lawn_king
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- Hanover massachusetts
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- kubota L 3540 hsdc,B 2320 hsdc & lots of other stuff!
Very good advise here, pro machine shop or scrap pile!
3-Point Hitch Straighten PTO shaft?
- Thread starter BeezFun
- Start date
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Very good advise here, pro machine shop or scrap pile!
Thanks for all the feedback. I think I'm going to measure the runout on this shaft to see how much it is. The two halves still slide freely, so it's possible that just the outside of the tube is dented, and it's not really bent. I'm not really sure this vibrates any more than my generator, which has it's own (undented) shaft.
So I checked the shaft, the runout was so irregular I put a straightedge along the outside of the outer tube, and it's about 1/4" out of straight. There's also so much slop in the fit between the inner and outer tube that they still slide freely even though the outer sleeve is bent and the inner sleeve is not. So I'm not sure it would help to straighten it. This shaft is about 50 years old, maybe it's time for a new one. The good news is I found a driveline shop about a mile from my house, so I'll drop it off and find out the best course of action.
Chilly807
Elite Member
IMO, unless it's something you can't get easily, it isn't worth trying to repair. I bent the female shaft on my rotary cutter this spring through an error on my part. The new half shaft cost me $67, which was for the tube itself. Removed the old one, installed the new in about 20 minutes, cut it to length and never looked back.
I kept the old one for a cheater pipe for flex handles.
Sometimes you're better off just to take your licks and go forward.
Sean
I kept the old one for a cheater pipe for flex handles.
Sometimes you're better off just to take your licks and go forward.
Sean
I took it over to the shop, they said that little bend is the least of the problems. It's 20 years beyond it's service life, the slop between the inner and outer tubes is so excessive it can't be worked on. So they're building a new shaft with the existing ends on it (one is special for the slip clutch, the other is what I need for the PTO spline), new crosses. They dynamically balance it after they build it. $380.
lilranch2001
Super Member
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I have never priced a new shaft, but have you looked into it?
Seems a little steep for a rebuilt verses a new one
Seems a little steep for a rebuilt verses a new one
Chilly807
Elite Member
I'd say that was expensive, but when you add up all the parts piece by piece and add labour, it's probably not that bad. I have seen other posts here where someone has gone to TSC as an example and got a complete shaft for $150. Mind you, I suspect that shaft might not fit directly on to the slip clutch without machining and welding.
edit- I just checked their website, anywhere from $99 to $229 depending on HP and length. It might be worth looking into unless you're already committed. You might as well price up dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant while you're at it, because I'm pretty sure that at those prices you'll be contributing to the economy of our Chinese brethren.
I priced up a couple of driveline components I would have liked to replace after mine had it's "episode" this spring. I decided the old parts would be OK, if not pretty, after hearing the price of the new ones.
Sean
edit- I just checked their website, anywhere from $99 to $229 depending on HP and length. It might be worth looking into unless you're already committed. You might as well price up dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant while you're at it, because I'm pretty sure that at those prices you'll be contributing to the economy of our Chinese brethren.
I priced up a couple of driveline components I would have liked to replace after mine had it's "episode" this spring. I decided the old parts would be OK, if not pretty, after hearing the price of the new ones.
Sean
It is a new one. I have one end that has a yoke welded to the connecting plate for the slip clutch, they have to remove that and put it on the new shaft. They also reuse the yoke on the other end that has the spline that matches my tractor. So they have to take out both crosses and replace them.They mount the shaft in this thing that looks like a huge lathe and balance it. It also includes shrouds, something I didn't have on the 50 year old one it's replacing.
It's still steep, but I've got 10 projects the control tower is on me to finish up, I can't spend a day staring at the shelves in Farm and Fleet to find the right parts, then come home and try to put it together, then drive back to F&F to get the real right parts.
Chilly807
Elite Member
I know the feeling.. SWMBO gives me lots of wiggle room, but sometimes I just look at what else I want to do that day, and say "And that's why I work, so I can afford to let someone else do the work once in a while."
Sean