Proper length of PTO shaft

Fastball · Sep 19, 2018

Hi, all...I bought a used Kubota tiller today - and OF COURSE, the existing PTO shaft is about 2 inches too short.
I have a spare PTO shaft lying around from another unused implement, so I figured I would cut that one to proper length...but I DO NOT want to mess this up!!
I have measured the (level) distance from the bolt ring on the implement to the tip of my tractor's PTO shaft and have a length of 19 inches. So if my research is correct, the shaft need some extra length for when the implement is raised all the way up, so that would be an extra few inches, right? So my new shaft should measure at least 22 inches from the bolt to the end? How inches of overlap between the two shafts is prudent for safety?

Thanks in advance.

Fuddy1952 · Sep 19, 2018

I'm sure you'll get better answers than mine but I've faced similar things and I would hook it up as you would, lower all to bottom, measure. Again at top and measure. Measurement end of pto shaft to implement.
Then (tractor off of course) connect your pto shaft measuring how far it goes up onto pto shaft and add that in.
So if down is 24", up is 18"...halfway is 21".
If the pto goes 5" up onto shaft then 21+5=26" is length I would cut.
If in doubt I would cut it a few inches too long, then just temporarily tack weld it enough to try it.