PTO
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workinonit
Elite Member
Without the PTO you will just be dragging a box behind your tractor. PTO=power take off. Rotary power to drive the moving parts of implements such as flail mowers. I'm not aware of a tractor that you can purchase without it.
I am wondering how many hp I should be looking for. I know i need it but I just don't know how much. Power take off, so the hp it takes to run a implement? If I have 19 pto hp and the add says 20 hp, my 24 hp tractor would not work for that? lol sorry I am so uneducated about this.
workinonit
Elite Member
Most implements have a conservative rating. If something is rated at 20 PTO HP and your tractor is 19 PTO HP you should be fine. PTO HP differs from engine HP due to losses from the engine to the PTO shaft. You should purcahse a tractor based on the PTO HP you need.
RalphVa
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2003
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- 7,885
- Location
- Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Tractor
- JD 2025R, previously Gravely 5650 & JD 4010 & JD 1025R
My first tractor, a JD 4010 like a 2019E if made, had only 18.5 engine hp. Was completely fine for 4 ft bush hogging and Mackissic chipping/shredding that I did mostly. Also ran a 5 ft back blade, BIG FEL and carryall. The present 2025R is way overpowered with 24.5 hp.
Ralph
Ralph
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Since you are kind of new to PTO, lets take a moment to discuss the safety aspects of PTO operation. Like anything else there is no reason to have a great fear of PTO operation, but some common sense rules and practices are in order here so that you have a healthy respect for the PTO and any shafts you hook to it.
Lets start with an obvious one: Don't try to hook or unhook the PTO shaft of an PTO driven implement while the engine of the tractor is running. You should always do it with the engine shut off.
You should keep the PTO shaft guards in place. They are there to protect you or some other careless person from coming in contact with the spinning PTO shaft. In simple terms stay the He77 away from the PTO shaft at any time the engine is running. Many people have been sucked into an uncovered PTO shaft by their loose clothing, hanging jewelry or long hair. The guards and covers will help prevent that from happening. And while staying away from a rotating shaft seems like a "no-brainer" and should not even have to be mentioned, yet many people have been maimed or killed by doing this very thing.
Just how this happens, and how could anyone be so careless is a mystery to me, but the stats are the stats.
Once you get your tractor and the first time you hook up the PTO shaft of your implement to the PTO splines on the tractor, this will be a good learning experience for you, and possibly will even increase your swear word vocabulary. There are tips and tricks and things to experience. Just think back to these words. There are many threads here concerning PTO hookup. Good luck.
Lets start with an obvious one: Don't try to hook or unhook the PTO shaft of an PTO driven implement while the engine of the tractor is running. You should always do it with the engine shut off.
You should keep the PTO shaft guards in place. They are there to protect you or some other careless person from coming in contact with the spinning PTO shaft. In simple terms stay the He77 away from the PTO shaft at any time the engine is running. Many people have been sucked into an uncovered PTO shaft by their loose clothing, hanging jewelry or long hair. The guards and covers will help prevent that from happening. And while staying away from a rotating shaft seems like a "no-brainer" and should not even have to be mentioned, yet many people have been maimed or killed by doing this very thing.
Just how this happens, and how could anyone be so careless is a mystery to me, but the stats are the stats.
Once you get your tractor and the first time you hook up the PTO shaft of your implement to the PTO splines on the tractor, this will be a good learning experience for you, and possibly will even increase your swear word vocabulary. There are tips and tricks and things to experience. Just think back to these words. There are many threads here concerning PTO hookup. Good luck.
ericm979
Super Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2016
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- 5,813
- Location
- Santa Cruz Mountains CA, Southern OR
- Tractor
- Branson 3725H Deere 5105
With a mower you can slow the tractor down if it bogs due to thick grass. That's easier with an HST than with gears. With the HST you just let off the pedal. With gears you'll have to clutch, stop, shift to a lower gear, then get going again. (some larger geared tractors have transmissions that let you shift while moving).
You need to keep the engine at a certain rpm to get the correct 540 rpm at the PTO. Often it's marked on the tach. So you can't just reduce engine rpm to slow the tractor as that will also reduce implement rpm.
The general rule of thumb for mowers is 5hp/foot of mower width though that varies with the type of mower. Flails seem to require a little more power than rotaries.
Some tractors have two speed PTO gearboxes giving you an "economy" PTO drive where the engine is turning slower than the usual PTO rpm while the PTO is still at 540. On my tractor regular PTO engine rpm is 2400 while E-pto is 1850. You'll have less power but it's quieter.
You need to keep the engine at a certain rpm to get the correct 540 rpm at the PTO. Often it's marked on the tach. So you can't just reduce engine rpm to slow the tractor as that will also reduce implement rpm.
The general rule of thumb for mowers is 5hp/foot of mower width though that varies with the type of mower. Flails seem to require a little more power than rotaries.
Some tractors have two speed PTO gearboxes giving you an "economy" PTO drive where the engine is turning slower than the usual PTO rpm while the PTO is still at 540. On my tractor regular PTO engine rpm is 2400 while E-pto is 1850. You'll have less power but it's quieter.
RjCorazza
Elite Member
As has been mentioned, PTO hp requirements specified by implement manufacturers are generally on the conservative side. If you don't have either the tractor or implement yet, post some combinations you are considering and there will likely be someone here with a similar combination that can weigh in.
3gunr
Veteran Member
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- Apr 17, 2018
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- wentzville mo
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- mahindra 2538 mahindra 2810 cub cadet 7260 massey 255
Most pto powered implements are rated at Pto hp. There is no seperate hp , You just lose a few hp from the engine to the pto.
