Evworld, I have an official Deere technical manual, and I cannot find any instructions for leveling the deck! I'll keep looking. In the meantime, here are a few things to check: Make sure the tires are properly inflated; front tires should have 12 lbs, rear tires 8 lbs. Make sure that neither blades nor spindles are bent. Between the two blades, tips that vary up to 1/4 inch are within tolerance. Check that the gauge wheels are set at the same height; they should NOT contact the ground when you are running on flat, smooth ground. I'll look in the manual some more, but I have two STX-38's (several years) and have never had a problem with the decks getting out-of-level, except when tire pressure isn't equal. Sometimes new folks on the forum can't find their way back, so I'll assume that you asked that responses be emailed to you, and include the web address: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tractor/msg0507384229168.html?1

I guess my tired old eyes missed the part about having alread replaced the PTO clutch. So that would seem to eliminate excessive current draw by the clutch itself. Before you resort to adding any "non-OEM" switches, you need to check the resistance in the wiring from the PTO switch down to the PTO clutch connector with the clutch unplugged. You also need to test the ground side of the PTO connector (on the chassis harness, not the clutch pigtail) to see whether the ground side is sound. If the stx 38 has a PTO interlock module, it's possible there could be a faulty connection in the wiring, but not having a schematic for stx 38 makes it impossible for me to say for sure. Normally, PTO interlock circuits only inhibit the electric starter from engaging ifthe PTO switch is engaged (so it will not start if blades are on). Tractors that have interlock systems featuring "no mow in reverse gear" will have a switch to sense reverse gear and some have a switch to "over-rule" that so you can mow in reverse after setting the over-rule switch. If the stx 38 has this feature, the reverse sensing switch could be faulty, or the over-rule switch itself might be faulty.

The PTO clutch on the tractor is electro-magnetic and takes a lot of current to operate. If you have a low battery condition this will stop the tractor because you don't have enough voltage to run the ignition system with the PTO turned on. First, check the battery voltage with the tractor off. You should have about 12.75 to 13+ volts (depending on the age and condition of the battery). If the battery voltage is low you could have one or more of the following problems: 1. Old battery that will not hold a charge - needs replacement. 2. Bad voltage regulator - battery is not being charged and electrical system is running on low voltage when the engine is on and the PTO draws enough to shutoff the tractor. 3. Bad stator - battery is not being charged. Of the three possibilities - 1 & 2 are the most common. A bad stator is the least likely but, you can easily narrow this down. Start the tractor and check the battery voltage. If the stator and voltage regulator are working correctly, you should have 14+ volts at the battery. If you do not have 14+ volts with the motor running, then the battery is not being charged - and there is probably not electricity being supplied to run the electro-magnetic PTO clutch + ignition. You can sort this out by starting the engine and pulling the connector from the voltage regulator and looking for AC voltage using a multi-meter. I do not know the exact terminals on that engine - but, you should be able to find a service manual on line in electronic format for about $8.00. Otherwise, you can do this by a process of elimination. Put the probe in the top left contact and check the other contacts sequentially. What you're looking for is about 30 Volts AC from the stator. Then go to the second contact, repeat, etc. If you don't find the voltage - bad stator. This really isn't as likely as a bad voltage regulator. Voltage regulators have diodes in them and other semi-conductors and after being continually exposed to heat, vibration, etc. - they go bad. So, check the voltage regulator with a multi-meter on the Ohms setting. Most of the resistances should be in the 4.5 mega-Ohm area. If you find opens or low Ohm readings between contacts on the voltage regulator - it needs to be replaced. My guess - it's the voltage regulator and you will find several "open" conditions. I just replaced the voltage regulator on a John Deere garden tractor because the PTO would not stay engaged and the battery was always low. If you find the voltage regulator is bad, in your case I would replace both the voltage regulator and battery if the battery is over 2-3 years old as constantly running it in a discharged state has probably compromised the battery's ability to hold a charge.

I suspect that the problem is lack of good ground between the PTO clutch and the tractor frame, please test this. This is the black wire that comes out of the PTO clutch wiring harness and goes to the tractor frame nearby. Just looking at the ground point isn't enough; you have to make certain that there is good contact. If you find that you absolutely, positively have good ground, then move on to the next suggestions You need a test meter to run down some things. Follow these steps: Transmission in neutral, brake engaged, key switch ON (but engine not running), PTO switch ON. Meter's negative lead (black wire) connected to battery negative terminal. Touch meter positive lead (red wire) to battery pos. terminal. Should get reading between 11.8 and 13.2 volts. If not, test battery. Touch meter pos lead to the key switch terminal where the red wire is connected. Should get battery voltage reading. If not, check the pos. battery cable from battery to solenoid, and test the red wire. Touch meter pos lead to key switch terminal where the yellow wire is connected. Should get bat. voltage. If not, replace key switch. Touch meter pos lead to the PTO switch yellow wire connection. Should get bat. voltage. If not, test yellow wire. Touch meter pos lead to PTO switch blue wire connection. Should get bat. voltage. If not, PTO switch is bad. Touch meter pos lead to PTO clutch blue wire. Should get bat. voltage. If not, test blue wire. NOW, turn key switch OFF. Set meter to resistance. Touch meter pos lead to PTO clutch black wire. Should get maximum of 0.1 OHMS. If not, test black wire from PTO clutch to where the wire is grounded to the frame. Also, check the battery negative cable for good ground.