Engine suddenly quits when engaging mid-PTO with belly mower attached (CS2410)

[scratchandgrit]

Yesterday I was out doing what I expect to be the last mowing of the year when the engine quit mid-mow. Now any time I engage the mid-PTO with the belly mower attached, the engine dies instantly.

I cleaned out any debris from the top of the mowing deck. Belt looks to be in good condition and no excessive play. The blades look OK and nothing obviously jamming them up from below. I removed and reinstalled the PTO collar onto the shaft to make sure it was on tight and connected properly. Thought about the seat safety switch maybe malfunctioning, but not sure how to check this to make sure it's not the issue?

Other details:

• 50 hours on the tractor
• no issues up until yesterday when it suddenly quit
• nothing unusual about the mowing yesterday when it died
• blades move by hand although I wouldn't call it "freely"; frankly I've never paid any attention to how freely they moved in the past so I'm not sure if that's different or not
• was hard to start the other day so I stuck the battery on a trickle charger and it's starting fine now
• no other issues with tractor operation other than trying to use the mower

I'm going to be taking it in to the dealer for its 50-hour service pretty soon so I can always get them to look at it, but hoping there's something simple that I can try that I'm overlooking.

 

[ovrszd]

I doubt it's the deck causing the problem. I'd rather say it's tractor related. Possibly a faulty safety switch.

To test this theory, disconnect the MMM PTO. Then try engaging PTO. If tractor still dies we have eliminated the deck as the problem.

My JD is equipped with a safety circuit connected to the engine temp sensor. If the engine is excessively hot it will turn off the mid PTO. Very handy feature. But also another circuit to fail and cause a problem.

Were it me, I'd load up and go to the dealer for the service and let them chase the problem for you.

 

[oldballs]

What Richard said..........I, too, bet that it is in the mid-PTO switching. Maybe something is loose or mis-aligned on this new tractor.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[scratchandgrit]

Thank you, that's a great suggestion. So I disconnected the mower deck from the PTO and it ran fine. The PTO spins as expected and the engine keeps on purring.

Reconnected everything and the engine cuts immediately again.

One thing I just noticed: there's a lever to select mid, rear, or both PTOs. That lever typically always stays in the "mid" position because I don't currently have any attachments that use the rear PTO. The lever moves freely between the options when I have the MMM disconnected but it's very hard or impossible to move right now when the deck is attached to the PTO. It normally is free to move around, prior to whatever happened yesterday. Any idea what this might indicate?

 

[ovrszd]

Hmmmmm….. Trying to think of a possible solution.....

In regards to the engine. Does it stop deadstill as soon as PTO activated or does it coast to a stop like shutting off the key??

A safety switch shutdown will act just like shutting off the key.

A "locked up" MMM would stop the engine instantly.

As to the lever, not sure what's going on there. I don't think I've ever changed the lever on my JD2210 when the MMM is attached. Without it attached, mine moves freely as you suggest yours does.

I was hoping we could stumble onto a simple solution. But doesn't look like it. Probably going to require a dealer trip.

If you have a good personal relationship with your dealer's mechanics you might go see them or call them?

Sorry I can't offer anything better.

 

[oldballs]

My local dealer would send a service tech to your location, and diagnose the problem. He then might be able to fix it right there without taking the tractor back to the shop.

 

[CobyRupert]

Thank you, that's a great suggestion. So I disconnected the mower deck from the PTO and it ran fine. The PTO spins as expected and the engine keeps on purring.

Reconnected everything and the engine cuts immediately again.

One thing I just noticed: there's a lever to select mid, rear, or both PTOs. That lever typically always stays in the "mid" position because I don't currently have any attachments that use the rear PTO. The lever moves freely between the options when I have the MMM disconnected but it's very hard or impossible to move right now when the deck is attached to the PTO. It normally is free to move around, prior to whatever happened yesterday. Any idea what this might indicate?

When disconnected, does the mower pto shaft (and blades, etc...) spin freely too?

 

[justman777]

It's possible the gearing selector for the MMM and rear PTO is jammed up somehow. I believe the PTO selector should move freely regardless of what is attached. Something is binding up...

Like CorbyRupert suggested, recommend you check the mower shaft to see if it spins freely. On my JD 2305, the PTO stub would free-wheel if it wasn't selected. I could spin either PTO stub (mid-mount or rear) by hand.