Troy-Bilt Riding Mower Moves Too Slow? (We Have A Fix)

Riding lawnmowers can save some serious time and effort when it comes to lawn care. Troy-Bilt is known as one of the top riding mower manufacturers and is the choice of many homeowners. Sometimes, however, homeowners are left scratching their heads when their Troy-Bilt mower is not up to speed, literally.

Sometimes, Troy-Bilt riding mowers move slowly because the traction belt is worn down, especially from heavy use. Low-speed mowing can also occur with Troy-Bilt riding mowers if the upper drive belt is damaged or obstructed. One of the most common causes for your Troy-Bilt riding mower going slow, however, is the shift speed lever is stuck due to low transmission fluid.

Troy-Bilt makes a great riding mower, but hiccups in the hardware of one of their units can cause it to slow down. Whether you have a standard Troy-Bilt riding mower, or a variable speed model, you can likely get it back up to speed on your own.

Let’s explore why your Troy-Bilt riding mower is moving too slow and what can be done to fix it.

More often than not, Troy-Bilt riding mowers slow down because the upper drive belt is damaged or worn out. However, that is more of a problem with variable speed riding lawnmowers, but traction and upper drive belt problems are universal. If it is a matter of a part, such as the idler pulley spring, you can try to get a replacement from Troy-Bilt.

Now, say you have a Troy-Bilt TB200, since this is a self-propelled lawnmower, you may be facing a different issue. You won’t want to follow this guide for the fix. Check our article out on how to fix a Troy-Bilt TB200 that won’t start.

If your Troy-Bilt mower’s upper drive belt is damaged, chances are that it will move too slow. The upper drive belt is connected to the transaxle pulley, and the belt guide. If it is a variable speed riding mower, the belt guide will be connected to the variable speed pulley.

Before you replace your damaged upper drive belt, purchase a replacement. You can find upper drive belts for $20-$30, and your best bet is to buy a Troy-Bilt made replacement. Once you buy a replacement upper drive belt, you can make the repair and speed up your riding mower.

More often than not, when it feels like your variable speed shift lever is stuck, it is actually the gears that are stuck. When gears become dried out from a lack of transmission fluid, there is more resistance. That resistance makes the gears grind together and get stuck.

Check your Troy-Bilt mower’s transmission fluid level. Your transmission fluid levels are likely low and need to be refilled. For new riding mowers, you should change the transmission after 75-80 hours of mowing. After that, you can let it go 400 hours before adding more transmission fluid.

If your speed shift lever is sticking preventing you from mowing faster, it could be due to the drive belt. Naturally, there is always some tension on the drive belt in any riding mower. Sometimes, however, there is too much tension on your mower’s drive belt, and it can either get stuck or break.

You can replace the drive belt using the steps above, or simply loosen the trans-axle slightly to see if that loosens up the tension on the belt and speed shift lever. Your speed shift lever will never fully shift if the drive belt is stuck or damaged.

It is all too easy to exert too much force when shifting gears on a riding mower. Troy-Bilt riding mowers are designed for gears to be shifted according to their manual. Failure to shift gears as instructed, i.e. putting light pressure on the brakes and clutch while shifting, can cause a hard shift.

Hard-shifting is when you shift gears improperly, so the transmission knocks into the gears. It is quite bad for your Troy-Bilt riding mower if you continually hard shift. The safest bet is to gently shift gears and follow Troy-Bilt’s instructions to avoid hard-shifting and transmission damage.

If your idler pulley spring is damaged, it needs to be replaced. Floating idler pulley springs cost $5-$10 and are easy to replace. Follow the steps detailed above for replacing an upper drive belt on a Troy-Bilt mower.

After removing the battery, cutting deck, and spark plug, remove the idler pulley spring. Use a spring puller to safely remove the pulley spring. Then, you simply install the new one and test its tension by pulling on it carefully.

Reinstall the battery, spark plug, and cutting deck, and see if your new pulley spring makes your mower speed up.