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What causes clutch blades to not engage in a craftsman model?

Customer Question

craftsman modelNNN-NN-NNNNattachment clutch blades will...

craftsman modelNNN-NN-NNNNattachment clutch blades will not engage. I've checked all the electrical connections. They all seem to work. Help please

Submitted: 12 years ago.Category: Small Engine

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Answered in 3 minutes by:

6/30/2010

Technician: Ranwell1, Small Engine Technician replied 12 years ago

Ranwell1, Small Engine Technician

Category: Small Engine

Satisfied Customers: 11,323

Experience: I Own a Lawn Mower Sales and service business (44years). Have 2-cycle and 4-cycle certification.

Verified

First. a battery problem will cause major trouble with the PTO. It takes an enormous amount of battery energy to run an electric clutch. So if your battery is low...or goes down, the pto cannot work.

If you bought a battery from a discount store. There is a good possibility that either the battery was bad right off the bat or that it didn't have the required 350 cca that is the minimum for an electric clutch to work correctly for any length of time.

If the battery keeps going down, you could also have a problem with the charging system. Just a note about charging systems in a lawn mower. YOU CANNOT EVER JUMP-START A LAWNMOWER WITH AN AUTOMOBILE OR YOU WILL RUIN THE CHARGING SYSTEM OF THE MOWER. THE SYSTEM OF THE CAR WILL BLOW THE MOWER'S CHARGING SYSTEM.They are not compatible.

You'd have to have the charging system in the mower checked.

The PTO switch could also be bad causing this problem.

Also check the wires that attach to the pto clutch. If they came loose, it won't work.

Last but not least, the pto itself could be bad. or at least need adjusted...if it has an adjustment. If you have an adjustable clutch, the setting is .010" between the two halves of the clutch...(in between the slots) Many of the newer clutches cannot be adjusted.

Ranwell1, Small Engine Technician

Category: Small Engine

Satisfied Customers: 11,323

Experience: I Own a Lawn Mower Sales and service business (44years). Have 2-cycle and 4-cycle certification.

Verified

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Customer reply replied 12 years ago

Thank you for this information. I would like to ask one more question. In all the diagrams, I can not find where the PTO or switch is located. Help please. And thanks.

Technician: Ranwell1, Small Engine Technician replied 12 years ago

I may have given you wrong information. If you gave me the correct model number....I looked up your parts list and your unit DOES NOT look like it has an electric clutch. If this is the case, then all of the information I gave you about an electric clutch is wrong.

Since you mentioned in your first question that the blades would not engage and that you checked all the electrical connections, and fues I just assumed that you had an electric clutch.

If you have an electric clutch, the PTO switch would be located on the dash of the tractor not too far from the ignition switch. If you do not turn on your blades with an electrical switch, then we need to start over.

This is the parts diagram set that I looked at.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/getModel!retrieve.pd?modelNumber=917.276412+&pathTaken=partSearch

If this is correct and you do not have an electric PTO, then there are many things that can cause you blades not to engaged. Here are a few of them.

1. The belt may have come off of one or more of the pulleys.

2. Any of the idler pulleys may have a bad bearing or the pulley may even be broken.

3. The engagement cable may not be adjusted correctly and may not be putting tension on the belt.

4. The spring that attach's to the idler pulley arm may have come off or broken.

5. Someone may have tried to install a new belt and not gotten the belt on correctly. They also could have used the wrong belt.

6. The arm that moves the idles pulley into the belt, may be rusted and may not move freely...not allowing enough tension to be applied to the belt.

7. The mower deck itself may be worn where it attach's to the mountings and it may move to the point that the tension on the belts may be affected.

I hope this helps at least a little bit.

Let me know which one of these answers is correct.

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