Cutting PTO Shaft

[DavidInNH]

I just cut the shaft for my chipper with my neighbor's power bandsaw. It had a base that allowed it to operate like a chop saw so it gave a nice, straight cut. He recommended not using a chop saw with a metal blade as it tends to burn through the metal and leaves more to de-burr.

I've only seen this one shaft, so I don't know if they are all the same. One end had a square, solid shaft and the other end was square tubing that fit over it. I wouldn't want to try cutting the solid end with a hack-saw, but it could be done. I couldn't figure out how to remove the safety cover from my shaft without destroying it. Because of this, we were only able to clamp on the "waste" end. This motivated us to get the length right the first time.

For measuring, a service person at my dealer recommended mounting the implement and setting the height with the shafts horizontally aligned. This is the shortest length of the shaft. He recommended adjusting the length so that you got the maximum overelap with only 1" of spare. He also suggested cutting the two ends to equal lengths.

I used a tape measure to find the length from the detent ring on the PTO to the point on the chipper shaft where the outside edge of the yoke seats. I then laid both pieces of the shaft side by side and adjusted the total length to match. After marking the length of each end, I used a small saw to trim the plastic guard back and the used the power band saw to trim. Be careful with the burrs, they are very sharp (and I should know better).

After reassembly, I cycled the 3 pt hitch through the entire vertical range to ensure there was no binding.

 

[Bird]

I've only had to shorten one myself, and I did take an equal amount from each end, as the manual suggested. And at that time, all I had to do it with was a manual hacksaw, and it was much easier than I expected.

 

[Jim_W]

I had to do this on the snowblower when I added an ORC to the pto (old tractor, no live pto).
The front part of the main shaft, that receives the sliding square part coming back from the front U-joint, is really just a short section that is welded to the long tubular part. A certain length of it is of reduced diameter and slides inside the main part of the shaft. My neighbour the welder had seen this before and cut through right at the existing weld, whereupon the front section came out of the outer. Then we just cut down the outer one, and reinserted the inner section and welded it back together.
Don't know how common this is but it was pretty nifty. We got the reassembled shaft pretty straight.
Jim

 

[theboman]

I used a hacksaw. I wanted to use a sawzall but since I don't have one, and this is the second time I could have used one in the past 3 years I wasn't gonna buy a tool that wasn't gonna get used. Did I tell you that I used a hacksaw. Next time I gotta do this I will but a sawzall! It wasn't hard but it wasn't fun or fast.

 

[Chuck52]

REAL men just bite 'em off! /w3tcompact/icons/king.gif


I used a hacksaw. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Chuck

 

[Boondox]

Never pass up an opportunity to get a new power tool!

Pete

 

[RoyJackson]

I've never cut one down...how thick is the metal on the shaft (I know they're tubular...)

Could this be done with a pipe cutter? That would keep the cut nice n' square to the longitudinal axis of shaft.

Just curious...

 

[DavidInNH]

Mine wasn't tubular. The outer plastic cover is tubular but inside that is a piece of square tubing connected to one end that slips over a solid square stock connected to the other end. The squares are about an inch. A piper cutter wouldn't work very well.

 

[looch]

I have 3 different types of PTO shafts at home and none are round so a pipe cutter wouldn't work. I have two Comer's that are kind of like a triangle with bowed sides (if there's a proper geometric name for this shape, I'm unaware). I have an old, unshielded one (that I don't use anymore) that is just a square tube and a solid square shaft. The last is the weirdest - it is round but has to "ears" 180 degrees from one another.

The metal can't be more than an 1/8" thick on mine. As for it being square, I don't think that being out of square would make much difference.

 

[Bird]

Roy, they're tubular, but not round, so I don't think a pipe cutter would work. If I had one to do not, I'd just use my little reciprocating air saw; much smaller and lighter than a sawzall, but of course an air compressor is required.