# 2012 Craftsman LT-2000: How freely should the blades spin.



## LooseTire (Feb 18, 2013)

Hi,
I recently got a craftsman lt-2000 mower and at first I was having problems because the tractor had old fuel in it. It would start but when you'd engage the PTO it would backfire. I originally though it was because the blades were really hard to push but when I bought new fuel the problem went away. However, I'm still concerned. If I push the blades should they spin freely? The left one is quite a bit more free then the right. The right side blade is tough to pull forward and even tougher to push backward. So is this normal?


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

It is,if the blade brakes are working. Generally the blade brakes operate when the deck is disengaged,or raised to the top position. The only way to tell if there is any binding, is to take the belt off the deck pulleys,and spin them by hand ,with the deck in the engage position(ENGINE OFF !).


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## LooseTire (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks JHN,

You were spot on. I didn't realize there were blade brakes on the deck. Everything is fine.

Best Regards


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

jhngardner367 said:


> It is,if the blade brakes are working. Generally the blade brakes operate when the deck is disengaged,or raised to the top position. The only way to tell if there is any binding, is to take the belt off the deck pulleys,and spin them by hand ,with the deck in the engage position(ENGINE OFF !).




Good call Mr.John.:thumbsup:


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