Finally got it figured out that I was having a weird wire break issue... that lead to the ground connection for the PTO to not work. This was a weird issue that gradually got worse where the mower wouldn't even start.
I ended up cutting the ground wire to the PTO and then crimping an...
I replaced the connectors past the main wiring harness plug... direct wired them and same results. all the wires from the ignition switch down seem fine... nothing obvious.
Since I've thrown the kitchen sink at it.. ... I never thought about replacing the seat switch, because wouldn't the motor cut off if that was bad? It runs fine, its just the PTO coming on and off while running. Motor never dies.
Also searched sears parts central and there is no listing for a...
Replaced the relay today and that didn't make a difference. I also went ahead and deleted the plugs from the wiring harness to the PTO.. Direct wired them as the plugs seemed not super tight and I could jiggle them slightly. Same thing.. didn't do anything to fix the issue.