John Deere 345 lawn tractor PTO issue

[VOL54]

Mowing today with my 1998 John Deere 345 (54" deck) when suddenly the pto disengaged. After a minute or so of jiggling the switch, it re-engaged but only if I held constant pressure on the switch. I had to insert a stick underneath the switch to keep it engaged. Mowed for another 2-3 hours with the stick in place without disengaging. On the positive side I didn't have to hold the switch while mowing in reverse. Could this be the pto switch or pto going bad, etc. Anyone have any ideas? I hate to just start throwing money at it until I know for sure what the problem is. Thanks for your help.

 

[tomplum]

You build a good case for a funky switch. For the $, I'd throw a switch on it as long as the old one wasn't melted.

 

[Spanner]

Switch most likely from what you write. They all eventually fail in the detent.

 

[Zebrafive]

I would also replace the switch