Mowing What is the proper shutdown procedure for PTO rotary cutter operation Kubota L3301 ?

[The Deerslayer]

I have a big 'ol Wallenstein chipper, BX62S, with a 200# flywheel. I start at idle and slowly engage the chipper with the PTO lever. I then increase rpm's up to operational speed. To shutdown - I bring the tractor to idle and once there, I slowly disengage the chipper with the PTO lever.

This is, in fact, the way Wallenstein recommends that it be done. I would doubt there are any PTO driven implements that recommend either engagement or disengagement at anything other than idle or near idle speeds. To do otherwise places undue loads on drivelines and components.

Same process done here with all my PTO implements.

 

[s219]

I have a big 'ol Wallenstein chipper, BX62S, with a 200# flywheel. I start at idle and slowly engage the chipper with the PTO lever. I then increase rpm's up to operational speed. To shutdown - I bring the tractor to idle and once there, I slowly disengage the chipper with the PTO lever.

This is, in fact, the way Wallenstein recommends that it be done. I would doubt there are any PTO driven implements that recommend either engagement or disengagement at anything other than idle or near idle speeds. To do otherwise places undue loads on drivelines and components.

I start my Wallenstein chipper the same way as you. To shut down however, I press and hold in the foot clutch on my tractor (which disengages engine from PTO and transmission). I then throttle down the engine to idle normally. Once the chipper has stopped spinning I disengage the PTO and let the clutch pedal back out. I could certainly idle the engine down with the PTO and chipper still engaged, but would have to do it very very slowly for the chipper's flywheel to not overrun everything else and defeat the purpose of idling down slowly. By disengaging the clutch I basically take the engine out of the picture and let the chipper flywheel and PTO slow down to a stop at their own pace, uncoupled from the engine. So the PTO gets disengaged at zero RPM.

 

[Kimberry]

This was exactly why I posted this question originally. Everyone has a slightly different way of starting and stopping flywheel type implements.

I was surprised that Kubota didn't have a checklist similar to a pilot's checklist.

Everyone is right. my technique is most most similar to s219 's steps.

Danny.

 

[TerryR]

To shut down however, I press and hold in the foot clutch on my tractor (which disengages engine from PTO and transmission). I then throttle down the engine to idle normally. Once the chipper has stopped spinning I disengage the PTO and let the clutch pedal back out. I could certainly idle the engine down with the PTO and chipper still engaged, but would have to do it very very slowly for the chipper's flywheel to not overrun everything else and defeat the purpose of idling down slowly.

What is the issue with letting the engine slow down the PTO load? Maybe you have an overrunning clutch that defeats that?

To me the best practice is to let the engine compression slow down the load more quickly so it is safe to dismount sooner. That's what I do with all my "flywheel" PTO implements - rotary cutter, chipper, and leaf vac.

 

[Utopia Texas]

Thanks for this question. I want to borrow my neighbours bush hog, and haven't hooked up a PTO driven implement yet to my B2650. I'm now led to believe, with the idle down, PTO lever to on, and then idle up and use it. When stopping, idle back down, and slide PTO lever to off.

The B2650 idles at 1100 rpm even with the AC off and even at that slowest speed engaging the PTO on a bush hog is pretty traumatic. It is the first hydrostatic tractor I have ever owned without a clutch pedal. I can't imagine what engaging a post hole digger must be like!

 

[s219]

What is the issue with letting the engine slow down the PTO load? Maybe you have an overrunning clutch that defeats that?

To me the best practice is to let the engine compression slow down the load more quickly so it is safe to dismount sooner. That's what I do with all my "flywheel" PTO implements - rotary cutter, chipper, and leaf vac.

Knowing how all the big heavy flywheel implements behave -- some have a massive amount of inertia -- my thought is to let the implements slow down all by themselves naturally. No need to get the engine in the way acting as a brake. It doesn't take very long for the implements slow down by themselves.

 

[N80]

It is all about a thing they call "mechanical sympathy". Some come by it naturally. For some it has to be learned. For most of us it is a combination of both.

 

[wagne223]

Correct me if I'm wrong........The best method of shutdown depends on how your tractor is equipped.
Live PTO with no PTO brake you can just push in the clutch. But if it has a PTO Brake you can wear it out doing this.
I dont know how a trans PTO works......
Independent PTO usually has a brake that applies when PTO lever or button is disengaged.....so if the implement is at speed, you are stressing/wearing out the brake.
If you have an overrun clutch then no matter what the implement will slow on its own.
If you are not sure, it is best to slowly reduce engine speed and disengage PTO from idle.......just like it is best to engage from idle and power it up.....

 

[tcreeley]

I drop the idle, shift the range gear into neutral, and the column gear into neutral. step on the clutch again and shift the pto lever into neutral.
The pto shaft matches the speed of my engine rpm. I always lower the the rpms before shifting in or out.

 

[CincyFlyer]

My Mahindra has a lever to send power to the PTO clutch, which then has push button (unlike the previous one, which only had a lever), so there's no easing into it. I have a stump grinder with a couple of hundred pounds of flywheel, so I'm engaging at idle. It does drag the engine down for a second (as does grinding too quickly and deep on a walnut stump!)