Engaging PTO at other than idle

[RonR]

Maybe this has been discussed, but I've been reading for awhile and don't recall a unique discussion of it.

Do you believe that it's better to engage the pto at idle and then increase PTO speed OR do you engage it at full pto speed/wide open?

I am old farm kid and we ALWAYS idled the tractor down, then engaged the PTO. Did it on combines as well. Never would we be going PTO engine speed and engage the PTO. Heck, on some of the balers I'd run, doing that would shear the flywheel shearbolt!

I don't recall my BX2200 saying to do either one, so I plan to look again.

Common sense tells me it is harder on your PTO drive train engaging at more than idle. But maybe the new stuff is better than the old iron............

Anyone have any hard info on failures one way or the other?

Thanks, and happy fourth!

Ron

 

[v8dave]

I'm with you. I idle down the engine before engaging the PTO. Easier on the clutch and transmission. It takes longer for the gears to stop spinning from high speed than from shifting at idle speed. I noticed a "snick" as it went into PTO if I tried shifting while engine was run up--which means the gears were slightly grinding as they meshed. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif On occasion, I have to let the clutch back out and try again as the gears didn't mesh. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

On the other hand, and not necessarily good practice, I'll pull it out of PTO gear without using the clutch. But only at idle--usually standing on the side of the tractor after inspecting the excavation I'm working on with the backhoe. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Dave
Kubota B7610

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't recall my BX2200 saying to do either one, so I plan to look again )</font>

You can look again, but of course, you're already doing it the right way. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[GerardC]

I idle down, engage, and then up the RPM's to desired speed. G

 

[Theowegian]

If I remember correctly, my L3130 owners manual says to throttle back before you engage the PTO. I had been engaging at full power until I read that. Throttling back makes more sense, as you described....I wonder exactly what excessive wear would occur engaging the PTO at full speed?
dwight

 

[EastTexFrank]

I must admit that I've done both but it makes more sense to idle down first, engage the PTO and then increase the RPM's. I would have thought that would be a lot easier on the equipment.

 

[BANDAMAN]

Page #22 of by BX2230 manual states the following:

"To avoid shock loads to the PTO, reduce engine throttle from full to half speed by pushing up on engine throttle when engaging the PTO, then open the throttle to the recommended speed"

This is the way I was taught by my dad and have always used this practice on any tractor or lawn mower when using a PTO or a even a belt driven mid mower on a lawn tractor.

 

[ZackaryMac]

This makes sense, as I suppose you're not going to pull away in your truck by mashing the throttle and then slipping the clutch to get rolling.
OK, a bit extreme, but similar in ways. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ScotR]

My dealer advised me to lower RPM before engaging PTO, then up the throttle to working speed. This advice has been repeated to me by many experienced tractor users. It's logical, too!

 

[MadDog]

I gather that it's pretty much unanimous that throttling down before engaging the PTO is a good idea.

In the case of attachments like my big chipper/shredder (or any other implement, such as a big tiller, where you have to overcome a large amount of inertia to get the attachment operating), I think that it is virtually mandatory if you want to avoid unnecessary wear and stress.

The chipper has about a 30" diam, 4.5" thick flywheel and I think that you want to get that Mama up to operating speed about as gradually as you can. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif