PTO SHAFT TIGHT

[Pooh_Bear]

I had this problem today. Trying to unhook my finish mower.
To hook it up I had to use a hammer to tap it into place.
So I expected I mite have to use a hammer again to nudge it back off.
Nothing doing. Unhooked everything else and beat on it with a 2lb sledge.
But it just wouldn't budge. Finally I decided to just drive forward and
seperate the shaft halves so I could work on it with the mower out of the way.
I started pulling forward and right before the shaft halves seperated I had
a wonderfully bright idea. I got off the tractor and unhooked it no problem.

The problem had been the mower was too close to the tractor.
The telescoping shafts had no where to slide too.
When I moved the tractor forward I had room to slide the shaft back.
Yep, ole Fluff For Brains strikes again.

Usually the problem I get most is burrs on the shaft.
I use a small file to clean the up from time to time.

Pooh Bear

 

[flINTLOCK]

Thanks for the good ideas. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I've only got about 4 hours to disconnect cutter shaft, hook up sprayer, calibrate sprayer and spray 4 acres of food plots before I head back for son's baseball game.

 

[RoyJackson]

Thanks for the good ideas. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I've only got about 4 hours to disconnect cutter shaft, hook up sprayer, calibrate sprayer and spray 4 acres of food plots before I head back for son's baseball game.

Why haven't you already tried to remove the PTO shaft and lube it?

 

[LoneCowboy]

I started pulling forward and right before the shaft halves seperated I had
a wonderfully bright idea. I got off the tractor and unhooked it no problem.

The problem had been the mower was too close to the tractor.
The telescoping shafts had no where to slide too.
When I moved the tractor forward I had room to slide the shaft back.
Yep, ole Fluff For Brains strikes again.

Pooh Bear

You need to cut down your drive shaft, it's too long, in some positions it's jamming up and the weakest thing will bend or break. (probably the upper supports on your mower). A cut off saw will take them down nicely.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Tractor is at hunting camp and I'm not. Didn't think about potential problem til the other day when I started making plans for spraying trip to camp.

 

[MikeD74T]

flINTLOCK, Sitting may have worsened the problem. If it doesn't come right off, spray it with some solvent/lube (WD40, diesel fuel, my favorite -Kroil) & mow for a while. Working the coupling against a load may loosen it up. MikeD74T

 

[Soundguy]

He's be VERY lucky if it was only his mower supports that broke.. VS his pto bearing carrier being pushed into the back of his tractor.. BTDT.. got the greasy hands fixing it after the employees where I work did that very thing 2x to one of our JD tractors when they had a tiller with too long of a drive shaft..

I -wish- the tiller 3pt frame would have failed.. would have been nothing to bend and buzz it back together vs splitting that big deere..

Soundguy

You need to cut down your drive shaft, it's too long, in some positions it's jamming up and the weakest thing will bend or break. (probably the upper supports on your mower). A cut off saw will take them down nicely.

 

[JoeL4330]

I believe it will slip off just fine. I have always found putting it on is the hard part. In addition to all the good lube advice, the problem I have always found when putting it on is that the vertical alignment is not perfect. It is easy to note the horizontal alignment, but the vertical is much harder to notice.

My only other problem (don't try this at home) is putting it on when the tractor is running (yes, yes ...never do this) because the pto shaft won't turn to help with the spline alignment ...so, besides the safety no-no, there is the practical argument. With lube, clean splines, and proper vertical alignment, it works like stuff through a goose.

I will wait to hear the good news about how it slipped right off.

 

[montejw]

flINTLOCK, Sitting may have worsened the problem. If it doesn't come right off, spray it with some solvent/lube (WD40, diesel fuel, my favorite -Kroil) & mow for a while. Working the coupling against a load may loosen it up. MikeD74T

Ditto Soundguy and MikeD74T. I had a sticky yoke and pto shaft, sprayed it with Kroil from the front and back, and went mowing. The yoke slipped right off when I was done. Now it'll get greased.

Monte

 

[flINTLOCK]

Whew!! No problem gettin' cutter drive shaft off the tractor. Grease on inside of PTO adapter was sufficient to lube it up. Thanks to all for helpful hints. Going forward, would white lithium grease be appropriate for that purpose??