X540 PTO not engaging

I have this X540 with about 900 hours on it. Just the last time I wanted to blow snow the pto would not engage. I kept pulling and pushing on the switch hoping for it to engage and then finally it started. It was very cold this day and so I blew snow for about 10 minutes and went inside just to warm up. Maybe this was about 10 minutes. I came back out and tried to engage the pto and again it wouldn't. I kept trying and trying the pto switch and it just would not go. So I was about to give up and call and ask service about it and I tried one more time and it went. So I hurried with the snow blowing and I would say I blew snow for another hour and then I was done. I checked the next day and again it would not engage. My dealer gave me a test module that goes right under the steering wheel that they said is kind of the brain of the unit. Try it and if the pto engages then you will know it is this module. It didn't work. So the problem to me has to either be that the clutch is beginning to seize or the pto switch is bad. I can probably replace the clutch myself but I don't have the proper electrical equipment to test the switch. If it is the switch! My feeling that it may be the switch because when the pto would engage it was working just fine but being so intermittent like it has been to me has to be electrical. Does anyone have any thoughts or help on this problem? Thanks, Bill

3fivers said:

I have this X540 with about 900 hours on it. Just the last time I wanted to blow snow the pto would not engage. I kept pulling and pushing on the switch hoping for it to engage and then finally it started. It was very cold this day and so I blew snow for about 10 minutes and went inside just to warm up. Maybe this was about 10 minutes. I came back out and tried to engage the pto and again it wouldn't. I kept trying and trying the pto switch and it just would not go. So I was about to give up and call and ask service about it and I tried one more time and it went. So I hurried with the snow blowing and I would say I blew snow for another hour and then I was done. I checked the next day and again it would not engage. My dealer gave me a test module that goes right under the steering wheel that they said is kind of the brain of the unit. Try it and if the pto engages then you will know it is this module. It didn't work. So the problem to me has to either be that the clutch is beginning to seize or the pto switch is bad. I can probably replace the clutch myself but I don't have the proper electrical equipment to test the switch. If it is the switch! My feeling that it may be the switch because when the pto would engage it was working just fine but being so intermittent like it has been to me has to be electrical. Does anyone have any thoughts or help on this problem? Thanks, Bill

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:welcome:
We don't shame bad dealers but we can endorse good ones so one that will provide this sort of help needs to be named so others can know they are good dealers.
I have no service information for the X series Deers but most electric PTO's work the same.
Get under the mower with a mirror & strong flash light.
Locate the PTO unit and check the wires, pull on them hard to make sure they are not broken inside the insulation , This is very common, right where the wires go inside.
Follow the wires all the way back looking for broken or chaffed wires.
When you get to the plug disconnect it and hook up some sort tester to the mower side of the plug .
With some one in the drivers seat, get them to turn the PTO on & off checking for power to the plug.
Obviously if you get no power on some occasions the problem is in the mower & power every time means the problem is in the clutch.
If the former, continue tracing the wires back till it goes into the loom where it is unlikely to suffer mechanical damage.

Use your mirror & torch again at the switch end where wires can again suffer mechanical damage.
Pull the PTO switch out of the mower , there are a couple of barbs each end .
Take a photo of it and post the photo.
The switch will have 3 rows of terminals long ways.
Inside is a simple sliding contact that connects across the switch.
The actual PTO is generally the set that only has 2 contacts a + & a -.
All the others are safety cut outs and part of the safety circuits and are all ground contacts.

And Deer being Deer, there might even be a relay or two in the circuit just to complicate matters.

Update on my 540. I could not get the PTO switch off and so I could not test it. I did check all the visible wires and everything was ok. So with chances of more snow coming this week in Minnesota I took it to my repair shop. Turns out it was the brake switch. That was one I had not thought of. After the shop told me that it made sense because I was also having issue with the engine not stopping after getting off the seat. Something I was aware of but just totally forgot about it. Thank you to the replies, it was helpful!!!
Bill