help.......pto keeps blowing fuses

[ulbhunter]

I have DK 65 (old style) and am having an electrical problem with the pto. The PTO keeps blowing fuses. Sometimes it will blow when the pto is engaged by either the switch on the dash or the fender switch. Sometimes the pto will engage and I am able to run the brush cutter for a few minutes to a few days before the fuse will blow. Replaced the fender switch today but it did not make a difference. Does anyone know what or where this short is occuring. I am in the middle of a mowing job and have about 80 acres to get done ASAP. I cant afford for this tractor to be down for any length of time, your help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Greg

 

[JoelD]

Tracing down a short can be tricky and there are others out there with much more knowledge than me.

If it were me, and I was in a pinch I'd re-wire from scratch, 12 volt source, to switch to selenoid or what ever it is that engages the PTO. Not sure how grounded, I'd expect either a dedicated ground from the selenoid or the selenoid as mounted grounds.

I'd run an inline fuse the same amperage as what you are blowing so you don't smoke the selenoid.

If this does not work then the selenoid its self is likely the short.

Otherwise, go for continuity tester and see if you can chase down the short.

Whenever I get a short on a trailer I just re-wire ends up being less time than finding short.

Maybe someone here has experienced your particular problem and can help zero in quickly.

Good luck,
Joel

 

[Steve_Miller]

Maybe one of the dealers here can chime in. My two cents worth would be to monitor the current draw on the solenoid. It may be going bad and on the verge of blowing the fuse due to shorted windings. Unless you have a multimeter and the know how to hook it up and read it along with some values for comparison your guessing at whats wrong.

Steve

 

[dawzie]

I had this same problem with my electric clutch on my zero turn. I put an amp gauge in line and found the magnet drawing to much amperage. Put on a new clutch and no problem.

 

[ulbhunter]

Thanks to all. Joeld took your advise and I got back in business. Looks like the solenoid is ok and the Kioti dealer advised that there are a couple of places that the clutch linkage could rub the wire. I will check that over the weekend. thanks again

greg

 

[Simplicityfan]

I had this same problem with my electric clutch on my zero turn. I put an amp gauge in line and found the magnet drawing to much amperage. Put on a new clutch and no problem.

This is to back up what is quoted, this is exactly correct, you may notice that even when you are cutting your lawn the blades will stop working, it's because your 20 amp fuse etc. can not handle that much amperage so it blows, after you change the fuse the blades will work in most cases, but not for long, the amperage will become too great and, the fuse will blow again, changing the clutch will fix this problem. Note: some clutches has an adjustment on them, have you mower dealer or a qualified repair person do or check this adjustment for you, a clutch change may not be nessasary in such cases. a new clutch can be expensive. Important! to make your PTO clutch last longer give you zero turn mower time to warm up before engaging the blades. I hope this help!