John Deere LT180 PTO Lever Pops Out

[FlippinYankee]

Hello all... New (to me) LT180 runs great, everything seems operational right down until I push the PTO lever up... The blades engage and then the lever pops right back out and will not stay engaged. I did purchase the JD manual, but I'm not even sure where to start :-(
Thank you in advance for any info or pointing me in the right direction.
Respectfully,
John Deere Newbie

 

[FlippinYankee]

All fixed... So... the hour meter clip had broken and the meter was sitting in such a way to preventing the lever from moving all the way into the locked in position... duh !!

 

[Lil’Deere]

Bravo! Those LT’s just keep going! (I put 21 years on mine with very few problems, best mower I ever had)

 

[Deleted member 97405]

They are great little tractors! Make sure your tensioner for the deck belt isn't worn. This is the spring assembly that connects under the belly of the tractor down to the deck. The rod on the assembly wears into the brackets. The spring then can't correctly regulate the tension. If this happens, it can cause extra pressure on the engagement lever and the engine pulley by pulling too hard on the belt. I had a few engine pulleys split because of this. It's just a wear item. But overall, these are great machines!