Dadgum pto shaft

[Bowhunter]

I finally found a little time to set up the rotary cutter I bought a couple of weeks ago.

Shipped without gear oil. Remove the check plug....oil runs out, ok what the heck. I guess I don't need gear oil after all.

Bolt the arm braces to the deck. Piece of cake.

Attach the pto shaft. Grease shaft on gear box and inside of pto u-joint. No probl....wait a minute, this is an awful tight fit....smash finger, cuss, try coaxing it with a 4 pound sledge, try being more "convincing" with said 4 pound sledge, cuss again. Pto shaft is now stuck half way on and won't go on any farther, and won't come off with all the "coaxing" I could give at the time.

The next time I can work on it I am going to try 2 things to get the shaft off. First I'll hook up the tractor and start it up, hoping the pto shaft will spin on the gearbox shaft, loosening it up. If that doesn't work, I'll break out the torch and heat up the u-joint end hoping to make it swell a bit, then go back to coaxing with the sledge. Anyone have any ideas that are easier/quicker? I really don't need any more smashed fingertips. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I'm not quite sure that I understand where the PTO shaft is stuck. Are you having problems connecting the PTO shaft to the cutter at the cutter's gear box? OR is it that the 2 part shaft is not sliding together as it should?

If the end of the shaft is not connecting up to the implement at the implement's gear box then it is likely that one of a few things is wrong. If it slipped part way on and then stopped, then it is likely that you have hit the safety/locking pin.

To fully insert the end, you need to:
- A) push a button to disengage the safety/locking pin to allow the end to fully engage the spindle and then lock into place at the implement spindle's detent.
- OR, B) you need to pull back on the collar to disengage the safety/locking pin to allow the end to fully engage the spindle and then lock into place at the implement spindle's detent.
- OR, C) you need to twist the collar to disengage the safety/locking pin to allow the end to fully engage the spindle and then lock into place at the implement spindle's detent.

EDIT, by the way, there should be a safety/locking pin or device located on BOTH ends of the PTO shaft. Those locking pins prevent the shaft from slipping off the tractor's PTO shaft, and they also prevent it from slipping off the implement. The push button is the most common type of safety I've seen, the pull collar is the second most common I've seen, there is also a less common twist lock. There may be other varieties but I'm not familiar with them.

 

[Bowhunter]

It's where the pto shaft connects to the cutter at the gearbox. There is no collar or safety pins on the cutter end like there is on the tractor end. It is supposed to simply slide over the gearbox shaft, and is held on by a shear bolt. In my haste I didn't clean enough rust off of the shaft and I think this is my problem. After I get the pto shaft removed, it is getting a good going over with my hand grinder/wire wheel before I try again. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Edit: on the cutter end of this cutter, in place of a safety pin there is an 0-ring that sits in a groove. You remove the 0-ring, slide on the pto shaft, then put the 0-ring back in place. Or at least it's supposed to be that simple.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Ah yes, a shear bolt. I forgot about that. There are lots of implements that use those too (I just don't have one). I've never had one rust up enough to cause me problems, but I have had dirt/mud get caked up in the PHD that caused me a load of problems once when I was in a hurry and didn't take time to clean it out.

You might want to squirt in some cutting oil or penetrating oil to try to loosen up that rust before attacking the problem again. Then keep a good coating of grease in there.


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Edit: on the cutter end of this cutter, in place of a safety pin there is an 0-ring that sits in a groove. You remove the 0-ring, slide on the pto shaft, then put the 0-ring back in place. Or at least it's supposed to be that simple.
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I'd like to see some photos of that if you get a chance.

 

[Bowhunter]

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<font color="red">
Edit: on the cutter end of this cutter, in place of a safety pin there is an 0-ring that sits in a groove. You remove the 0-ring, slide on the pto shaft, then put the 0-ring back in place. Or at least it's supposed to be that simple.
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I'd like to see some photos of that if you get a chance.


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Will do, although it may be a while until I get back to it.

 

[Bowhunter]

I need to make another edit Bob as I used a poor choice of words. I believe the ring that holds the pto shaft from coming off the gearbox shaft is called a snap ring or D-ring, not an O-ring.

 

[Bird]

Now you've got the right ring. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif That's what keeps the shaft from coming loose and flopping around if you shear the shear bolt. I'd just do as you said, and clean off any rust, any paint, and/or any burrs, put a little grease on it, and it should slip on there easily.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree. On my KK mower.. it uses the smooth shaft /E-clip to stay on. The shaft was painted red, and that made enough of an interference fit that I needed to chip the paint off to get the pto shaft on..

Soundguy