BeaconWoods
Member
So I pulled the snowplow off the 2210 today and installed the mid mount mower deck. Everything was going great until I pulled out the yellow pto knob and got a big nothing. The short version is that all is now well. There are several threads dealing with this around the net but I have a couple points I did not see anywhere else. All this also applies to the JD 2305.
First, make sure you have your pto selector lever in the proper position - forward for the mid pto.
Second, if your rear pto is a bust, as is the one on this machine, all is not lost. Take it apart, remove the rear pto gear, clean the whole thing out and be happy using the machine in every other way. The aluminum housing usually breaks when the rear fails so repairing that is a major and expensive proposition. We bought another tractor to handle the rear pto jobs. We have been using this one for snow plowing and belly mowing for 10 or so years.
With that our of the way, the first thing to do is NOT check switches, fuses, wiring, resistance, voltage, current, or anything else like that. The first step in troubleshooting is to turn the key on, and pull the pto knob. The engine need not be running for this test. You will need either a helper to sit on the seat to activate the safety switch, or to defeat the interlock. I do that by taking a 120v lamp cord, cutting the wires real short, stripping them, twisting them together, and plugging it into the harness under the seat. Please note that I am in no wise recommending that you operate the machine with the operator seat interlock defeated. Doing so can result in chopping off your toes or other useful appendages.
Ok, so, you have a helper on the seat or you have cheated the seat safety switch, the key is on, the engine is not running. Find a screwdriver, an wrench, or any ferrous metal object. Shouldn't be hard if you are reading this site. Take that object and touch it to the stud on which the solenoid coil is mounted. Here is where to find it:
John Deere Parts Catalog
It is number 6 in the diagram. It is located on the right rear of the machine. If you have current flowing through the coil, the screwdriver, wrench, or other ferrous metal object will stick to the stud. It is not a super strong magnetic field, so don't worry if it is not super sticky. For contrast, turn the pto switch off or turn the key off. Try touching the stud once again. You should get no magnetic sticking.
If you have no magnetic field at the solenoid coil mounting stud, you have some other electrical problem. Go do all the stuff I told you not to bother with earlier. If you do have a magnetic field, you might try gently tapping the stud on which the solenoid coil is mounted. Be very careful here. Use something wooden or brass to avoid damage to the threads. Failing that, follow these steps:
A. Park the machine safely. I've always wanted to say that.
B. Remove right rear wheel / tire assembly. Use a jack stand or something sturdy to support the right axle. Do not use a concrete block or rely on your hydraulic floor jack to hold the machine up!
C. Disconnect the solenoid from the wiring harness. Peeling back the rubbery protective cover and disengaging the connector locking tab was a bit tricky.
D. Remove the nut holding the solenoid coil on the stud. There is both a lock washer and a flat washer under the nut. Be careful not to drop these in the removal process. They can disappear into the nether regions never to be seen no more.
E. Slide the solenoid coil off the stud.
F. Remove the solenoid body assembly from the transmission case. Working from the right side of the machine, I removed a bolt just above the solenoid assembly to make it a bit easier to get a wrench in place. It is bolt #31 in the upper right of this picture:
John Deere Parts Catalog
The solenoid assembly is screwed into the hole just below the bolt (item 31) in the above picture.
G. Clamp the solenoid body assembly in a vise. Clamp the hex bolt / stud, not the part with all the holes and O-rings. You will note that there are two flats on the part with all the holes and O-rings next to the large hex bolt / stud.
H. With a wrench across the two flats, remove the part with all the holes and O-rings. On mine, this was a pretty tough go.
I. Up to this point, operation of this gadget has been a mystery. Now you see that there is something inside the part with all the holes and O-rings that looks like an overgrown needle. It is the actuator of this part that is stuck.
J. Carefully, gently, nudge, tap, lubricate, and otherwise free up the needle assembly. It does not have to move a lot, but it does have to move.
K. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly. I've always wanted to say that, too.
If you took out the bolt just above the solenoid stud, be sure to put that back in once the solenoid stud is back in place. This is a good opportunity to put a bit of lube on you wheel bolts so you can get them off again later. Be sure to recheck wheel bolt torque after a few hours of operation.
Happy PTOing!
First, make sure you have your pto selector lever in the proper position - forward for the mid pto.
Second, if your rear pto is a bust, as is the one on this machine, all is not lost. Take it apart, remove the rear pto gear, clean the whole thing out and be happy using the machine in every other way. The aluminum housing usually breaks when the rear fails so repairing that is a major and expensive proposition. We bought another tractor to handle the rear pto jobs. We have been using this one for snow plowing and belly mowing for 10 or so years.
With that our of the way, the first thing to do is NOT check switches, fuses, wiring, resistance, voltage, current, or anything else like that. The first step in troubleshooting is to turn the key on, and pull the pto knob. The engine need not be running for this test. You will need either a helper to sit on the seat to activate the safety switch, or to defeat the interlock. I do that by taking a 120v lamp cord, cutting the wires real short, stripping them, twisting them together, and plugging it into the harness under the seat. Please note that I am in no wise recommending that you operate the machine with the operator seat interlock defeated. Doing so can result in chopping off your toes or other useful appendages.
Ok, so, you have a helper on the seat or you have cheated the seat safety switch, the key is on, the engine is not running. Find a screwdriver, an wrench, or any ferrous metal object. Shouldn't be hard if you are reading this site. Take that object and touch it to the stud on which the solenoid coil is mounted. Here is where to find it:
John Deere Parts Catalog
It is number 6 in the diagram. It is located on the right rear of the machine. If you have current flowing through the coil, the screwdriver, wrench, or other ferrous metal object will stick to the stud. It is not a super strong magnetic field, so don't worry if it is not super sticky. For contrast, turn the pto switch off or turn the key off. Try touching the stud once again. You should get no magnetic sticking.
If you have no magnetic field at the solenoid coil mounting stud, you have some other electrical problem. Go do all the stuff I told you not to bother with earlier. If you do have a magnetic field, you might try gently tapping the stud on which the solenoid coil is mounted. Be very careful here. Use something wooden or brass to avoid damage to the threads. Failing that, follow these steps:
A. Park the machine safely. I've always wanted to say that.
B. Remove right rear wheel / tire assembly. Use a jack stand or something sturdy to support the right axle. Do not use a concrete block or rely on your hydraulic floor jack to hold the machine up!
C. Disconnect the solenoid from the wiring harness. Peeling back the rubbery protective cover and disengaging the connector locking tab was a bit tricky.
D. Remove the nut holding the solenoid coil on the stud. There is both a lock washer and a flat washer under the nut. Be careful not to drop these in the removal process. They can disappear into the nether regions never to be seen no more.
E. Slide the solenoid coil off the stud.
F. Remove the solenoid body assembly from the transmission case. Working from the right side of the machine, I removed a bolt just above the solenoid assembly to make it a bit easier to get a wrench in place. It is bolt #31 in the upper right of this picture:
John Deere Parts Catalog
The solenoid assembly is screwed into the hole just below the bolt (item 31) in the above picture.
G. Clamp the solenoid body assembly in a vise. Clamp the hex bolt / stud, not the part with all the holes and O-rings. You will note that there are two flats on the part with all the holes and O-rings next to the large hex bolt / stud.
H. With a wrench across the two flats, remove the part with all the holes and O-rings. On mine, this was a pretty tough go.
I. Up to this point, operation of this gadget has been a mystery. Now you see that there is something inside the part with all the holes and O-rings that looks like an overgrown needle. It is the actuator of this part that is stuck.
J. Carefully, gently, nudge, tap, lubricate, and otherwise free up the needle assembly. It does not have to move a lot, but it does have to move.
K. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly. I've always wanted to say that, too.
If you took out the bolt just above the solenoid stud, be sure to put that back in once the solenoid stud is back in place. This is a good opportunity to put a bit of lube on you wheel bolts so you can get them off again later. Be sure to recheck wheel bolt torque after a few hours of operation.
Happy PTOing!
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