Connecting That PTO Equipment

Anonymous Poster · Jul 28, 2001

try turning the tractor off. with an adjustable wrench turn the shaft on the tractor until it lines up. you may also turn the shaft on mower by putting a short rod of some type in the universal. good luck

jinman · Jul 28, 2001

Troy, you are exactly right on the operation of the PTO. I was misleading in my last post to Duane because I just took what my dealer had told me about overrun being built-in and transposed that to similar operation to the external overrun clutch I have on my Ford Jubilee. Well, it ain't the same and I'm cleaning the egg off my face./w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif This morning I went out to my tractor and did a little experimentation after reading my repair manual. Here is what I found:

1. With the engine off (before starting) and the PTO disengaged or engaged, I could not turn the PTO shaft by hand.

2. With the engine running and the PTO disengaged, I could not turn the PTO shaft by hand.

3. With the engine running and the PTO engaged and spinning, I turned the engine off and quickly tried to turn the PTO. It turned easily for about 10 seconds and then suddenly became firm, then difficult, then impossible to turn.

My conclusion is that since it takes hydraulic pressure to release the PTO clutch/brake, there was sufficient pressure remaining to hold the brake off for a few seconds when I killed the engine. This might be just enough time to jog the shaft and line up the spline-gear teeth. Of course, it's also kinda funny to think of all of us shutting off our tractors and making a mad dash back to align our splines./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif That seems to be the only choice we have without adding the old (keep rotating forever) PTO overrun clutches./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

JimI

Anonymous Poster · Jul 29, 2001

Why don't you raise the deck up and spin the blades by hand. It will turn the pto shaft so you can line it up, you can reach the blades of a rotary cutter from where you hook up the pto so you do not have to run. I have never had a problem trying to hook up pto equipment and have never had to turn the pto shaft itself. If the deck is up the blades turn easy. Good luck

jinman · Jul 29, 2001

You are correct, Robert, the normal way to hook up a PTO driven implement is to rotate the shaft so it aligns to the PTO spline. I have a Bush Hog chipper-shredder that I have to put a large screw driver through the U-joint to turn it enough to align (raising it does not help). Duane said his mower was a little stiff and wondered why he could not turn the PTO spline shaft instead. Your method of raising the mower deck certainly works. I've done it many times; however, finding that the PTO will not freely turn in one direction was a whole new discovery for me. I just meant to be relating my "test" rather than endorsing a technique. I think it's pretty interesting how our tractors work. I wonder if orange and green work similarly?

JimI

Wheeldog · Jul 29, 2001

I think the RM-306 is a finish mower, not a rotary cutter. My Woods finish mower is tough to turn by hand also, I think due to the three spindles and the way the belts connect each. Luckily the PTO spindle on the tractor (Kubota B2410) turns easily for hookup.

JimBinMi and Glenmac are right about the spline locking mechanisms too - the pin-style is much better than the sliding collar style IMHO.

Rob

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Wheeldog on 07/29/01 10:08 AM (server time).</FONT></P>

Anonymous Poster · Jul 29, 2001

I wonder if that is a safety thing, I know most of the older tractors the pto would spin when the tractor was running causing a danger, I have a John Deere M that is that way. I would think he could still turn a finish mower enough for the splines to line up but I understand that the collar makes it difficult to hook up with one hand. I have the collar on my Woods rotary and what I do is start it on the shaft then turn the pto shaft to the cutter or the blades till I feel it line up then slide it the rest of the way on. Never used a finish mower but wouldn't think it would be much different. If you find out anything about the pto not turning let us know, I will have the check my TN to see if that is the same way. Good luck.

glennmac · Jul 30, 2001

Rob, does your Woods finish mower have the collar or pin?

Wheeldog · Jul 30, 2001

Glenn,

The shaft for the Woods mower has the collars at each end. My LandPride tiller has the pin-type release. I have gotten a little more skilled at putting the PTO shaft on the mower back on, but I still would rather have the pin-type and think it is a better design. The collar is kind of an awkward push v. pull, plus line up the splines, plus fight with the clearance around the PTO guard. But as the say, if that's the worst of my problems . . . . /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Rob

djradz · Aug 6, 2001

Your right again Jim. I never even noticed the egg!! Anyway, turning anything on the mower, blades, flywheel, pulling on belt, is all difficult while at least one hand is trying to hold the drive shaft, keep the universal joint straight, and then trying to align it all. I need that third hand. I'll next try a small rod in the PTO shaft and see if I can get enough leverage. I agree, having the PTO driven equipment stop via the brake sure is a nice feature so I don't want to defeat that. Come to think of it, I guess an over-running clutch would do just that. So much for that idea of mine. I have no problem with my brush hog since I can hold and turn the drive shaft while still aligning it. The problem is just with my mower's overly stiff drive system I guess.

IndianaPaul · Aug 7, 2001

I run a BushHog brand finish mower & BH on my TC45D. Had the same problem as PTO shaft didn't spin enough to line things up. As others have noted, I use a long shafted screwdriver to slowly turn the shaft on the finish mower & BH. Rather than raise the deck a little, I placed 12"x12" walkway stones under the wheels of finish mower & BH. Just enough clearance that everything spins.

Paul