Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - GT3000 w/Kohler 23 HP Blade Engagement Problem

Title pretty much says it. Craftsman GT3000 about 2 years old. Mowing the grass the other day and my blade engagement went out. Engine stays running.

I cycle the switch for the blades off and on a few times and nothing, eventually the engine dies and won't restart.

Jump the tractor, and the engines running fine. Try to engage blades again and they spin for 3 seconds and then go out again.


So, I assume it's an electric clutch or similar and it's not getting the amps needed to stay engaged.

Now, my car knowledge says battery or alternator. Not sure if these things even have an alternator?? If not, what does it use to charge the battery?

Going to trickle charge the battery today and see if it's enough to get the grass mowed, but there's a deeper problem I'm sure. What do you guys suggest I do?

Thanks for the help!!

Hello Euripides!

How old is the battery? I bet it's just a bad battery. The engine does have an alternator...but not the kind you're thinking of. This does not consist of moving parts other than the magnets on the flywheel. It may not create enough amperage to run the PTO clutch, especially if the battery has a shorted cell.

Battery was 2 years old, and I ended up replacing it last night. Everything worked fine so I'm hoping that was it.

They tested the battery, and the response was "charge and re-test". However, I had it on a charger all afternoon and it didn't do any good.

If perhaps it isn't the battery, what else can I check? Is the charging system basically a magneto then? My small engine knowledge is limited. ;)

Thanks for the response! You can save a lot of money in these forums!!

Yep, it's just a magneto system. By you're description, there's little else it could be. The PTO isn't getting enough voltage to stay on. The fact that the engine dies may point to a charging problem as well, so you might check voltage at the battery with the engine running, or at least, if you have an ammeter on the dash, verify that it goes to the positive side when the engine is running. The engine dying may be a result of the fuel shutoff solenoid not getting enough voltage too. The alternator should be able to keep this solenoid working when the engine is running, unless the battery was shorted enough to keep the voltage from building.

Sounds good -- on my amp meter, all it needs to do is go to the positive side correct? Doesn't have to be a certain value or anything?

Thanks for the help fellas.

That is correct that you don't necessarily have to have a certain reading (other than on the positive side) of the ammeter. Ideally, you should test the AC output of the stator as well as the DC output coming out of the regulator/rectifier. You will need to buy a service manual specific for your engine model series to know these values.