How much HP needed to cut honeysuckle vines.

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> a farmer I Knew broke his power takeoff shaft on his JD B while running his rotary mower over honeysuckle vines.</font>
Interesting...the shear pin on the mower should have broken long before the PTO shaft.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Not always will it happen that way though. I worked for the County highway dept. as a summer help laborer the summer after I graduated high school and I was on the mownig crew most of the summer. Anyway I had the mainshaft break between the gearbox and the stump jumper while I engaged the pto with the mower still lifted up and in the middle of a roadway. I also saw a pto shaft on a 7610 Ford break right off of the tractor while running a 15' batwing mower in grass. It didn't hit anything and wasn't overworked, just a slight ditch the guy was crossing and I guess it was enough f a bind that POW and there it went. Even over engine noise and stuff on my tractor I could hear the pto shaft making all sorts of racket bouncing around.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm surprised about the 7610 dropping on while mowing. The other one though.. On some mowers when the wings are up, if you engage the pto it will bind at the u-joints and bust something.

At least on the 7610, they can just pull a snap ring and slide the old shaft out.. and a new one it..

Soundguy

 

[JFM]

Well, I made the plunge today and bought the Ford 641. After getting everyone's recommendations, I first decided on the MF 135, but someone beat me to it. However, I'm satisfied with my purchase. Thank all of you for your comments. You have been very helpful.
JFM

 

[Soundguy]

That ford should serve you well.

I have a NAA ( as well as other fords ).. and the NAA is a close cousin to the 600 series. Just a few mechanical and cosmetic differences.. mainly the rear hubs, hyd pump, steering box, and the nose badge.

Soundguy

 

[Birdhunter1]

Sorry soundguy, I thought I had put this in thier but I didn't. The stump jumper fell out of a 6' bushhog behind a John Deere 5410 I bellieve is was it was. I don't remeber the exact model number of the tractor, all I remeber about it was that I didn't like it and it was TOO top heavy for mowing the roadbanks I was on. That particualr day my tractor was in the shop and I was on someone elses because they were gone.
First day on the mowing crew I was put on an old Ford 3400 Deisel. It was OLD too. Anyway everyone else had done claimed a machine, and all the others (with a 6' hog instead of a batwing) were new or a few years old, this was out of the 60's I'd say. By the end of the summer everyone wanted the 3400 I was on, it had a low slung belly to it, a VERY WIDE stance and it would climb a hill anywhere and side trek it lke no other machine I have ever been on and it woudl churn it's way through mud very well too. i wish I could have bought that thing when it was up for auction a few years ago.