PTO shaft won't slide out or in

[Pooh_Bear]

I need the PTO shaft on my finish mower to telescope out a few inches. Right now it won't move. I beat on it with a hammer. I chained the finish mower to a tree and chained the drive shaft to the drawbar and tried to pull it apart. All I did was spin the tires. Tried jerking it several times like that but it must be stuck good.
Anybody got any better ideas for getting it apart? I don't want to have to buy a whole new drive shaft. But that's looking like my only option.

Pooh Bear

 

[Glen Watkins]

I had to do the same thing once. Spray it with penetrating oil of choice let it soak in good chain one end of shaft to tree and the other end to truck and go!

 

[sweettractors]

I need the PTO shaft on my finish mower to telescope out a few inches. Right now it won't move. I beat on it with a hammer. I chained the finish mower to a tree and chained the drive shaft to the drawbar and tried to pull it apart. All I did was spin the tires. Tried jerking it several times like that but it must be stuck good.
Anybody got any better ideas for getting it apart? I don't want to have to buy a whole new drive shaft. But that's looking like my only option.

Pooh Bear

Do what you did earlier and this time add penetrating oil and lots of heat and peck on the tubing with a hammer while putting pressure on it. Be careful and wear safety glases. Ken Sweet

 

[Pooh_Bear]

My 8N tractor is the strongest thing I have to pull on it with.
And all it did was spin the tires. I'll try some oil on it too.

How about cutting the plastic shield off of it and heating it.
Anybody think that would help any? I'm open to ideas.

Yeah, I thought about pulling pressure on it and tapping it with a hammer. I might try that tomorrow. I need to mow soon.

Pooh Bear

 

[Soundguy]

so far you are on track to ruin the mower gearbox input shaft bearing and seal, perhaps the box itself.

unpin the shaft from the mower, put some penetrant down the shaft pieces.. grease any zerks it may have if it has zerks inthe half shafts.

if there is no shield, then put her in tension fhru the yoke ends so as not to stress the u joints, then tap on the shaft all the way down and around with a ballpeen.. should start braking loose.. retension and repeat with the penetrant and tapping.

once apart, sand the OD of the inner shaft piece, then clean the ID of the outter sleave .. grease liberally and put back together.

soundguy

 

[fractal]

Another vote for take the shaft off the tractor and apply lots and lots of penetrating liquid.

I had a tiller where the tines stuck to the shaft. Application of force resulted in the tines separating from the tube which remained stuck to the shaft. No amount of liquid wrench, wd40, diesel or heat combined with application of force would knock it loose. Then I bought a can of pb blaster and it came apart after the third application of squirt, hammer and wait.

I then had to weld the tines back on the tube, clean the rust off the shaft with steel wool, slather the shaft with axle grease and put it back together.

Tying it to a tree and pulling like heck sounds like something I would do, but a more gentle approach is more likely to yield satisfactory results.

edit: you should not need to "cut" the shield off. The last one I took off was held on with press pins.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

Yes, I was worried about damaging the gearbox.
And I have no idea how much force the drawbar will take.
I'll remove the pto shaft from the mower before any more abuse.
I didn't think I would have to pull on it that hard.

Only grease zerks are on the U joints.
No way to grease the sliding shaft parts.

Pooh Bear

 

[Skyco]

No way to grease the sliding shaft parts.

Yes there is, which was probably never done, hence the problem you have now.
If you get it apart and cleaned up, dip your finger in a tub of grease and coat the inner part well....this is one time you can't get too much on.

 

[the6shooter]

pb blaster is the way to go, wd-40 is a wast of time and $$. spray it lat it soak spray it again and it'll come apart.
david

 

[the6shooter]

just a note after the pb blaster, it will melt off the old grease so don't forget to regrease it.