# Riding mower won't move



## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

Hi all, 

My craftsman riding mower won't move after I took rear tire off to be fixed.
Put tire back on but mower won't move, runs fine.
Have checked belts, they're good.
So, I think I need axle key, I probably will not be able to find it, can that just be ordered thru Craftsman?


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## jdfan100 (Jan 26, 2013)

Yea it sounds like your missing the axle key. The easy was to find out if you are is to lift up the rear end so the wheels are off the ground and spin the one you replaced while the tractors in gear. If you need a new axle key you can get them anywhere. Tractor Supply has them.

-Ben


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## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

*thanks*

thank you very much Ben.. Won't be able to try it till the weekend, but there is hope yet.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Yep did you look around the area where you removed the wheel to see if it fell on the ground there?


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## thirdroc17 (Sep 24, 2012)

Pretty good odds it's a standard key available at most hardware or auto parts stores.


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## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

No haven't been able to yet, won't be able to ck till sometime Saturday. I'm hoping it's there but I also have a gazillion leaves. I mean it could have fallen off anywhere between where I took it off to where I took it to be fixed. :dazed:
If nothing else I'll just have to order another one.


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## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

what does the axle key look like, I have tried to find out on internet but everything comes back saying 0 results grrrr


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

jacoba123 said:


> what does the axle key look like, I have tried to find out on internet but everything comes back saying 0 results grrrr


 You can most likely find one at TSC, Lowes, etc. Sears showed them to be on back order.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a=X&ei=zVGCUtS7CNXd4APh-4DABQ&ved=0CHAQ9QEwCA


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## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

well, evidently these keys come in different sizes. Went to the hardware store and was shown all these different size axle keys. 
Do they come in different sizes, or did they not know what they were talking about? If so, how do I find out what size I need?


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

It should be 1/4th x 1/4th x about 2.5 inches.


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## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

thank you so much WJJones, will get it tomorrow. I was going to this site, thinking my question probably was a dumb question. I was going to delete it and try to look it up, well well there was already an answer. It is so much easier just to ask a question on here then to look all over the internet. Was going to take rt rear wheel off tomorrow and see what I needed. 
You guys rock
I love this site


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

jacoba123 said:


> thank you so much WJJones, will get it tomorrow. I was going to this site, thinking my question probably was a dumb question. I was going to delete it and try to look it up, well well there was already an answer. It is so much easier just to ask a question on here then to look all over the internet. Was going to take rt rear wheel off tomorrow and see what I needed.
> You guys rock
> I love this site




No problem let us know how it works out. Stick around after you get it fixed we are glad to have you here.


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## Cublover (Feb 20, 2011)

jacoba123 said:


> what does the axle key look like, I have tried to find out on internet but everything comes back saying 0 results grrrr


It's called a woodruff key. (I know I spelled that wrong).

I made the last one I needed out of the fin off a chainsaw flywheel. Took about 10 minutes with a hacksaw and file.
It would have taken an hour to go buy one, so I was way ahead on that deal.
Take the other one out and make one that looks like it.


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## jacoba123 (Nov 3, 2013)

well well well, I fixed it, bought a new axle (woodruff) key lol ofcourse there was the old one on the ground after I took the wheel off and laid it down. smh
I used my lawn mower to get rid of millions of leaves, pulling a trailer I discovered I need new blades, they wouldn't cut anything!!!!
:lmao:


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

jacoba123 said:


> well well well, I fixed it, bought a new axle (woodruff) key lol ofcourse there was the old one on the ground after I took the wheel off and laid it down. smh
> I used my lawn mower to get rid of millions of leaves, pulling a trailer I discovered I need new blades, they wouldn't cut anything!!!!
> :lmao:




Yep sorry about that I forgot to mention to check to see if it was stuck inside the wheel.


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Glad to hear you got it going. I've had that happen to me more than once at the shop. Its a bit embarrassing when you do it the second or third time... 

To be a bit technical, a woodruff key is not the same as the key used on your tractor axle. Yours is a straight key, whereas a woodruff key is a half circle shape (also sometimes called a half moon key) that fits into a semicircular grove cut into the shaft. Its a round disk cut in half through the diameter. Just trying to get your nomenclature right for the next time you go to get a key so you get the right one. Nothing like running to town for parts and finding out later you got the wrong ones and have to run back again. Been there, done that a million times over.


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