So, I'm mowing with my Scag Turf Tiger 2 (300hrs)and maybe I stop to dismount to pick up something. I turn off pto, engage parking brake, open the control arms. I get off the mower and it shuts off by itself. I get back on and try to restart and nothing happens. Tiger eye panel lights up but no crank. After several minutes of goofing around with the safety stuff it starts. It happened occasionally last month or two and then it did it several times today. I noticed that with the key on I could pulse pto and it would miraculously start up. What gives? I'm worried it will eventually not start at all... I've been operating commercial mowers for 30yrs and have never seen this. ANY Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Scag Turf Tiger 2 run issue...
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Daryl Laubach
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So, I'm mowing with my Scag Turf Tiger 2 (300hrs)and maybe I stop to dismount to pick up something. I turn off pto, engage parking brake, open the control arms. I get off the mower and it shuts off by itself. I get back on and try to restart and nothing happens. Tiger eye panel lights up but no crank. After several minutes of goofing around with the safety stuff it starts. It happened occasionally last month or two and then it did it several times today. I noticed that with the key on I could pulse pto and it would miraculously start up. What gives? I'm worried it will eventually not start at all... I've been operating commercial mowers for 30yrs and have never seen this. ANY Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
If the key is in the start postion, and you pull the pto switch on and off and it starts, good chance its the pto switch. In start mode most systems go through the switch to start.
Two separate paths in the switch. One start and one pto.
Not sure if you mean start or run on the switch. Also when you say pulse, I assume you mean on off? If you do mean run, it wouldn’t surprise me. Scags wiring can present challenges. They seem to make things unnecessarily complex.
Two separate paths in the switch. One start and one pto.
Not sure if you mean start or run on the switch. Also when you say pulse, I assume you mean on off? If you do mean run, it wouldn’t surprise me. Scags wiring can present challenges. They seem to make things unnecessarily complex.
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How old is your machine? Scag had a run of bad pto switches a couple years ago.
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First off if it's under warranty take it to the dealer.
That would seriously be the easy solution, granted you might hit on the problem first thing you check but there's also a good possibility you'll have to go down a list of these:
That being said...
In my experience with my mower it is rarely the PTO switch, however I have learned it pays to order a spare one so we have a switch that's known to be working in order to test and troubleshoot this part. And it still would not likely be the first thing I would look into, but it's nice to have this part around.
Here would be the list of things I would run down to fix this problem:
* Battery posts / terminals need a cleaning, this often overlooked but simple procedure can create all sorts of electrical gremlins if left unattended for long. In some cases corrosion can develop in as little as 30 days. Once re-connected I like spraying them with a bit of "Battery Terminal Protector," comes in a can, costs about $8, a little goes a long ways.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=crc+05046+battery+terminal+protector
Cleaning and then spraying the posts/terminals once usually takes care of this problem for me anywhere from 6 months to 2-5 years.
Possibly a bad connection down at the clutch itself... There is a plug where the clutch plugs in to the two wires coming from the mower, that plug or the wires inside can come loose and in my case resulted in symptoms such as yours.
Seat safety switch is another possibility, if it's not the switch check the wires and plug going there as well.
The control handles can have safety switches, worth checking those.
Ignition switch and connections, once again it is most likely a loose connection.
And of course, PTO switch and its connections.
And it could be either switch in itself thou that is not as common.
That would seriously be the easy solution, granted you might hit on the problem first thing you check but there's also a good possibility you'll have to go down a list of these:
That being said...
In my experience with my mower it is rarely the PTO switch, however I have learned it pays to order a spare one so we have a switch that's known to be working in order to test and troubleshoot this part. And it still would not likely be the first thing I would look into, but it's nice to have this part around.
Here would be the list of things I would run down to fix this problem:
* Battery posts / terminals need a cleaning, this often overlooked but simple procedure can create all sorts of electrical gremlins if left unattended for long. In some cases corrosion can develop in as little as 30 days. Once re-connected I like spraying them with a bit of "Battery Terminal Protector," comes in a can, costs about $8, a little goes a long ways.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=crc+05046+battery+terminal+protector
Cleaning and then spraying the posts/terminals once usually takes care of this problem for me anywhere from 6 months to 2-5 years.
Possibly a bad connection down at the clutch itself... There is a plug where the clutch plugs in to the two wires coming from the mower, that plug or the wires inside can come loose and in my case resulted in symptoms such as yours.
Seat safety switch is another possibility, if it's not the switch check the wires and plug going there as well.
The control handles can have safety switches, worth checking those.
Ignition switch and connections, once again it is most likely a loose connection.
And of course, PTO switch and its connections.
And it could be either switch in itself thou that is not as common.
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It's a 2018 model. I'll see what I can do checking connections. It has always been the same scenario with me dismounting the mower. It has never shut off while mowing and I never had a starting issue outside the scenario I described...thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!
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You've been a lawn care provider for thirty years and only have two posts on lawnsite? 
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Yep. Signed up a couple years ago. I work a full time job and have 38 accounts. First time posting. Thanks lol
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Nothing to do with the ops problem
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Once again so helpful, are you another master mechanic?
Just fixing your wrong diagnosis.....again
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The usual jerk move, no surprises there.
And just FYI you're not perfect either, it's not a missdiagnosis, it's a solution that may not work however also FYI I did state I am posting from my experience with my mower and yes, I know you won't believe this but the problem with the mower shutting off like that in my case was in fact a WIRE that got STRIPPED under the deck near where it connects to the CLUTCH and it WAS The clutch wire and it would SHORT out and cut off the engine.
So check that connection! Because under the frame the wires are exposed to a lot more debris and wear and tear than anywhere else.
But I know you know everything so much better, since you gave absolutely NO solution but instead resort to making yourself feel better by correcting others as if that were your job on this planet.
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Dirty contacts in pto switch. I see it quite often at pur shop. There's two sides to that pto switch one is power to the clutch the other is safety circuit. That's why it doesn't act up when mowing.
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There is guys that own one pc of equipment that think there is only one solution to a problem.
Others on this forum will have diagnosed 100,s of problems with sensible decisions and get smacked in the face!!!!
Mabye there was a reason why some are not able to sign in for a while...who knows
Others on this forum will have diagnosed 100,s of problems with sensible decisions and get smacked in the face!!!!
Mabye there was a reason why some are not able to sign in for a while...who knows
Some people are way to sensitive and inseruce for social media.
Fine line to be walked.
And yes, Zero turn pto switches are considered a fast moving part.
OP, I’ve worked at dealership, pop a hew swtch in it.
Very quick to do, and shouldn’t be awfully $$
That should take care of the START/CRANK problem.
Maybe. Then, for the shut down, check each ope switch.
Best way it put a jumper in. And check where the terminal goes into the connector.
That said, advice is from your description.
Fine line to be walked.
And yes, Zero turn pto switches are considered a fast moving part.
OP, I’ve worked at dealership, pop a hew swtch in it.
Very quick to do, and shouldn’t be awfully $$
That should take care of the START/CRANK problem.
Maybe. Then, for the shut down, check each ope switch.
Best way it put a jumper in. And check where the terminal goes into the connector.
That said, advice is from your description.
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