New Tractor, first post. County Line post hole digger with half of trilobe PTO

[gdoteof]

Hi. After being unable to find anyone to build a fence that I could afford; I learned about post hole diggers and other various tractor attachments. A lightbulb went off and suddenly so many impossible projects seemed feasible. So I got a tractor.
I got a used one in good shape. After asking around I got a yellow county line posthole digger with 9" auger for a couple hundred bucks with the asterix there was another piece I would need.
Well here I am learning about that piece. Essentially; half the drive line is missing. It is a trilobe shaft that is probably long enough to reach my PTO; but no ujoint or yoke. I think the half of a drive line that is attached to the PHD may not be the one that ships with the retail version of the PHD; given that it is trilobe.

I am basically wondering if its worth it to even get parts for this half a driveline; it doesn't seem to really be available in some convenient package. I need to get the tractor yoke, bearking kit, and inner yoke; the inner yoke being something I can't find locally because they are italian? or maybe I just don't know where to look.

 

[Torvy]

Depends on what you paid...a brand new PHD from TSC is only about $600. The auger is another $160+/- IIRC.

I have found the hard way some times that my deal wasn't a deal. Maybe you get it fixed, maybe you throw good money after bad. I am getting too old to chase rainbows. If you paid more than a couple of hundred, ouch. If you paid less, I'd just keep it for parts and buy a new PHD and use the auger you already bought.

 

[Gee Ray]

Post hole diggers are often not used very much. If the rest of the digger is in good condition you can buy a whole new PTO shaft for less then buying the parts for the old one.

Check out You tubes for cutting the new one to the correct length.

Then drill away.

 

[gdoteof]

I think if I knew then what I know now I would not have bought the thing. That said it worked out; the unit is effectively unused. I did end up buying an entire new PTO shaft. All-in about $500 now; which is still cheaper than new and I have some parts out of it. Also the dude delivered the thing in the first place; so I guess it worked out.

Glad I found this forum. I am sure it won't be the last time.

I would love to be pointed at general resources. I don't know anything I haven't learned in the last few weeks. I am essentially a suburbian raised tech nerd. A software "engineer"; but I don't know anything bout nothin in the space of physical engineering.

 

[old and tired]

PTO Shaft, PTO Parts, PTO Adapter, PTO Power Take Off, Eurocardan

Agri Supply stocks an amazing selection of Eurocardan PTO shaft parts and accessories, including clutches, tubes, and yokes for your tractor and implements.

www.agrisupply.com

You might get a and whole new one for price of parts...

 

[gdoteof]

PTO Shaft, PTO Parts, PTO Adapter, PTO Power Take Off, Eurocardan

Agri Supply stocks an amazing selection of Eurocardan PTO shaft parts and accessories, including clutches, tubes, and yokes for your tractor and implements.

www.agrisupply.com

You might get a and whole new one for price of parts...

Yeah that's what I ended up doing. I got a full replacement shaft of the type that I have half of already so the parts should work. It was actually a few bucks more (literally, like $7) to get a whole new one compared to buying the parts.

 

[Gordon Gould]

^^^
Welcome to TBN gdoteof. You will have plenty of experiences and chances to learn about physical stuff putting your new tractor to work. Lots of enjoyment too. Develop common sense and work safe.

gg

 

[Torvy]

I would love to be pointed at general resources. I don't know anything I haven't learned in the last few weeks. I am essentially a suburbian raised tech nerd. A software "engineer"; but I don't know anything bout nothin in the space of physical engineering.

You have a good start. Since you already have a tractor, it would be helpful for you to peruse the Kubota section of the forums. There are a lot of experienced operators who can likely shorten your learning curve and your stress levels.

I grew up around equipment, but we lived 'in-town', so my hands-on opportunities were limited. I spent most of my professional life in tech (hardware and software) and in banking. I am going to be a work-in-progress with the equipment operation as well. Enjoy the journey!

One piece of advice, respect the equipment and the limits the engineers put on it. Tractors are great tools, but mistakes can be fatal. Many on this site have been working with things so long that they think nothing of exceeding the limits placed on the equipment by engineers. The most likely candidates to be killed by equipment mishaps are green, inexperienced users who don't know what they don't know and complacent, experienced users who assume that they know better. While I am certain the lawyers convinced most companies to be very conservative with the published limits, it is generally not good for your or your equipment to exceed those parameters.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

And..... watch plenty of videos using a PHD..... there is definitely a learning curve to use on effectively.