Garden

My Stiga Estate has 170 hours on the clock and is 10 months old, The mower is great but in the last couple of weeks when I have been using the machine for about 2 hours the deck will not engage every time, some times I just leave it for10 minutes and it works, some times it taked up to an hour, It is hard for an electrician or machanic to find the fault as it is only some times
Has anyone else had problems the engaging the deck.
Thanks.

Perry

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Belt-the number one cause for your blades not to engage is that your belt is either stretched or loose causing it to slip or fall off completely. Belt could have snapped also. When you are trying to process too much grass/leaves they could pack up under your deck and push off your belt.
If the PTO clutch is not getting power, if the clutch solenoid is defective, or if the clutch is worn out, the lawn mower blades will not engage. The PTO clutch is not repairable—if the clutch is defective, you must replace it.
Stiga Combi will not start with cutting gear engaged or if your foot is on the forward/reverse pedal. If you are mowing disengage the cutting gear and try to start the Combi. Ensure that the cutting gear lever is pushed to the right and far forward as possible. Hope this solves your problem.
If the engine dies when the blades engage, it could be the result of a damaged safety switch. The first step in assessing the safety switch is to make sure it is plugged in securely. The switch is located underneath the seat, and you may have to remove the seat to reach it.
For riding mowers using a manual clutch, the mower blades are engaged by manually shifting a lever that moves a pulley assembly to tighten the blade drive belt. The rotating engine shaft will then drive the belt, which in turn, rotates the pulleys to spin one or more cutting blades.
A PTO draws its power from the vehicle`s engine, but it cannot start transferring that power until it has been engaged. PTOs can be engaged through air pressure, hydraulic pressure, or a cable, explains Luke Hart, customer/employee technical training instructor for Muncie Power Products, a manufacturer of PTOs.
If you hear strange noises coming from your mower deck, it may be a sign that the spindle is damaged. A bad spindle can produce grinding, rattling, or squeaking sounds, which indicate that the bearings are worn out or the spindle is bent.
Mower deck gauge wheels should be properly adjusted to prevent scalping grass on uneven terrain. The bottom of the wheels should sit approximately 1/8-1/2 of an inch from the ground, depending on your cutting height.

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My name is June Strandberg, and I am a florist and gardener in San Francisco. I have been working in the industry for five years, and I love helping people find the perfect floral arrangement for their special occasions. I am also skilled in troubleshooting and fixing gardening tools, so if you are ever having trouble with your tools, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.