It's a good thing my wife is going to be at her parents for at least another month. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up another tractor, which will be #4. It's a 1987 Ariens GT-18. All I know about it at this point is that it was parked when the starter went out, but was running except for that. I did stop on my way home tonight to get a quick look at it and it isn't as bad as the HT-16 that I sold last week, so there's hope I guess. The tires are all either very low or completely flat. So far, that's what I know. Pictures tomorrow.
Freebie
kklowell
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How is the electrical problem coming?
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Jacks was the cheapest I could find at $31.45 plus shipping. Right now these will be bought one at a time.
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Well I was hoping that you folks would have figured out this electrical situation by now. Cause My GT18 is doing all of the exact same stuff. I did replace a bad PTO switch and "supposedly" the new ignition switch was an "official" Ariens item, but I am still having all of the same issues as kklowell. I've even gone so far as letting the problem rest 
for five months, hoping that it would just mysteriously disappear. But that DIDN'T happen.
MikeC
for five months, hoping that it would just mysteriously disappear. But that DIDN'T happen.MikeC
Several years back, I was a maintenance carpenter for Pella windows in one of their window manufacturing plants. I had a nice carpenter shop, well stocked with tools. Multiple cordless drills, impacts that I kept in a tool cabinet. I would get out tools that I was using on projects, I would go get some fasteners from the stock room, get called to a work station on the floor, etc. I would come back and sometimes maybe a drill, hammer, wrench would not be where I thought I left it. I would look around the shop, check the tool cabinet, go look in the stock room or go back out on the floor (285,000 square feet) to see if I had left it there along with thinking I was loosing my mind. Pretty soon a maintenance tech, engineer, machine operator would walk back in with said tool. I explained to them that the tool cabinet was full of tools and that my job didn't include setting tools out for them and I had spent 45 minutes looking for what they had borrowed. Some interesting conversations ensued!
As for misplacing things at home, happens all the time!
CCMoe
As for misplacing things at home, happens all the time!
CCMoe
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New ignition switch is no guarantee it works. Did that once. It started just fine the first three time and them no such luck.
Not sure just how your tractors are equipped gauge wise. You either have an ammeter or a volt meter. Are you getting current to the meter. This would be the first indication the switch is not working with shifter safety bypassed and pto's off. Seat switch is only involved when the tractor is in motion. If you have current to the meter is the starter solenoid clicking when the switch it turned to start. I have gotten mine to start by temporally using a jumper wire from the ignition switch battery terminal to the battery positive. If it starts and runs by that method only use the jumper wire long enough to start the tractor and disconnect it. Things tend to get a little smoky and the time delay really hates it. At around $200 a poop and a new wire harness you don't want to damage to many time delays. These are just the obvious without getting into the wiring harness.
Not sure just how your tractors are equipped gauge wise. You either have an ammeter or a volt meter. Are you getting current to the meter. This would be the first indication the switch is not working with shifter safety bypassed and pto's off. Seat switch is only involved when the tractor is in motion. If you have current to the meter is the starter solenoid clicking when the switch it turned to start. I have gotten mine to start by temporally using a jumper wire from the ignition switch battery terminal to the battery positive. If it starts and runs by that method only use the jumper wire long enough to start the tractor and disconnect it. Things tend to get a little smoky and the time delay really hates it. At around $200 a poop and a new wire harness you don't want to damage to many time delays. These are just the obvious without getting into the wiring harness.
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Ok..update.
There is voltage on the back of the amp (or volts...truthfully, I've never really looked at to know which it is)meter, and when I unplugged the timer module, I found some voltage on one of the pins there, but certainly not 12 volts because my test light was barely lit. Then I bypassed the timer by plugging a jumper in that connects all 3 wires. Immediately I heard a relay start a light buzzing. I turned the key, and sure enough, the engine started. Ideas?
There is voltage on the back of the amp (or volts...truthfully, I've never really looked at to know which it is)meter, and when I unplugged the timer module, I found some voltage on one of the pins there, but certainly not 12 volts because my test light was barely lit. Then I bypassed the timer by plugging a jumper in that connects all 3 wires. Immediately I heard a relay start a light buzzing. I turned the key, and sure enough, the engine started. Ideas?
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Well, I've looked for my phone while talking on it, and glasses while wearing them, so it isn't going to be me who laughs at you!
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Will have to get back to you on that one. Been out all day get abused by the Gravely LI mowing grass.
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Some thing is still wrong here. There should not be any current even going to the time delay or the relay at this point. Just the Ignition, Battery & Start on the ignitions switch. The off side of the PTO's. The Hydro lever switch, volt or ammeter, fuse, starter relay and starter. If you have close the seat switch or opened the shift selector switch it would explain the need to bypass the timer the way you did.
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I think someone has already done it successfully. You may need to keep the narrow wheel spacing to clear the seat pan but I would try the wide spacing first just to see if it works.
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The shifter will need to be in park to close the switch. Upon farther observation it should not make any difference if the seat switch is open or closed until the shifter is removed from park.
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So, a jumper to temporarily replicate the closed switch should have the same effect as the actual switch when the lever is in park?
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Yes
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