Adding a 2-speed pto

   / Adding a 2-speed pto #51  
Brought this thread back from over the river Styx, eh?
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto #52  
Yes. I prefer to search and follow up to an existing thread that offers relevant info rather than starting a new one to rehash what has already been discussed.
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto #53  
Well you're right to bring it back to life as being able to get a factory made 2 speed PTO would be sweet!
Just out of curiosity, I checked on pricing of the Hub City 390 increaser that somebody mentioned as an option for those of us who don't have a model with the factory option. Holy cow! They are pricey - like over $2000 pricey.
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto #54  
The Hub City Model 390 PTO Speed Changer looks really stout but is more expensive than the generator itself!

Further research suggests that this may not be such a good idea for my application anyway; a factsheet published by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food titled Tractor-Driven Generators: Producing Quality Power states, "Operating a tractor with a 1000 rpm PTO at approximately one-half its rated engine rpm to deliver 540 rpm to the generator is not a recommended practice - do not operate your tractor with 1000 rpm PTO and half engine speed." Oh, well.
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto
  • Thread Starter
#55  
Hi - Original poster here to follow up. The 2-speed pto has performed perfectly for 14 years (better than its owner!) and is going strong. I bought a second L5450 and did the same upgrade on that one.

Re bjmsam's post above, high-rpm pto's are sometimes not well-suited to pto generators. If the engine is running at low rpm the governor may not respond well enough when load increases. The L5450 has about 50 pto hp so it has plenty of margin and works fine.
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto #56  
please forgive if i missed it but did you post the parts list or where to find the parts list. also what you spent on them? i am interested in doing this to my l5450.
another question i have is that it is hard to ease into motion, the ever clutch wants to grab instead of being smooth. is this something you have delt with?
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto
  • Thread Starter
#57  
Hi - I didn't post the part numbers - at the time I had a Kubota printed parts list for the L5450 which included columns that identified variation by country (US, CAN, NZ, AU). It was clear what new parts were needed. I had no idea if a US dealer could get AU or NZ parts - but the order went thru ok. At the time the cost was $350 +/-. On the second one I converted I was able to find used gears from an earlier US model for less. The US versions of the L3350, L3750 and L4150 had the same 2-speed pto's.

I've not had a grabby Ever Clutch. Could be related to the valving or the clutches. Is it grabby in forward and reverse? If both its more likely a valve issue.

Does the machine tend to creep either forward or backward when idling in neutral? If so the F or R clutch pack may have warped disks. Before diving deep, replacing the hydraulic fluid might help if its age is unknown. Take care, Dick B.
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto #58  
Hi - I didn't post the part numbers - at the time I had a Kubota printed parts list for the L5450 which included columns that identified variation by country (US, CAN, NZ, AU). It was clear what new parts were needed. I had no idea if a US dealer could get AU or NZ parts - but the order went thru ok. At the time the cost was $350 +/-. On the second one I converted I was able to find used gears from an earlier US model for less. The US versions of the L3350, L3750 and L4150 had the same 2-speed pto's.

I've not had a grabby Ever Clutch. Could be related to the valving or the clutches. Is it grabby in forward and reverse? If both its more likely a valve issue.

Does the machine tend to creep either forward or backward when idling in neutral? If so the F or R clutch pack may have warped disks. Before diving deep, replacing the hydraulic fluid might help if its age is unknown. Take care, Dick B.

thanks for the reply Dick. forward and reverse are both kinda grabby so i think i need to mess with the valving. as far as the pto upgrade, i tried to get on the kubota australia site and it wouldnt let me access from the states. the $350 +/- sounds fair. any suggestion on where i can get my hands on the parts list you had with the 4 countries?
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto
  • Thread Starter
#59  
ekster: I went through my records and found my notes from the original conversion and the second one I converted a few years later. In the first I bought all new gears and paid around $670. But for the second one I found a used part source that had the parts I needed for less. Check your private messages - I think you'll be happy. Dick B
 
   / Adding a 2-speed pto
  • Thread Starter
#60  
In what can only be called crazy luck, eBay happened to have the exact parts needed. Price for everything was around 1/4 of new. Condition appeared very good. I sent the eBay links to ekster - hope he snapped them up (items now show as ended).

The L5450 works well with the 2-speed pto. I use the higher (750) pto speed with an Erskine front blower. The engine runs near its peak torque around 1800 rpm.
 
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