Have a John Deere GX 345 with a 54" mower deck. It has 602 hours on it and last year my Dad ran it without oil and locked up the crank bearing. Spent around $1200.00 having it rebuilt and the same week we got it back the PTO Clutch bolt fell out and the clutch went tumbling across the yard!
I got a new bolt and washer and put the old clutch back on. Later that week dad called and said it fell off again! This time the bolt snapped off in the crankshaft. Got a new PTO Clutch, bolt, and washer and after too many hours getting the old bolt out, I put it all back together.
What day I mowed for 10 minutes and double checked that bolt, all good! I spent the next 3 hours mowing and stopping every half hour or so checking that bolt and all seemed good. Dad gets on the tractor and within the hour the mower quit working. I get under it to check the bolt and discover that it too had snapped off! The clutch stayed on and there seems to be no damage to it.
Before I do this all a 3rd time I was hoping someone may have any clue as to why or how that bolt keeps snapping.
All the pulleys on the deck move freely and make no noise and the engine has less than 6 hours since it was rebuilt.
Please let me know if you have ever heard of this or what may be causing it to happen, I am out of ideas on this one and am in the process of looking for a pull behind deck for him to use in the mean time.
Thanks for looking and hope to hear something from someone!
~ GM66
I got a new bolt and washer and put the old clutch back on. Later that week dad called and said it fell off again! This time the bolt snapped off in the crankshaft. Got a new PTO Clutch, bolt, and washer and after too many hours getting the old bolt out, I put it all back together.
What day I mowed for 10 minutes and double checked that bolt, all good! I spent the next 3 hours mowing and stopping every half hour or so checking that bolt and all seemed good. Dad gets on the tractor and within the hour the mower quit working. I get under it to check the bolt and discover that it too had snapped off! The clutch stayed on and there seems to be no damage to it.
Before I do this all a 3rd time I was hoping someone may have any clue as to why or how that bolt keeps snapping.
All the pulleys on the deck move freely and make no noise and the engine has less than 6 hours since it was rebuilt.
Please let me know if you have ever heard of this or what may be causing it to happen, I am out of ideas on this one and am in the process of looking for a pull behind deck for him to use in the mean time.
Thanks for looking and hope to hear something from someone!
~ GM66