How do I get this PTO bolt off?

[adlertom]

I'm trying to remove the bolt that goes through the PTO shaft where it attaches to the gear box of my Land Pride rotary cutter (see photo).

I've removed the two stacked nuts on the underside, but I can't get the bolt out.

I can turn the bolt about 1/4 turn in either direction, but no more. I tried gently tapping it out with a hammer and that didn't work either.

Am I missing something?

 

[DieselPower]

How hard did you "tap" on it with the hammer? Sounds like it needs a good wack. Try applying some penetrating oil to it and let it soak for a while. It sounds like it is galled in the hole, rust?

 

[MrJimi]

Sounds like you may have hit something while cutting and may of put a dent in your bolt, kinda like almost sheared but not, what happens if you turn it over and put nut on to protect threads and whack it with a BFH, that should get it out

 

[CATMAN]

I think MrJimi is right about the bolt being bent/ slightly sheared. I would try really hard to get it to rotated a full revolution if at all possible before hitting super hard. If it is 25% sheared, you may be drilling this one out from both ends. Good Luck.

 

[MrJimi]

Thanks CATMAN and just incase that some of you don't know what a BFH is ?

























It's a
Big Farmers Hammer

 

[adlertom]

Thanks for the advice guys. I didn't tap it all that hard. I'll try turning and tapping a bit harder and see what happens.

The partially sheared bolt theory makes sense. I wish the real shear bolt would have done a better job of protecting this bolt however. Much easier to get at that one.

 

[JC-jetro]

Thanks for the advice guys. I didn't tap it all that hard. I'll try turning and tapping a bit harder and see what happens.

The partially sheared bolt theory makes sense. I wish the real shear bolt would have done a better job of protecting this bolt however. Much easier to get at that one.

Can you get to the bolt from a front with a respectable size visegrip? visegrip and a 2 foot piece of 1-1/2" cheater bar may be the medicine. Smallish pipe wrench grabs pretty good sideways coupled with a cheater bar is also good. I'll give that a try before anything else personally. A bit of heat may help thing out too.

 

[adlertom]

I can get a 1/2 inch drive socket on it without too much difficulty. I was just hesitant to crank on it without knowing if that was the right thing to do.

I did some further studying of the owner's manual, and it turns out that this bolt *IS* a shear bolt. I originally thought there was only one, at the tractor end of the PTO shaft. Turns out this bolt is a second one.

It's a 1/2 by 3 1/2 grade 2 bolt.

I'm done futzing with it for tonight. I'll try getting rough with it later this week.

 

[JC-jetro]

I'm done futzing with it for tonight. I'll try getting rough with it later this week.

I just re-read your original post, if you have removed the double nuts on the other side why not put one nut back on the bolt but don't turn it all the way in , get yourself a rod of some sort and beat it with a small 4 lb sledge hammer. if nothing else it will loosen the bolt or may be push it out a bit, I then take the nut out and try to pound it our with another bolt held tight with the visegrip. I either pound it out that way or grab on the other side again with a visegrip and try to coerce out ... A few mild cuss word may help the situation slightly

 

[firemanpat2910]

If you have all ready removed the nuts, and it is a shear bolt, now you have a shear pin. I would get the proper sized punches, one bigger than the bolt to dive it flush, one slightly smaller to drine it out, and a BFH and whack it. Do not tap on it all you will do is mushroom the head. Line every thing up where you can get a good shot with the large punch and smack it.