Electric PTO will not engage?

bertsmobile1

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OK folks why not run around and check the left rear tyre then the steering bearings follower by the brake pads.

The man has the JD technical manual and is working through it in a methodical mannar, why not let him do it rather than running him from pillar to post in a random fashion ?
 

Luffydog

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Don't guess u have an attitude problem or anger management issues with others trying to help. Sometimes the manual don't always help out for the issues at hand so running post to pillar might not be a bad idea at times never hurts to have a backup plan other than the manual.
 

bertsmobile1

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No I don't and I don't have an ego problem either.
Having taught ( nothing to do with mowers ) for several years I came to understand just how confusing simple things can be to those with little to no understanding of them.
All of us have a method to solving any particular problem and all of them work or we would still have the problem.
Having a dozen people all chiming in with their our variations on the same theme 1/2 way through a systematic diagnosis does little other than to confuse.
If some one has gone to the extent of obtaining a manual then it is best to let them work through it and limit oneself to explanations of what the poster does not understand.
Or point them to the relevant section of the manual.
There is no better manual than those published by JD as they both teach the why ( theory of operation ) and the how, thus the poster will know all when finished.

We all have different ways of approaching the same problem, I see none of them to be any more correct than others, they are just a different sequence usually because we are not trying to understand what is happening, just to get the mower out of the shop asap and back to the customer.

Thus when some one has taken up a persons problem I pass over it without comment ( usually ), avoiding the "too may chiefs" problem or if I do I try to carry on the line that the original helper has started on.

I have a copy of the same manual he is using and can see where it will lead.
He will get there in time and will have covered all bases. If you go back to the beginning of the thread you will see that BashRipRock has a dubious rats nest of bodged & confusing wiring which at some time he will need to come to grips with, thus we have started by confirming the wiring.
 

Luffydog

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I apologize for my misbehavior and not being professional about it. Yes I did read that but when he said he got the clutch to work and could hear it click and it turns on I figured he had the wiring problem worked and I thought he might have had other issues other than power. Again I apologize for not being professional and taking things wrong way.
 

BashRipRock

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Folks: I in no way wanted my post to turn into some issue debated around the WORLD. I appreciate all suggestions and will not pass judgment on anyone. I also appreciate the support while I work on this matter. If I lived in a perfect world I would own a Brand New John Deere. My current situation does not lend me to do that. I was given this mower at No Charge. I am currently out the cost of an Air Filter Element and a New PTO Switch and maybe a gallon of fresh gas. I have spent some time just cleaning up the mower itself. I do not need this mower to mow my yard or operate my business. I was more interested in using the tractor to pull my lawn cart to pick up limbs, leaves, etc.
Let me explain my background. I am a 42-year-old father of a 3.5-year-old son and happily married. I have a 4 year Degree and some Post Graduate work. I worked in the Agricultural Science Field for about 15 years. I grew up on a working farm so we learned to fix "everything" around. From there, I took the position as Technical Service Manager for a large medical device company. After 7 years of that I decided to work for myself. I am very Tech savvy, have an average or above average understanding of electronics and how to test them. I am very methodical in my method. Like I mentioned in a previous post, "I have the time." I was just reaching out to this forum for assistance with my situation. I do have the Tech Manual from John Deere. It is, and has been very helpful and insightful. The Theory of Operation is a real nice addition. I want and like to learn as I am doing. I did not have time today to get anything checked out on the mower. I am hoping to get time tomorrow. Because, I would like to get it figured out and move on to another project.
I will continue to post updates and I welcome all comments, thoughts, or suggestions. But with all due respect may I suggest to everyone that they please read all the posts and follow-ups to provide accurate and current situational information.
I know I sound like a broken record. I do not or did not want to offend anyone by joining this forum. Luckily I have the ability to take it all with a grain of salt. I do want to say to bertsmobile1 Thanks for having my back. You said it perfectly. I am not picking favorites or anything like that. I sure hope as adults we can have a casual cordial discussion on assisting people with their questions concerning John Deere Lawn Mowers. I will try to post an update on the mower tomorrow instead of a personal response to the forum. Thank you all for listening and the support.
 

bertsmobile1

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Don't fret any.
There are very few responders here with glass jaws.
If they had one it would have been chards on the floor a long time ago.
Luffy is a bit new but he will settle down in due course.
It is frustrating if you believe you know what the problem is and you are being ignored.

Carry on carrying on.
JD had this thing about fitting fuseable links rather than a std blade fuse.
In time they all fail and some of the jobs of fitting a fuse are neater than others.
I for one always fuse both the battery and the alternator on separate fuses.
Then on some models they short the alternator to ground so it acts as a brake when turned off.

The wiring is actually quite simple it is just all of the things done to cut costs that make it confusing.
Then JD add to that by throwing in some relays just for the fun of it.

Thanks for the heads up about your background.
It makes it a lot easier if you know what level to pitch a reply to.
 

BashRipRock

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We have a mowing machine now! It needs some fine-tuning, some additional minor repairs, and parts replacement and she should be good to go. I have looked at the schematic till I was cross-eyed. Then by chance I was able to get in contact with the person I got the mower from. Well the long and the short of it is this. He was given the mower by someone to work on and he never got around to repairing it. He said that it cut the grass fine when he got it and never had a chance to move any further with it. So I am at least the 3rd owner. The person I got it from did not do the botched wire job. See the first photos if you so choose.

I took this new information, that it did cut grass, and ran with it. I checked the air gap on the PTO Clutch and it was spot on. I knew the electrical system was good from all the testing, so what was I missing? I had never been able to actually see the PTO Clutch turn. So with the help of my 3.5 year old son sitting on the seat, "yes he was safe for all those that may be concerned" I had the tractor running and flipped the PTO Switch on, looked down and the PTO Clutch was turning but the belt was not. Upon further inspection the belt was not on the back top pulley of the deck. Hence no blades spinning. I pulled the deck out to see what was going on. I found that the 3/8" Nut was missing from the long bolt through the bracket that applies automatic tension to the belts. It was extremely sloppy. I'm not sure how it never came apart? I got out my Tech Manual and also on JD.com and brought up the parts diagram and sure enough, there is to be a nut on that bolt. I didn't have the appropriate lock nut but I put on a nut that I had to see if this would help my situation. Got everything back together. Cleaning as I go. Now the moment of truth. Tractor started, I engaged the PTO Clutch and voila! I had grass blowing out the discharge chute. I took it for a little stroll around the property. It operated the way it was supposed to. Like I said it needs leveling, 2 new blades, a muffler "I found a hole it while climbing around, plus the smoke while I was mowing" and a few new pins, etc to tighten the overall machine up. I am still confused on the PTO Clutch wiring? When I get the time I will rework the wiring and solder new ends on so it looks more up to my standards. I can't say that it will run for hours on end but it ran good for 15 minutes. I am happy with that. I'm going to mow the rest of the yard tonight so if something happens or the wheels fall off I will let everyone know. This is not my best writing I'm in a bit of a hurry.
Thank you for all the information, help and insight. It is greatly appreciated. bertsmobile1 I would like to stay in contact. I'm not sure how you send private messages or what but if you know how and can I would greatly appreciate it. Talk to everyone later!
 
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green dream

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had that same problem with my 111 found out the spacer between the clutch and the engine was missing and it was shorting out the wires i made a spacer out of washers and fixed the problem.works beautiful now.
 

BashRipRock

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Green Dream, thanks for the input. I’m on my phone so I’m having difficulty doing this. Ironically my father bought a lot of tractors at auction around early summer if 2018. In there was a twin cylinder 116 I believe. Along with some other junk! The PTO on that unit was acting real funny. Switching on and off, etc. Talked to an ole timer around here and he said that the 100 series had this same issue you were describing. So, we machined a spacer to put in there. Now works perfectly. I appreciate you sharing your experience. I have received a lot of help on this mower forum and also on a snowblower forum. It’s nice we can kind of just help everyone out and try to keep the costs down on repairs! Have a good day! Thanks again!
 
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