My 48 inch riding mower shuts off when I try to engage the blade. It runs until I try to engage

Sounds like the switch is defective and must be replaced..in the meantime...locate the wire connecting to the electric clutch fro the bad switch, shut the mower off and disconnect the wire from the clutch..you can operate the mower when not using the blades....just remember make sure you shut it down before attempting to pull the wire off the clutch..this is only a Temporary fix...good luck..

MikeMake sure that the blades will turn by hand (key out of switch- unplug the sparkplug wires!!!!) there could be a dirt mound or rock jammed in there. OR-

if you\'re in the seat and the engine dies just as soon as the blades are engaged, the engine may need a tune-up. It sounds like it starves for fuel or air under load.

There is a switch under the seat made to turn off the engine when the blades are "on". You have to be sitting on the seat to engage the blades. If you are, check to see if that switch is plugged into the harness. If it already is, you probably need a new switch, or less likely, but possible, the harness is damaged somewhere up the line.

the coil can run with out the battery put you need power to the solenoid on the bottom of the carb

Check that the blade brake is disengaging. Slip belt off blade spindles and check that they spin freely. Check underside of deck for clogged grass, ropes, wire, etc.

I have a YTH 150 with a similar problem. The mower has an electrically powered clutch which is activated when you engage the blade button. If the drive belt has no tension on it, engaging the clutch doesn't do anything because the drive wheel will just spin but the blades won't. Look for broken tension springs on the mower deck and replace.

Husqvarna uses an electronic clutch to engage the mower deck. When the clutch works itself out of adjustment it will quit working. Sometimes it will blow the 20 fuse and the tractor will continue to run, but the blade won't engage. When you then shut off the tractor it won't crank again until you replace the fuse. When you attempt to engage the blades again, the fuse will blow again.

Follow this link for a detailed description of the adjustment process:

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=164509&highlight=clutch+adjustment

Nick

Most likely a faulty safety switch. Check the blade engagement switch and maybe even the seat safety switch.

There is a safety switch that is connected to the seat, so that if you get out of the seat with the blades running, it will shut the mower off. That switch may be bad, or disconnected. Look for a pair of wires running up under the bottom of the seat. As a short-term fix or a test, you could connect those two wires together.

I hope this will help you...under the side panels on each side of the mower, there are "reverse lockout safety switches", they are supposed to stop the blades when both handles are pulled back. If one or both of the switches are out, the deck will not engage. Also, under the right side panel (when sitting on seat) there should be 3 relay switches, the one closest to the motor controls the PTO., if this is out, the PTO will not engage.