Craftsman Lawn Tractor Deck cuts off

[bharling]

After cutting the lawn for 30-40 minutes the mower deck cuts off and wont' restart. If I leave the tractor sit for an hour and try again it works for another 30 minutes or so before the same thing happens. The engine seems very hot, but that may be normal. I usually don't open the hood to check. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[ILENGINE]

You don't say how ond the mower is, but I will take a shot in the dark and say that the clutch air gap needs adjusted. If you have the adjustable clutch is will have three nuts attached to threaded studs with springs on them. Next to the stud will be a slot that you put a feeler gauge into and adjust the nuts until you have .012 clearance all the way around. takes a little trial and error to get right sometimes, but may solve the problem.

As the clutch heats up the resistance increases, leading to higher amp draw, and sometimes it can't keep it engaged.