Hey everyone,
I'm hoping someone can help me troubleshoot an issue with my older Cub Cadet zero-turn mower. I'm completely stumped at this point.
The mower starts and runs great most of the time. It has the factory safety system where moving both steering levers (rods) into the reverse position automatically disengages the PTO/blades. Normally, when I move at least one lever back into the forward position, the blades automatically re-engage and continue mowing.
The problem is that after I've been mowing for several minutes, the blades will suddenly stop re-engaging after I come out of reverse. The mower engine continues running perfectly, but the PTO will not come back on.
Nothing will get the blades working again:
- Turning the PTO switch off and back on does not help.
- Shutting the engine off and restarting it does not help.
- Moving the steering levers back and forth between reverse and forward does not help.
- Cycling through all safety switch positions does not help.
Usually, the blades will not work again until several hours later or even the next day. Then everything operates normally again until the problem repeats itself.
So far I have replaced:
- The PTO switch
- The safety switches
Unfortunately, neither repair made any difference.
Because the problem seems to happen only after the mower has been running for a while and then mysteriously starts working again after cooling down or sitting for several hours, I'm wondering if something is failing when it gets hot.
Has anyone experienced a similar issue? Could this be:
- A failing PTO clutch?
- A bad PTO relay?
- A wiring issue or poor ground connection?
- A seat switch problem?
- A thermal issue with the clutch coil or another electrical component?
- Something else I'm overlooking?
Any troubleshooting suggestions or tests I can perform would be greatly appreciated. I'm at my wits' end trying to figure this out.
Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm hoping someone can help me troubleshoot an issue with my older Cub Cadet zero-turn mower. I'm completely stumped at this point.
The mower starts and runs great most of the time. It has the factory safety system where moving both steering levers (rods) into the reverse position automatically disengages the PTO/blades. Normally, when I move at least one lever back into the forward position, the blades automatically re-engage and continue mowing.
The problem is that after I've been mowing for several minutes, the blades will suddenly stop re-engaging after I come out of reverse. The mower engine continues running perfectly, but the PTO will not come back on.
Nothing will get the blades working again:
- Turning the PTO switch off and back on does not help.
- Shutting the engine off and restarting it does not help.
- Moving the steering levers back and forth between reverse and forward does not help.
- Cycling through all safety switch positions does not help.
Usually, the blades will not work again until several hours later or even the next day. Then everything operates normally again until the problem repeats itself.
So far I have replaced:
- The PTO switch
- The safety switches
Unfortunately, neither repair made any difference.
Because the problem seems to happen only after the mower has been running for a while and then mysteriously starts working again after cooling down or sitting for several hours, I'm wondering if something is failing when it gets hot.
Has anyone experienced a similar issue? Could this be:
- A failing PTO clutch?
- A bad PTO relay?
- A wiring issue or poor ground connection?
- A seat switch problem?
- A thermal issue with the clutch coil or another electrical component?
- Something else I'm overlooking?
Any troubleshooting suggestions or tests I can perform would be greatly appreciated. I'm at my wits' end trying to figure this out.
Thanks in advance for any help!