cannot remove PTO SHAFT FROM TRACTOR — RESOLVED!!!

[S854]

I put my Danuser F8 on my MF135 about a month ago… everything went as smooth as can be expected attaching a PHD during the attaching phase… Poked several holes in the ground with no issues…

Now I’m trying to get the thing off… unfortunately the PTO shaft is stuck on the PTO drive… the spring-loaded release collar moves forward easy enough…it feels normal… the spline on the PTO shaft moves about an eighth of an inch in relation to the splined drive (with the collar released)… so I don’t think the issue is with the splines themselves…

I’ve tried:
Seafoam DeepCreep in the release collar, also, sprayed in at both ends Of the splines…
A crowbar to pry the splines apart
Engaging the PTO (engine off) and tapping the U-joint back and forth rotation wise
come-along attached to the splines to pull it away from the tractor
Heated the splines (gently) with a torch
Extending and compressing the shaft (lifted the auger and moved it forward and aft)
Crowbar prying while rotating the shaft by hand and tapping the U-joint with a hammer

…and probably a few things I have forgotten…

it feels as though there’s a “mechanical” interference keeping it in place… like one of the ball bearings under the release collar isn’t retracting…

Anyone else experience this kind of thing? …and how was it solved?

 

[ptsg]

Try move the collar backwards. Some collars you have to push forward to release, others you have to pull back to release.

 

[seville009]

Sometimes it just takes time to get it just right, but it should come off.

Raise the phd so that the shaft is parallel to the ground (as little angle as possible) and then try to remove it.

Make sure the pto is in neutral - that sometimes helps.

Is your pro shaft in two sections? If it is, unhook the phd and pull forward with the tractor very slowly to separate the sections of the shaft. You will end up with the piece attached to the pto still hanging - should be much easier to then detach.

If none of that works, walk away from it until tomorrow and try it again.

 

[jeff9366]

T-B-N ARCHIVE:
PTO shaft stuck to tractor site:tractorbynet.com

 

[Roadworthy]

Perhaps you're turning your release collar the wrong way. I have to turn mine to the right to get the balls to release which to me is counterintuitive.

 

[oosik]

I pull back on the collar to release the PTO shaft from the tractor. Then pull back on the PTO shaft. When attaching - pull back on the collar - push the PTO shaft forward.

 

[Wagtail]

As has been suggested above.

That being said, I always 'lanolin' spray both the PTO and the PTO shaft prior to attachment. Just something to remember.

Under this circumstance, perhaps you could ensure that the the implement is raised as horizontal as possible to ensure a 'straight' extraction.

Best of 'luck' and please let us know how you make out.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I bought a used winch. I could not remove the shaft from the winch to cut it to fit my tractor. Ended up having to disassemble the U-joint and use a hub puller to get it off. What I found was the the splines around the locking groove on the winch shaft were mushroomed which I was able to fix with some careful filing. The clearances are very small. I could feel it but it was a struggle to see it. I think ?? the shaft was too long for the previous owner and the locking pin got forced or pounded against the ends of the splines to mushroom them.

gg

 

[S854]

T-B-N ARCHIVE:
PTO shaft stuck to tractor site:tractorbynet.com

I pull back on the collar to release the PTO shaft from the tractor. Then pull back on the PTO shaft. When attaching - pull back on the collar - push the PTO shaft forward.

I followed Jeff’s link and found the owners manual for the Danuser buried in one thread…

what oosik so eloquently stated is exactly what the manual says to do… I’m so embarrassed…



I haven’t been outside yet today, but I’m guessing this is gonna solve my issue…

 

[seville009]

Nothing to be embarrassed about.

I guaranty you that, if it disconnects flawlessly, say, the next four times, on the fifth time, it won't, and you'll go nuts trying to figure out what the heck you're doing wrong this time.....and then it will magically release.

Been there, done that on many different issues.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

I’ve had up to 7 3ph attachments all at the same time. Thankfully I’m down to only 4 now.
Some were really easy and others not so much.
One was a royal pita.

All were well lubed and I don’t have them sitting in the dirt getting covered in mud when not in use.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Yep, no rhyme or reason when they will get 'stuck'. Sometimes it takes just a couple tries, other times you'll be cussing for days!

 

[Farmer495]

If it is the type that uses little balls to hold the shaft in, they are sticking/stuck and are not popping out. Huge pain, I have a shaft do this and 100 or so tries it finally came off. Took the coupler apart and cleaned the balls etc and no issues since.

 

[S854]

Just like that… IT’S OFF!!!

On the Danuser it is “pull the ring to engage/release”…

Goofy thing is: there are two moveable rings on the connector—held apart by a concealed spring…the more prominent ring (the one I was pushing) moves more easily than smaller, forward ring (the ring I should have been pulling back)… the smaller ring is harder to get hold of and doesn’t have a nice plastic coating on it…

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Well then... glad you got it to come off!

 

[charles todd]

I followed Jeff’s link and found the owners manual for the Danuser buried in one thread…

what oosik so eloquently stated is exactly what the manual says to do… I’m so embarrassed…

View attachment 750647

I haven’t been outside yet today, but I’m guessing this is gonna solve my issue…

I haven't seen this picture in over 20 years. Huge far side fan.

CT

 

[Ron50]

My high school chemistry teacher had a sign above her desk that has stuck with me. “When all else fails, read the instructions”.

 

[RancherGuy]

I put my Danuser F8 ... the PTO shaft is stuck on the PTO drive… the spring-loaded release collar moves forward easy enough…it feels normal…

A picture of the connection would help. Plus, perhaps you can give some information as you can recall.

First, is the PTO female portion all steel or could it be aluminum?
Were the splines on the female 6 solid pieces, or made of up many thin lines?

The primary reason for the questioning is that on one piece I have, I bought a PTO female coupling - it was made of aluminum. It was designed to attach to either a 540 or 1000 PTO. The problem I ran into is that with usage, the aluminum "fins" in the coupling started to wear, causing the same type of action that a twist-lock electrical plug uses. Only thing is, the coupling became unremovable due to the resultant locking. I was very frustrated and about to use a gear puller. My final solution was to place vice-grip on the PTO shaft and a pipe wrench on the female coupling and twisting them back into alignment - making removal easy-peasy.

 

[bitseeker]

Just like that… IT’S OFF!!!

On the Danuser it is “pull the ring to engage/release”…

Goofy thing is: there are two moveable rings on the connector—held apart by a concealed spring…the more prominent ring (the one I was pushing) moves more easily than smaller, forward ring (the ring I should have been pulling back)… the smaller ring is harder to get hold of and doesn’t have a nice plastic coating on it…

S854,

Thank you!

You are not alone. I spent the better part of a week with the exact same issue.

Your post is valuable to me because I'd probably forget the two rings & push vs. pull sometime in the future. Your post may help me when that time comes.

 

[tmeric7]

Goofy thing is: there are two moveable rings on the connector—held apart by a concealed spring…the more prominent ring (the one I was pushing) moves more easily than smaller, forward ring (the ring I should have been pulling back)… the smaller ring is harder to get hold of and doesn’t have a nice plastic coating on it…

The attachment on my Woods finish mower is like this, and I understand... it doesn't work like you might naturally think.