for a period of time, MTD manual archives did contain a series of free downloadable service manual files for the 1500 series CC tractors. To obtain such, one needs the machine's full technical model number and serial number; entering same to the website for access below. They may still be available.
Within those files are sections addressing the grist of this thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: MTD manual Archives

So, after I replaced the battery, PTO Switch, the relay AND the PTO Clutch itself and I STILL had the issue, I found a little red wire (hot) that was supposed to be connected to the Reverse Safety Switch at the top of the transmission (under the seat and you need to remove the tire to see it) by way of an "L" shaped female paddle connector. The wire had broken off of the connector and was shorting whenever the bouncing mower made it touch metal.

I suspected the reverse safety switch because I was able to mow by engaging the safety switch override on the ignition switch.

Problem is, the wire is an inch too short to re-connect, so a 2" piece of 14 gauge wire, a wire connector and a new female paddle connector and all appears to be ok (I mowed an acre yesterday and no PTO cut-outs).

Whomever designed the wiring on this mower needs to go to design school. This particular wire actually rides on top of the spring that returns the Forward/Reverse drive pedal back to neutral state. I used electrical tape to suspend the repaired wire so it doesn't touch the spring anymore as I'm SURE that is what caused the issue.

Best of Luck!

This post was edited by SKS425 on Fri, Sep 19, 14 at 9:54

My cub blades turn slow to much grass they stop and after awhile of mowing it acts like it runs out of gas and dies but it don't have a fuel problem could this all be in the key wiring problems like y'all have had

I had the same problem with my 2007 LT1050. My wife likes to mow our yard and has been complaining that the mower blades disconnect randomly. The only fix is to always keep the reverse safety switch on.

After reading this thread, I removed the right rear tire and found the same problem described above. Both the red (hot) and green (ground) wires were completely cut. I spliced in longer pieces of wire and reattached with cable ties to the frame to prevent the issue from happening in the future. This fixed the problem and everything is running fine again. However, I can see this problem reoccurring as the green ground wired is actually attached to the transmission linkage and moves back and forth with the linkage. Talk about a bad design! If this happens again I will try moving the green ground wire to the frame somewhere away from the transmission linkage, springs and moving parts.

While I like my Cub Cadet (I bought it used, 1 year old with very low hours on it), terrible design issues are what would keep me from purchasing another from this manufacturer. As an example, to replace the transmission drive belt (connects the lower engine drive pulley to the rear transaxle), you have to unbolt and raise the engine...what a hassle!

We have an older 1860 (bought new Dec'91) Cub Cadet with 50in mower deck. As soon as you engage blades, PTO shuts off blades. We have replaced PTO switch and Ignition switch. Didn't help! It had the under the seat safety switch that shutoff engine when you got off the seat...that has been disconnceted since we owned the mower...also battery(heavy duty) is new this season! Also since we installed new ignition switch mower will not start on it's own with jumping with screwdriver at the solenoid. What is this problem???

New to the group but I am experiencing a very similar issue as described here. And after reading through the thread, I thought I might as well share and see if anyone had experienced the issue that I just found this afternoon.

Model: 13AQ92AP010 (SLTX 1050) SN: 1C249H30150 Year: 2009

Problem: PTO is constantly disengaging, so I removed the right-rear tire to check for broken/loose wires but they both look fine (green ground and white/black). I tried it today after checking the cables and the PTO would barely come on to mow anything. After basically giving up, I raised the deck (forgetting the PTO was still engaged since it wasn't working) to just take it to the garage. When I did this, the PTO suddenly engaged... lower the deck to the 2nd/3rd position to where I normally cut and it would go off again. Raise the deck and it works, lower the deck and it's disengaged! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

sounds as if PTO circuit is intermittently making-breaking (Not shorting, elst there'd be blown fuses) . Might try removing deck and then repeating deck raise/lower function in an effort to spot what wire/connection is being disturbed. The deck being out of the way with the rear tire removed should give you very good visibility as to what is happening underneath....?

Thanks rexlex, I'll give that a shot!

Problem solved! Turns out that when the deck was lowered, the belt was very loose. As they started to replace the belt, they discovered the bearings were gone in one of the pulleys. New belt + new pulley + labor = $102 and 1 happy guy!!

allus likes them thumbs up..... :)

Ok. On my LT 1045 cub cadet i was having the same issue whit the pto. It run for a little bit and shut off. I run all the test for power to it , continuity . I take it. Out too put it back together and still was having the same issue whit it.... In the rear right side where the reverse and forward linkage arm. Conects to the transmission. Is. Two wires. One is green and the other is red. To being able to see them you have to remove the tire This two wires. Was broke off reason is.. They have movement when you push the pedal this wires also move back and forward. I make them longer and put electrical tape around for protection conect them red to red . Green to green and take it for a test. Pto engage and stay that way. I mowe my two acres yard. Whit no problem ....

Can the back safety relay be eliminated ?

on yer own there, son... the legal beagles make fooling with safety items a touchy subj in a public forum like this....

have a 1050 lt 2006 cub cadet. Went to cut my grass & the blades would not engage--not even a sound. Does anyone have any ideas why???

belt slipped off, good as new now

Team, I had very similar problems with my Cub Cadet 2012 model LTX 1050. The issue started out as a broken deck belt but being I am a novice I replaced the deck and drive belt. After replacing the belts the PTO still failed to operate properly. I took everything apart again and realized the main pulley for the clutch was damaged. The cylinder wall and keyway was cracked. I ordered a new pulley and reassembled, however I still experienced the same issue. So I then began to focus on the electrical system and found two damaged wires at the PTO connection. After splicing new wire my issue is resolved. Hopefully, my post saves someone else some time.

#Keep God First In All You Do!

Trevis

I bought my cub cadet LT1042 in 2005 and the PTO will turn off if I accelerate. Any ideas on how I can fix this?

If your mower switch allows you to select to mow in reverse, select that position and see what happens. So many of the wiring harnesses break at the reverse sensing switch and then the wire hits the frame and the PTO circuit believes it is in reverse.

Check the PTO cutoff switch behind the right rear tire. Wheel must be
removed first. I think I posted this solution so you may want to check
previous posts. Bad design by Cub Cadet, the accelerator pedal linkage rubs
the PTO cutoff wire, eventually the wire fails or becomes shorted when the pedal is pressed. Should be an easy do it yourself fix.

Just want to give a quick shout out to Sks425, Sgtofmarines177595 and Bshipman0. You guys were right on the money concerning the loose red (reverse lead) and green (ground lead) wires that came loose on my used LT1046 Cub Cadet! I was having a problem of the PTO switch disengaging while going medium to fast speed.

After I removed the right rear tire and re-spliced the wires ( and zipped tied them to the frame), all was well again!!! I spend about $20 total on wire, wire connectors (yes, I know I could of used ducted tape).

Thanks ya'll! I look like a hero in front of my new wife in our new home :-)

I have and XT1 LT 50. Ran great for the first season without any issues. I have taken it out for this season, cleaned and sharpened everything, installed new air filter, fuel filter and fuel pump trying to solve my issue. I can drive it all day long without issue but when i engage the pto it will run for about a minute then the engine will die as if i turned off the key. Thinking it might be the battery but hoping someone had and fixed this same issue before dumping more money into it.

I've had a similar problem with the PTO on my GT2521, a few years old but runs great. In all the years I've had it, the PTO would stay engaged and I could cut in both forward and reverse, I had it served this spring and now the PTO will only engage in forward and automatically cuts off if I reverse. after a while if I forget to disengage the PTO before I reverse, I cannot re-engage and if I turn the tractor off, it will not restart. I have replaced the fuses behind the dash as I thought they looked suspicious, recharged the battery and it did start. but it does happen everytime I mow the lawn. I called the repair shop that did the maintenance and he said it was a safety issue with the reverse shut off. what can I do to get it back the way it was? Is it a simple readjustment? thanks

See wiring solution above. It's not the reverse safety switch itself and there is no adjustment. It's the wiring. Easy fix for the doityourselfer . It's just a bad design issue that will ultimately impact all these tractors.

I have a 1525 Cub Cadet the pto kept cutting off. There is a wire behind the rear right wheel that broke, whenever it touches metal the pto cuts off. Pull the wheel and reach behind the metal housing to find the wire. Tape it off and that will solve the problem. The pto will not cut off when in reverse but I prefer that.

Same problem on LT1050... both wires cut... can't locate where the red wire goes... can anyone help with the location of the red? already fixed the green

I have a GT 1054 tractor with a 717-17774C PTO. I lost the 732-0814 PTO extension spring and can't seem to get the replacement installed properly. Any help/pictures appreciated.

For the last few years , they have put a spring on some from the pto clutch to either the frame rail or a cross support to help with chatter. So you will have a locator slot that a bracket holds the pto clutch. The spring goes in the hole opposite that slot.

I have an Lt1042 and saw some comments about the red wire and green tire behind the rear tyre. Where exactly does the PTO red wire connect to because I'm struggling to find where it connects to. Does it connect to behind the bolt like the green one or does it go somewhere else. I see a hole which looks like where the red goes to.

I need a specific picture where the red wire is supposed to be connected.

Pto relay switch is connected to the reverse switch safety interlock located just behind the rear wheel frame . Both the red (hot) and the green ground are routed behind the right rear tire .

I know where the 2 wires are located but I just need to know where (exactly) the red wire is supposed to connect to. If there is a picture of where the end connects to that would be great.

Do you know what a interlock switch is ? There are two involving the pto , one by the pto switch and one by the reverse lever on the transmission . The red wire is connected to both of these interlocks switches . Sorry have no pics . Check the Cub Cadet site for schematic downloads .

On the models with the contact switch by the RR wheel, the wires complete a ground circuit to sense reverse presence.

So I connect the new red wire at this white switch?

That is not a safety interlock switch , rather a 5 or 6 pin wiring connector . However the red wire may have broken off either side of it which leads to the pto or reverse interlocks . If enough wire is exposed you could splice back into this connector .

I know what a safety interlock but yet to locate this. However can you confirm th picture below if that is where the red wire is supposed to connect to. If that is it how do I connect to it?

Can,t determine anything from these pic,s other than broken red wire and green ground located below the hydro transmission fan . Can you see the electric clutch wires to relay ?

When the wire momentarily grounds your clutch will kick out. Take your chassis number from under your seat and find a parts listing, looking for the contact switch. The loom on these that break are too short so if you want a functional reverse sensing switch you will need to extend them.

Same here. Picked a 1042 up for less than a song, reworked a few items...mitems...mainlg got it running & mowing ( I normally stay within JD 300 series tractors )

Sold to a friend ( we all know how that turns out...sout...same problem. Half forward speed deck died.

Anyway I found service manual for it atat. manualslib.com. very good manual & free

Good deal. Less than a song? Like a whistle? :)

Thanks, folks, for all the good clues on the red wire issue above! I have a 2009 LTX1046 and had the same symptoms with the PTO cutting off at medium speed, as well as the no-reverse cut-off. I added 6 inches of wire, soldered and taped, to both the green and red (mine was black and white, but I traced it upstream and found red) wires.

To answer the question from HU-680248234 above, yessir, you were correct, that was the location of the red wire connection. Note that what you were referring to is actually a blade electrical connector. I pulled it off with needle-nosed pliers and replaced with a new one soldered onto the end of my red wire. After reinstalling, give it a squeeze with pliers to ensure the new one stays in place. Views below are from below and the top (through the battery hole).

i was having the same issue turned out on mine the wires that go to the safety switch under the seat had gotten into the fan on the rear axle and were broke when the deck was up the PTO engaged fine and would stay on but when i lowered it the cables must have been causing it to short out, spliced the back together and works fine now.

Just did a search for why my CC1050 pto kept cutting out and came across this page. Sure enough the red reverse safety wire was broken. I spliced in a new piece and mowed an acre with no problems, and the Reverse cut out works too. CHECK YOUR RED WIRE! Thanks for the help!!!

Can someone post a video of fixing this problem with these two wires

Problems with your Cub Cadet LT 1046 blades disengaging every time you try to mow the lawn. I tried new pto switches and numerous other things to fix it. Everything online is not the answer to your problem. I fixed the problem today. Looking at the cub cadet from the rear on the rear right wheel: remove wheel

Then look at the transmission spring just above it is a green wire. Thats your ground wire if its not attached to the metal bar right there then fix the green ground wire and re attach it. Problem fixed. This is the correct answer to your problems. Don't worry about the red wire near it if its not attached to anything electrical tape it up and leave it alone. Now go mow your lawn without beating the crap out of your lawn mower because it keeps disengaging. Don't be like me hahaha.

On my 2010 ltx1050 it was the red and black wires coming out of the clutch. They must have moved during the many deck removals and belt changes. The clutch pulley cut through the protective cover and the wires. So check this area as well.

I have a 2019 Cub cadet zero turn mower when you engage the blade and start cutting the blades disengage what would cause that

If your pto stays engaged but the blades stop spinning make sure your deck is leveled to factory specs. Any shift in deck level too much one way or another will cause your belt to flop loosely when the pto arm is fully engaged and your blades won't spin unless you put pressure on the pto arm pushing it towards the off position at which point your belt has more tension at that point.

Check voltage in battery. Deck dropping out is first to go...need voltage to hold magnet in

Your the Best. Thanks from Kentucky