Blades PTO disengages so blades stop rotating

[mijjy]

I have an Ariens Rear Engine Rider mower, model 927069. Mice got in one winter and chewed up alot of the insulation, I fixed it once, redid it all last week, I found more chewed wires after removing battery and gas tank, that made it easier to get too, I also loosened the wiring harness under the left foot rest area so that I could pull the harness back and expose more wires to make necessary repairs on the chewed off wire insulation.

After completing above, the mower starts much better & everything worked for about 10 or 15 minutes, then the blades started disengaging again. I found that if I held the PTO switch in the momentary postion I could keep the blades rotating and I was able to finish mowing my small lawn.

I'm wondering what's happening to disengage the PTO, perhaps some safety switch like the reverse safety switch is out of adjustment. I haven't found out where this switch is yet and I'm wondering if it's even adjustable as far as position is concerned.

I'm contemplating just wiring the PTO with an on off switch to keep it running even if the reverse switch or some other switch is out of operating position.

Anybody got a better solution?

Thanks, Jim

 

[EngineMan]

Not sure if you know this, or have the info.

 

[KennyV]

Hi Jim...
I'm not sure what PTO switch has a momentary position, I think yours is just a pull on push off PTO switch... Is there some other switch that is controlling your PTO clutch?

As to rewiring, You can make it a simple On - Off system, I would include an inline fuse & a starter disable if it were in the PTO On position...

If you do modify the wiring draw out your own New wiring diagram so you will have a future road map... & get some cats to get rid of your mice problems... :smile:KennyV

 

[EngineMan]

Hi Jim...
I'm not sure what PTO switch has a momentary position, I think yours is just a pull on push off PTO switch... Is there some other switch that is controlling your PTO clutch?

Yes there is, you have....from the PTO Switch
Transmission Neutral Switch
Rear Parking Brake Switch
Then from the Key Switch you have a Purple Wire.

Red/Violet from Key Switch to the Rear Parking Switch, from there its Brown/Yellow to Transmission Switch and there again to PTO Switch its Brown/Yellow

Man all this work, its doing my head in....!

 

[KennyV]

Hi EngineMan...
Your right.. "Man all this work, its doing my head in....!" Ha ha... (but then I enjoy a good wiring ring out...)

I am aware of the interlock switching, I was referring to his statement about the "momentary" position of the PTO switch, I can not place a momentary position, Just a On and a Off fot the PTO switch... :smile:KennyV

 

[EngineMan]

Hi KennyV
Its wasn't a arrow pointed at you, just more info for the post, just sit back, put you're feet up and have a cold beer:laughing:

 

[KennyV]

...
sit back, put you're feet up and have a cold beer:laughing:

Now that sounds like the best advice I have seen all Day... :smile:KennyV

 

[mijjy]

My Ariens PTO switch has the momentary position on it as shown on the wiring diagrams I've seen on line. I did purchase a replacement switch, generic universal variety that didn't have the momentary position, it seems to work okay at first but then stopped working after about 20 minutes of mowing. So it works and then doesn't work with either switch. I put the original switch back on even though I don't understand the momentary contact, I checked the continuity of the generic switch against the continuity diagram and found the difference in the two switches, one lug was hot all the time instead of just momentarily.

I decide to just hot wire the PTO, ran a new wire down direct from the battery. I left the black wire there for ground, which by the way is fused, according to wiring diagram. I should probably add a fuse to the new red wire I pulled in, it works good with a Radio Shack on off switch, I just disconnected the other wire and left it there so I can put it back as designed if I want to.

I was going to hook it up to the purple wire from the ignition switch, but found that there was too much voltage drop in that line, less than 3 volts left to engage the clutch. That's probably why the clutch kept disengaging. Pretty soon I'll be mowing my entire yard with the hot wire setup, hopefully the pto won't disengage while mowing.

Jim

 

[EngineMan]

And you should put a fuse in line, you never know...! one night fire in barn.

 

[txzrider]

since the mower sounds like it starts up ok... this is probably not it, but when I had charging issues on my old mower the 1st symptom was the blades would disengage.