Electric Clutch

easye9

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Equipment
ZG-124e
Apr 4, 2020
24
0
1
PA
I am having a problem with my electric clutch. I am posting 4 more times so that I can show pictures.
 

easye9

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Equipment
ZG-124e
Apr 4, 2020
24
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1
PA
right as I finished cutting the grass for the first time this season, I turn the blades off and a weird squeaking sound as the blades slowed down.
 

easye9

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Equipment
ZG-124e
Apr 4, 2020
24
0
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PA
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So I am assuming that the longer blue wire goes with the shorter blue/red wire. Then the short blue goes with the longer green/yellow?

Second, the clamp shield (?) on blue wires are slightly crushed. I am hoping that I can find some wire small enough to stick in it so that I can hopefully mold it back to the original way. So I can then stick it back in the plastic clip so the Male wires can plug back in? I really do not want to cut that wire and clamp (if possible?) those connections (?).

Lastly, do the red/blue and green/yellow go down that hole shown in the second pic? Or do the two blue wires come up? Because I am wondering about the belt spinning if that would just wrap the wiring up the second I turn the blades on? Any Picture would help me!

Thanks!
 

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
4,807
1,575
113
Mid, South, USA
the clutch has likely spun. The little bracket that hangs down either got bent or the clutch bolt is loose allowing the clutch to drop out of mesh with the limiter bracket or the engine is loose. Have seen all 3 instances.

blue from the clutch goes to blue/red in the wire harness. Black from the clutch goes to green/yellow in the wire harness. The long leads from the pto clutch go through a hole and then run up near the starter relay where they connect to the main harness.

Assuming this is a ZG1xx mower? You didn't specify but I kinda recognize the pictures. Always specify what equipment you are working on when posting a question; sure makes things easier.
 
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easye9

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Equipment
ZG-124e
Apr 4, 2020
24
0
1
PA
the clutch has likely spun. The little bracket that hangs down either got bent or the clutch bolt is loose allowing the clutch to drop out of mesh with the limiter bracket or the engine is loose. Have seen all 3 instances.

blue from the clutch goes to blue/red in the wire harness. Black from the clutch goes to green/yellow in the wire harness. The long leads from the pto clutch go through a hole and then run up near the starter relay where they connect to the main harness.

Assuming this is a ZG1xx mower? You didn't specify but I kinda recognize the pictures. Always specify what equipment you are working on when posting a question; sure makes things easier.
I don't know if this video for ZG123S will be of any help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je4fuavSKVI

That video pretty much summed up what happen to me (at the 1:22 mark). His machine looks exactly like mine as well.

I will have to look at the arm bar holder. Its there, but I am not sure if that lip that goes into the clutch is there. Because I was able to spin it. That is why I asked about it wrapping up around the clutch if and when I fix it. It is also possible that the bar popped off of the clutch. I will check and update later.

So technically if I can not get the electric white plastic clip back in. I could either 1) stick the male in the female end. 2) just cut the butt plug ends of each wire and tie them together? The man also mentioned that it does not matter what wire from the clutch goes to the other wire on the mower.

I am sorry about not giving LM info. I thought I added it, which I did, but it was in the create a profile section. LOL

Manuel list it as a ZG-124E. The license plate has model RCK48P-124Z.

EDIT: OK. So I went out to check, and that clip on the arm that holds the clutch did snap off. So I now know what to do.
 
Last edited:

GSteve

New member

Equipment
Kubota ZG123S-48 ZTR Mower
Feb 24, 2021
4
0
1
Florida Panhandle
I would like to see those pictures if they are available as I have the same problem, only worse, and the pictures aren't showing for me. The clutch retaining bolt worked loose on my ZG123S-48 and allowed the clutch to slip downward on the shaft to the point that the anti-spin lock disengaged. The clutch spun and yanked the connecting wires, including the plastic connector, completely out of the mower (I found wire and connector remnants on the ground). The clutch itself has sufficient wires left for me to splice onto, but I cannot find one of the 'incoming' wires. I have the bare end of a green/yellow wire sticking out of a wire bundle near the starter relay, but cannot find 'the other wire'. It is the one (I think) that is shown in the wiring diagram as going to the starter solenoid, to a diode, and to relay #2. Can anyone tell me where the two diodes shown in the wiring diagram are physically located and where I might look for the missing wire. Thanks....
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,672
3,924
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
You should post what equipment you're worknig on in the 'body' of the post. While it _might_ be the unit in your profile...it could also be a friend's unit, a new purchase, or you didn't update your profile OR like some lucky guys.... they have LOTS of 'orange'......
As for the electric clutch, either wire can go to either connection. The coil is 'floating', NOT grounded and polarity is not an issue.
 
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GSteve

New member

Equipment
Kubota ZG123S-48 ZTR Mower
Feb 24, 2021
4
0
1
Florida Panhandle
Thanks.

I might not have made myself clear, but in the second sentence of my post I noted that I am dealing with a ZG123S-48. What I didn't say is that the ZG123S-48 is a Kubota Zero Turn Mower.

I also might not have made my situation clear in the third and fourth sentence of my post wherein I noted that the wires to the pto clutch were completely ripped away from the mower and that I cannot find the broken end of one of the two 'incoming' wires that connect to the pto clutch.

I can see the broken end of a green/yellow wire protruding from the wire harness that comes across the rear side of the gas tank compartment and enters the engine compartment near the starter solenoid. But I cannot find the broken end of the other wire that is supposed to connect to the pto clutch, and I cannot find where the diodes in the circuit are physically located.

I realize that the pto clutch coil is non-polarized and can therefore be connected 'either way' to the two incoming wires. My problem is that I cannot find one of the incoming wires.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,672
3,924
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
Easy to figure out....
put a DVM on the grn/yel wire and ground. Turn on the PTO engage switch. If the meter reads 12 volts....THAT wire is the 'feed' to the coil. Simply connect the other coil wire to GROUND. Pretty sure K use black as the 'ground' colour.
 

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
4,807
1,575
113
Mid, South, USA
Easy to figure out....
put a DVM on the grn/yel wire and ground. Turn on the PTO engage switch. If the meter reads 12 volts....THAT wire is the 'feed' to the coil. Simply connect the other coil wire to GROUND. Pretty sure K use black as the 'ground' colour.
Many won't read the dvm correctly. That little dash in front of the number can confuzz people. If you do it that way and it reads voltage on g/y make sure it reads positive voltage.

it can in theory be run in either direction however there is a DIODE in the harness that protects from spikes. If one were to just blindly attach the wires incorrectly, when the clutch is disengaged it will put a large current spike on the rest of the system, if it works at all. I have seen smoked diodes. Not often. Then you can take the entire machine apart to remove the harness, cut it apart, find the diode and replace it, or take the entire machine apart, and replace the harness with a new one-they ain't that expensive, just "fun" to replace them. Kubota doesn't sell the diode separate from the harness. I'm used to it so it's not a big deal to me but to someone who's never done a brake switch kit (crossmember), it's a bit daunting. I've done a few hundred of them kits and it still takes me 2 or 3 hours if I hurry, not counting the time it takes to replace the harness (another hour or so). As a tech I got good at them, as many of us did-because of the 'recall'. My coworker hated doing them.
 

GSteve

New member

Equipment
Kubota ZG123S-48 ZTR Mower
Feb 24, 2021
4
0
1
Florida Panhandle
Thanks to you both for the information you provided and for your suggestions. I'm a little sentimental about my K, and I want to fix it right. So I am still looking for the missing wire.

I know from the attached photo, which (I captured from a U-Tube video) and from the wire and connector remnants I found underneath my ZG123S-48 that there were two wires from the wiring harness running into the PTO clutch connector and two wires running to the PTO clutch from of the other side of the connector. As previously noted, one of the wires from the wiring harness was green/yellow, and the broken end of that wire is visible coming out of the wiring harness near the starter solenoid. Based on the photo and wire remnants, the other wire appears to have been a bluish color with a red stripe. The wire remnant that is still attached to the chewed=up connector is five or so inches long, possibly indicating that the break has to be somewhere close to where the connector was located near the starter solenoid. But I simply cannot find it. The color code appears to be the same as the two wires connected to the starter solenoid, and I thought that there might have been two wires in one of the starter solenoid terminals, but I cannot see any evidence that the wire that was pulled away came from there.

I have new wires spliced onto the PTO clutch and am now waiting for a shop manual I've ordered to come in the mail.

Lugbolt, FWIW, the dealer that I bought the mower from installed the brake switch kit a while back. He told me it was quite a task.

Thank y'all again.......

PS: The photo is from a U-Tube video referenced earlier in this thread. So please ignore the captioning on the photo.

PTO Clutch wires.JPG
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,672
3,924
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
re: it can in theory be run in either direction however there is a DIODE in the harness that protects from spikes. If one were to just blindly attach the wires incorrectly, when the clutch is disengaged it will put a large current spike on the rest of the system, if it works at all. I have seen smoked diodes.

I'd have to see the schematic ,but that sounds like a 'suppression' diode, therefore wired in parallel to the coil. If so, it does not matter which coil wire goes to +12 or ground. Now if the diode is to 'protect' a transistor that grounds the coil to turn it on, well same, thing, doesn't matter which wire of the coil gets +12 or goes to the transistor. Since most e-clutches only draw 4 amps, the 1st wiring seems more likely but a diagram will tell.
 

Russell King

Well-known member

Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Jun 17, 2012
4,603
975
113
Austin, Texas
Have you tried to get the wiring harness opened up to see if the other wire broke off inside the bundle? Is it taped together or is there a plastic sleeve? The plastic sleeves are usually split sleeping or cut into pieces so that the wires can exit when they need to.
 

GSteve

New member

Equipment
Kubota ZG123S-48 ZTR Mower
Feb 24, 2021
4
0
1
Florida Panhandle
Have you tried to get the wiring harness opened up to see if the other wire broke off inside the bundle? Is it taped together or is there a plastic sleeve? The plastic sleeves are usually split sleeping or cut into pieces so that the wires can exit when they need to.
Yessir, the conduit is split plastic sleeving, and I have opened it up and examined the wiring all the way back into and across the back of the gas tank compartment. It all looks pristine. The remnant that is still attached to the chewed-up connector is not long enough to reach more than five or six inches. Of course there could be other pieces of the wire that got cut off during the mangling and are laying out on the lawn somewhere, so the length of the remnant is not definitive.
Thanks for the thought....