2305-utility tractor- won't stay running without attaching jumper cables to it!

[JayHo]

Hi all!
My 2305 is acting bizarrely. If I have the jumper cables attached to it and another running vehicle it operates as it should, the pto, going forward and backward, (admittedly only a few feet as the length of the cables dictates) it will stay running and everything works as it should. If I take the cable off then the pto, in this case a mow deck, won't operate and the forward and reverse movement feel like I have the parking break on. Eventually, after a couple of minutes the tractor will shut down.
I replaced the battery and the alternator but now I am stumped. Any thoughts?
Thank you!!!

 

[Tx Jim]

I suggest you clean/tighten all four(4) battery cable ends if you haven't already done so. It's also possible that one of the battery cables has corrosion under insulation that's not visible.

 

[JayHo]

Thank you for answering. I did clean the terminals and I also added di electric grease to them. The ground wire is secure to the frame and the positive wire is tightly secured to the starter, the 40 amp fuse looks good. It does run fine if I have the jumper cables hooked up to another running car.

 

[sdquick]

I know you said that it was a new alternator but it still sounds like a bad alternator. If you charge the battery to a full charge does it run for a while and then die (when the battery runs out)? Seems like when it is getting a charge (from the jumper battery) it runs fine. That is typically what the alternator does, in addition to charging the battery....

 

[atsah]

Does the tractor turn over as it should on it's own and wont start at all?

 

[atsah]

Get it running with the jumper cables, pull the jumper cables off and put a volt meter on the battery quickly and watch what it does until the tractor stalls. If your battery is good and the alternator is working properly something is pulling voltage that shouldn't be or something is shorted to ground, there is a diode on those tractors that cause problems, I think it's a V4, and I believe it is buried up under the gas tank wrapped in tape, three prong thingy..

 

[Redlands Okie]

Have the new battery and alternator tested. Even new ones can be faulty.

 

[atsah]

OP did the original battery do this same thing?

 

[JayHo]

Astah, Thank you for your response! When the tractor shuts off, it is dead. With the key in the on position the needle of the fuel gauge won't even budge. But if I hook the jumper cables back up to it and give it a couple of minutes it start up again.
I did replace the V4 diode a couple of years ago, this is different. With the faulty diode the tractor would start and then shut down after a couple of seconds.
I do have a multimeter tool but I don't know how to test the battery. Meaning I don't know where to set the knob. Seriously.
On Saturday I was able to mow for maybe 30 minutes before it died. Today, I never got that far. It ran for maybe 3 minutes on its longest run. But it doesn't run well without the cables hooked up. As I mentioned the pto won't work. I don't get it. I used the alternator I purchased was an AM879144 and it is for a 2305... I don't know...
Yes, the tractor had the same issue with the old battery. It was 2 1/2 years old and both are Napa batteries.

 

[atsah]

Put your meter on Volts, put the positive on the red and black on the ground and see what the voltage is with the tractor off then, if you can get the tractor to run by jumping it, remove the jumper cables and read the voltage again before it shuts down and get back to us with your results. The results from doing this will Give me an idea of what’s going on..

If you need to post a picture of the meter please do, we are here to help..