blades not engaging

[lawnkid]

Ok here's the situation, I go out of the garage with the mower, ride it to one of my customer's lawns, hit the blades, and nothing happens. So I turned them off an tried again. Again no blades engaging. Did it another time this time for like 15 second I left them on and the blades still didn't turn on.
What could be wrong???? The only thing I could think of is I need a new solenoid. Will this be expensive to fix because it is an electrical problem???
Also my left drive wheel keeps getting loose(nuts keep loosening)
the right one doesn't do this. I always tighten them good too. The guy who I bought it for I think drilled the whole to make them bigger and oversized them. I now have to buy a new rim and tire for my mower. With all of these problems I'm definitely thinking of selling now. :mad:

[SCAPEASAURUSREX]

Does it have a belt to drive the blade spindles or is it direct drive ??? As for the wheel bolt loosening , how about using a nyloc , locking nut or just a lock washer ??

[lawnkid]

Yes the spindles are turned by belts. What's a nyloc?

[TLS]

Just one more reason for a signature line with mower types.:rolleyes:

[ohiolawnguy]

nyloc is a nylon threaded nut i believe. as far as your problem goes, i can't help much without info about the mower type.

It could be the clutch, or it could be as simple as a spring that came off. if it doesn't have an electric clutch, it could be that a hairpin has come off of the blade engaging rod..


remember the old (KISS) method. (keep it simple stupid) Something my grandfather taught me when i was very young.

[lawnkid]

TLS,
It's not that the line of mowers is bad, every line of equipment will have some problems after the mower is 6 years old.

OhioLawnGuy,
my mower has an eletric clutch. Where would the blade engaging rod be located at?

I'll take it to the shop tomorrow and have it looked at and while they are doing that they will give me a mower from their demo line to use while it is being fixed. I'll see what I need ad i'll fix it myself rather than paying $50 per hour just to have my mower sit int he shop and the bill being like $300.

[TLS]

Lawnkid,

We STILL dont know what type/brand mower your talking about! :mad:

ZTR rider, push mower, walkbehind, what is it? Electric clutch is the only hint that I have so far. That rules out nothing!

[lawnkid]

Oh sorry, I thought you guys would already know which mower I'm running. It's the Scag SWZ. Sorry about that TLS.:cool:

[ohiolawnguy]

well, since it does have an electric clutch, my first three thought are:

A: a spring load which keeps the belt under pressure

B: the clutch is bad, or the the wire connection for the clutch is loose, or frayed.

C: the switch to engag the blades is bad, or the wires are loose or disconnected.

I am not very familiar with the scags, we run bobcats.

if it is similar to the scag turf tiger, i think that the their is a spring load at the rear of the mower behind a plate.
also, you should look at where the belts run on the deck. our bobcats have a spring load right there, and an occasioal stick will knock of the spring, causing the blades nt to engage.

i hope this helps some,
Kevin

[TLS]

Lawnkid,

Thats better.

Now I can help you.

Is the clutch "trying" to engage? Is it making a grinding noise like sandpaper? Make sure all wires are snug. Check switch.


Some of the SCAG clutches are adjustable. Mine never had a problem, so I don't know much about it. On my old JD's, you were able to adjust the clutch air gap, and get another coulple hundred hours out of it. It's a little late, so I'm not going out to the garage to look at mine. It could be an Ogura or a Warner. If not, they aren't all that expensive to just get a new one ($150)

[mowerconsultant]

Originally posted by lawnkid
I'll take it to the shop tomorrow and have it looked at and while they are doing that they will give me a mower from their demo line to use while it is being fixed. I'll see what I need ad i'll fix it myself rather than paying $50 per hour just to have my mower sit int he shop and the bill being like $300.

Nothing like being HONEST.............. lol.... lol....

The dealer wouldnt happen to be North Royalton Power Equipment would it ??

Later
Pj

[lawnkid]

TLS,
I don't hear aything while I turn the switch on. I disconnected all the wires, cleaned them, and put them back on. I think it is an Ogura. I was looking in Landscaper Supply and a new one is like $200.

Mower Consultant,
No that dealer is about 45 minutes away but I have been there before. I got to Best Truck Equipment & Marshall Equipment for all of my parts. Y do you ask?

Thanks for all the posts, we'll see what happens tomorrow and i'll let you guys know.
Peace!

[TLS]

J-Thomas

OR-5 = SCAG PT#: 48786 PTO CLUTCH Price: $149.99 Add $20 for Fed-Ex next day.

Good Luck

[khouse]

sounds like a safety switch, jump across all you can find and see if one is bad. don't forget the one under the seat.

[lawnkid]

what is the website for J-Thomas? Thanks, sounds like you've done this before. :)

[TLS]

www.j-thomas.com

Never for the SCAG.

JD's yes many.

[MikeLT1Z28]

when you say safety switch, do you mean OPC? i would think they mower would go dead if that was it. It may just be an excessive dirt build up in the switch due to conditions and age. you say it's intermittent and you have cleaned the wires and connectors. get some tech spray for an electronics store and spray down the inside of the switch. see if that helps.

[awm]

i know u have checked this but if the scag has a tension pulley ,mabe belt off track.could this be the problem. normally u would hear something.

[GSJ]

I would suggest you sell. Problems as big as that simply
can't be overcome.

[lawnkid]

Well................ What a day! :( I got to my dealer and tell them my problem and they go it's either your switch or your clutch and that is a big price difference. I bought the switch because this would usually be the problem but when i installed it, the blades still didn't turn. :( So I call them back and they tell me to check if all the wires are snug and in the right place. Everything is good after I checked for about 15 min. Call them back again and they say it is probably the clutch. I talked to my dad and he said he would take a look at it cuase he's good about fixing things. Anyway he's gonna look at it when he gets home later and from there we'll decide what happens. I'll update you later.

[khouse]

there are 2 wires going to the clutch. find the positive wire at the plug coming FROM the switch. Chech to see if there is battery voltage there when the switch is on. If not then you have safety switch problems or a fuse problem. If you DO have voltage and it's not clicking in - check to see if the ground wire from the clutch is securely grounded. If that's good then it's a bad clutch.

[lawnkid]

What do you meann by batery voltage? I checked all the wiring and everything is good. It doesn't make any noise either so...
Anyway I'd rather not mess with it. I'll probably make it worse. I'll ahve the ealer tsake a look at it and see what's up.

[khouse]

I didn't want to confuse you and say that that wire should have 12.6 volts. That's why I said battery voltage. If you battery reads 11.9 volts then 11.9 volts should be at that wire. In addition if that wire reads 5.2 volts then you would have a high resitance connection somewhere.

[Dennis E.]

I had a Scag Z 48. Mine did it and all I did was adjust the 3 nuts on the clutch. About a half turn on all three. (tighten)Problem fixed.
My Viper has done it a few times also. Did the same thing there also. No big deal.
Otherwise my money is on a switch that's not working.I use my air compressor to blow out all the switches about once per month. You need to keep them clean to prevent problems.

[TLS]

khouse,

No battery on the SCAG 14hp unless he has electric start (which I don't think) Just a voltage regulator to provide "12v" to fire the clutch and hourmeter.

Dennis E. ,

I wasn't sure you could do that with tightening up the clutch, but thats what I did on my JD's. You should try that first lawnkid, it isn't going to hurt anything now! You are probably in need of a clutch though. Wonder what they'll rape you for that? Betcha it'll be 4 bills till your outa there!

[lawnkid]

Ok after lookingat it for abotuan hour, I came up with a couple things why it wouldn't work.

1). There is a wire that leads to the clutch from electrical area and close to where it connects to the clutch, the 2 wire's insulation is burned off so I think this shorted and maybe shorted the clutch.

2). I'm not getting any electricity in any of the wires but the mower starts up and the kill switch works so, it could be a bi electrical problem

3). The clutch is just not working

I think the first one is my #1 cause. Anyway, no matter what gets fixed, it's gonna be a nice bill. :(

My dad is calling the dealer mechanic tomorrow and seeing what he can do. Right now I have to use the JD 21". LOL It sucks not having backup mowers!

[khouse]

TLS
If you have an electric clutch then you should have a battery for storage of energy. What would happen if you engage the blade and then idle it down to mow close to some vinyl siding ect? The voltage would drop and the clutch would burn up and heat up and die.

Lawnkid
Since you have burnt insulation you may have blown a fusable link or fuse. The wires may have rubbed on the machine causing them to short or ground. Why don't you run a jumper wire from the positive side of the battery and run it to the clutch to see if it clicks in? That way you could stop thinking if the clutch is bad or not.

[TLS]

Khouse,

There is NO battery!!!

Mines been running fine without one for almost 6 seasons! Its not like SCAG "forgot" to put one in, they just designed it to NOT need one!

Lawnkid,

I would look into the melted wires though. Just jump around them from the "Imaginary" battery (ahemm) and see if it works!

[khouse]

TLS,
I just cant figure out how the clutch stays engaged when you idle the engine down? I'm sure your right because of your bold letters and exclamation mark. But the wiring in my simple old mind has burnt so someone will have to explain it to me. I know you tell me that it works, but I need to know how it can work.
Kenny

[ohiolawnguy]

hey khouse, i can't explain how it works, but the new bobcat walk behinds have an electric clutch, and no battery. so, they have figured out some way to make it work.

:)

[khouse]

Ohiolawnguy,
Thanks for the info. I will try and get a service manual and read about how it works. Sometimes they come up with some really cool things. I also heard that they have mowers out that you steer with two sticks. :)

[ohiolawnguy]

KHOUSE Said:
I also heard that they have mowers out that you steer with two sticks.


LOL-that's too funny :)

[scmcll]

If you have not got the pto problem fixed yet. It could be the nylock nuts that keep the clutch adjusted properly.
When the clutch gets hot then cold again and so on, the nuts do the same, and in time the clutch gets out of adjustment.
If that is the problem, it should cost 2-$3 for nuts and about 10 minutes to have it adjusted.

[lawnkid]

PROBLEM SOLVED FINALLY! Din't end up paying for anything. The wire that goes to the clutch was stripped a bit in a place where I never saw. Also after I didn't get any readings from the connecter, I unplugged all my safety switches, cleaned them and put them back then i got a reading and plugged it back and it worked. I also tightened the 3 clutch bolts 3 turns with the socket. God was with me on this one. :angel:

[Dennis E.]

Glad to see you got it fixed.
I said it before and I'll say it again.Keep those safety switches CLEAN. My Viper almost was to the point of having the whole harness replaced. The tech was so mad he could spit. Could not figure out what the problem was. Would not fire.I told him to please check ALL the safety switches before he started ripping the harness out!
It was a neutral switch.
I picked up a nice helpful tidbit as well. After you blow out the switches. Air compressor or tank works the best. Get a can/tube of Di-Electric grease. Mine is made by CRC. Wife got it at Discount Auto. Put it on the "female" receptacle.It does wonders to keep all the dust and moisture out of the switches! I put a little dab on my keyswitch also.