Securing PTO safety shield

grsthegreat · May 6, 2011

JohnMiller3 said:
<font color=blue>...I'm curious as to why one needs to keep the shield from spinning?...</font color=blue>

The chain doesn稚 just prevent the shield from rotating but it also prevents the shields from 田reeping/slipping down the shaft, and then exposing the open driveshaft underneath (without depending on the nylon bearing carriers to hold it in place)(don稚 forget you致e got male/female parts?

Ive had several of these break away from the chains and spin. after repairing them a few times, i finally gave up. Mine have never slipped down, as there secured to the head pieces with a sleeve and 3 set screws. they just spin to their hearts content. Im not exposed to any of the metal parts......so be it. They really should be designed better. Mine are all made in Italy (for some reason) and all are crap.

Gary Fowler · May 7, 2011

I am with Bird on this one. Let it spin and it provides the protection to keep from wrapping you up in the pto if you are stupid enough to get on the deck when it is running and doesnt wear it out. I have never chained mine down and as for slipping down the shaft, just try and pull it away from the knuckle joint, it wont move at all. I actually had to split my outer shaft so it was loose enough for me to slip my PTO shaft in and out. It was so tight that it was impossible to telescope the shaft for hook up and un-hook. It has been that way for 3 years and still as good as new and rotates freely. I have never had anything wrap around it. I dont know what you guys are bushhogging, but there shouldnt be any thing on the deck to wrap around the shaft to start with, maybe a little grass on the deck but that doesnt wrap the shaft. You guys are overthinking this whole thing. First, you shouldnt even be on the deck when the shaft is turning, second your definitely shouldnt be touching the shaft when it is turning and the plastic sleeve is there for the idiots that do get on the deck and work on it with the PTO engaged and turning.

RoyJackson · May 7, 2011

9 year old thread...revived.

moored4 · May 7, 2011

Never to old to talk safty!

For 40+ years I sat in mill safty meetings, It was like all those old movies you watch over and over again, pertty soon you know the lines as well as the actors did! BUT there was also the new guy sitting in the same meeting hearing IT for yhe first time!:thumbsup:

jeff9366 · Jun 5, 2012

brantley said:
As was mentioned in another post, sometimes the little rings to keep a PTO shield from spinning will break off. I have a couple of shields where this has happend. I am curious how others have handled this.

When an EYE has broken through on the PTO plastic shield I secure a 3/16" (small) CHAIN "QUICK LINK" to the PTO plastic shield with one or more CABLE TIES. One INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH CABLE TIE will suffice or two less robust cable ties. On my PTO shield cable ties need to be 11" long; INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH CABLE TIES begin at 14" length.

Lasts a long time, no rust and you will not snag/cut your hands fumbling around so I think cable ties are better in this application than a worm-drive PIPE CLAMP.

Tractor Supply - Search Results for 3/16 quick link

nickel plate · Jun 5, 2012

I went through the same thing this spring while re-greasing the Squealer 480 PTO shaft and finding a severe lack of those Italian plastic clips that hold the upper and lower heads to the PTO protective shaft. I searched local stores and all over the net and never found any for sale-seems the retailers want you buy a complete cover and they are not cheap. I wound up glueing the heads directly onto the protective shaft tube and accepting the fact that I now have a spinning PTO protection tube. Tried it out, lightly finger tip grabbed it at a low RPM and it stopped (just a safe test) and since then have mowed several times for several hours without incident. I do understand that this is not how the system was originally designed but it's my rig with no outside help following me around and if I ever sell the Bush Hog, the plastic shield will be removed and not included in the sale.
During that same time period I needed to refill a propane bottle and my closest supplier is a franchised equipment rental yard. While waiting for the fellow in front of me to finish up on refilling his tanks, I wandered over to the compact tractor area (the front row on the street) and saw a tractor/rotary mower sitting there for rent without any hint of a protective shield on the mower's PTO shaft.

Just an exposed steel shaft screaming "Please touch me while I'm spinning!".