jd gt 245 pto clutch disengages randomly

have a gt 245 lawn tractor, 54 in deck 20 hp kawasaki engine with about 700 hours or so on it. after mowing for an hour or so, the mower pto clutch will disengage and turn off the mower. it will turn right back on when you hit the switch. i did clean up the electrical connections and recently replaced the voltage regulator (battery light started flashing). is the clutch wearing out? i did some searches on line, there was a post that the air gap on the clutch needs adjustment but could find no info on how to do that. any thoughts?

Check the air gap on the clutch.

Check the safety switch on the seat. My neighbors old 318 will do they when a lighter person drives it and bounces enough to disengage it. Try securing it closed and see if that solves your problem. Then you can work out a safer solution if it is.

I don't think the air gap would disengage the clutch. Keep it from engaging, yes, but once it's engaged it should stay engaged until the magnet is de-energized.

Somehow the magnet coil is loosing it's power source, or there is an internal short/open in the coil.

Being it immediately reconnects when the switch is cycled, I would suspect the switch is failing. To verify it is the switch, you could bypass the connection with a jumper wire. But, be sure you are on the correct terminals! There are several terminals on the switch. Jumping the wrong ones could be a costly mistake.

There are other safety switches that control the clutch. Finding an intermittent problem can be difficult, a matter of catching it in the act. A wiring diagram would be helpful to see what all is in the clutch circuit.

Just the nature of the beast makes the wiring to the clutch subject to vibration and damage. Most have a plug near the clutch harness, might check that connection, and the harness in the area of the clutch.

If there was a previous problem with the charging system, as in the battery discharging while running, the clutch could have been damaged. If the voltage dropped to the point the clutch was slipping, it would have overheated and could have damaged the insulation in the magnet coil or the incoming wire harness. Look for heat discoloration on any clutch related components.

(quoted from post at 08:44:44 06/28/19) have a gt 245 lawn tractor, 54 in deck 20 hp kawasaki engine with about 700 hours or so on it. after mowing for an hour or so, the mower pto clutch will disengage and turn off the mower. it will turn right back on when you hit the switch. i did clean up the electrical connections and recently replaced the voltage regulator (battery light started flashing). is the clutch wearing out? i did some searches on line, there was a post that the air gap on the clutch needs adjustment but could find no info on how to do that. any thoughts?

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Did you tighten up ALL electrical connections every where?
As well as making sure all ground connections are good.
Clean battery terminals and connections until shiny and smooth.

Operator is wiggling around in the seat and is tripping the safety switch . It is worse when the seat is set back for tall operators and a short operator is at the controls .

Glenn try the seat safety switch first. Then look at the wiring going to the electric clutch. It is attached to the inside of the mower frame with a clip. The wiggling when in use can sometimes break the wire in the insulation. I have had to splice in a short piece of wire on several for this reason.

I'll second that !