Troubles with brand new tractor... PLEASE help!

[camperbc]

As many of you know, I recently bought a brand-spanking-new Craftsman PYT9000 24hp (Kohler "Courage" engine) tractor with EZ-Drive Hydostatic transmission and 46" mower deck. Today I cut my lawn for the second time since I bought it. Everything was going fine, then I turned it off to talk with my neighbor. It may be worth mentioning here that I inadvertently still had the mower blades engaged when I shut off the key; not sure if this is a serious faux pas or not?

So anyway, a minute later I went to restart the engine, and all I get is silence. This is when I realized I had left the mower engaged, so I turned the knob off (to disengage the blades) and now all I get when I turn the key is a click.

The battery should obviously be fully charged, so, is the main issue the fact that I forgot to stop the blades prior to stopping the engine? And if so, what do I do about it now?

I must add that I reside on a very remote island in the North Atlantic (off the coast of Newfoundland) and thus am unable to simply have a service guy look at it. There's no service shop to go to, nor anyone to make a house call, so I would appreciate any/all advice/suggestions you can provide, to assist me in getting my beloved tractor back up and running as soon a possible. In fact I'd be eternally grateful!!

Here's a pic of my tractor.

Thanks,
Glen

 

[chemteck29]

Shutting the tractor off while the blades are engaged while not ideal, shouldn't hurt anything. Usually when you get that relay click sound when you turn the key and nothing else it's one of the safety switches. So checking the Seat, Clutch/Brake pedal switch or the P.T.O. switch will usually lead to the culprit. Since it was just running and mowing I would try puling out and pushing in that P.T.O. switch a few times and see if that doesn't bring it back to life. Do you have a Meter or test light?

 

[camperbc]

Nope, sadly I don't own a test meter. I pushed/pulled the PTO button a few times to no avail. In another forum it has been suggested that my keeping the PTO engaged would have drained the battery in very short order, so in the morning I will first check the battery. I appreciate your prompt reply, and I hope you, and others, will be successful in guiding me through something that I admittedly (shamefully!) know nothing about. But please bear with me; I am for the most part bedridden with serious spinal issues, and today's grass cutting has again put me flat on my back for the time being. I will report back again tomorrow, after checking the status of the battery.
Many thanks again!

 

[CobyRupert]

Ah, just going through a 'bout with the "nothing" versus a "click" myself. If it's "nothing" (no click) it's probably a safety switch (PTO, seat, pedal) and the voltage never makes it to "click" the starter solenoid. Minus a tester, can you get someone else to turn the key and verify that you hear the click coming from the starter? If so, the problem is you don't have enough battery to turn the starter over or have a problem w/ the starter. Try jumpering it to see if it's the battery. If the click comes from a relay under the dash (if there is one?), then it's hard to say if the voltage is making it to the starter w/o a tester.

 

[chemteck29]

Nope, sadly I don't own a test meter. I pushed/pulled the PTO button a few times to no avail. In another forum it has been suggested that my keeping the PTO engaged would have drained the battery in very short order, so in the morning I will first check the battery. I appreciate your prompt reply, and I hope you, and others, will be successful in guiding me through something that I admittedly (shamefully!) know nothing about. But please bear with me; I am for the most part bedridden with serious spinal issues, and today's grass cutting has again put me flat on my back for the time being. I will report back again tomorrow, after checking the status of the battery.
Many thanks again!

Having the P.T.O. engaged should not drain your battery once you shut the tractor off. Most of these type switches simply make a connection in a circuit when engaged or not allow the connection when not engaged. The P.T.O. switch also has the secondary function of safety in that it will not allow power to flow to the starting circuit if it's engaged when the tractor isn't running. So in essence it has two functions, turning the P.T.O. on and secondly preventing the engine from starting with it engaged if the engine isn't currently running. Either way it isn't going to drain your battery over the course of a conversation because by design as soon as shut the tractor off it breaks the P.T.O. power circuit so it isn't draining anything, power flower simply stops at the switch until you pull the button up again.

To be honest with you, it's going to be somewhat difficult to figure this out without a test light at the very least, preferably a meter, but really with the exception of testing battery voltage a test light will pretty much tell you what you need to know. Test lights are pretty cheap too so they are easy to come by. Or you could make a crude one if you have a 12v light bulb and a couple pieces of scrap wire laying around.

 

[hawkeye08]

On my riding mower, I have to be sitting in the seat, brake on, hydrostat lever in neutral, blades disengaged and have a full battery charge. If I recall, the only time I get a click is when I have everything right except the battery charge.

Perhaps it did not have a full charge when you got it and it is just low enough now to not turn the starter. Check battery connections also to make sure nothing is loose. I am guessing something simple like low battery. It certainly
won't hurt it to throw a charger on for a few minutes..

I downloaded the manual and just scanning through it, I think the battery is high on the list, low charge or loose connections. The only other thing that came to mind is the fuse (but I don't think you would get any click if that was blown).

 

[chemteck29]

On my riding mower, I have to be sitting in the seat, brake on, hydrostat lever in neutral, blades disengaged and have a full battery charge. If I recall, the only time I get a click is when I have everything right except the battery charge.

Perhaps it did not have a full charge when you got it and it is just low enough now to not turn the starter. Check battery connections also to make sure nothing is loose. I am guessing something simple like low battery. It certainly won't hurt it to throw a charger on for a few minutes..

The battery being low IS a possibility, but being a brand new machine,...I would doubt it. But absolutely a dead battery could do it.

 

[madmax12]

I think I had that same issue when the HST peddle wasn't fully returned to the neutral position.

 

[Egon]

Check the battery ground cable for good connections. Do the same for the positive cable. Then look at battery fluid levels and try a jump start with a known good battery.

You may also consider putting dielectric grease (ordinary grease will work ) on all the electrical contacts. Also spray some Wd 40 in the ignition switch.

Stay some light oil on all the shutoff switch moving parts.

Are there any fuzes?

And of course; give the starter a lite love tap!

In your climate a regular maintenance of the electrical contacts, switches etc. should be considered.

 

[irwin]

Like others have noted, a starter solenoid click noise means the safety switches are closed allowing power to flow.. the question is where is the power drop?
Is it a touchy starter/solenoid?, a poor ground connection?, a poor battery connection (positive or ground)? a weak battery? a poor connection to a fuse or fuse block?

The first thing I'd do is check battery connections and then connect a jumper box or jumper cables and see if it'll crank.. I'd be VERY careful tapping a lawnmower starter.. the internal magnet is easily cracked ..(ask me how I know)

If the battery is weak, it'll start with a jump from a good source, go over all the connections ..clean em and apply dielectric grease and snug em up.. you don't have a test meter so checking the charging system will be a process of elimination, in other words once it's running again use it for an hour, turn off and see if it'll restart.