JD 445 mower deck start up problems.

Dipper

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Hi. I'm having trouble getting the PTO to engage on my 1998 445. Sometimes when I go to turn on the mowing deck nothing happens. I keep pulling the switch on and off and eventually it engages. Sometimes right away and sometimes it takes quite awhile to get it to go. I put in a new pto switch on today and it took about ten times pulling it on and off before it engaged, but worked everytime after that. Not sure what it will do next. Just wondered where the electric clutch is located and if I need to look at that? Thanks.
 

LakeRat1

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Hi Dipper, I also have a JD LT 445, a couple things i guess you know, if you have just been in reverce the PTO will not come on if you try to turn it on before moving foward just a bit, also if you are mowing and go to back up the PTO will kick out, You can pervent this by Lifting up on the switch as you start to back up, just lift it up and release it while you are backing up & as long as you are backing up the PTO will stay on, I am sure you know all this,

If the switch keeps acting up I think it is the switch & not the Elect Clutch, I haven't looked at the switch from the back side, I would think that there should just be 2 wires, I think you could test it by just taking a heavy duty toggle switch and hook it up in place of the push pull switch & see if it works right, if it does you know what to do
 

Dipper

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Hi Dipper, I also have a JD LT 445, a couple things i guess you know, if you have just been in reverce the PTO will not come on if you try to turn it on before moving foward just a bit, also if you are mowing and go to back up the PTO will kick out, You can pervent this by Lifting up on the switch as you start to back up, just lift it up and release it while you are backing up & as long as you are backing up the PTO will stay on, I am sure you know all this,

If the switch keeps acting up I think it is the switch & not the Elect Clutch, I haven't looked at the switch from the back side, I would think that there should just be 2 wires, I think you could test it by just taking a heavy duty toggle switch and hook it up in place of the push pull switch & see if it works right, if it does you know what to do

Hi. My 1998 does'nt have the backup cutout, so thats not the problem. I already put on a new correct switch and it has 5 poles. Don't know where the pto clutch is located though, do you?
 

mac

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Hi. My 1998 does'nt have the backup cutout, so thats not the problem. I already put on a new correct switch and it has 5 poles. Don't know where the pto clutch is located though, do you?

The PTO is at the bottom of the crank shaft on the engine.
 

Dipper

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The PTO is at the bottom of the crank shaft on the engine.

Hi Mac. My tractor is a 1998 445 and the drive shaft comes out the rear of the engine and not the bottom. I'm guessing the pto clutch is in the rear drive housing. I did find out looking over Ebay that a 445 has a pto solenoid and I'm guessing again that is in the rear housing to. Maybe thats whats wrong or a bad connection at that end. Thanks though.
 

Mort1985

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Pto solenoid is at the very rear of the machine, easy to get too. Always used to keep a spare in the workshop for mine
 

Dipper

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Pto solenoid is at the very rear of the machine, easy to get too. Always used to keep a spare in the workshop for mine

Thanks Mort. I replaced the solenoid and the only problem I had was I couldn't get my big hands under the rear end to unplug or plug in the wire connecter. My wife got the wire conn. off and on and it worked right away but now it's back to working now and then. It will start up right away sometimes and then won't start till I pull the switch up and down a lot of times. It may be the other part of the solenoid I'm just not sure. Hoping someone will know.
 

Swervo

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Hey Dipper, I'm new on this forum myself but have had experience with that tractor. The one I was using, before my current x485, had that problem arise. Try just jumping the seat switch under the seat. It triggers the safety system that tells if someone is in the seat or not. Jumping it is for testing only, if it fixes your problem do replace it. Hope that helps you, John
 

Dipper

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Hi Swervo. I'll give that a try, but it just seems to me if the seat safety switch was bad nothing would work. I'll give it a shot, thanks. I'll let you know.:confused2:
 
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