Broken PTO Shaft on Farmi Winch

[catvet]

So I've had my Farmi Logging Winch for just about two months. I have probably used it a total of 20 minutes actual pulling time. I was pulling a tree today and the PTO shaft shredded in the middle. Probably better than breaking the winch or the tractor but I'm surprised this happened. I thought the Farmi Winches had a clutch in them that would start slipping if there was too much pressure on them. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

 

[beenthere]

How much of the ends in the middle were shredded? Sounds like the clutch may not have been adjusted, OR the shaft was cut off too short, and just barely telescoped together. If less than 6-8" were shredded then I would suspect the shaft was cut off too short. But just a guess.
Which model winch do you have?

 

[Kevin22]

Check the link for the importer/distributor of the Farmi winches and Valby chippers. I own a Valby 140 pto chipper that suffered a bent driveshaft due to the top link of the 3pt unthreading. As I lifted the 3pt., the shaft bent under the weight. Totally my fault.

I contacted Northeast Implement to acquire some new parts to complete the repair. Eric was the man that I spoke with. Parts were shipped quickly. I seem to remember less than $20.

As it turned out, the replacement shaft was larger in diameter than the shaft that I received from my local dealer when the chipper was purchased.

Long story short, Eric fowarded the complete proper sized driveshaft with the couplings and plastic shielding to my dealer who inturn fowarded it to me. I returned the parts back to northeast and they refunded the cost.

If were you, I would measure the inside diameter and the full length of the shaft and contact Northeast to find out if what you have is the proper shaft for your winch. Perhaps they could tell you if there is an adjustment for the clutch.

I have found that the Valby chipper is of a very high quality and I am completely satisfied with the performance of this machine. It will eat a 6 inch tree with no problem.

I did not receive a Parts manual with the purchase and when I mentioned this to Eric, He E-mailed one to me. Unfortunately, that E-mail has since been lost due to a computer virus.

Good luck and let us know how you made out. The web site has lots of good information and links.

http://www.northeastimplement.com/index.htm

 

[tawilson]

I've got a Farmi winch. The clutch is engaged by the rope you are pulling on to wind up the cable. The harder you pull, the more force is exerted. But you know that. I'd say your pto shaft overlap was the problem too. Also, I don't run my tractor at full rpm when winching. Usually 1500-1700 does the trick. Were you really yanking on the rope when it went?

 

[tawilson]

Hi Kevin,
I had the 140 chipper too. Since sold it and put some of the money towards a set of stone forks. As I recall, everything in the manual was pretty much available at the website you linked. You just have to use all the highlighted links on the 140 page. And yes, the chipper was a beast, but even with the hydraulic feed it was too much work for me, and I hardly ever used it.

 

[Youare]

I've had my Farmi winch for over 25 years and never had that problem. My winch is rated for tractors 18 - 35 HP and I am running in on a 30 HP Kubota now, it was on a Ford 8N for 20 years.

It could be the PTO shaft you recieved with the winch was not the correct one for the HP of the tractor or as others have said it was cut incorrectly. The over lap on mine is at least 8" in the operating position, the winch sitting on the ground.

The winch does have a clutch that will slip however, if you are pulling on the clutch engaugment rope firmly the clutch will not slip much. When I had the winch on my old Ford 8N I could pull the tractor's front end right off the ground. It is better to just engauge the clutch enough to move whatever you are pulling.

Do not worry about wearing out the clutch by letting it slip some, mine is over 25 years old and the original clutch is still in good shape. They are made for long life under hard working conditions.

Randy

 

[catvet]

Thanks for all the replies. I have the model 290 Farmi winch it is supposedly matched with my tractor (Kubota B7800, 30 horsepower). I suspect the comments on the length of the overlap are correct in that it shredded in the couple of inches of overlap. I figure I'll start with the dealer and go from there. I won't deny that I was pulling on the cord fairly hard. Obviously I misunderstood the clutch concept. I was thinking it protected the winch, and tractor. I guess there are gradations of protection.

 

[John_Mc]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( it shredded in the couple of inches of overlap.)</font>

If you truly only had a couple inches of overlap, then your PTO shaft may well have been cut too short.

It's been a while since I've seen a Farmi 290, but if I recall correctly, their drive shaft may be offset a bit more out of a straight line than the other Farmi models. This may have contributed to the problem?? But as I said this is from memory of one I saw a couple years ago. Hopefully somebody who is more familiar with that model will comment.

John Mc

 

[hayden]

I've got a Farmi 351 on my B2910, and the driveshaft overlap is marginal. The shaft is short to begin with, so the difference in shaft length between the up and down position of the winch is a lot more than my other implements. I've always been worried mine will pop, but so far it hasn't.