# Need a little help troubleshooting my PTO..



## buskeyl (Nov 2, 2012)

So I was tooling around the yard today on my Craftsman 48 in mower, pulling a lawn sweeper getting up leaves following Hurricane Sandee, when all of a sudden the blades spontaneously engaged (I was instantly reminded of all the safety lessons my dad pummeled into my head). I also smelled what could have been a belt or burring rubber, but it was not very strong, just noticeable. no smoke. Puling or pressing the PTO switch seemed to have no effect. I limped it back to the garage, and took off the mover deck. IT all looks in order visually. Is the PTO pulley supposed to spin freely in my hand when the mower is not running? Could these symptoms be caused by anything other then a defective eclectic clutch? 

Thanks in advance for some help.. 


Lee


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## BelarusBulldog (Feb 19, 2011)

The pulley should spin free until the electric clutch locks it up. Bye


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Generally, there is a brake on the clutch that holds the pulley from spinning when it is disengaged. You can force it to spin by hand, but it should be hard to move. Once the clutch activates, it pulls the plates together and away from the brake band. Its possible that the clutch failed and jammed on. If you have the deck off and run the unit, does the pulley on the clutch spin all the time? If so, then the clutch is probably shot.


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## dangeroustoys56 (Jul 26, 2010)

Before replacing the clutch id check the connections and replace the relay and switch - clutch goes for like $400 new. When i got my GT craftsmans - i checked the clutch operation by using a 12volt battery and leads from the connector ( temp bypassed the wiring - it was in bad shape my tractors) - when engaged it locks solid- when the power is off, it spins freely ( it did when i tested mine).

When i mowed with it, the pulley would spin for a few seconds after clutch is turned off , then stop - new clutches might be setup differently then the one on my '86.......


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## Bill Kapaun (May 8, 2007)

You might post the Sears 917.xxxxxx number so one can look at a schematic to see if something "odd" might be happening in a relay etc.


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