HOOKING UP BUSHHOG

[VA Rebel]

You'll have to make your call on the length of your pto shaft, but dont make it too short. Before you cut it, take it totally in half and grease both male and female halves. Put it back together and see if it has any extra clearance. Also grease the coupler and spline on the tractor.

On my John Deere, I move the pto selector lever to the mid pto position. This allows the rear pto to spin freely for easy hook ups between pto implements. Try this on your TC40.

 

[RalphVa]

I've all my implements on dollies, except for the back blade. It sits on 3 boards and is fairly light and will scoot easily on the boards.

The brush hog is on a couple castors mounted on a 1 by that extends underneath the front of the skid. I've elbow brackets near the ends to sit the skids between these.

For putting the PTO shaft on, I find the best thing is to disengage it. My tractor has a front PTO as well; so, I put the PTO selector in the front position. This allows me to turn the PTO shaft by hand while I hold the PTO from the brush hog up against it. AFTER it slides onto the shaft, THEN I pull back the locking collar and slide it further on. THEN I give it a tug back, just to make sure it locked. I usually also have a tension cord around the PTO from the brush hog or at least a chain (the chain I use for the top connection) supporting it. After putting the shaft in place, I remove the chain or tension cord.

The chipper/shredder has a pin that locks and unlocks the collar. I still slide it on, turning the PTO shaft by hand until I get spline meshing, before pushing the pin.

Ralph

 

[F=ma]

To follow-up on Ralph's post. were you able to turn the PTO shaft freely in order to line up the splines? Dunno about the TC40, but my 'Bota's shaft is only freed by depressing the clutch and holding it in place with a little catch rod that's mounted near the floorboard.

 

[woodchuckie]

I couldn't seem to align the splines, retract the lock collar and push the coupler onto the PTO shaft simultaneously.

I just noticed on mine the other day that the indentions for the lock collar are a little ways up on the shaft. So I can slide it onto the shaft and then retract the collar. It slides right on.

 

[Slamfire]

Before I got my quick hitch, I used to park mine so the stump jumper centered an old trailer tire and wheel. Made it real easy to get the lower links hooked up. Then I shorted my shaft so I could back up a short slope without binding.
After I got the Harbor Freight quick hitch I had to find a pto extention, so the shaft wasn't too short. Your implements will be about 4" further to the rear, with that wonderful quick hitch.

 

[JerryG]

Like Brian said in post #9 , it shouldn't take but 5 minutes tops. Practice is what it takes as well as some basics.
Brian was right on how to hook them up, but I would like to add a bit. When you go to connect the lower arms, connect the arm that is non-adjustable first then the adjustable arm. That way you are using the lift to align the non-adjustable arm, then you can use the adjustable arm to get that side hooked up. If you follow these suggestions, it won't be not time until you are changing implements in just a few minutes.

 

[RoyJackson]

Before I got my quick hitch, I used to park mine so the stump jumper centered an old trailer tire and wheel. Made it real easy to get the lower links hooked up.

That's an interesting idea!

 

[scott_vt]

That's an interesting idea!

Mornin Roy,
Actually that is an interesting idea ! A little "rock and roll" might do the trick !

 

[bjr]

The one suggestion I haven't seen is: Why not connect the PTO up first, then back up a smidge more and connect the draft arms? A little bit long may be a blessing here. If I can I hook the PTO shaft up first then the draft arms. Just makes sense to me. Clean the tractor out put shaft real good with some PB Blaster and a wire brush and do the same with female drive line and use one of them smaller tooth brush size wire brushes that you can get from a welding supply house, clean, clean and oil up then it will slid on when you want it to. bjr

 

[flINTLOCK]

When determining how much to shorten the shafts, I guess I should check the amount of overlap with HTL extended. That position should require the most shaft length. How much overlap is recommended?? 4 inches or so.