PTO rookie - questions about disassembly and greasing

[Oz_Kioti]

Thanks all. I learned a lot here. Thankfully it’s a cylinder shaft not a square.

I'm unsure what you mean there. The shafts I have are roughly triangular with rounded lobes, one lobe being bigger/flatter than the other two such that the inner and outer will go together in only one orientation. Is that what you mean with a "cylinder" shaft?

 

[johnsayen]

Yeah I used the wrong word sorry about that.

 

[WinterDeere]

The shafts I have are roughly triangular with rounded lobes...

All the same? Do you only have one brand of equipment?

Of those I've owned, I think most have probably been rectangular cross-section, but I've also had round with two rolled splines, triangular, and probably some others I can't remember anymore.

 

[Oz_Kioti]

I have five implements, each with it's own PTO shaft, and they're all the same shape - triangular. One implement came with an Italian shaft, however I think the other four shafts are from bareco.com.au.

The shaft safety covers/sleeves they supply now have a quick release system to allow the cover tubes to be slid away from the yokes, which makes it much easier to reach and press the spring-loaded pin/s when attaching or removing the PTO shaft from the splined shaft of the tractor and/or implement. This style of safety cover release may well be common all over the world, but it sure beats the older fiddly system I had 20 years ago.

 

[WinterDeere]

I wonder if that has more to do with size of implement, or country of origin? Many of my implements were for smaller tractors, my old Deere 750 and 855.

 

[SmallChange]

Completely cover the shaft with some form towel or sheet

Just a thought: you probably want to take the towel off before operating.

 

[LouNY]

Be leery of using "normal" grease in the sliding sections of the pto shaft, doesn't matter if it's rectangular, lemon shaped or tri lobe, or any other style that has been used for the last 80-100 years. Greased shafts and cold weather do not agree, I have seen well greased shafts that could not be separated by normal effort. Many of the various chain lube or graphite products will do the job and allow the shaft to be scoped in and out with normal force.

 

[WinterDeere]

"Normal" grease is generally NLGI-2. But you can pick up something like Lubrimatic wheel bearing grease at most auto parts stores, which definitely doesn't thicken and harden nearly as much in cold weather, as what comes out of most grease gun tubes.

"Grease" is really just oil suspended in soaps and binders. Of course oil doesn't freeze in the weather most of us will see, south of Fairbanks, but the soaps and binders will.

 

[johnsayen]

Thanks I’ve been using a polyeura good for -15F on the blower and a HD lithium complex 3% moly good for -15F on the tractor and loader.

 

[WinterDeere]

If I recall, at least from the Deere brand of each, is that these two greases are actually compatible. Two of the few you can mix with impunity.