EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I have a 2010 Scag Wildcat zero turn mower with a 26hp Kawasaki water cooled engine that has been both great and riddled with electrical issues from all the safety sensors on it. I've bypassed all the safety switches after wasting too many hours figuring out which one wasn't working, only to have another stop working.
Last year my battery died just before winter, so I just jumped it the few times I mowed to finish off the season and then when the grass started growing again this year, I bought a new battery and did all my maintenance on it.
The battery went dead after I installed it, but after jumping it, it worked fine. I wasn't happy about jumping it, but didn't think about it again after that. A few months later, the switch to turn on and turn off the blades quite working. I replaced it from a source online that was a few bucks cheaper then my dealer. Everything worked great for a few a week, then I blew a 20 amp fuse that ran from the PTO clutch to the mower button. I replaced the fuse and it blew again after ten minutes of mowing. I searched all over and couldn't find any issues with the wires, so I asked my dealer what could be the cause of this.
His first question was about my battery. Since it was a new battery, I said that it couldn't be the problem. Then he asked where I got the switch and he said to never buy online, only buy from the dealer. I thought he was full of it and just trying to sell me stuff instead of finding it cheaper somewhere else.
So after a month of not being able to mow, frustrated at not being able to figure it out, and not wanting to spend the money on a new PTO clutch for a low hour mower, I finally found an article explaining what happens when you have a bad battery and how your mower will blow it's 20 amp fuse.
If the battery is bad, the PTO clutch works harder to charge the battery. This creates more electricity going to the battery, and under load, while mowing, will blow the fuse.
So I bought a new battery and replaced the pto switch with one from the dealer and everything is all better.
Two lessons that I learned that I wanted to share. Buy a good battery, it really makes a huge difference for zero turn mowers. And be careful of those cheaper replacement parts!!!!
The good battery only cost me $50, so there really was no excuse for buying the other one, and the switch from the dealer was only $32, which was about five dollars more then what I paid online for the cheap one.
Last year my battery died just before winter, so I just jumped it the few times I mowed to finish off the season and then when the grass started growing again this year, I bought a new battery and did all my maintenance on it.
The battery went dead after I installed it, but after jumping it, it worked fine. I wasn't happy about jumping it, but didn't think about it again after that. A few months later, the switch to turn on and turn off the blades quite working. I replaced it from a source online that was a few bucks cheaper then my dealer. Everything worked great for a few a week, then I blew a 20 amp fuse that ran from the PTO clutch to the mower button. I replaced the fuse and it blew again after ten minutes of mowing. I searched all over and couldn't find any issues with the wires, so I asked my dealer what could be the cause of this.
His first question was about my battery. Since it was a new battery, I said that it couldn't be the problem. Then he asked where I got the switch and he said to never buy online, only buy from the dealer. I thought he was full of it and just trying to sell me stuff instead of finding it cheaper somewhere else.
So after a month of not being able to mow, frustrated at not being able to figure it out, and not wanting to spend the money on a new PTO clutch for a low hour mower, I finally found an article explaining what happens when you have a bad battery and how your mower will blow it's 20 amp fuse.
If the battery is bad, the PTO clutch works harder to charge the battery. This creates more electricity going to the battery, and under load, while mowing, will blow the fuse.
So I bought a new battery and replaced the pto switch with one from the dealer and everything is all better.
Two lessons that I learned that I wanted to share. Buy a good battery, it really makes a huge difference for zero turn mowers. And be careful of those cheaper replacement parts!!!!
The good battery only cost me $50, so there really was no excuse for buying the other one, and the switch from the dealer was only $32, which was about five dollars more then what I paid online for the cheap one.
