Mowing IH 254 PTO question

[duby13]

Hello. I just picked up an IH 254 compact tractor. My question is on the PTO. According to TractorData.com, this model should have a live PTO. However, in practice, the PTO disengages when the clutch pedal is pressed all the way down. I had read that some machines used a dual clutch set-up, where you pressed the clutch down half way to disengage the transmission while the PTO kept turning. The only way the PTO would disengage would be if you pressed the clutch all the way down. I tried this on my tractor, and it did not work, as both the transmission & PTO disengaged & engaged at the same points.

Can anybody say for sure how this PTO is supposed to work?

Thanks.

Mike

[Fossil Farm]

It is working properly. Early tractors had ground driven PTO's which did not work unless the tractor was moving. Live PTO basically works with the tractor running. Pushing in the clutch is a safety feature so you do not either snap the PTO or possible engine problems if you need to quickly stop the PTO from spinning. Pushing in the clutch is easier than throwing out the PTO lever when in a panic mode if you hit a rock brushhogging or suck in a large clump of hay when baling.