PTO Shaft - locking collar

[snowman]

Went to take my MMM off of my B7500 yesterday, and could not get the MMM PTO shaft off of the tractor.

Apparently the mechanism (spring) inside the collar that pushes the ball back up when you pull back on the collar is broken.

I can pull the collar back easily enough, but the shaft is not unlocking, so I can't pull it off the tractor.

Before I destroy it by cutting or grinding it off, does anyone know of a an easiter way to get this off?

Thanks.

 

[KennyV]

A little rust or dirt can keep the check balls from sliding out of their caged spot…

some spray lube and lightly tapping around on the pto coupler will free it up … (do this while pulling the spring loaded collar.) KennyV.

 

[snowman]

Thanks KennyV for the quick reply. I'll give that a shot. The collar moved pretty easily though (didn't seem to have as much resistance as it usually does), which kind of leads me to believe something actually broke inside.

 

[KennyV]

With the balls stuck in the grove on the pto shaft, The collar will move easily, as you are only moving the collar out of the way of the balls.

A few sharp thumps with a mallet or chunk of hard wood, while you hold the spring collar toward release should free it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. KennyV.

 

[markct]

give it a good jarring with a hammer to rattle the balls around, most likely they are just rusty and stuck

 

[SeymourBota]

I assume the shaft is like my BX2200's. Is the FEL on your 7500?
The first thing I would do is lift the front end and drop the mower and slide it out. The 2 pieces of the PTO driveshaft should separate if you slide the mower forward first, then out the side. This would leave only the rear half of the driveshaft to work around.
After that, I think the advice already on this post is excellent.

 

[snowman]

Thanks for all of the replies - I'll give it a few whacks and see what happens.

I have had the mower on for much longer than I normally do. Usual schedule is mow, then take it off to move dirt, etc. However, it's been so wet where I need to do dirt work that I haven't been able to, so i've probably had the mower on for close to two months, all the while sitting outside.

I've also been clearing a field, including small saplings (.25 to .5" at most), which may have helped jam it up.

 

[snowman]

SeymourBota - yeah - I did have the FEL on and did lift it up to slide the mower off, so I'm just left with the 8" or so piece of the PTO shaft hanging onto the tractor.

I bungee'd it up for now. Not too much of a problem until I need to use the rear blower to push snow banks back. I just want to fix it before I accidently engage the PTO and whack the h_ll out of the bottom of my tractor!

Thanks.

 

[Glenn9643]

Snowman,
I've got one implement with a locking collar that's always difficult to remove. Probably need to grease it again. Anyhow, I've been using a flat-bar nail puller to pry it off. My problem isn't the ball sticking, but the darn thing just won't slip off the stub as it should. The flat-bar gets it moving every time! You might try something like that...

 

[GaryK]

I've got a locking collar on my MMM that gives me grief once in awhile, the secret is to keep it lubed and clean as well as the splines on the shaft