ZD326 Deck Shuts Down When Lever Thrown All the Way

[Mr Haney]

The old ZD326 has a new issue, just as I am about to rebuild the lift cylinder. The deck will engage when I move the lever halfway, but if I throw it the whole way, it disengages. This problem is intermittent. Any answers?

 

[mikester]

Safety switches. Check the brake switch

 

[Mr Haney]

Thanks. I don't think that could be it, because as far as I know, the safety switches kill the engine. I got the lever out, and I am going to see if an adjustment will fix it.

 

[whitetiger]

Thanks. I don't think that could be it, because as far as I know, the safety switches kill the engine. I got the lever out, and I am going to see if an adjustment will fix it.

The horizontal pin on the handle that the link to the PTO control shaft connects to is bent down a little.
Straighten it back to level, and it will work correctly. I adjusted another one last week.

 

[Mr Haney]

Thanks for the help. I saw a guy on Youtube bending one DOWN, so I am not sure what's happening. Right now I'm working on taking the lift cylinder out to repair it. Kudos to Kubota for using soft, hard-to-reach screws that round off very easily, and then installing them at 3000 foot-pounds.

In case anyone is wondering, the smart move is to remove the deck and rear tire and then access the screws through two holes Kubota thoughtfully provided yet failed to mention in the manual. I didn't make the smart move.

 

[Mr Haney]

I fixed the lift cylinder, and I reattached the PTO lever just to run the mower and get a baseline for what to do next. Right now, the PTO is working, so I'm leaving it alone until it quits again.