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Hello all
I finally made a decision to buy a S240 this spring and it's been a good machine so far. I only have about 6 hours on it but have a concern regarding the electric clutch blade engagement. The manual says to engage the blade drive while at full engine speed. Would it not be better and less stress on all the parts to engage the blades at idle or just off idle then increase engine speed? I'm a mechanic by trade and not a JD expert but engaging the clutch at full RPM feels pretty violent.
Comments appreciated.
Jim

With my old L130 if I were to engage that blade clutch at governed speed it would probably yank the deck out from under the machine, or at least snap the belt. I posted a question on here a while back about adjusting the clutch but got no response. Some clutches do have a clearance adjustment but I usually just idle the engine down to engage, haven't hurt anything yet and the belt lasts a good while. Sure never slips in high grass though.

tom3 said:

With my old L130 if I were to engage that blade clutch at governed speed it would probably yank the deck out from under the machine, or at least snap the belt. I posted a question on here a while back about adjusting the clutch but got no response. Some clutches do have a clearance adjustment but I usually just idle the engine down to engage, haven't hurt anything yet and the belt lasts a good while. Sure never slips in high grass though.

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A good PTO clutch will slip as it engages. That prevents it from snapping the belt or worse as it engages. If the clutch gets worn, it can engage more aggressively. But as a rule of thumb, you can engage the clutch at full throttle without damaging your machine. Even though there may be adjuster nuts on the clutch, by the time you have to actually adjust it, it is time for a new clutch. Only on older model tractors such as 316 and 318, which have a replaceable coil, would I ever mess with adjusting a clutch.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll go with my gut and engage the blades at idle then increase speed. Other discrepancies I've found in the JD manual V.S. the Kawasaki manual are significant. Starting at full throttle (JD) VS starting at idle to warm it up a little before going full throttle (KW) to name one.
Jim