# JD 180 dies when pto is on



## john-dickjr (Jul 13, 2009)

got the jd180 out for the first mow of the year, it fired right up, made a few passes around the yard, and it dies, the motor runs great , but when i engaged the pto it will spit and sputter and die, what the heck is the deal? do i need to replace the pto ? btw its a electric engaged pto


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## john-dickjr (Jul 13, 2009)

got it fixed, had a bad switch


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## Etabbert (Oct 30, 2010)

How was it fixed? I have the same issue, I have to put the choke on to keep it going then move the throttle down to high and it will run ok. Any info would be greatly appreciated.


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## dangeroustoys56 (Jul 26, 2010)

Well, consider how much the switch is used - they do wear out eventually- same for the clutch.

To see if the clutch is going bad, with the tractor off - unhook the PTO harness plug and run two leads to the battery - when the leads are off, it should turn free, when the leads are placed on the battery- it should be locked solid and not move at all. Electric clutches are alot like starter motors, eventually they wear so much, they draw more amps then normal and drag the engine down - another thing is if it has a relay - that might be going bad as well.


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