clinging noise

[Stomper]

Tractor in question is a 2017 L2501 HST. I haven't used my PTO at all since I got the tractor but I have been using it for the past week with my 3PH blower moving snow the past week trying to clean up around my house for the spring thaw. Sometimes when the PTO is engaged there is a clinging noise coming from what sounds like beneath the floorboard area. It's hard to tell exactly where it is coming from. It doesn't do it all the time only sometime. It will do it sometimes at idle and when I increase the rpm it will go away and then come back sometimes when I am blowing snow. It sounds like something is rattling against a piece of metal like the floor or a fender or something. It doesn't sound like anything mechanical or internal. It's kind of a tinny rattle sound. I did a quick check tonight for anything loose but with it covered in snow it was hard to tell. It is in my shop thawing out over night and I will take a look at it tomorrow. Just thought I would ask incase someone had a similar issue or just incsae it's the start of something serious I should be concerned about.

 

[LowInOhio]

Stomper....did you find anything? I've seen a lot of chatter on different forums about this same issue.

 

[Indiapaleale]

I have an l3800 that does the same thing the rattling seems to get worse when I have the 3pth up high with the snowblower on then seems to go away When blower is down.when I questioned the dealership I was told it was normal and it was the overrun clutch in the pto

 

[Jpatrick]

Not familiar with this model, but the first thing that comes to mind is the position of the PTO selection lever. If you have a mid and rear PTO, the lever will offer rear, mid, or both. Do you have it in "both"?

 

[lugbolt]

The noise you're hearing is normal. It is caused by the clearance between the gear teeth combined with engine firing pulses.

It's a 3 cylinder engine, so a cylinder fires every 240 crankshaft degrees. The power stroke typically only lasts about 120 degrees of crankshaft revolution, so there's another 120 degrees of rotation before another cylinder "fires". As a power stroke occurs, the crankshaft accelerates. Now remember-there's another 120 degrees of crankshaft rotation before another cylinder fires....and before that cylinder fires, it is also compressing air...so the crank slows down a little.

The constant accelerating and decelerating of the crankshaft causes the transmission gears to also change speeds, and the inertia of those gears combined with the rotational speed and speed CHANGES causes them to rattle against each other at low engine speeds; usually below 1200 RPM.

Again, it's normal. Increase engine speed if it bothers you.