Help needed with 2010 2760 Classic

[tenglish]

I have a classic 2760, with about 130 hours on it. The past 3 weeks I have had to work on it, in some form or fashion, for each use. I just replaced the factory battery, because it went bad, with a Die Hard - Yesterday, this new battery was stone cold dead - I found a 30amp fuse blown on the engine, would this have something to do with the charging system, maybe?

After jumping the mower to mow yesterday, I shut my blades off, to cross a driveway. On the other side of the driveway, I reengaged the blades, and nothing, just able to hear a relay click. I parked the mower, after looking it over, I found a plug on the right hand side, under the seat, with a purple and black wire, but I could not find anywhere to plug it back up. (see attached photos) After jumping the battery to put it up for the evening, the blades would then engage. Any ideas on why the blades were intermittent, or what this plug goes to?

I have also noticed that occasionally, I am pushing my control leavers forward, but the rear wheels don't always respond. I got stuck yesterday, which usually is not an issue, but I could not, for the 1st time ever, get my mower to climb out of the hole. It was like the response to my commands, from the control levers, to the rear wheels were delayed, and would not spin fast enough to throw a rooster tail, just a slow spin in the mud. I opened my hydraulic tank, and it is full of fluid. Any ideas here?

This has been a GREAT mower for me, until now. I bought it new in 2010. This will be my 4th mowing season with it, and for a model that is only used residential, with just shy of 130 hours, I am starting to question the durability of the Dixie Chopper legacy.

 

[KennyV]

WELCOME to these Forums...

...I just replaced the factory battery, because it went bad, with a Die Hard - Yesterday, this new battery was stone cold dead - I found a 30amp fuse blown on the engine, would this have something to do with the charging system, maybe?...
(Never replace Anything, Unless you Know Why the Part/Piece failed.)
...After jumping the battery to put it up for the evening, the blades would then engage. Any ideas on why the blades were intermittent, ....?
(The Clutch Has to have 12 volts to engage, if you operate it with lower voltage, It Will burn out. CHECK the charging system. Insure it is working properly).
...occasionally, I am pushing my control leavers forward, but the rear wheels don't always respond.
There are levers on the rear, one on each hydraulic system, Be sure they are not partially moved out of their Normal operation position, they are used if you Ever need to move the machine without engine power moving it.)
...This will be my 4th mowing season with it, ... I am starting to question the durability of the Dixie Chopper...
(after 4 years servicing the same machine each year, You or the person servicing it should be completely familiar with all operational aspects of that mower... including All the fuses, normal charging system and service controls.)

Dixie Chopper makes a fairly well engineered machine, but over time wiring can fail for various reasons, connections can corrode or come loose, bypass levers can be nudged out of normal position...
As an owner operator you should be familiar with how it was intended to work. As the service person you Must Know how it was intended to work.
You shouldn't question the dependability of the equipment if it has not been properly serviced at the start of each season.
chase down these few issues & you will have Many hrs of great mowing in the future...
:smile:KennyV

 

[tenglish]

Mr. Kenny V: Thanks for your response, I have reviewed several of your post to other people, within the forums, and you seem to have a great amount of knowledge in this. I still have many of the same questions after your response though. Maybe I wasn't very clear on my explanations. Sorry if I seem like a moron here, but my questions that may seem stupid, don't seem very stupid to me, at the present time.

I am an "Owner/Operator" as you refer to, using this at my residence, not for business. The time I spend on my machine is nowhere near that of a professional, who operates their machines on a daily basis. I am far from a mechanic of any kind. My mower is nearly a $10,000.00 investment for me, you better believe that it is serviced at the dealer before each mowing season!

At the beginning of this season, the annual service was performed, and none of these issues developed until after that time. My dealer is not within my neighborhood, therefore, to make the 160 mile round trip, It requires time off from work, both to take it there to drop it off, and there to pick it up, once they are done, which gets into my pocket by several hundred dollars, not including cost for any work that may be performed on the machine. That's why I have turned to this forum, for help and guidance, from fellow Dixie Chopper owners or dealers, with an issue, that may not be a very big issue at all. I'm not looking to replace my dealer for service, just trying to save myself a little bit of headache if possible. I figure that I CAN'T be the only Dixie Chopper "Owner/Operator" who has experienced these issues.

As far as not knowing my fuses, they are not labeled, and every wiring diagram I was able to download for a 2760, all showed a 12vdc accessory plug, which my machine does not have. Also, these diagrams did not identify the plug in question, that I provided photos for, with the purple and black wires.

As far as the levers in the back, that's new to me. The dealer showed me some nuts on top of the wheel motors that had to be removed, if you were to move the mower, manually, without the machine running, on its own power. I have seen such levers, to disengage the hydro systems, on other brands, and wish mine had this, but to my knowledge, I don't have them.

I thought I did identify the problem with the battery. I had a battery that was 3 years old, and it just quit. After charging it, and testing it, it showed to be a bad battery; very similar to how a battery with a car or truck fails, and with the approximate age that you would expect a car or truck battery to fail - so I changed the battery.

Thank you for the information about the 12v on the electric clutch, to engage the blades. I hope that is my problem, with it, and that the fuse is for my charging system, and that after this afternoon, all that will be resolved. I still am keeping my fingers crossed that I find some levers, for control valves, that are out of whack, and am praying that the unidentified plug is for some sort of diagnostic tool, or accessory that my machine does not have.

My investment choice with Dixie Chopper comes from my previous experience, in another career, where I did mow professionally. The subject I worked for had Grasshopper, Scag, and Dixie Chopper machines, and the Dixie appeared to hold up the best, and be the most rugged. That is what influenced my decision. It is heart breaking to have so much tied up in an investment, perform regular PM on it, and it become consistent with failure. I understand that things break, but its time for it to quit breaking!

Thanks again for your input, and dedication to this forum. I know that you have been able to help many individuals who have stood in the same pair of shoes that I am wearing at this point in time. :smile:

WELCOME to these Forums...

...(Never replace Anything, Unless you Know Why the Part/Piece failed.)

...(The Clutch Has to have 12 volts to engage, if you operate it with lower voltage, It Will burn out. CHECK the charging system. Insure it is working properly).

There are levers on the rear, one on each hydraulic system, Be sure they are not partially moved out of their Normal operation position, they are used if you Ever need to move the machine without engine power moving it.)

(after 4 years servicing the same machine each year, You or the person servicing it should be completely familiar with all operational aspects of that mower... including All the fuses, normal charging system and service controls.)

Dixie Chopper makes a fairly well engineered machine, but over time wiring can fail for various reasons, connections can corrode or come loose, bypass levers can be nudged out of normal position...

As an owner operator you should be familiar with how it was intended to work. As the service person you Must Know how it was intended to work.
You shouldn't question the dependability of the equipment if it has not been properly serviced at the start of each season.

chase down these few issues & you will have Many hrs of great mowing in the future...

:smile:KennyV

 

[KennyV]

Have been Away from my computer ... and am just getting back... So I am slow in catching up.
Your model may not have the levers... I'll check but you are apparently familiar with the valves that allow movement... Double check those to see that they are in the correct position.
The plug you show has a diode in series in the purple wire, That may be in the charge ckt, or an aux lighting plug.... My neighbor down the way has a D.C.Z I'll look what it is plugged into..
They do make a great machine, So I wouldn't be too concerned... :smile:KennyV

 

[KennyV]

Well their D.C. has no plug like yours...
Take a look at this YouTube video clip... Is the plug you have the same one you will see to the rear of the battery at the 57 second time mark?... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J14CULaihis
I'll continue looking for what it is for... :smile:KennyV