OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Greenfield Ride On Mower Frames Forward / Reverse pedal super sensitive

Hello folks - I've just joined the forum and having tried to search on this topic but only found one other but that's unlike my situation.

The Greenfield 17HP Vtwin runs perfectly fine. The issue though is that finding neutral between Forward / Reverse on the right hand foot pedal is incredibly hard. It is super super sensitive, so forward / reverse are quite a jolt!

When either in reverse / forward, there is no issues with power and momentum - no slowing down or engine straining. Any thoughts? Please keep in mind I'm new to ride-ons so will need a little more lay language than your average mechanic

Any advice on how to address / rectify the issue would be most appreciated.

G'day Ardy,

First suggestion is to lubricate, lubricate, lubricate!!

Standard engine oil or any form of aerosol spray (not dry silicone lube) on all the pivots, linkages etc between the pedal and the drive pulleys at the back BUT DO NOT get any lubricant on the faces of the drive clutches!!

It may not be the problem but it's the first thing to try before looking for trouble in other areas. Give it a try and let us know how you go.

Cheers,

Hi Ardy, can't say I have ever had that problem, mine is always the reverse, linkages are so worn there is a big gap between forward and reverse. I can't think of a way of increasing the travel. Downside is if you increase the travel you then increase the angle you have to force your ankle to go either forward or backward. Doesn't take much to cause grief, been there done that

Quick question, How old is the unit, many hours?
I have found in the past when the cork linings wear, the soft engagement of the pedal decreases ....
Just a thought.
All the best

NormK - thanks for your note. Now that I think of it, it may be that I really have to press my heel down slot to get reverse to engage. In that case, what are my options to address it?

I've bought it second hand, guessing it's around 6-7 yrs old with 325hrs on the clock. The other odd thing is that the break pedal just doesn't want to disengage when engaged using the hand lever on the left, it totally locks up. Takes a lot of retries to finally get it to disengage. Guess I'll be lubricating the heck out of it. Struggling to find a manual that shows all the joints that should be greased.

As prd suggested, I'll keep away from the belts and will report back over the weekend when I get my hands on the beast again.

G'day Ardy,

Yup, Norm and Diesel might be right. There could well be other issues but the simplest and cheapest thing to try is: lubricate!

Just follow the system all the way from the front to the back with an oil can or wd40 or the like and if it moves ( or you think it might move) give it a good squirt. Pedal pivot, all linkage points, everything. Move the pedal to and fro with your hand ( engine stopped, of course ) so you can see mechanism move and squirt all points.

You're right to avoid the belts but also don't get any on the clutch faces (the largest drive pulleys and the discs that press onto them. Pop the seat up to get a good look and move the pedal to and fro again to get a picture of what's going on here. I'd like to see the area between the two drive plates (discs) given a small drink too - just the tiniest amount as excess may end up on the clutch faces. We are looking to get a bit of oil on the shaft under the fork and bearing between the two discs.

If you're still lost let us know and I'll post some photos.

It sounds like the park brake too may well be fixed with a little oil and exercise - hopefully. Same applies here : squirt all possible linkage or movement points and exercise the lever gently to try and free it up.

Cheers,

Hi Ardy, I haven't had a lot to do on the Evo models, just a few smallet maintenance bits but I don't thing they would have changed the adjuster on the forward/reverse. The adjuster is inside the chassis rail behind the pedal, you remove the rod from the bottom of the pedal, push it back through the rail, the rod will drop down and you will be able to see the adjuster. Screwing the rod in will make the forward position further away so you push more with your toes and this is means your heel position will be higher. You have to play with this to get your foot position comfortable in both positions and hopefully this will give you a bit more feel as to the central position for neutral

Prd & NormK - Thank both so much for taking time to lead the blind (me) - deeply appreciate it.

NormK - mate after oiling the beast I'll re-read your comment to understand the order of things. Hopefully an adjustment and lubrication is all that's required. Weekend can't come soon enough for me to carry these steps out. I will post some photos too for good measure.