PTO issues Craftsman Pro Series 8200

[JimyIronatx]

Hi,

I have a Craftsman Pro Series 8200 lawn tractor that the PTO cuts off while mowing. Eventually it comes back on but doesn't last long enough to cut the lawn.

The battery is new and voltage is 12.7 volts.. checked voltage while it was running and I was getting 15.5 volts.... so that all seems good. I ended up replacing the PTO switch, key switch and the electronic PTO. It does start better but still the PTO will cut off and not work correctly.

Anyone have any ideas of what could be causing the issue?

Thanks,

Jimmy

 

[Mike1955]

Jimy, no I don’t have any idea what’s going bad but I do know how I would check it. I would attach two wires in parallel with the PTO clutch. Then you know if it’s dropping power or not while you monitor it during operation. It will take a lot of trial and error out of the problem. Good luck sir

 

[tomplum]

Is there any difference when using the mow in reverse feature? Welcome to the group.

 

[loggin]

Hi,

I have a Craftsman Pro Series 8200 lawn tractor that the PTO cuts off while mowing. Eventually it comes back on but doesn't last long enough to cut the lawn.

The battery is new and voltage is 12.7 volts.. checked voltage while it was running and I was getting 15.5 volts.... so that all seems good. I ended up replacing the PTO switch, key switch and the electronic PTO. It does start better but still the PTO will cut off and not work correctly.

Anyone have any ideas of what could be causing the issue?

Thanks,

Jimmy

Are there any safety switches not you may have missed that are not working properly? Seat, neutral, reverse gear selector are just some of the safety switches found on other machines.

 

[JimyIronatx]

I also replaced the interlock switch, ....but not the seat, neutral or reverse gear selector. I looked at the schematics from sears parts and didn't see anything about a neutral or reverse gear selector switch. Is there a good place to get better schematics?

Thank you,

 

[JimyIronatx]

Is there any difference when using

Is there any difference when using the mow in reverse feature? Welcome to the group.

I haven't tried the mow in reverse feature ... I'll give it a try today and let you know.

I

mow in reverse feature? Welcome to the group.

Is there any difference when using the mow in reverse feature? Welcome to the group

 

[loggin]

I also replaced the interlock switch, ....but not the seat, neutral or reverse gear selector. I looked at the schematics from sears parts and didn't see anything about a neutral or reverse gear selector switch. Is there a good place to get better schematics?

Thank you,

Not sure about other sources for schematics but best way is to have a look under the seat and around the linkages for wires that lead to safety switches. Schematics are handy for sure but often very model specific. Don't know how correct the one you have is..?

 

[JimyIronatx]

I haven't tried the mow in reverse feature ... I'll give it a try today and let you know.

Is there any difference when using the mow in reverse feature? Welcome to the group.

I ended up replacing the voltage regulator and interlok switch... The mower initially did the same thing and then seemed to straighten up and run and PTO would cut on ... and it all started working. So I thought I had it fixed... moved four times around the yard.. large back yard.. and it started doing it again. Funny thing is this time.. if I stepped hard on the forward ( PTO still engaged and blades not working) the PTO would come on ... each time I pushed forward fast on the pedal .. ... but ultimately the PTO clutch will cut off and it won't work.

I checked the battery voltage again...13 volts.. and checked charge while mower is running fast idle.. 15 volts.

So now I've replaced the PTO switch, Ignition switch, Electronic PTO clutch, voltage regulator and interlok switch. lol...

Frustrated with this thing....

Thanks,

Jimmy

 

[tomplum]

Did you activate the mow in reverse and did it make a difference?

 

[Mike1955]

I ended up replacing the voltage regulator and interlok switch... The mower initially did the same thing and then seemed to straighten up and run and PTO would cut on ... and it all started working. So I thought I had it fixed... moved four times around the yard.. large back yard.. and it started doing it again. Funny thing is this time.. if I stepped hard on the forward ( PTO still engaged and blades not working) the PTO would come on ... each time I pushed forward fast on the pedal .. ... but ultimately the PTO clutch will cut off and it won't work.

I checked the battery voltage again...13 volts.. and checked charge while mower is running fast idle.. 15 volts.

So now I've replaced the PTO switch, Ignition switch, Electronic PTO clutch, voltage regulator and interlok switch. lol...

Frustrated with this thing....

Thanks,

Jimmy

You have a right for your fluster. You got a lot of new parts. Question is, is it really fixed?

 

[nyone]

Since the parts cannon didnt work it may be time to wire the clutch directly to the pto switch.

 

[JimyIronatx]

Did you activate the mow in reverse and did it make a difference?

Yes.. it did the same thing... ran for a bit and the clutch kicked off.

 

[tomplum]

So when you replaced the key switch, did you install the whole modular switch or reload the switch with a new center? You mentioned interlock switch. What does this switch do? The brake and the reverse sensing switches are the same I believe. So in theory, if you replaced the brake switch as example- you could put the one you replaced in the reverse sensing switch place.

 

[JimyIronatx]

Did you activate the mow in reverse and did it make a difference

Since the parts cannon didnt work it may be time to wire the clutch directly to the pto switch.

Sounds like a great idea... would eliminate all the other switches, relays etc.

So when you replaced the key switch, did you install the whole modular switch or reload the switch with a new center? You mentioned interlock switch. What does this switch do? The brake and the reverse sensing switches are the same I believe. So in theory, if you replaced the brake switch as example- you could put the one you replaced in the reverse sensing switch place.

Yes I replaced the complete modular switch. Yes.. it is the interlock on the bottom of the frame part of the brake system was also replaced with new switch

 

[JimyIronatx]

Finally got it figured out that I was having a weird wire break issue... that lead to the ground connection for the PTO to not work. This was a weird issue that gradually got worse where the mower wouldn't even start.

I ended up cutting the ground wire to the PTO and then crimping an electrical connector to that end. Attached it directly to the frame and it is now working correctly. This does bypass the reverse safety, but I'm okay with it as I found the procedure to go in reverse and cut a pain the the butt. No little ones around to be worried about

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who had offered suggestions and advice.

Thanks,

Jimmy