3901 HST RPM for engaging PTO vs RPM for operation

[CindyCRNA]

Getting ready to mow and for the life of me, I cannot remember what RPM to use to engage the PTO. Haven't mowed since last fall and a wet spring has backed everything up a bit here. I am new to this tractor. I believe it is 2300 RPM to engage then......3000 for operation? Running a brush hog.

 

[RBA50]

I always engage my PTO at a dead idle, then bring the throttle up to PTO speed. YMMV

 

[rScotty]

Getting ready to mow and for the life of me, I cannot remember what RPM to use to engage the PTO. Haven't mowed since last fall and a wet spring has backed everything up a bit here. I am new to this tractor. I believe it is 2300 RPM to engage then......3000 for operation? Running a brush hog.

I always engage my PTO at a dead idle, then bring the throttle up to PTO speed. YMMV

That's what I would do. I'm a long time tractor guy and not sure there is a hard and fast rule on this, but there is "good practice". I'd try it at low idle at first - and if it bogs engine down then next time try engaging at a 100 RPM higher. Continue until it "feels" and sounds good.
Engaging at 2300 seems way to high to me. Expecting gears to mesh when something is turning that fast is just asking for a broken PTO gear. That 2300 sounds more like an RPM you would advance to for heavy cutting than a speed at which you would engage the PTO.

BTW, I don't necessarily run it at the "rated" RPM either. I consider that the rated PTO speed is simply the engine RPM at which the PTO is turning 540 RPM and for some jobs that is right but not for all. I will rarely exceed the rated RPM, and then only for a tiny bit and not for long. But I will commonly back off on the engine RPM until the mower is running smoothly for the cutting conditions and the tractor speed over the ground.

Some Kubotas had a foot clutch along with the HST. Ours does, and it would be nice if every tractor had a manual PTO clutch. It it has a manual PTO clutch or a foot clutch then use that when engaging the PTO. With a clutch you can engage the PTO at any RPM without stressing the gears. But even then, it is better to engage at a low RPM and and then once engaged raise the RPM up to operating RPM just slightly before or as you start moving forward.
enjoy,
rScotty

 

[oosik]

I have two vehicles that have PTO operation.

My JD X570 riding mower. It has a button for electric PTO - on/off. I engage at just a tad above dead idle.

My Kubota M6040 - it has a lever that enacts the PTO operation. Again, I initiate operation at around 850 rpms. Slowly but positively push the lever forward. When all is up and spinning - bring the tractor up to PTO speed. 2160 engine rpm = 540 PTO rpm.

 

[Fallon]

Engage the PTO as low of RPMs as you can without stalling the engine.

The economy Ls use a foot clutch to engage the PTO (at least my old L3200 did). So you can engage it pretty gently. The faster it engages the easier it is on the clutch though.

On my L4060 & other Grands it's just a switch (electric over hydraulic). There is no way to ease on the PTO clutch. I've stalled it a few times with my heavy flail mower. So I kick it up from an idle to 1,000rpm or so before engaging. It will usually engage at an idle, but I'd rather wear the clutch out a bit more than stall the engine. My tiller has almost no load when it's lifted out of the ground unlike the flail,, so I pay less attention to engine RPM when engaging the PTO. High or low RPM there is no engine bogging or prolonged clutch slipping.

Engaging any kind of clutch at higher than needed RPMs will just wear the clutch out faster for little to no benefit.

 

[Roadworthy]

My Kubota mechanic suggested depressing the clutch and engaging PTO at idle, then bring it up to speed. He strongly recommended depressing the clutch when disengaging the PTO as well as just popping it out of PTO can potentially cause undue wear to PTO gear faces.

 

[5030]

Engaging at 2300 seems way to high to me. Expecting gears to mesh when something is turning that fast is just asking for a broken PTO gear. That 2300 sounds more like an RPM you would advance to for heavy cutting than a speed at which you would engage the PTO.

Not so much gears, it's hell on the PTO clutch.

 

[CindyCRNA]

It has a clutch . Run the RPM up to speed (I will get the book out, ) depress the clutch, engage the PTO and slowly back off the clutch which allows it to slowly spin up the PTO. I don't know why but I love that sound!

 

[number two]

OMG-Please don't!

Please let out the clutch smoothly at idle after you engage the PTO.
Then,and only then,increase the RPMs.

Good Luck!

 

[4570Man]

It’ll probably stall the tractor at idle but engage it at as slow of an RPM as possible. 1200-1500 will probably work.

 

[Grandad4]

It has a clutch . Run the RPM up to speed

NOOOO! Please read all these replies. These guys are right! Keep the RPM as low as you can without stalling the engine.

 

[RalphVa]

Getting ready to mow and for the life of me, I cannot remember what RPM to use to engage the PTO. Haven't mowed since last fall and a wet spring has backed everything up a bit here. I am new to this tractor. I believe it is 2300 RPM to engage then......3000 for operation? Running a brush hog.

You should have enough hp to engage at idle speed. I do this on the 2025R and did on the 1025R. The 4010 with only 18.5 hp needed to be revved a bit. Otherwise, it would die.

 

[CindyCRNA]

It’ll probably stall the tractor at idle but engage it at as slow of an RPM as possible. 1200-1500 will probably work.

I'm going to call the dealer but I think the RPM is 1600. I'm calling this morning.

 

[5030]

It has a clutch . Run the RPM up to speed (I will get the book out, ) depress the clutch, engage the PTO and slowly back off the clutch which allows it to slowly spin up the PTO. I don't know why but I love that sound!

Not sure what the travelling clutch has to do with the pto engagement in as much as 99% of tractors made in the last 30 years are live pto (which means the pto has nothing to do with the travelling clutch and is driven with a wet clutch pack inside the transmission). The travelling clutch should be fully engaged before engaging the pto clutch and the motor should be at an idle or just above an idle when engaging to mitigate wear on the pto clutch plates.

Running the pto up to speed (not engaged and then engaging the pto will only hasten the demise of the pto clutch pack and nothing else and you won't 'love' the replacement cost as it involves a teardown of the gearbox in most cases.

 

[5030]

You should have enough hp to engage at idle speed. I do this on the 2025R and did on the 1025R. The 4010 with only 18.5 hp needed to be revved a bit. Otherwise, it would die.

I have that issue with my disc bine. Takes a bit to get it rolling so engaging at an idle will stall even my 90 pto horsepower Kubota's. I have to bring the rpm up slightly to get the machine rolling, a couple hundred rpm usually does the deed with some black smoke from the exhaust stack. Every other powered implement (even my round bailer with a partial round in the bale chamber) is at an idle. Diesels, unlike gas engines, experience what is called 'torque rise' and that is when the engine adds more fuel to compensate for the imposed load. Gas engines don't do that, just diesels because of the way they fuel themselves.

 

[Fallon]

Not sure what the travelling clutch has to do with the pto engagement in as much as 99% of tractors made in the last 30 years are live pto (which means the pto has nothing to do with the travelling clutch and is driven with a wet clutch pack inside the transmission). The travelling clutch should be fully engaged before engaging the pto clutch and the motor should be at an idle or just above an idle when engaging to mitigate wear on the pto clutch plates.

Running the pto up to speed (not engaged and then engaging the pto will only hasten the demise of the pto clutch pack and nothing else and you won't 'love' the replacement cost as it involves a teardown of the gearbox in most cases.

Economy Ls have a dry 2 stage live clutch. There is no independent clutch or separate clutch pack inside the tranny. You have to split the tractor to replace it.

 

[5030]

Never owned one so I'll take your word on it.

I went from HST directly to hydraulic shuttle with a gear drive final and no clutch at all. All that is in the bellhousing is a damper plate.

Don't want a dry clutch in a tractor at all actually.

 

[CindyCRNA]

1600 RPM, slowly let the clutch out to engage, mow at 2600.

 

[Fallon]

Never owned one so I'll take your word on it.

I went from HST directly to hydraulic shuttle with a gear drive final and no clutch at all. All that is in the bellhousing is a damper plate.

Don't want a dry clutch in a tractor at all actually.

My L3200hst had the 2 stage clutch. 99% sure current economy Ls are the same way.. May as well have been a 1 stage. It got used for 2 things. Depressing the clutch safety switch to start it & starting the PTO. I generally didn't bother with the clutch stopping things, just made sure the PTO was under no load when I pulled it out of gear. The HST took care of any other needs you might use a clutch for. I guess they kept it the same as the geared models for simplicity sake.

The new Geand L has no clutch between the engine & tranny. Just a independent wet clutch for the PTO.

 

[sandyc]

On every tractor I’ve had I would engage the mid or rear pto at idle. Once it was fully engaged I would increase rpms to match the need. Heavy vs dry snow etc.