2022 LT46 Cub Cadet Stalling problems

[Chauncey the Gardener]

Hello Cubs Only forum members. I am a newbie, and this is my first post. I purchased a used (2022 mfg date) LT46 lawn tractor/mower private sale. The
battery was dead (weird) so I purchased a new Interstate Battery 330 cca. It starts well with the new battery. Oh, and I had to sharpen the blades, they were pretty bad. So that's the backstory.

Now I get to mowing with it and with the blades engaged (manual PTO) it stalls frequently. It seemed at first like it happened on uneven ground however I cannot say it is always the case. It starts right back up, but often stalls again when I engage the PTO. So....I must have restarted it 20 or 30 times to mow 3/4 acre. I don't want to keep it up, as it's a pain in back plus not good for the machine. It has the 7000 series Kohler 23 hp twin with the variable speed transmission operated by the right foot pedal (forward/ backwards). Note: without the blades engaged you can run it all over the place and not stall it. I am not a mechanic, and my dear wife thinks I should have bought a new one. Any advice will be appreciated. Oh, I did think about gas, but I have run most of the original gas out. It's diluted with fresh, but didn't solve the issue.
Best, Chauncey the Gardner (aka Dana)

[Oyerk]

Something you might be able to try is unplugging the battery when you start the mower. It sounds kinda stupid, but it is a fix I had to apply with my garden tractor. my mower would stall out because the alternator would overload the motor. So as a blanket fix, I'd try that. No promises and this wont exactly fix it in the long run.

[evhevh]

You have a twin cylinder engine and I wonder if only one cylinder is working. Sounds like when it has load it stalls out. Try starting it and pull spark plug wire off the plug (one at a time) and see if the engine sound changes or dies. It should run on one cylinder.

[West Valley G]

If it is stalling immediately upon engaging the PTO. It might make
one suspicious of a safety as well as the other things mentioned.
It might be thinking you are not in the seat when the PTO engages.
That will kill it. Might have a wire to safeties grounding out somewhere
or a safety switch failing..

Ken

[CubDieselFan]

Sounds like it could be starving for fuel under load. Time for a fuel system cleaning. I would start at the Carb.

[Chauncey the Gardener]

Originally Posted by Oyerk

Something you might be able to try is unplugging the battery when you start the mower. It sounds kinda stupid, but it is a fix I had to apply with my garden tractor. my mower would stall out because the alternator would overload the motor. So as a blanket fix, I'd try that. No promises and this wont exactly fix it in the long run.

I will try it next time I get it out of the garage. It's raining like stink here right now.
Thank you for the idea.

[Chauncey the Gardener]

Originally Posted by evhevh

You have a twin cylinder engine and I wonder if only one cylinder is working. Sounds like when it has load it stalls out. Try starting it and pull spark plug wire off the plug (one at a time) and see if the engine sound changes or dies. It should run on one cylinder.

I can try that, however without the PTO engaged it is running OK. As a matter of course, and because of the troubles I will check the plugs. Funny thing is that it mows with power and vigor...until it cuts completely out.

[Chauncey the Gardener]

Originally Posted by West Valley G

If it is stalling immediately upon engaging the PTO. It might make
one suspicious of a safety as well as the other things mentioned.
It might be thinking you are not in the seat when the PTO engages.
That will kill it. Might have a wire to safeties grounding out somewhere
or a safety switch failing..

Ken

This is how it is acting. At one point I thought I was bouncing on the seat, however on level, smoother land it would also cut out. This is what I will chase first, because it only kills the blades (PTO) like you say, "as a safety feature" so I will try to find the wires responsible for safety switches. Any idea where to start?

[West Valley G]

You will need to look at wiring diagram for the machine. I believe it is on
the site here. I would just attach it here but I sure have a hard time
doing things like that. Hopefully one of the technologically advanced folks
here can tell you where it is.
I would start by checking continuity of the wiring involved in the safety
switches. Then begin checking the switches themselves. Especially the
PTO and the seat switches.
Do you have a multi meter you can use to get started?

Ken

[West Valley G]

On second thought you may not find that diagram on the site here
I would think if a dug around on the world wide web it should be around.

Ken