Is there a standard PTO shaft size?

Hoeman00 · Sep 30, 2002

It is quite simple:
Lower mower (have overrun installed)and try to put on
PTO shaft.
If it goes on u have about 3" of clearance.
If it doesn't u will have to shorten the shaft
(front or back or both).
Raise mower and do same as above.
The mower shaft should get longer as u raise mower.
Check it out then let us know if u need help
deciding what to cut.

Trev · Sep 30, 2002

Thanks Tim! Doesn't sound too bad. I've read where people didn't need to change anything.. so maybe I'll get lucky. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Bob

dmccarty · Sep 30, 2002

Trev,

Is this in reference to the difficulty of attaching the rotary
cutter's PTO shaft to the tractor?

I could have sworn I answered your question before but I'll
be danged if I see it in the thread you mentioned.

I have had lots of problems hooking my PTO shaft onto the
tractor. Now I can do it really fast. My land is not level
either and I spend most of my time getting the lower arms
of the 3PH hooked up. The PTO shaft USED to be a PITA
but I have figured it out now. Even my sales guy on delivery
day struggled with hooking that thing up.

I can move the tractors PTO shaft. Obviously with the engine
off. I can move the shaft very easy with my hand. Tain't no
way I could move the MX6's shaft. IF I have to move the
tractor's PTO shaft, which often I don't since the MX6 is the
only PTO attachment I have, I just eyeball the where the
"rifling" lines up on the MX6 shaft. I then turn the tractor's
shaft to match. Sometimes I hit sometimes I dont.

The real trick for me has been to hold the PTO shaft with my
legs so I can get both hands on the coupler so I can slide and
lock the PTO to the tractor. My legs take the weight of the
shaft and let my hands mess with that coupler.

Can you turn the tractor's PTO shaft with your hand?

Hope this helps,
Dan

Trev · Sep 30, 2002

Hey Dan,

The real trick for me has been to hold the PTO shaft with my
legs so I can get both hands on the coupler so I can slide and
lock the PTO to the tractor. My legs take the weight of the
shaft and let my hands mess with that coupler.

The only one I really have trouble with is the rear finish mower, probably similar to your MX6 in that you can't turn the shaft without doing something like putting a small crowbar in the U-joint. This leaves me with one hand to wrestle the lengthy and heavy PTO shaft up to the tractor and try to muscle it on. I sometimes do something similar to you.. I sit on the mower deck, support the shaft with my legs, and then have both hands free to try to wrestle the thing on. Of course in this position I can't reach back and rotate the shaft with the pry bar! And if I get up, rotate the shaft, then sit back down to connect it, the thing rotates back to its original position so I haven't gained anything. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Can you turn the tractor's PTO shaft with your hand?

Unfortunately, the PTO shaft on my 4300 SyncReverser (I don't know if that makes a difference) will only rotate by hand a tiny amount, and only with great force. Maybe 1/4 or 1/6th of a turn is all I've got. Sounds like yours is easier, and turns more. I wonder which one is more typical?

Anyway, the Deere dealer sent out a mechanic, and the mechanic simply put a pry bar into the rear U-joint, used his other hand to hold the PTO up to the shaft, and had it on in about 4 seconds. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif I asked him to do it a few times, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and I rotated the blades in between. Same deal, he can do it easily, and I can't. The tech admitted to me that this was the hardest one he'd done, but he says you just have to practice. I dunno.. maybe I have to practice and lift weights for a few months.

From the sound of it, you can easily rotate your tractors PTO by hand.. and I guess that's what I'm hoping the over-running clutch would allow me to do.

Thanks for the post!
Bob

EdKing · Sep 30, 2002

(Ed King, are you around?)

Bob, I am right here. As far as shortening your PTO shaft, you would only have to shorten it 4 inches at most. The easy way to check is to hook it up, and slowly raise and lower the implement to it's highest and lowest extremes. As long as the shaft doesn't bind or come apart, it will be fine.

dmccarty · Oct 1, 2002

Hi Trev,

Don't you hate it when someone gets a task done in no
time with no effort while you get to struggle to do the same?
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

When you are turning the tractor's PTO shaft is the tranny in
neutral? I thought all the 4000's had independent PTOs. I
would THINK/HOPE that they worked the same. I'm surprised
you can't turn the tractor's PTO shaft..... Mine is real easy
to turn.

I know with practice I have greatly increased my speed on
changing attachments. Technique does help. Coure the
problem/fun part is finding the technique! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Later,
Dan

Trev · Oct 1, 2002

Bob, I am right here. As far as shortening your PTO shaft, you would only have to shorten it 4 inches at most. The easy way to check is to hook it up, and slowly raise and lower the implement to it's highest and lowest extremes. As long as the shaft doesn't bind or come apart, it will be fine.

Ahah, there you are. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I remembered how much you liked the over-run clutch from the other thread, so thought it would be good to see if you still feel the same way. I seem to be getting varying opinions about this (who would have thought, on TBN?! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif) so I'm getting all the info I can. Thanks for the suggestions!

I'm kind of torn, in that I wonder if, with just a bit more practice, this might become easy. OTOH, I've never liked the way the implement is braked almost violently to a stop when I disengage the PTO.. it seems like just letting it coast down would be a plus in terms of longevity. So maybe I can kill a couple of birds here.

Trev · Oct 1, 2002

Don't you hate it when someone gets a task done in no
time with no effort while you get to struggle to do the same?/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Now that you mention it, yes. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif But it's good to know that my equipment is okay, and it's just a learning curve thing.

When you are turning the tractor's PTO shaft is the tranny in
neutral? I thought all the 4000's had independent PTOs. I
would THINK/HOPE that they worked the same. I'm surprised
you can't turn the tractor's PTO shaft..... Mine is real easy
to turn. 

Yes, tranny in neutral, PTO lever disengaged, brakes locked on, engine off. Imagine when your wife hands you a pickle jar to open, and it's really on there tight. That's about how much force I need to get this PTO shaft on the tractor to turn at all. And then it only has a range of about 1/8 revolution. I'm sure it's an independent PTO.. it keeps running if the clutch is in, and besides.. the manual says it is. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Could it simply be that some of the new has to wear off? It's got a little under 100 hours on it, and the mower has only been used for roughly 10 or 15 of those hours. Maybe things will loosen up a bit with time..

Thanks,
Bob

MJB · Oct 1, 2002

I think the problem is that your 4300 (and mine/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif) have a brake on the PTO shaft when it is disengaged. I have found with my mid-mower that when I disengage the PTO if I only move the PTO lever about half way between engaged and disengaged the deck will spin down to a stop. I then pull the lever all the way back to the disengaged position to apply the brake. What I am proposing is that you might try to turn the rear PTO with the engagement lever in the middle of its travel and see if that works better. I will try this on my tractor when I get home tonight and see how it works.

EdKing · Oct 1, 2002

Hey Bob, I think what most of the other people are saying is the over-run clutch shouldn't be needed. The same thing could be said about hydraulic top and tilt, tilt meters, cup holders, extra work lights, etc. I figure if it makes the job easier, do it. The only negatives to an over-run clutch are the posibility of haning to shorten the PTO shaft, and having to wait for an implement to spin down when you turn the PTO off. The plusses are easier hookup of the PTO shaft, and less wear and tear on the tractor end of the PTO. I figure it is cheaper to use the over-run clutch, than having to replace the PTO clutches/brakes sooner due to the wear caused by them stopping the implement rotation.

Just my 2 cents worth.