Usually I think back pain is associated with handle position. Would a change of the handle's position help? Some mower handles can be raised or lowered either by an adjustment or flipping the lower handle around. With the Toro, you can adjust the cable tension which affects when the drive will engage, but I wouldn't think that would have a dramatic effect. Growing pains with the auto drive are usually lessened when the operator has used it enough where they "give in" and let the drive control itself. It will be interesting to see what others may have found with back pain and the auto drives.

Was the tire by any chance on the rear? If so you may have forgotten to put the key back in or pushed it out the other side without knowing it. If a hydro works like a gear driven it won't move with an axle spinning inside the rim. I have never known a hydro to be damaged by just a little pushing around with the dump valve closed. Mike

Understood. Rusty would say fix whats wrong, but that's not every owner;s cup of tea. Only us greasegrubbers relish such. One thing - If your unit is a hydro type drive, keep that engine up at full RPM and feather your speed ctrl handle. Critical to keep that hydro cool. If it's a gear drive and you're forced to throttle down for ground speed, then look for something loose on either up at the the dash end or around your carb where the throttle hooks up. Good luck.

Consult a repair manual or the user's manual about how to check the transmission fluid level for your vehicle. I am not familar with your vehicle, but the following is a general procedure that I have used for all the automatics that I have owned. Check the fluid hot. Some dipsticks may have hot and cold marks or holes in the stick. Automatic transmission fluid expands when heated. The fluid level must be measured with the engine running so that the torque converter remains filled. While in the car and with the brake on, move the gear selector through reverse and a forward gear, then back to park. Apply the parking brake and check the dip stick. The oil line may be difficult to see. If the stick picks up oil from the side of the tube when withdrawn, there may be splashes of oil above the full line. If the fill line is obliterated, put the stick back in all the way, and try again. Continue until you get a positive indication of the fluid level. This takes practice and some experience to avoid a false reading. Keep the upper end of the stick elevated above the bottom end. The stick does not have to be perfectly upright and may be lain down as much as 45 degees from horizontal. if the stick is allowed to go level or more, the oil line may creep up the stick or flatten out. When you withdraw the stick, keep a rag or waste paper under its tip to prevent dripping any fluid on painted surfaces. Transmission fluid harms paint. If you can't see the fluid line, rotate the stick to view its other side. In other words, keep fiddling with it until you get a reliable reading. You'll probably have to move the stick from under the hood out into better light to see the level (hense the need to catch the drips).