Spartan Mower Blades Won’t Engage: SOLVED!

You turn on the blades by pulling up the PTO switch, but nothing occurs. No blade engagement.

Spartan lawn mower blades won’t engage or turn on owing to a worn or stretched mower deck belt; a worn tensioner bracket or defective pulley causing the belt to slip off; a bad PTO switch; a broken clutch; a weak battery; a bad safety switch; or a blown fuse.

Follow the Spartan operator’s handbook before reaching beneath the mower deck. This entails turning off the ignition, unplugging the spark plug wires, and waiting for everything to stop.

The Spartan Lawnmower’s Blades Are Dead and Won’t Activate

This Spartan Mower is sporting a Deck Belt.

A worn-out belt on the mower’s deck might cause the machine to stop working if it slips off the pulleys. A new belt should be purchased when the old one shows signs of wear.

An expired or putrid A deck belt that is brittle, torn, or glazed is called a Spartan deck belt. A deck belt that has seen better days might slip completely into the pulley channels.

The blades’ rotational velocity will decrease if the belt slides on the pulleys. Suction is generated beneath the deck at high blade speeds, lifting the grass for a more uniform cut.

If your mower is having trouble cutting, there are a number of possible causes that might be at play, which are discussed in Causes of a Poor or Uneven Mower Cut.

A Spartan Mower Deck Lost a Belt After It Had Been Running

If the belt falls off, the pulleys will not be able to spin, which will prevent movement of the blades. When a belt slips off the pulleys, the most typical reasons are a loose belt, a broken pulley, a worn tensioner arm, or a missing spring. Other less common reasons include a worn tensioner arm.

Check out this list of potential reasons why the Spartan belt keeps coming off the mower deck if you’re having that problem.

A Spartan Mower’s Idle Arm and Spring Have Seen Better Days

To keep the idler pulleys in place, a tensioner arm and spring are used. The pulley and spring are on opposite sides of the bracket on most Spartan mower decks.

Wear may occur on the spring itself or in the hole in the bracket that it is attached to. This may cause the belt to loosen and perhaps separate from the pulleys if the belt is moving.

Spartan Bearing Used in a Pulley

A bearing is included into each pulley to ensure slick functioning. The pulley could not sit flush with the mower deck anymore because its bearings have worn out. A worn bearing that enables rotation in the shaft is the root cause of a shaky pulley.

The amount of deck clearance around the pulley might be different on each side. The greater spin might cause the deck belt to come loose from the pulley.

When a pulley’s bearing becomes poor, it must be replaced.

A Spartan Mower with a broken PTO switch.

The power takeoff (PTO) switch is represented by a knob that is colored yellow and is located on the control panel of the mower. This switch enables the electric current from the battery to engage the clutch. If the switch is not functioning properly, the blades will not turn.

Make sure there is continuity while using the switch. Altering the behavior of a switch requires pausing the current activity.

Problems with a Spartan Mower’s Clutch

The PTO (Power Take Off) clutch, which connects the engine to the belt, is responsible for the connection between the driving belt and the blades. When a fan suddenly stops rotating, the issue is almost often caused by a damaged or worn clutch.

For those who are interested in the inner workings of lawnmower clutches and are looking for a decent read, A Look Into The Operation Of Lawn Mower Clutches is an excellent choice.

Low Power from a Spartan Mower’s Battery

An electric clutch is powered by a battery. Insufficient power from the battery prevents the clutch solenoid from being activated, preventing the mower’s blades from spinning.

Use a multimeter to check the battery’s voltage. A fully charged 12-volt battery should have a voltage of about 12.7 volts.

When the battery decreases below this point, charging is required. If you’re having trouble figuring out why your lawn mower battery keeps dying, check out 5 Things That Are Draining the Life of Your Lawn Mower Battery.

How to Recharge a Spartan Battery: Plug It Into a Battery Charger. Put on safety glasses and gloves to guard against electrical shock before proceeding. Here are the procedures you need to take to charge the battery on your riding mower or zero-turn:

• Locate the power source and plugs for the batteries. A screwdriver may be required to access and remove the battery. The car’s battery may be found in the trunk or behind the passenger seat. Keep the battery within its case at all times.
• The positive terminal of a battery must be connected first for charging to take place. The “plus” cable, or red cable, is what you need. The positive end of the battery should be connected to the cable.
• Link the battery’s negative terminal to the negative end of the wire. The negative-sign cable, or black cable, is this.
• To avoid electrocution, avoid touching anything that isn’t covered with rubber.
• Alter the charger’s settings to suit your needs in terms of voltage and current. Lawn mower batteries typically have a voltage of 12 volts. Higher current speeds up the battery’s charging process. Two amps as a starting point, with a maximum of ten amps. It’s better to charge slowly.

A new battery should be used if you notice the old one won’t retain a charge. Batteries for 12-volt lawn mowers may be found at most any hardware or auto parts shop. Batteries might also be purchased from the local Spartan lawn mower dealer.

The used battery should be brought along. In most cases, you’ll have to pay a core fee if you don’t bring in your old battery. The typical basic charge is $20.

A Spartan Mower with a Faulty Safety Switch

Spartan seats include a panic button as part of the operator presence system. A switch beneath the driver’s seat detects whether someone is behind the wheel.

The blades of the mowers won’t start up until the user is standing quite near to the machine.

A failure of the seat switch may prevent the machine from detecting human control. The safety system will not allow the blades to turn on if a malfunctioning seat switch is detected.

A multimeter test or temporary disabling of the safety switch are also options if you suspect a defective seat switch. Mowers are dangerous to use without the safety switch in the on position.

Always check that the safety switches on your equipment are in good working order.

Spartan Lawnmower Blown Fuse

When the clutch doesn’t work, a blown fuse might be to fault since the battery isn’t getting power to the clutch. The fuse prevents damage to the Spartan mower’s electrical components in the event of a short circuit or overload.

In the event of a blown fuse, replace it with one with the same amperage rating. Send it to a Spartan service dealership or a lawn mower repair shop if the electrical issues persist.