Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Husqvarna riding mower wont start or roll,, safety switches, rear wheels

Question
QUESTION:
    

Husqvarna Riding Mower Won't Start or Roll
My 2002 Husqvarna riding mower won't start or roll freely. It is a YTH1746 with Kohler
CV490S Command Series engine.  Family 2KHXS 4902GB. Spec 27511. Serial # 3206511313.
169 hours. It got harder to start over about a month, I'd charge the
battery and it would go. Then it quit starting at all. I replaced the starter. No help. I
replaced the ignition switch. No help. I ran a jumper from the battery to the starter,
and the starter would spin and turn the engine, but there was no spark that way for the
engine to start.
   If it were a fuse, it wouldn't have failed gradually. I have no manual and don't want to
start tearing it apart without some better idea of what I'm doing. When it ran, it ran fine.
Also, when I pull the lever on the back so I can push, it the transmission is still
locked. I can rock it a little, but that is all.  I couldn't even get it in the truck to haul to the shop now.
  I put in a new plug, it doesn't even click with the key. With the jumper and some
carb cleaner, it will turn over and run for a few seconds.  But it isn't getting a spark
through the normal wiring. The fuel filter isn't clogged. Maybe one of the 3 safety switches is bad, but I could only
find the one under the seat. I jacked the rear wheels off the ground. They will turn
freely, but in opposite directions. The same with the lever in or out.
Somehow I pushed it 6 feet on grass before I remembered about the lever, but it wouldn't
start before that. I had several things unscrewed looking for a fuse or bad connections,
no help. The dealer 5 miles away I bought it from no longer sells them, looks run down,
and their phone is disconnected (went from temporarily disconnected to disconnected in
the last week. The new dealer is 28 miles away, looks like they could fix anything, but
it would cost.

ANSWER: It really sounds to be like a safety switch, other than the seat switch, there is a clutch switch, one for the blades, and another for reverse....They MUST all be checked. Any chance the brake is dragging on this? Sometimes the little pads get stuck. Sounds as if you had two problems at first. the battery, and now a safety switch. You may need to purchase a manual to trouble shoot this out because it can get rather in depth for on here...........Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: For such a small piece of equipment, so much of it is hard to see and get at! I finally remembered where I put the manual 6 years ago. It has a schematic and wiring diagram I can follow. I need to get some kind of circuit tester. Any chance of it being the solenoid? Saturday is the only day I have all day  to take the mower apart and tinker. I found the brake disc and turned it a bit by hand, then I was able to push the mower into the shade, at least. I will continue to persevere

Answer
Might want to give that brake/clutch switch a good check over due to the fact you had to fiddle with the brake assembly to move the mower. yes, the solenoid could be doing it too, need to get yourself a 12v test light and see if it is routing the power correctly as you turn the key.....Ignition switch could be faulty too. So many things can cause this.................Tom