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Why does my riding mower creep in neutral?

less than a minute readApr 19Lyle Weischwill
image of riding-mowers-tractor

A lawn tractor with an automatic transmission that moves when you have the motion control lever in the neutral position is dangerous. Adjust the shift lever to eliminate creeping.

A zero-turn riding mower shouldn't move when both drive levers are in the neutral position. Adjust the neutral control so the zero-turn riding mower doesn't creep forward or backward with the drive levers in neutral.


These repairs may help solve your riding-mowers-tractor problem

JC-RM-Adjust-the-neutral-control-on-a-zero-turn-riding-mower

Adjust the neutral control on a zero-turn riding mower

If your zero-turn riding mower creeps forward or backward when you have both drive levers in the neutral position, pull off the back wheels and adjust the neutral control to eliminate movement. Check for movement in neutral after each adjustment. Continue to adjust the neutral control until the riding mower stays still in neutral.

Adjust the neutral control on a zero-turn riding mower

Find the required part specific to your product.
Jan 01
How to adjust the neutral control on a zero-turn riding mower

If your zero-turn riding lawn mower creeps forward or backward even when in neutral, adjusting the n…

Repair time and Difficulty

 45 minutes or less
JC-RM-Adjust-the-motion-control-lever-neutral-position

Adjust the riding mower motion control lever neutral position

On lawn tractors with automatic transmissions, the tractor shouldn't move when you have the motion control lever in the neutral position. If the tractor creeps forward or backward in neutral, adjust the motion control lever's neutral position. Loosen the lever adjustment bolt and move the motion control lever until the tractor stays still then tighten the adjustment bolt firmly. Refer to the owner's manual for your lawn tractor to adjust the neutral position if this procedure doesn't match your tractor's drive system.

Adjust the riding mower motion control lever neutral position

Find the required part specific to your product.