Husqvarn lgt2654 wont pull

Question edited for clarity.

First check the belt routing.

https://www.google.com/search?q=craftsman+yts4500+belt+routing+diagram

And PTO issues

https://www.google.com/search?q=craftsman+yts4500+PTO+does+not+engage

..

NOT IF THEY ARE NOT WORN OUT DECK IS SEPERATE BELT

Check transaxle bypass is closed (rod is all the way forward).

Safety and Preparation Serious injury can occur if the engine or mower blades accidentally start while you are working with lawn tractors. To prevent this, drive the Murray lawn tractor onto a flat work surface and disengage the mowing deck cutting blades. Engage the parking brake to keep the mower from moving; chock the wheels with a wooden block or brick. Adjust the mowing deck to the lowest position. Turn off the engine and remove the key from the ignition. While not necessary, you may even wish to disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug. Mowing Deck Removal You must remove the mowing deck on a Murray lawn tractor to gain access to the belts. Remove the adjustment rod hairpins, followed by the adjustment rod pins from the front left and right sides of the mowing deck. At the rear on the left and right sides, pull out the retaining hairpins and slide the mowing deck suspension links from the adjuster plates to separate the rear mowing deck from the frame. Remove the blade control rod stud, including the hairpin and washer, from the top of the blade control lever shift linkage at the left rear of the deck. Remove the front hanger rod, including the hairpin and flat washer that hold the rod in place. Loosen the belt guide retaining bolts with a socket wrench and remove the engine stack pulley belt so you can slide the mower deck out from under the tractor Transmission Drive Belt Installation Slide the new transmission drive belt between the engine stack pulley belt guides, over the belt guide plate and under the engine stack pulley. Fit the transmission drive belt around the top engine stack pulley. Push the free end of the transmission drive belt up through the transmission shifter hole in the lawn tractor floorboard. Slip the transmission drive belt loop over the transmission shifter. Pull the transmission drive belt down through the transmission shifter hole. Fit the transmission drive belt around the transmission drive pulley and tighten the transmission drive pulley belt guide retaining bolts to hold it in place. Fit the transmission drive belt flat side around the idler pulley. Slide the idler pulley onto the idler pulley stud while holding the belt in place. Tighten the transmission idler pulley retaining nut with a socket wrench to secure the idler pulley to the idler pulley stud. Mowing Deck Drive Belt Installation Pull back on the right side mowing deck mandrel pulley spring-tensioned belt retainer. Guide the new mowing deck drive belt around the right side mandrel pulley and release the belt retainer. Pull the drive belt spring-tensioned retainer away from the mowing deck idler pulley, guiding the deck drive belt around the idler pulley. Fit the mowing deck drive belt around the left side mandrel pulley and under the rear mowing deck cross link rod between the right and left side mandrel pulley. Slide the mowing deck under the right side lawn tractor frame, reconnecting the deck to the frame in reverse order of removal. Engage and disengage the mower deck while driving the mower to test the belt for proper operation.

drive belt broke if transaxle is not turning does clutch pedal feel loose ?

Low oil level in the hydrostatic transaxle or the oil needs to be replaced.

http://www.tufftorq.com/products/lawn-garden/transaxles/index.html

Sounds like the mower belt may not be routed correctly around the pulleys or may be running on the wrong side of a belt guard. Also check under the deck to make sure there are no obstructions to the turning of the blade or bent blades....you did not state where the hammering was coming from ( engine or deck ) I can only assume that it is on the deck....so these are the things I would check. Also check the tightness of the bolt on the main pulley sheave (the pulley on the bottom of the engine that drives the belt. the bolt is in the center hole of the pulley) if it is loose it can cause misalignment of the belt and juddering of the deck. If the bolt is tight, remove the belt from the engine pulley sheave and start the engine and look to see that the crankshaft is not bent causing the pulley to wobble....worst case scenario....will require new engine...hope this helps... ;-D

if this is a MTD rider, (troybilt, yard man, yardmachine,. bolens, cub, etc) the transmission is likely a single gear forward and reverse with a variable speed pulley mechanism with two transmission belts, these trans are prone to failures of the gear clutch which is a dog style clutch with some small teeth that engage the gear plates, these teeth can wear off on one side resulting in the popping or chattering while retaining full functionality for the other direction, this is the gear set inside the transaxle and is usually an indicator of significant wear inside the axle housing itself, usually entire transaxle replacement is the most common and effective repair solution.

To me it sounds like the hydro unit has developed internal leaks and the pressure lowers as the oil thins from heat.These trans axles are usually replaced as an unit but some can actually be repaired.call the dealer to see if you can get parts or whether you need to replace the whole thing.I assume you have already tried a new drive belt,tensioner ect. and if so you are down to the trans axle.You may buy some time buy getting rid of the low viscosity oil in the rear end and go to regular hydraulic oil.

This should help.. Dwain