PTO shaft cannot extend!

[rambler]

Has anyone used brake fluid as a penetrating oil? It was recommended to me at a salvage yard to free up a bearing on a sliding door and it seemed to work well. They say that is what they use and in their buisness I am sure they deal with a lot of rusted bolts.

Acetone & tranny fluid is a very common home-made penetrating oil, many say it beats the boughten ones.

As to the chains on the pto shields, that sure seems like a strange thing, I've been around farm equipment all my life, and only ran into one implement so far. Certainly I have older stuff, but.... Don't see the point to the chains, all you do is burn up the sheild's contact point. If the shield is free to rotate, then it will do it's job. The little chains seems like an odd fix to a problem that isn't there.

If you didn't get any, don't worry about it, just have a freely spinning shield and you'll be fine. My opinion. I'm sure I'm totally wrong, but there are bigger safety hazards than if the chain is there or not.

--->Paul

 

[Conservation]

I'm not at all worried about it. My counterfiet used equipment cannot be made safe in every situation. One has to know to stay clear of a rotating pto shaft at all times. The old plastic one on my brush hog has worked fine for years and years with no maintenance under about the worst conditions you can have. The outer shaft still spins free of the inner shaft.
A buddy mentioned the trans fluid and acetone. Cheap enough. I have some pb I will try soaking the shaft with.

 

[Conservation]

The moral of this story is if you leave the mower outside remove the PTO shaft in the fall, clean and lube, stow it it away in a dry area and re-attach in the spring. The mower is still deemed moveable without the PTO attached. I know this is a lot of work for some folks but so is dealing with a rusted stuck PTO shaft.

It was in the barn, but I didn't use it last season. So time was on corrision's side for sure. I am usually pretty good about lubing before we put away, but I recall when I unhooked the pto I jerked it back to all the way colapsed, and couldn't get it apart at the weird angle I was working at. So I left it. not thinking it would be so long before I used it again.

 

[Conservation]

Fixed!
I pb blasted it everywhere I could reach into the shaft. Soaked it. Beat with a hammer, and it just gently let go. The shaft was dirty and rusty. So I cleaned it up with some light sanding and wd40. Cleaned and greased, and good as new. The guard was interesting. The neighbor showed me how those come apart. The white button gets pryed up, and then you use pliers to slide it out. Three per side. Only needed to take off the one side to clean. Ran out of day light to try it out. Tomorrow if no rain.
Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[gwdixon]

It was in the barn, but I didn't use it last season. So time was on corrision's side for sure. I am usually pretty good about lubing before we put away, but I recall when I unhooked the pto I jerked it back to all the way colapsed, and couldn't get it apart at the weird angle I was working at. So I left it. not thinking it would be so long before I used it again.

Don't know if it has been mentioned yet but storing the PTO shaft in two pieces will solve any sticking problems.

 

[super55]

This may seem out of the ordinary but I have had success getting PTO shafts to break free using carb cleaner instead of penetrating oil. Usually the grease used is thicker than sin and high viscosity. Add in dirt and grime from using the implement and the stuff practically becomes putty. In my experience it seems the grease a lot of times is more of the culprit for it seizing than corrosion of the metal is.

 

[gwdixon]

This may seem out of the ordinary but I have had success getting PTO shafts to break free using carb cleaner instead of penetrating oil. Usually the grease used is thicker than sin and high viscosity. Add in dirt and grime from using the implement and the stuff practically becomes putty. In my experience it seems the grease a lot of times is more of the culprit for it seizing than corrosion of the metal is.

Not at all out of the ordinary. Old grease will absolutely gum up the works.

Usually it will not completely seize up however. The carb cleaner is a good idea for loosening old grease. Also, later in the day when it is warmer will help things slide.

Most of the problems come from lack of a lubricant between sliding metal parts causing them to rust or corrode together. Neglect or ignorance (not the bad kind of ignorance - just uninformed) is also a major factor.

 

[Soundguy]

i'm late to the thread, but what i've done is take the pto shaft loose of the gearbox and then stand it up in a bucket of diesel. it will capilary action / wick into the joint. after a few days.. flip it over and let it do the same on the other side.

this generally helps at least get some lube into the shaft so then you can start tugging on it and leaving it in tension.. etc.

soundguy