John Deere 2305 PTO Slipping Under Load

PowerT · Apr 11, 2011

First off hello to all as this is my first post on the forums..
I have a 2009 JD 2305. I use it on 3 acres for tilling my garden and pulling a 4 foot finishing mower.
I noticed a while back that when my tiller got a load on it my PTO shaft stops turning, no lag in the motor or anything.. RPM's stay the same but shaft just stops turning.. Slip clutch not engaging,, the whole shaft just stops turning. When I lift the tiller up it starts turning again and will till fine until it get under a load again. It seems to do this more so when its warm or has been running a while. I know from experiance that before when it got under a load it would bog the engine and before I had my slip clutch set right if I got a rock bound in the tines it would kill the motor (this only happened once and I adjusted the slip clutch so it wouldnt happen again)
I took it to my local dealer where i bought the tractor and the service manager insisted he couldnt find anything wrong with it and even hooked their tiller to it and tilled up a spot at their shop. I brought it back home thinking Ok maybe im crazy and theres nothing wrong but I still keep having this issue.
When the tractor is cold and just started it tills fine but it seems the longer i use it and the warmer it gets the slipping issue starts to rear its ugly head on me. I noticed to that when I went to disconnect my tiller after using it that the PTO shaft seemed hot to me.. Almost to hot to touch.
When I first took my tractor to the service manager it was a month from being out of warranty.. My 2 year warranty expired the last week of march and the service manager told me the limited 3 year only covered electrical issues. He claims all the proper test were performed on it and I even gave them $400 to do my 200hr maintainece on it while it was there.
Am I crazy and is nothing wrong with my tractor or is this guy trying to avoid repairing my tractor untill the warranty runs out and I have to pay for it? I know that my tractor does not work the same as it did when I bought it but he cant seem to find anything wrong with it.

PowerT · Apr 11, 2011

And Oh Yea ,, One more thing.. When the rear PTO selector is on and the PTO switch is off I can lower my tiller to the ground and as i pull forward the tines and pto shaft will turn.. I can also turn it with my foot.. not easily but they will turn.. is this normal?

nike · Apr 11, 2011

I think I would be talking to the manufacturer, e-mail or better phone them and talk with a representive, get name and contact information.
Then talk with another dealer to see if they think there is a problem. Sounds like there is a problem to me. I do not know enough about your machine. I would wonder if the fluid needs to be changed.
Is it a hydraulic pto, or gear driven.
Good luck.:thumbsup:

PowerT · Apr 11, 2011

Hi Nike and thanks for the input,
Its Hydrolic and the fluid was just changed.. That was part of the 200Hr maintenance I just had done when I took it in to the shop.

davkir · Apr 11, 2011

The PTO shaft has a clutch and a brake. There is a solenoid valve controlled by the PTO switch. The solenoid releases the hydraulic pressure from the brake and applies it to the clutch plates. The power is then transmitted thru a shaft and some gears to the output shaft.
Sounds like the clutch plates may be worn or maybe a problem with the solenoid valve or maybe the hydraulic fluid is the wrong viscosity?
It seems to be a problem that the dealer SHOULD have taken care of on warrenty.
Hope this helps..
PS: Do you have a service manual for it?

PowerT · Apr 11, 2011

Hi Davkir,
No I do not have a service manual but it looks like I may be needing one soon. Im gonna take it back to the dealer again this week.. Its an existing problem that I took to them before the warranty was up so it seems they should still have to honor it since it was never fixed, although the service manager assured me it was fine and he had tested it with a hydrolic test and hooked a tiller they had on the lot to it..
Seems like a company with the reputation and following like John Deere would have a little more sophisticated means of testing than hooking a tiller up to it.. He may have thought it did fine for him but I know my tractor, my butt has been on the seat for all 200 hours of its life and I know something is not right with it.

PowerT · Apr 11, 2011

How can I show this guy that something is wrong with my tractor? What can I do to show him the plates may be worn or there is another problem? I've taken it to him twice and each time he assured me that it was fine only for me to get it back home and the PTO shaft slips again?
Would me showing him how i can turn the tiller tines and shaft with my foot make him see the light?
I have given him the same explanation that I gave in my original post and then some , but he doesnt seem to get it and claims hes never heard of anything like that happening before.. Why would he try to avoid repairing my tractor under the warranty? He still gets his paycheck whether I pay the repair bill or John Deere does.

jd110 · Apr 11, 2011

DOes your dealer have a dyno to hook to it? That is the easiest way to test it if he does. If they don't have a dyno, then can you leave your tiller on it when it goes back to the dealer? Demonstrate to him what it does. Your ability to turn the tines with you foot sounds like a problem with the pto brake. I think the dealer should tear it down and check it out if you can demonstrate the clutch slipping for him.

davkir · Apr 11, 2011

PowerT said:
Hi Davkir,
No I do not have a service manual but it looks like I may be needing one soon. Im gonna take it back to the dealer again this week.. Its an existing problem that I took to them before the warranty was up so it seems they should still have to honor it since it was never fixed, although the service manager assured me it was fine and he had tested it with a hydrolic test and hooked a tiller they had on the lot to it..
Seems like a company with the reputation and following like John Deere would have a little more sophisticated means of testing than hooking a tiller up to it.. He may have thought it did fine for him but I know my tractor, my butt has been on the seat for all 200 hours of its life and I know something is not right with it.

I have not had my PTO apart, but it looks like a big job to get it apart and inspect the clutch.
At some point it just depends on having a good relationship with your dealer. You obviously know how it SHOULD operate, so the dealer SHOULD take your word for the fact it doesn't always work. Heat is a BIG factor in hydraulic and clutch performance and isn't very easy to duplicate in 5 minutes in his parking lot.
Good Luck

PS: You can also ask for a factory rep. to get involved

PowerT · Apr 11, 2011

jd110 Im not sure if they have a Dyno or not but I will certainly ask him that on my next trip.
Davkir, would a problem with the PTO brake make the shaft slip like it is also? The Tiller does shut off pretty quick after I disengage the PTO switch but It does seem to spin a little more than it used to with my mowing deck attached.
Also could there be a problem with my Tranny fan thats causing the heat to build and cause the slipping? Ive read that the fans can be a problem on the 2305.