea? I am not ready to open the gear box, but if it's the only way?

 

[Ed 22]

My bad. I had forgotten about that little piece that fits into the slots of the axis of the wheel, see attachment

Writing my post, the other day, helped me to remember about it, and it makes sense: if one side is rotating freely, the differential doesn't drive the other wheel!

I'm lucky I found it in the grass, after 5 minutes.

 

[JD2007]

I know this is a month old post but you'd be surprised how many times we see this having worked at a Deere dealer, always fun calling a customer & asking them if they had the rear tires off for any reason recently & hearing the responses when we tell them all we found was the axle/rim keyway was missing.