BX-2350 - Abrupt engagement of mid-PTO

[fish6942]

I've owned this machine since it was new. Over the past year or two it seems that when I engage the 60" MMM the engagement is much more abrupt than it used to be. It almost sounds like a muffled bang and there's a cloud of smoke from the exhaust resulting from the partial stall of the engine. I always set the RPM to idle or just off idle when I do engage it. It also doesn't seem to matter how slowly I move the engagement lever.

As a comparison, I also run a Farm King 60" rear blower on the same BX. With this, I can slowly move the lever and it will engage MUCH smoother. In fact, I can "bump" the lever a little and pull back and see the drive train engage and disengage just slightly. I could not feather it like that with the MMM. This comparison is especially interesting considering the blower has much greater inertia to overcome.

Is there some wear item somewhere or an adjustment I should be looking at?

I can take some video if need be.

Thanks!

 

[ryan08]

I thought the clutch was electric and there is no feathering one of those. I would try raising the RPM slightly to see if this makes it less of a shock on the slow moving engine. It is going to be abrupt and that all there is to it.

 

[dodge man]

I run 2000 rpms or a little more when I engage mine.

 

[rbarker]

I've owned this machine since it was new. Over the past year or two it seems that when I engage the 60" MMM the engagement is much more abrupt than it used to be. It almost sounds like a muffled bang and there's a cloud of smoke from the exhaust resulting from the partial stall of the engine. I always set the RPM to idle or just off idle when I do engage it. It also doesn't seem to matter how slowly I move the engagement lever.

As a comparison, I also run a Farm King 60" rear blower on the same BX. With this, I can slowly move the lever and it will engage MUCH smoother. In fact, I can "bump" the lever a little and pull back and see the drive train engage and disengage just slightly. I could not feather it like that with the MMM. This comparison is especially interesting considering the blower has much greater inertia to overcome.

Is there some wear item somewhere or an adjustment I should be looking at?

I can take some video if need be.

Thanks!

I would make sure everything is well greased and there is sufficient gear oil in the deck. It's hard to tell when enough grease is in the spindles so in the past I have done it with the deck off and removed the blade and spindle cover so you can actually see the grease come out when it is full.

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[CHDinCT]

Don't forget, rear pto is 540 rpm while mid is 2500 IIRC, so a lot more spin being applied. My deck seems to engage hard no matter how I feather the lever or vary the rpms.

 

[fish6942]

Don't forget, rear pto is 540 rpm while mid is 2500 IIRC, so a lot more spin being applied. My deck seems to engage hard no matter how I feather the lever or vary the rpms.

Does it engage hard enough to make you cringe? It's possible that I'm imagining this but I could swear that it was never this abrupt.

 

[timswi]

Mine engages hard and always has..I only engage the mower at 1/2+ throttle.

 

[94BULLITT]

I engage at 1700-1800 RPM. It is smoother than at a idle. The owners manual says to engage at 1/2 throttle.

 

[CHDinCT]

Does it engage hard enough to make you cringe? It's possible that I'm imagining this but I could swear that it was never this abrupt.

Not cringe, but it does give the BX a good shake, and sometimes a few puffs of black smoke if I don't have the RPMs high enough. I usually engage the MMM at about 1700 RPMs. Might try a little higher RPM next time I mow with the BX (usually mow with my old garden tractor).

 

[dex3361]

I would check the spindles and the idler to make sure they are free and you are snot starting to loose a bearing that causes more resistance on start up.