Ground Synchronizing PTO?

[CharlieTR]

I was talking (or trying to anyway) to couple of older gentlemen about tractors, and land/cows, etc. The subject of the PTO level came up. One guy said the two position lever was Hi/Lo. I said no, it's Live or Ground sync.
Ground sync will keep the PTO turning at the wheel speed of the tractor. Live the wheels and PTO are independant. The other guy said why, you use the small wheel on the implement to set the speed, he answered every question with a question. I said yes, but that's what the level does. I am not sure if I am using the term Live PTO correctly though.

My question is when would you use the ground synchronizing PTO?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I was talking (or trying to anyway) to couple of older gentlemen about tractors, and land/cows, etc. The subject of the PTO level came up. One guy said the two position lever was Hi/Lo. I said no, it's Live or Ground sync.
Ground sync will keep the PTO turning at the wheel speed of the tractor. Live the wheels and PTO are independant. The other guy said why, you use the small wheel on the implement to set the speed, he answered every question with a question. I said yes, but that's what the level does. I am not sure if I am using the term Live PTO correctly though.

My question is when would you use the ground synchronizing PTO?

Live PTO is simply where your PTO shaft is driven and controlled by a seperate clutch so it's independent of the transmission.

Ground speed PTO isn't so common anymore. It WAS more common, but still not all that popular back in the mid 50's to mid 70's, primarily on smaller utility tractors. I'm more familiar with Massey Ferguson, who used GSPTO on most of their tractors then. They sold, for instance, a hay rake that was PTO driven. It employed the GSPTO for power. Also, some planters used GSPTO (or so I'm told. Never actually saw one) I would imagine a hay tedder could use GSPTO, but from all I remember, it was one of those "good ideas" that never caught on.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

Yes, it was a good idea. We used it to drive fertilizer distributors on cultivators and power tillervators, worked great. Must not have been enough demand for it.

 

[BarryinMN]

Still used in the European markets to power wagon wheels which enable a smaller tractor to pull a larger load up & down steep hills.

My Zetor tractor can reverse pto - example to unstick a post hole digger.

Low gear is 289 rpm high is 1344 rpm, not something a 540 cutter is going to want to see.

 

[kensfarm]

My question is when would you use the ground synchronizing PTO?

My MF65 has a mounted 2-row corn huskor.. it is run in normal PTO.. but when you get a jam in the huskor.. you put the PTO selection to ground speed.. when you put the tractor in reverse.. the PTO runs in reverse.. this effectively clears out the debri causing the jam.

 

[Nasty135]

My Old Massey 135 has the two speed PTO , Never have used the Ground speed option on it...But I'm not a real farmer with alot of equipment either

 

[CharlieTR]

Thanks for the info, this is interesting.
So I guess most tractors in US market don't have GSPTO?

I seems funny the differences in the controls on my Longtrac 520.
I was at the dealer wanting to trade it in for about 100 HP.
I climbed in a Case 1086 (120 HP) and had no clue what was what on the controls. Then the dealer got on mine, he looked at me funny and said I have no clue what these are for.

 

[KrumpsBrother]

Thanks for the info, this is interesting.
So I guess most tractors in US market don't have GSPTO?

Farmtrac 675 dtc has it. Don't know what I'd ever use it for though.

KB

 

[Soundguy]

As mentioned some mf tractors have it.

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

As mentioned some mf tractors have it.

Soundguy

From day one under the MASSEY FERGUSON banner, they featured GSPTO. My 150 has it. I'd bet 98% of the tractors with GSPTO have never actually USED it. In 35 years, I've used mine ONCE to clear a stuck manure spreader. (Put GSPTO in gear, backed up tractor, reversing PTO shaft)

Another good idea that never made the big time.

 

[Charolais]

We had 3 MF over the years. Two 135's and one 150. Used the GSPTO from time to time on all of them. Mainly on pull type combines when they got pluged up in barley, hay conditioners and have jacked the rear end up a time or two to back the post hole digger out of a hole where it had hung a rock. It saves a lot of time in all those conditions.

My 2610 Long and 80/675 Farmtrac both have GSPTO. Glad they do too. I just found a new need for it. Back in May I bought a V-tank side delivery spreader to spread wood fly ash. Before the ash was delivered we were in a bad drought. (still are now and even worse) I had to start feeding hay and hay is in very short supply here. Found 100 6x6 rolls of 2 and 3 year old hay. Low quality hay. I was able to find corn gluten/soy hull pellets at a decent price. I put 4,760 pounds of pellets in the spreader, added a 8 inch plate at the slinger bottom for the feed to slide out beyond the tire track. Hooked the Long to it and used low gear and GSPTO to drop the feed in a nice line. Just cracked the gate a little and it worked great. I fed for 35 days with it. Sure saved me a lot of work with buckets and much safer around the cows. Cows will run over you when feeding grain.

If we don't get rain soon I'll be back feeding with the manure spreader in the next week or so. The GSPTO sure is nice if you can find a use for it.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

"Still used in the European markets to power wagon wheels which enable a smaller tractor to pull a larger load up & down steep hills"

Never seen that. What a good idea.