Re: (ET) Alltrax and PTO

[John Jeno <jjjeno hotmail com>]

When you say “cycle” of the Alltrax, do you mean from on to off to on 
again?

I haven’t opened up the panel to check but I do know there’s no hiccup in 
drive when I cycle the PTO switch.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 9, 2023, at 3:25 PM, John Jeno <jjjeno hotmail com> wrote:
>
> One answer.
> Voltage drops to a few mv with the first auto range flash of the Fluke 
> when the PTO switch is opened.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jul 9, 2023, at 12:46 PM, Dean Stuckmann via Elec-trak <elec-trak 
>> cosmos phy tufts edu> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>> I’m hoping that one of you Alltrax guys can do a quick voltage check 
>> for me. Let me give you a little background.
>>
>> I converted my E16 to Alltrax in 2016. The tractor’s drive has always 
>> run perfect and still does. Yesterday I was finishing the mowing a 2 
>> acre vineyard and turned off the mower while repositioning the tractor 
>> but it failed to turn back on. I cycled the PTO switch a few times and 
>> then the mower started. I mowed for about five minutes more and turned 
>> off the deck. This time when I try to start it, it would not go at all. 
>> I noticed that the PTO solenoid was very warm. I could touch it, but 
>> barely. Another thing I noticed is that the main contractor for the 
>> Alltrax would cycle when turning the PTO switch on and off (key was 
>> ON). Is that normal? I never noticed it before but the tractor is 
>> typically already moving when powering on attachments. I just assumed 
>> that I was hearing the PTO solenoid.
>>
>> The PTO would restart after a cool down. I assumed that the solenoid 
>> was getting bad so I replaced with a spare that I had. It was was a 
>> used unit that was about 3/8” shorter than the original but looked 
>> almost like new. I checked it with an ohmmeter to make sure that the 
>> unit was cycling correctly and that there were no shorts to the case. 
>> It all checked out so I installed it in the tractor.
>>
>> Then I did some voltage checks to test it all out before connecting the 
>> mower back up and noticed something odd. With the PTO off (and even the 
>> key in the Off position) there is between 5-9V between the 2 angled 
>> ports on the PTO socket. Voltage is similar with the key on. Even with 
>> the main disconnect open, there is about 5V that diminishes to zero in 
>> a minute or so. My stock I-5 reads zero in these tests, as I assume 
>> that it should.
>>
>> I know that the Alltrax has some caps in it and I’m wondering if this 
>> voltage “leak” is coming from that. There is no voltage shown when the 
>> mower is plugged in. Maybe its the norm? I don’t recall doing a similar 
>> test when I originally installed the Alltrax so I can’t comment on that.
>>
>> I'm hoping I can get some answers before I start tearing into all the 
>> wiring. If one of you Alltrax guys could get back to me regarding the 
>> following questions, it would be appreciated.
>>
>> Key off, attachments disconnected. Do you see voltage across the 2 
>> angled ports in the socket?
>> Do you see diminishing voltage when the main disconnect is opened?
>> Key on, attachments disconnected. Can you feel the Alltrax main 
>> contractor cycle when turning the PTO on and off?
>>
>> Thank you all in advance.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Dean Stuckmann
>> 5432 County Road U
>> Newton, WI 53063-9624
>>
>> 920-901-2288
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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