forgot to mention-left the old battery (with the probable bad cell) on the charger overnight (2amp) before buying that new battery. It did not take a charge. Save your electrons !
Well 24 hours later I'm convinced that the battery is shot(the voltage while charging after 24 hours was lower than when it started).
I still don't understand why the tractor would stall out after running for 45 minutes to an hour and why the fuse blows when I try to jump it though. So the next step is a new battery and more fuses. I won't be buying a Deere battery though at $143.27 if I can find a similar battery for less.
I have had this happen to me twice in my p/u 5 years apart. I drove somewhere and when I went to leave the battery would not even cause the starter solenoid to even click. Both times the truck needed a new battery. A very experienced Auto Tech told me the batteries now are made so "environmentally friendly" that more batteries die in the summer than in the winter. Both times mine died in August and I will tell you it is easier to sweat changing a battery than make frozen fingers work I would suggest a new battery in the tractor and then replace the fuse.
Well it looks like it was the battery causing the fuse to blow. I unhooked the bad battery and hooked up jumper cables to a good battery then put a new fuse in. When I turned the key it started right up. I haven't run it yet because I didn't buy a replacement battery but it seems like it will be ok. Currently I'm searching for a better battery for the tractor based on the high cost of the Deere battery and the fact that it only lasted 2.5 years.
Well the battery didn't fix everything after all. Drove it yesterday around the yard and it was fine. Today I engaged the pto to mow and within seconds the tractor shut down and I smelled the same burning smell that I smelled 2 weeks ago when the machine first shut down. I took the deck off, put a new fuse in and started it up then I engaged the mid pto with nothing attached to it and the tractor shut down again. So as long as I don't engage the pto the tractor runs fine but as soon as I engage the pto it blows the fuse and shuts down the tractor. Anyone had this happen before or have any idea what would cause it to happen?
I haven't been able to solve the problem yet but something different happened today so I thought I would mention it in case it helps someone point me in the right direction.
Last week and today the tractor allowed me to mow for 10-15 minutes before the burning smell started and then I would shut it down on my own before the fuse blew. One time today I didn't shut it down when the burning smell occurred and then the pto stopped turning. I was mowing and didn't touch anything and the deck just stopped cutting. After disengaging the pto and letting it sit for a few minutes I engaged it again and the mower worked briefly and then within a couple of minutes it just stopped again. I engaged it again later and this time it blew the fuse.
Sound familiar to anyone? I don't know if the pto solenoid could act up like this but I don't know what else could.
It sounds like a short to me, but it could be other things too. Solenoid valves will draw more current if they are not completely engaged. It could have some debris interfering with it's motion or the pressure relief valve that apparently controls the pressure to the solenoid.
When you can smell something burning, does the switch, wiring or solenoid feel hot?
Thanks for all of the diagrams davkir. The switch didn't feel hot today and last weekend I did check some wires that I could see but I wasn't sure where the solenoid was so I'm not really sure that I was checking the correct wires. The wires seemed warm but not hot. I also disconnected a couple of connections to inspect them and all looked good but again I'm not really sure that I was looking at the correct wires. The wires I was checking were on the back right hand side of the machine(when facing forward). I was basically reaching in above the right rear tire to access the wires.