PT425 towing mode??

[2manyrocks]

Carb cleaner is not a bad idea to give it the extra margin of help to get re-started. You might have a gummed up carb anyway.

When I had trouble with my Terramite, I also replaced the spark plugs to be sure they weren't the source of the problem and were clean. And now that I think about it, I also replaced the fuel pump and poured some fresh gas in the carb. It started right back up.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes, pull the air cleaner, turn off the throttle and choke, give it a small shot of carb cleaner or starting fluid, give it a crank and it should at least pop if there's a spark.

 

[Modrob]

Thanks again guys for the support…
Yesterday—failure again.
New battery, didn’t make much difference in the cranking. Spark plugs didn’t look bad but I cleaned them up anyway. And, spraying a liberal amount of starting fluid hasn’t given it much help at all either. I cranked a little longer than usual, and it seemed like it wanted to try, but again nothing. At this point I’m still concerned that I don’t have enough cranking “speed” to get it to fire—many past times have shown that when I’d put the big battery charger boost on it, that would do the trick. (I don’t know if there’s anything to my theory it needs a certain level of spin/crank to get the electronics to function properly) I don’t have a portable booster (yet) but I could trailer my genset and haul it out there with my big charger and try that…but I did get my big trailer unloaded yesterday and it’s ready to go and try to pull the tractor onto it and get it home where it’s a little more “comfortable” to work on…whew!
I did check on the pump for the tow valve Andrew told me about yesterday, and I believe I found it—on the bottom of the pump, and at the front edge…
We shall see what today brings…

 

[Modrob]

Re the shifter cable: I never found solder to be a great repair, mainly because I could never get good adhesion to the cable (wrong flux?). I had better luck with crimping the old end on, or fabricating a replacement end. Then again, what seemed to work best for me was buying a new cable, so perhaps I'm not the best person to weigh in on this.

As far as getting your tractor running, I would be tempted to borrow a battery or two from other vehicles, and some jumper cables to make an extended battery pack. If you get the 425 running, getting the batteries back will be easy. One thing that I would consider doing is that I would check for spark before going much farther. When you do try to start it, if you have trouble getting it to catch, I would try some carburetor cleaner down the carburetor while cranking. Most engines will at least fire on carburetor cleaner.

FWIW: In my limited experience with bad gas is that it takes longer than I expected to get fresh gas into the carburetor. My few encounters with bad fuel have given me a great desire to never repeat the experience, so I go out of my way to buy fuel from better retailers, not store it for long, and treat every gallon that comes on the property with stabilizer.

All the best,

Peter

That shifter cable—arrrrggggg!! I have wasted so much time trying to make that work. I’ve tried solder, and low temp alum rod, which has made ugly messes and about the time I’d have it fairly close in shaping, the cable would pull out! (I hate there is nowhere close to get one and usually have to order online—I hate the waiting LOL)

 

[MossRoad]

I found that when I hooked up my bypass hoses, I could roll the unit pretty easily by hand.

I did take a ratcheting strap and slip it under the bucket and hooked the other end to the canopy, put the FEL in float, and ratcheted the bucket up off the ground a few inches. Otherwise it would have dragged/dug in when trying to roll it.

Once I did that, I was able to push it the 50ish feet to the garage very easily.

So you should know if you have your bypass valve open correctly or not. It should roll very easily.

Just don't open it on a hill without the wheels chocked.

 

[m5040]

That shifter cable—arrrrggggg!! I have wasted so much time trying to make that work. I’ve tried solder, and low temp alum rod, which has made ugly messes and about the time I’d have it fairly close in shaping, the cable would pull out! (I hate there is nowhere close to get one and usually have to order online—I hate the waiting LOL)

I don't really understand what your trying to do here, a pic might help. Did you ever try the cable clamps? Like a miniature heavy duty muffler clamp. You could either collapse the eyelet onto the cable, or clamp it along side. Just a thought.

 

[scotts562]

Have you checked the fuel line between the tank and the gas filter?

 

[2manyrocks]

Which engine do you have in your PT425? I understand there were using Robin engines at one point before switching to Kohler V twins.

 

[Modrob]

Have you checked the fuel line between the tank and the gas filter?

Yes. First ran it straight, then new hose and filter.

 

[Modrob]

Which engine do you have in your PT425? I understand there were using Robin engines at one point before switching to Kohler V twins.

Kohler v-twin