Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Lawnboy Rear Wheel Drive - Creeping, drive gears, deere gear

Question
Hi Eric,
Hope you can help with this one.  I have a Lawnboy 21" self propelled, rear wheel drive, walk behind mower (Model S21BSN, Serial H062B0347)built in 1989.  ALthough the mower is older, it hasn't had that much use.  The problem is that the rear wheels turn even though the drive controls are not engaged (removed the cable) ...the mower 'creeps' and is difficult to pull backwards even when the engine isn't running.  My guess is that the  problem's in the gear box itself, but  I don't know which component(s) are the most likely culprits. Hope you've had some experience with Lawnboy drives!   Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Regards.....Fred Haley  

Answer
It has been years since I've seen a Lawn Boy.  Good job on removing the cable to isolate the problem.

The next step I would take is to remove the drive belt and see if it makes a difference.

The older Lawn Boys used 2 round metal drive gears that pinched the tires when the cable was pulled...do you have this style of drive?  You will see the 2 drive gears on top of the tires if you have this.

I have had some John Deere gear boxes rust, on the inside that caused the same problem.
Let me know about the drive train.
Eric