Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for?

   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for?
  • Thread Starter
#11  
BX2230_Lockport said:
I was always under the impression they are in case the PTO shaft uncouples by itself from the PTO drive while an implement like a brush cutter is spinning at 13,000 RPM so the PTO shaft does not flail uncontrollably (and dangerously) all over the place.

Are you joking or serious? That little dinky chain aint stopping nothing. I could probably yank on it by hand and snap it.
j
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #12  
StrangeRanger said:
Please excuse my ignorance, but yesterday was the first time I used an implement that ran off the PTO and I got a question.
The PTO shaft on my Meteor blower looks like a lot of other PTO shafts I've seen, but I've never really looked at one until yesterday. Anyway, attached to one end of the shaft is a skimpy little chain that is hooked to the yellow "cover" of the PTO shaft. Is that supposed to be hooked somewhere?
I didn't know what to do with it so I took it off. Didn't want it flapping around.

About the only thing I can think of is maybe it's used to hold up the shaft when it's not connected to an implement. It was hooked to the end of the PTO shaft on the snowblower end of it.
Thanks,
j
Oh Boy:
Been there done that.
Pulled the same dumb stunt and messed up even worse correcting it.
Like you I didn't want them flopping around.
So I took them off and tossed them in the utility trailer parked in the pole building.
And used the tiller several times after that.
A few weeks later I was cleaning up the building and happened to see 2 nice shiny little chains there in that trailer.
For the life of me I could not figure out where they came from.
When I got the tiller I didn't get an owners manual with it.
Got the owners manual a week or so ago.
I was reading through it and got to the page where it was telling what to do with the 2 little chains that came with the tiller and PTO shaft.
Bong Ring Ring Ring; so that's where them 2 little chains in the trailer came form :eek:
The chains are to keep the 2 plastic covers on the PTO shaft from rotating with the shaft.
OK I'll buy/that simple fix just put the chains back on right!
Think again LB59.
Got the chains out of the trailer and one of the clips is missing.
No problem just go over to the kubota dealer and get another one.
Little did I know I was about to learn another lesson in don't count your chickens before they're hatched or is it Murphy's law.
The dealer tells me he can no longer get the chains or clips alone.
The only ones he gets are those that come with a PTO attachment.
Bad news but all is not lost yet as he says he thought he might have an old used clip in his desk drawer opens it up looks around in there a few moments and sure enough hands me a replacement clip
I say what do I owe you an he says nothing.
Boy ain't this my lucky day or is it?
Get home put the clip on the chain and hook it on the plastic cover on the tiller end and the other end on the tiller.
OK so far so good now lets try it out and see how it works.
Fire up the tractor raise the tiller and hear this ripping metal sound ;Oops Chain was to short.
Look down and see the clip has been bent till it's almost a straight piece of metal.
Finally after 2 pair of pliers 1 vice a couple of screw drivers and about 20 minutes the clip is back into a somewhat recognizable but workable shape.
Reinstalled the Chain making sure it was long enough to reach in any position but short enough that any slack chain wouldn't get caught on the PTO shaft or anything else.
Started the tractor raised and lowered the tiller and all worked well.
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #13  
unit40 said:
You gotta love those little plastic grease fittings.

I honestly thought they looked like grease fittings.. BUT never in 100 yrs would have thought that is what they actually are.

Learn more and more daily here..

Brian
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #14  
Yep, and if not lubed, the plastic bearing can "weld" itself to the shaft, so it's worth lubing them periodically. I liked the PTO shafts better before they put those covers on them. One too many Attorney's and Darwin award winners I guess...... Stan

thatguy said:
I honestly thought they looked like grease fittings.. BUT never in 100 yrs would have thought that is what they actually are.

Learn more and more daily here..

Brian
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #15  
StrangeRanger said:
Hang the PTO up outta the dirt is what I was thinking too. Plus, at least on mine it looks like the little chain could almost get caught up in the "knuckle" itself near the blower.

Next question: to lube the shafts, do they literally just slide all the way apart? And recommendations for the type of lube to use? At least until spring and/or the wife ok's a tiller purchase, the PTO is strictly used in the cold/wet snow removal business.

Thanks,
j

Looks like others have correctly answered the question about little chains that keep the shield from turning with the PTO shaft.

So for the second part . . . yes, you can simply pull the two parts of the shaft (and the plastic shield) apart. As to which lubricant is best, I can't really claim to know, but what I used was the same grease that I had in my grease gun. That worked for me.
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #16  
Those little chains are great for the wife to hang her hanging potted plants on the front porch with. You know, the ones you had to put those hooks in the ceiling for, and now she can't reach. ;-)
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #17  
LBrown59 said:
Oh Boy:
Been there done that.
Pulled the same dumb stunt and messed up even worse correcting it.
Like you I didn't want them flopping around.
So I took them off and tossed them in the utility trailer parked in the pole building.
And used the tiller several times after that.
A few weeks later I was cleaning up the building and happened to see 2 nice shiny little chains there in that trailer.
For the life of me I could not figure out where they came from.
When I got the tiller I didn't get an owners manual with it.
Got the owners manual a week or so ago.
I was reading through it and got to the page where it was telling what to do with the 2 little chains that came with the tiller and PTO shaft.
Bong Ring Ring Ring; so that's where them 2 little chains in the trailer came form :eek:
The chains are to keep the 2 plastic covers on the PTO shaft from rotating with the shaft.
OK I'll buy/that simple fix just put the chains back on right!
Think again LB59.
Got the chains out of the trailer and one of the clips is missing.
No problem just go over to the kubota dealer and get another one.
Little did I know I was about to learn another lesson in don't count your chickens before they're hatched or is it Murphy's law.
The dealer tells me he can no longer get the chains or clips alone.
The only ones he gets are those that come with a PTO attachment.
Bad news but all is not lost yet as he says he thought he might have an old used clip in his desk drawer opens it up looks around in there a few moments and sure enough hands me a replacement clip
I say what do I owe you an he says nothing.
Boy ain't this my lucky day or is it?
Get home put the clip on the chain and hook it on the plastic cover on the tiller end and the other end on the tiller.
OK so far so good now lets try it out and see how it works.
Fire up the tractor raise the tiller and hear this ripping metal sound ;Oops Chain was to short.
Look down and see the clip has been bent till it's almost a straight piece of metal.
Finally after 2 pair of pliers 1 vice a couple of screw drivers and about 20 minutes the clip is back into a somewhat recognizable but workable shape.
Reinstalled the Chain making sure it was long enough to reach in any position but short enough that any slack chain wouldn't get caught on the PTO shaft or anything else.
Started the tractor raised and lowered the tiller and all worked well.

You know that you dont have to rely on the Kubota dealer for those little clips or even for the chain for that fact. You can get all that stuff at a local hardware store like ACE or Home Depot. Probably for half the price to.
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for? #18  
Adam23 said:
You can get all that stuff at a local hardware store like ACE or Home Depot Probably for half the price to.
I don't disagree but it was closer for me to go to the Kubota dealer and i lucked out getting the clip free not that it done me any good as i promply bent it all out of shape as soon as I got home and hooked it on the tractor*LOL !
 
   / Noobie PTO question - what's the little chain for?
  • Thread Starter
#19  
Thanks for the answers guys. I still think the little chain is a useless idea. I mean, if you're gonna put a safety chain on something like that, make it a real chain. At least now I know.
j
 

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