PTO Spline alignment

[budman72]

I'm pretty new, so here's my first dumb question. I took the 3ph mower off my JD 4200. No problem till I tried to hook it back up. Is there an easy way to align the splines on the pto to the shaft? I ended up raising the deck and turning the blades by hand (with the key in my pocket!) - not the best way to do it and I can't imagine doing it that way with other implements. So what is the best way?

Thanks,

Bud

[Old_Wanker]

Im not aware of any easier way. Its trial, error and skinned knuckles. Your smart to put the key in your pocket though. Its awfully tempting to do otherwise.

[Bird]

I guess my PTOs never had a brake, so I just always turned the PTO output shaft on the tractor with one hand to line mine up while holding the implement driveshaft against it with the other hand.

[MrP]

I agree with Bird, just turn the PTO connect (tractor) until the splines line up. You get your hands (or gloves) greasy, but I can't walk by the tractor without getting greasy.

If your PTO locks, then disconnect the PTO shaft from the mower, hook up the shaft to the tractor and manually turn the mowers PTO connect until it lines up.

Hope that helps.

[Kelvin]

I also agree with Bird. That works for me on my hydrostat drive B2150, and also for me with my gear drive B7100.

If the PTO gear is not engaged then the PTO shaft should be easy to spin by hand.

Kelvin

[nicklan]

Kelvin,
Must be nice - my pto shaft on my TC40D doesn't turn. And to make things worse, my RD8400 turns so hard I have to use a small bar in the knuckle to turn it.
Nick

[Old_Wanker]

my RD8400 turns so hard I have to use a small bar in the knuckle to turn it.

Ill tell you what - it makes you appreciate the torque that is transmitted on one of these shafts! That sounds like a good way to do it though.

Theres also the roulette method. Just fire up the tractor and spin the PTO. Now turn the tractor off and try getting the PTO shaft on again. You may be luckier this time. I always give this a try before too much sweating happens. I have enough scars on my knuckles to last the rest of my life.

[nicklan]

Old Wanker
I have tried the pto on/off method, but I found it more frustrating than helpful [img]/w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif[/img]
Nick

[EdKing]

If your PTO does not spin freely, you can do what I did. I purchased a PTO over-run clutch at the now defunct Quality Farm & Fleet. Cost about $30 before discount. It prevents PTO driven attachments from pushing your tractor due to built up momentum when you turn off your PTO. The nice thing about the over run clutch is it spins freely in one direction, making it easy to align the splines on the PTO shaft. It is probably not needed on newer tractors, I purchased it mistakenly right after I first got my tractor, but it does make hookup nice. The only down side is it adds about 6 inches to the length of the PTO shaft on the tractor, possibly making it nessisary to shorten the length of the PTO shaft on the implement.

[MDNick]

Budman72,

I am not knew at this at all, and had the same problem. I grew up on farm tractors that the PTO easily spinned on and making the connection was simple, just turn the shaft by hand (by a few fingers, actually) a little and on it went. And no, we never even thought about shutting the tractor down when performing this maneuver. With my L3010DT, the PTO shaft does not turn, there is some kind of resistance you can feel when the tractor is running. It will turn but only by grabbing firmly with both hands. Not possible when trying to align splines. I think it is the PTO break that stops equipment from freewheeling when you shut the PTO down. With the engine off it turns more freely, but not like the 2 farm tractors of my Dad's, they don't have a break. A smart operator doesn't really need one, they use the engine to slow the equipment down to idle, then shut it off. From an idle everything will stop running in just a few seconds.

On the L3010DT, the PTO is hydraulically engaged, with the lever at the right rear corner behind the 3ph control. What I do is study the splines on both sides of the connection and bump the pto shaft just a touch (easy enough with the control lever, from behind the tractor) until the splines look to be lined up. After one or 2 bumps, I usually have things lined up enough that it goes right on. I would prefer to be able to freely turn the shaft by hand, but this works for me. I exepct it is highly tractor dependent, though.

On my brush hog I can usually turn it a bit by hand to get it to line up, can't be done on my finish mower, to much to turn.

Whatever technique works for you, be careful. If you are not comfortable making the connection with the engine running, don't do it. Personally, I am not phased in the least by making the connection with the tractor running. But that's me, and I am a certified explosive handler at work, so risk is not something I take lightly.

Nick