mice has used the dryer sheet for bedding
In looking at a DK45/50 schematic (which may not be exactly right for OP's machine). There are just a few hot wires once the engine is running, I understood ra5451's engine was running and the lights/flashers were off when the latest fuse blew. My schematic shows wire 003 goes from the 60 amp fuse to the key switch, the start relay, and the glow relay, and that's all. With the key switch in "run", wires 006 and 011 (accessory) and 006 (almost everything else) are also powered and feed the fuse panel. These wires feed fuses and everything else is downstream of a fuse. So it appears the short (to ground) must be in the key switch, one of the two relays, the actual fuse pad, one of the above-listed wires, or a connector (which not shown in schematic).
*correction: 003 also goes to the alternator.
There is one other possibility; poor (dirty/corroded) connections for the actual 60 amp fuse could cause enough overheating (especially during glow) to cause the fuse to blow at below-rating amperage.
Ok...I'm back....
Today I put another battery in the Kioti. I also took the damaged connector out and tied the wires in individually. What's happening is the 60Amp fuse is blowing and the wire gets really hot...I removed most of the wire wrap looking for a short and not finding one yet...It's driving me up a wall. I removed all the body panels around the steering box for better access.....Could a relay behinf the dash cause this...Any other Ideas?
Why another battery? I take it that the damaged connector you took out is the female under the floorboards? Show pic or explain what 'tying the wires in individually' means. The only relays I'm aware of are on the firewall, not behind the instrument cluster. "What's happening is the 60Amp fuse is blowing and the wire gets really hot..." When is this happening? Do any relays get hot too? Is this when cranking the engine? After it is running? Have a fire extinguisher nearby just in case. And disconnect battery ground cable when not actively working on fixing the problem. I'd try disconnecting one relay connector at a time to see if it changes the symptoms; note: this suggestion is based on NOT knowing when the 60 Amp fused lead is hot.
Post back.