Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Craftsman tranny problems

I have a Craftsman 917.276621 riding mower with hydrostatic drive. I bought the mower used about 2 years ago and it has less than 100 hours on it.

When I move the drive lever forward, the mower moves, but will not go any faster than about half speed and has no power when climbing a small incline. If I try to go faster than it wants to, it sounds like the tranny is bogging down. I had noticed a lack of power before when climbing an incline at full speed, but nothing like this.

For what it's worth, the mower deck runs fine and has no effect on this issue whether engaged or not.

Any thoughts?

I'd say it sounds like the belt is bad. It could be the tranny, but go for the belt first. I've seen some that were tight enough and looked good, but were glazed and still slipped.

Thanks for the input. I'll check it out, but it may not be until next week as we're getting ready to go out of town.

Thanks again!