Maybe it's a small question about a Deere, maybe it's a question about a small Deere... you decide.

Either way, my trusty old (1997, I think) John Deere LX176 has been mighty stubborn for the last two weeks -- the PTO that drives the mowing deck won't engage. Much.

Last week I figured Old John was just messing with me, thumbing its nose at me while it played the "maybe I will, maybe I won't" game as I tried to engage the deck. After a few runs of the pull-push-fuss cycle, the PTO engaged and I was able to cut the grass. Finished the job, tidied up, and put Old John away for the week.

Today I figured I'd hop into the mowing and get ahead of the weekend. Then I found the gas cans were empty. So after refilling those and realizing it'd be dark before I got finished mowing, I figured I'd hit the back yard first -- it looks worse than the front. No big deal.

No big deal, that is, until the PTO once again decided not to engage. Old John's battery is about shot and I've been using a Noco box to start the engine lately. Started right up, headed for the yard, and pulled the PTO knob. Pffft. I got nothing. No amount of pull-push-fuss would get the deck started. A quick look at the wiring shows no broken wires, loose connectors, or dangling oddities. Old John just straight-up wouldn't start the blades.

So I cruised right on back to the garage, put my things away, and headed for the shower. "Why won't this darned thing start the deck," I wondered.

It hit me a few minutes later -- could the dead battery be a contributor to the PTO not taking off? Does that circuit require a decent battery in order to run? Perhaps the failing battery has -- until this week -- been just strong enough to work that circuit, and today was just below the make-it-run threshold?

Or is it a whole 'nother problem? Nothing in the manuals I have addresses PTO not starting, so I figured I'd ask the experts here. Whatcha know, guys and gals?

Thank you.

Nope, not a battery issue as far as I have experienced with my LX176. I've boosted mine when it was completely dead. Mowed fine as long as it was running.

Have you tried bypassing the push-pull switch? I don't think there are any real safety switches other than the seat. Maybe tied into the brake pedal switch for starting.

Thanks, Oz, I'm glad to hear it's not battery-dependent. I'd like to finish this season without having to buy a battery.

I haven't tried bypassing it yet -- I haven't had enough time to tear into it yet. How many wires go to the switch? I'm guessing just two, but from what I can see so far (yeah, the hood is completely off now) there's quite a bundle of wires headed that direction. I'll dive into that next.

It could be the electric clutch has failed. A new one should do the trick. I don't know how much they are for a Deere, but for an Ingersoll they run about $250. It shouldn't be a difficult job to replace it and no special tools required. Most are held on by three or four bolts and the electric plug. Don't forget to disconnect the battery before working on it.

First stop is testing the switch. most likely culprit. Second stop see if you actually have any voltage when running. Third stop is a complete wiring assessment including is there voltage at the clutch. Fourth stop is a new clutch if the wiring is intact. But that's pretty rare.

Have you used the parking brake lately? I think I mine caused a similar problem many years ago when something got stuck. Hard to remember.

As Oz said, check the parking brake safety switch. Mine was getting stuck and not allowing the mower to engage. When you press the parking brake to start, there is a microswitch under there that releases when you let off the brake to start going. If the button does not pop back up, it will driver but the mower will not come on, it thinks the parking brake is still engaged. I replaced mine and everything started working normally.

Thanks, Jeff. I'll look for that switch. I do use the parking brake -- I have to engage it in order to start the engine, as I'm standing beside the mower when using the Noco box to start it.

Is there a fuse in the circuit? Where would I find it?

Your PTO coil may need adjusting or may be bad.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26476...7Ctkp%3ABFBMvqn58udg

Everyone else has covered it thoroughly.

Good Luck, and let us know what you find.

Interestingly enough, I have a similar issue with my Cub Cadet.

Dying battery, jump started but no PTO engagement.

My issue the battery 100%. Determined this by leaving the jumper cables connected and engaging the PTO (not easy to do with the seat over the battery!), had no issues that way. Took the cables back off and tried it again, no luck. Could even see the headlights dim when trying to use the PTO.

My guess is the battery is pulling too much power from the voltage regulator, and not leaving enough to power the magnet for the PTO.

I have a 20+ year old JD LT155.

My battery was kaput but jump starting allowed it to run. That is until I let go of the brake and engaged the blades...sputter...sputter...engine would die.

So I replaced the battery with a Walmart battery and it ran fine until the darn drive belt broke

It's always something.

My suggestion is to see if you can borrow someones battery to see if it fixes the problem, or, just get one anyway since yours is dead.

Well, gents, it turns out it's the battery.

I had a rebate card sitting on the counter, associated with the local auto parts store, so I pulled the old battery, grabbed the card, and headed for the parts store. With the new battery, the engine starts right up and the PTO works again. It almost seemed as if the mower ran more smoothly in general today.

Heck, the old battery had a "3/14" sticker on it. Far overdue, I suppose.

Thanks, all, for your input.

Late to the party I see, but my JD GT262 of similar vintage to your tractor definitely needs battery power to activate the PTO. I've been down the same road as you, and have learned through experience to just keep good batteries in it...makes life much easier.

Glad to hear it was a simple fix.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Well, gents, it turns out it's the battery.

I had a rebate card sitting on the counter, associated with the local auto parts store, so I pulled the old battery, grabbed the card, and headed for the parts store. With the new battery, the engine starts right up and the PTO works again. It almost seemed as if the mower ran more smoothly in general today.

Heck, the old battery had a "3/14" sticker on it. Far overdue, I suppose.

Thanks, all, for your input.

That’s surprising but at least you figured it out. Maybe it differs being completely dead vs something internally bad inside the battery.

I keep looking at new mowers and my 29 year old JD just keeps saying not today!

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:

I keep looking at new mowers and my 29 year old JD just keeps saying not today!

Indeed. My 1995 LX178 just keeps going and I can throw a LOT of parts at it for the price of an equivalent new one!

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Indeed. My 1995 LX178 just keeps going and I can throw a LOT of parts at it for the price of an equivalent new one!

That's it exactly. About six or seven years ago the original 14 HP Kawasaki engine on this one "went pop." (Literally! There were pieces all over the yard.) I couldn't get a replacement Kaw, so I put a similar 17 HP Briggs on it. The cost of paying a neighbor kid to mow for me the rest of that summer, plus the cost of the new engine and now a battery, is WAY less than the cost of a new mower. I'll keep on fixing it 'til it's unfixable.

The hood assembly has broken beyond repair. I'm debating whether to a) get some sheet metal and fabricate a new one, or b) say "screw it" and just run without (as I've done for the last three weeks). Something tells me the second option is going to win. New ones -- even aftermarket -- are stupid expensive.

Mine shattered beyond repair a few years ago. I just mow without it. Improves visibility and cooling!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Oz_Shadow,