Mower PTO clutch spinning and pulling wires

[joshuabardwell]

A little while ago, the wires going to my PTO clutch on my mower were cut by rubbing up against a belt. After I fixed them, everything seemed to work fine, but now when I stop the blades (sometimes) or when the blades bog down (sometimes), the part of the clutch that the wires come out of spins around and rips the wires apart again. I can't figure out what has changed or what I'm doing wrong. The section of the clutch is free to rotate, but since it has wires coming out of it, it must not be supposed to spin around. But I don't see any sort of retaining wire or bolt that would keep it in place. I don't know...



In the photo above, the one arrow points to the part of the clutch that is spinning, and the other arrow points to where the wires come out of it.

If anybody could give any insight, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

All I can say is that the upper part should not move. Look for a loose retainer and the retainer might be under the clutch housing and only accessed by removing the pulley and clutch.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Followup. Found this post on another forum which seems to indicate that there is supposed to be some sort of anti-rotation mechanism to prevent this problem.

Craftsman Garden Tractor 917.251492 wiring nightmare - Tractors Forum - GardenWeb

 

[joshstrickland]

Any resolution to this problem? I am having the exact problem with my John Deere L130. Thanks.

 

[tomplum]

On the L130, it usually means that it needs a new clutch kit. Especially if it is spinning. If it is just breaking the harness at the clutch, you may get away w/o replacing it. Where the locator goes through the clutch, these is a little bushing to help reduce chatter. Squeezing some fuel line over the rod may help.

 

[Teachu2]

My L120 had a machined end on the shaft where it mounted - almost like teeth - that mated to the mount point to prevent the shaft from rotating. At some point, that end of the cast iron shaft shattered, but the pieces still held it, until it was pulled to replace a pulley. At that point, it was toast. $300+ unit, since they don't sell just the shaft.