John Deere 1600 wide area mower help!

[subergoo]

hey all, Ive got a J.D. 1600 turbo WAM that I use to mow most of the rough at my golf course. This machine is run for about 6 hours a day 5 days a week and is now pushing 2500 hours. up until yesterday its had only a few simple problems, but now outta nowhere the the blades will not turn on. I have checked everything I can think of: bypassed all safety interlocks, checked the pto switch, checked all solenoids and valves. Its got an onboard computer/controller with input and output lights and as far as i can tell the computer thinks the blades are on???

anyway I know its a long shot but any help would be nice cause I really dont wanna pay the stealership to fix this thing

Thanks

 

[9973720wb19]

I don't think I can be much help because I have only owned mine a few months, but since there are probably not too many JD1600 WAM owners I'll post this...

I cut fields and had to rig the safety seat PTO switch because it kept shutting the blades down on just about each bump. After that, the bumps were not an issues. However, the blades shut down again? I determined this was caused because i was inadvertently pushing on the fwd and reverse peddles at the same time - maybe it has something to do with the transmission.

 

[subergoo]

hey this might help you 9973720wb19,
the seat has adjustable weight settings be sure you use the right one that should fix the shut down problem with the seat, and the wings have a position interlock system so when they swing or bounce like crazy the blades will shut down just like they would if you were to raise them with the blades still on, those sensors can be bypassed aswell ....... but maybe you could just run it a little slower.... hehehehe

 

[aczlan]

Assuming that these wings are run by hydraulic motors, I would check to see that the solenoids for the wing motors are getting power and that they work.

If the "brain" thinks that the wings are on, your interlocks are not the problem. It is an issue with the flow of fluid to/from the wing motors (and I would look to the solenoids for the wing motors first).

Aaron Z

 

[bighorn422]

hey im sure its probably fixed by now but theres an actuator cylinder to engage blades thats most likley 99% sure your problem its located under seat left side sitting on machine they break at the ball joint or seperate let me know if you need any more help

 

[subergoo]

WOW! Thanks bighorn!! You are dead on that's what was wrong and yes it was repaired quite a while ago . But good call you were right just wish you had been around a long time ago hahaha.
Just outta curiosity , how the heck did you know that ? Are you a JD tech ?

 

[advantagelawncare]

Bighorn I have the issue listed above i cant find this actuator cylinder you are refering too. I have looked on the machine and under john deere parts to try to find a listing so i know what im looking for. Can i ask you to help me with this, if you have a picture illistration that would be great. thanks James

 

[Park Dept]

[we are having the same issue with the decks not engaging, we replaced the solenoids and it worked wonderful for a few days and now its doing the same thing again. It seems to act up after it has been running for a while. Could it be the hydraulic oil that is the cause? Is there a temp gauge for the hydraulic fluid? any help appreciated!!

 

[delsol]

I have a 1600 also that is giving us grief with the hydraulic decks. It won't spin all 3 decks-- it started that if you raised one deck the other 2 would have good flow and would cut. Now it seems that all 3 decks are not turning but looks like they are getting pressure when the switch is flipped. Are there solenoids on the return side also? or does the solenoid control the spool valve for both supply and return to each individual deck? I put a rebuild kit in the one deck motor last year thinking that it was bypassing -- it looked great on the inside and didn't seem to need anything.
Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Dion123]

Hey there having a similar problem with decks. Pressure tested pump turns out deck motor is turning slow. The dealer couldn't figure out what is wrong. Rebuilt motor and still the same problem. Tested spindle speed it was low with 3 decks running but right with 2 running. Adjusted spindle speed decks running better, but not as well as our newer unit. If have any other ideas looking to try something. Wish the dealer had something to offer

 

[shmc83]

I have a 2006 JD 1600 WAM, was mowing and blades quit after lifting the decks. Saw this post and bighorn was exactly right. The JD part # is TCA13854 and it is an end link off of the hydro pump. It is under the left side of the seat but you have to remove the black cover plate that is bolted to the back of the the seat pan / hydraulic reservoir. It has 5 bolts total. The internal threads on the link end (which is actually just a hyme joint) wore out which let the PTO rod fall off. The result is no mower deck functions and mimics bad electrical, but it is actually a pressure issue. $27 part and an hour of my own time beats the dealer any day! THANKS FOR THE ORIGINAL POST!!

 

[GDHall]

My left deck will not raise when the machine has been mowing for a half hour or more. It tries but simply will not raise. Today it decided not to mow on that side. Could this be an electric over hydraulic valve problem? It works fine when cold.

 

[delsol]

We are still having the issue of not getting full flow/pressure to all 3 decks at once. If you pick up one of the side decks the center and other side will cut -- and it doesn't matter which side you pick up...

Any ideas?

 

[DaveG123]

Just went through a situation where none of the decks were delivering full power, JD Mechanic told me to change the O-rings on the cartridge valve on the hydraulic control block under the left side of the machine's belly. The O-rings harden up and essentially allow the fluid to bypass the motors.

For the price of a couple of O-Ring sets, it's worth a try on your situation too! FYI part # TCA18245 1 set of 5 O-rings for each valve (you'll need 2)

 

[GDHall]

I got the lifting problem solved by replacing the o rings. Now I have an issue where the left deck will not remain in the up position. Sometimes it stays up but often I must hold the switch in the raise position or lock it up with the manual latch near the cylinder. Any suggestions as to why it will not stay up? The other decks stay up as expected.
thanks,

 

[aczlan]

Could be a bad cylinder, or a bad solenoid. Lock the deck up, then pull the "lower" hose and hold the switch in "raise" position for 20-30 seconds. If you get fluid out of the "raise" port on the cylinder, the rod seal is bad. If not, the solenoid valve is probably bad.

Aaron Z

 

[dbleacpa]

I have a John Deere 1600 and while mowing a couple weeks ago got a branch caught in my right wing deck. It seized up the blade and now the right deck won't run strong. It will spin but slows when there is any resistance. Ideas?

 

[drlazor]

Hey there having a similar problem with decks. Pressure tested pump turns out deck motor is turning slow. The dealer couldn't figure out what is wrong. Rebuilt motor and still the same problem. Tested spindle speed it was low with 3 decks running but right with 2 running. Adjusted spindle speed decks running better, but not as well as our newer unit. If have any other ideas looking to try something. Wish the dealer had something to offer

Were did you get your deck pump rebuilt? Could you send me the address and shipping information. My frount deck was leaking hhydro fluid and I took the pump apart and found one of the metal part that holds the gears together has seared. I need to get it rebuilt and soon as my grass is growing fast.

Also How do you test the deck spindle speed and how do you make it go faster or slower?

THANKS

 

[Jim Blackwood]

I just bought a 2005 1600T. The reverse pedal sticks, I think it is a linkage problem. I managed to smear some grease on the bearings that run on the linkage cam but it hangs when you first press on the reverse pedal and then lets go all at once, making the machine jerk violently backwards. Any advice on how to get in there and fix that is much appreciated as it's hard to even see what is under there. I noticed the long linkage rod drags a bit on the large hydraulic line but I wasn't able to push the hose down out of the way.

Jim

 

[hankster 1965]

I currently maintion two high serial number 1600's and one old one, which is maintained for backup. this problem you have is common, on top of the design of the pedal linkage causing some of the issue, it can be brought to a minimum. mainanence on these can be frustrating, but with patience, it will be worth it. sounds like previous owner didn't address issue, just put up with it. the linkage is designed poorly wich requires more pressure applied to go backwards. but there are things to help minimize this. first when moving mower, never do it at idle! a brand new machine will buck like a bronco at idle(somewhat) must be at least half throttle but recommend full throttle. this will allow you to apply less pressure on rev pedal, but push slowly and let linkage do its part. when looking at the linkage under the fnr pedals, youll see grease zerks that were pbrobably never greased. grease then while working the pedals back and forth. next open engine cover and look on right side of tranny where linkage goes to having someone move pedals(engine off!) watching movements and youll notice some small bearing moving on a cam like arm. those bearings work very hard for their size and do fail from time to time. to chek them, you must remove the spring applying tension to bearings. you can access the spring br tilting up the seat and remove the floor plate behind it four bots two on top. if one of the bearings is bad, you can change the order of them on the same bolt, so a fresh bearing is touching cam arm. the reverse pedal will always be touchy but maintanence will keep it smooth. good luck