I am Dumb, need help

[hazmat]

Inpsector has it right.

Generally PTO equipment comes with a long PTO shaft that must be trimmed to fit the particular tractor. There is no standard on distance from the end of the lift arms to the PTO spline.

If you do buy a new PTO implement - check the length by sliding the tractor half of the shaft off & installing that on the tractor. Hold it parallel to the half of the shaft still on the implement. Then move the three point thru it's full range of motion & check for interference. If you need to cut it, mark it at the lift position where the shaft is shortest. Usually leave as much overlap as possible at this point.

There are a few threads on the subject (try a search on shaft or cutting PTO) with some pics and favorite cutting devices (a sawzall usually gets the job done).

 

[ronjhall]

Here is a thread on PTO length. Click Here
It has a link to a Bush Hog manual that explains how to check length. Be aware that manual is .pdf and may take awhile to download on a dial-up connection.

 

[Propertymaint]

I bent an over run coupler/clutch like that this summer. I use the over run clutch (usually install it on the tractor PTO shaft) with my chipper and was in too much of a hurry one day to take it off (10 seconds to remove) before I installed the finish mower. When I lifted the finish mower I heard a terrible groan, the pto shaft for the mower was too long for the additional length of the over run clutch and it bent it enough that I had one heck of a time getting it off the tractor PTO shaft. Luckily the tractor shaft was O.K. I'll install the new overrun clutch on the chipper end of the shaft next time. Sorry to hear your misfortune - sounds like it could have been a lot worse. Best of luck.

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Generally PTO equipment comes with a long PTO shaft that must be trimmed to fit the particular tractor. There is no standard on distance from the end of the lift arms to the PTO spline.
)</font>

Here's a simple illustration that may help to illustrate your point, Hazmat. It's attached.

In the illustration, the red part of the PTO shaft is attached to the tractor by a u-joint (yellow box), and the blue part is attached to the cutter. If the cutter is raised or rolls over a bump, the blue sliding part of the shaft may bottom out in the red sleeve. That would put excessive force on the PTO shaft attached to the u-joint. Actually, if the tractor was strong enough, then the PTO shaft on the cutter might break or the entire shaft might bend.

What needs to be done to eliminate this problem is to take the PTO sections apart. Cut some off the ends of both red and blue pieces so when the cutter is raised, the two pieces don't jam. You also have to be careful that you don't cut too much so the shafts become uncoupled while spinning.

That's a brief explanation of what Hazmat described and ronjhall's link describes in greater detail. There is no way an implement manufacturer can know what the measurments are for your tractor, so they normally supply PTO shafts that are long and expect you to trim them if required. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Egon]

Cheer up - We all break things when tired and in a hurry.

Just finished breaking the left front wheel of my tractor off when it was back about 1/4 mile in the woods and sitting on a 15 degree slope.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[kozak]

jinman, ronjhall & hazmat,

Thanks for taking the time to explain to a novice. This whole time all I thought you would need to do is connect I'm up. Boom, BANG , Powwww would of been the result & of course I would have been bummed big time !!

Still lots to learn.

Thanks Again,

Vic

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

<font color="blue"> Just finished breaking the left front wheel of my tractor off when it was back about 1/4 mile in the woods and sitting on a 15 degree slope. </font>

Egon, we have GOT to hear this story. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[daTeacha]

One other possibility, although a bit remote, has been hinted at but not discussed. He said he had the shaft partly on but not completely connected. In this situation, lifting the implement would have caused the connected end of the shaft to rotate off axis compared to the output shaft, allowing the u joint to move above the axis of the output. Continuing to lift beyond this point would have induced a vertical shear force on the output shaft, which is not necessarily to deal with forces acting perpendicular to it's length. The result would be a snapped ouput shaft. The PTO connector shaft would still have to be too long for this to occur, but I think the incomplete connection played an important role in this incident. A complete connection would have kept the u joint aligned with the axis of the output shaft, and likely the damage would have been to the connecting shaft rather than the output.

 

[NHWOODSMAN]

Well an update for you all, I decided that after talking to my service manager who is very knowledgeable to go ahead and let the dealer put the pto shaft. He said its a 10 hour job for and experienced tractor mechanic. Well I guess when I break something I do it right /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Well its only money and I'll have it back in a few days

 

[rambler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Well an update for you all, I decided that after talking to my service manager who is very knowledgeable to go ahead and let the dealer put the pto shaft. He said its a 10 hour job for and experienced tractor mechanic. Well I guess when I break something I do it right /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Well its only money and I'll have it back in a few days )</font>

10 hours? They must have to split it. Well, there's $800 in labor.

My 960 Ford & 501 sickle mower is a pretty tight fit on the pto shaft. The tractor has 3 different top-link holes on it.

If I use the wrong ones, I will do the same thing you did. PTO length is critical. Very critical.

I've done my share of things on the farm too. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

--->Paul