Yth2248 loses speed on slightest grade. new drive belt not helpful

most of the time when a mower wont pull uphill it is because the drive belt is worn to the point that it slips. check and replace it. should be as good as new.

The rear drive uses a differential to drive the rear wheels, just like a car, the differential drives the wheel with least resistance, to enable the wheels to revolve at different speeds when going round corners; so it's quite normal for only one wheel to be driven. If your mower is having difficulty with slopes (do you call them grades?) I suggest you fit a new drive belt, a slipping belt is the most common cause of low power. Hope this helps.

check the drive belt, maybe slipping

The drive belt may be worn and slipping on the pulley. (assuming it is a belt driven model). This would cause the mower to lose a great deal of power to the wheels. By adjusting the cable only, you are effectively adding a little more friction to the belt/pulley interface which in turn will provide a bit more power but the belt may still be slipping on the pulley(s) which is where you could still be losing the majority of your mowers self propulsion. Some Honda models may also employ a belt tensioner that simply adds tension to the belt even if the belt becomes stretched out & worn but the pulley's can become glazed (slippery). If it is a direct "pulley to pulley" drive with a single drive belt (no tensioner) the worn belt can also glaze the pulleys and cause further slipping. You can reface your pulley(s) contact surfaces with a very light grade wet sand paper (1000 grit), a coarse grade steel wool or a scotchbrite abrasive pad, thereby giving the belt more "purchase" on the pulley(s) contact surfaces. If you do perform a refacing of the pulley(s), it is strongly advised that you replace the drive belt as well. Your mower will then function as it did when it was new. Hope this helps.

did you use an aftermarket belt or a Simplicity belt? simplicity belts are fractional, aftermarket ones usually arent and will slip.

Hello Joe

If you have an automatic or hydrostatic transmission then you have a lemon, which means once the oil heats up in your transmission it thins out and clutchs and swash plate have no grip on the drive system which is hydraulic pressure needed to hold on the shaft and axles this happens all inside the transmission you cant see it but you can tell when going up slight hills and when you have the blades engaged it crawls like a turtle get you warranty out Joe..... dont touch anything that may void your warranty..... just call service department they will send service man out to your home even after that keep a good eye on your tractor since its still under waranty for further problems.

Joe your 20 year old craftsman had a better built ****** by sears and you probably had a 6 speed or five speed even hydostatics were good too,they dont have much problems except belt slipping its an easy fix this new tractor u need service man right away.

Joe

Change the drive belt.

Mine loses the ability to climb the slightest grade, and it is a failing hydrostatic transmission. Yours most likely the same problem. Find out the model and part number of the transmission, you may find it cheap on ebay. They are very expensive to buy thru a dealer, more than the value of the entire mower.

Did you replace BOTH of the ground drive belts?
The deck belt has absolutely nothing to do with the pulling power of the tractor.
The 600 series MTDs have a single speed transaxle with a variable speed selector to give you the different speed ranges and requires 2 belts, one from the engine (the top half of the pulley) to the variable speed mechanism and one from the variable speed to the transaxle if one or both of the belts is worn, it will cause a loss of power to the ground

Mine did the exact same thing. It was the drive belt. Take the deck off, loosen the belt shield on the clutch pulleys (under the frame below the seat) and take the old belt off. You will have to disconnect the wiring to the electric clutch, route the belt over the motor pulley and through the clutch pulleys... and over the transmission pulley. It took me about an hour... not bad to do. It will be easier to jack up the front of the tractor so you can get under it easier.