Hooking Up PTO Shaft w/ Land Pride Quick Hitch and Top & Tilt

[LPSteinmetz]

Hello,

I am having a heck of a time installing my PTO shaft when hooking up my Land Pride brush hog. The problem is that with the Quick-Hitch there is not as much room to work. It is next to impossible for me by myself to lean over the interferences while holding the heavy PTO shaft and pull back on the lock ring all at the same time. I have to have my wife help me.

I was curious if anyone else is having this problem or if I am missing some trick for doing this? I am going to go out and take another look at it today but I was wondering if anyone extends out their PTO shaft and installs it on the tractor and THEN hook up the brush hog to the Quick Hitch or is this is a no-no? Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

 

[KennyV]

If it is easier for you to do the pto shaft first... then do it, I'm sure you will pay attention to the rest of the hook up, so No problem. KennyV

 

[bcp]

I was wondering if anyone extends out their PTO shaft and installs it on the tractor and THEN hook up the brush hog to the Quick Hitch or is this is a no-no? Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

Yes, much easier that way.

Bruce

 

[LPSteinmetz]

Yes, much easier that way.

Bruce

Thanks...will have to give that a try when I hook it up next...thought I was going to have the chance today but had cement contractors over so didn't get around to it.

 

[Deerherd]

I hook the brush hog up first to the quick hitch and then raise it until the shaft hangs almost level with the PTO and then it's very easy to hook up the PTO shaft.

 

[Fallon]

I hook up my impliments to the QH then the PTO. I try to keep the PTO gear well lubed so it slides on as easily as possible. Sometime it fights me a fair bit though.

The flail I often disconnect at the gearbox as it has a tractor side pin on both ends. Hook it to the tractor, then the flail. All my other mowers, tillers & blowers don't have a quick mechanism on the implement end to do that though.

 

[blackdog2086]

You can also loop a bungie cord or piece of rope from your pto shaft to the top bar of the quick hitch to hold the shaft in place while you work the lock ring onto the shaft.

 

[LPSteinmetz]

I hook up my impliments to the QH then the PTO. I try to keep the PTO gear well lubed so it slides on as easily as possible. Sometime it fights me a fair bit though.

The flail I often disconnect at the gearbox as it has a tractor side pin on both ends. Hook it to the tractor, then the flail. All my other mowers, tillers & blowers don't have a quick mechanism on the implement end to do that though.

Good point about keeping things lubed up! I try to do that as much as possible and have found that it definitely helps me when trying to hook up a PTO shaft.

My chipper can be disconnected from either end but my brush hog does not have a QD.

 

[LPSteinmetz]

You can also loop a bungie cord or piece of rope from your pto shaft to the top bar of the quick hitch to hold the shaft in place while you work the lock ring onto the shaft.

Thanks...seems too simple and makes me wonder why I never thought of it!?! I will definitely give this a shot next time!

 

[JWR]

Yes, much easier that way.

Bruce

I have had intense frustrations with attaching the universal joint on a drive shaft to the PTO. That includes larger 48 and 81 horse tractors and 3 different Kubotas. Universal problem. Seems even worse on the bigger machines. You describe the awkward "hard-to-hold-and do it" mess beautifully. Add to that the difficulty of applying any forward force on the universal joint as it touches the PTO shaft. I have improvised more than one long lever for that purpose which of course requires at least 3 hands.

In most cases I see the implement (bush hog) end of the drive line is not so easy to get apart or to put back together. Often it is bolted or secured in some way to the Bush Hog input shaft, sometimes encumbered by a slip-clutch, always covered up with sheet metal protective stuff, etc. I'm not so sure that is "easier" though as BCP suggests it should be one heck of a lot easier out where you can reach and work on it. I've always ended up concluding that "If I could get the u-joint and shaft onto the PTO while disconnected from the hog I could just as well have done it while connected to the hog."
Being bigger and stronger probably helps -- considering I am an old short guy.

Note: If someone invents a device that you latch on to a u-joint and drive shaft which will "automatically" shove the blasted thing up onto the PTO and latch it -- that person will become very wealthy.