Ferris ZTR Blade Disengages when short turning

[stickleyc]

I have a Ferris is4500z. New problem: when short turning using both sticks (one forward one backward) so that the hydraulics are audibly being loaded, the PTO clutch will disengage the blade. Turn the switch off and back on and it will immediately start back up. If I only pull one stick all the way back and "donut", it won't happen no matter how dizzy I get. But as soon as I add the opposite stick forward and add that level of load to the hydraulics, it will kick the PTO off. Some other times if the load on the hydraulics is "heavy" enough even while not doing a hard turn (like on a hill of whatever) the same PTO cut out will occur. Again, as soon as you turn the switch off and back on it rengages.

1. Have done this with multimeter attached to the battery via long clip leads and at no time is the voltage dropping below 14.
2. Bypassed the switch on the control panel, still happens.
3. Gapping on the clutch checked and confirmed within the range of the manual (clutch is also relatively new - less than 1 year old).

Haven't tested the 2 deck shutdown relays (relays 2 and 3 on the wiring diagram) nor have I traced back to my grounds (which could be a source of the problem) yet.

But is it very weird and I'm afraid it may be a needle in a haystack kind of electrical find unless someone has any similar type of experience.

Aloha

 

[Born2Mow]

Any type intermittent electrical issue is always hard to find, but will make complete sense after the cause is finally discovered. In a certain percentage of cases, the root issue may never be found until the part at fault finally gives up completely.

The blade PTO can/will disengage for a number of reasons.

• If you never see this happen at any other time, then the most likely scenario is that in the sharp turn you are lifting your butt check to "lean into the turn", which then sets off the safety switch in your seat. The switch could be old and worn, or could be becoming dislodged or unmounted under the seat. IOW, it could have become super-sensitive due to age or mounting.
• The wiring to the PTO clutch could have become frayed or a cable tie may have come loose. Closer inspection is needed. A flopping harness might allow the harness to shift in position during the hard turn, which...
• May be working in concert with PTO connector corrosion. Do you ever wash this mower with water ? Mowers don't typically use water-proof connectors like cars and motorcycles. Water can enter the connector and (over time) start tiny amounts of connector terminal corrosion, which can make the electrical connection "iffy". Shake the harness close to the PTO in place, and test the connection.
• Or, the PTO switch can be going bad for the same reasons.

Hope this helps.