used woods model 72 bushhog

[aldie]

I recently purchased a used bushhog. I noticed when I
connected and powered-up the pto that the pto shaft
connecting to the bushhog does not spin perfectly true.
The shaft seems to be bent slightly. I'd say the bend is
somewhere in the middle, close to the sliding joint and
is probably .5 in off center. I'm new to bushhogs so I'm
not sure if this is something I need to be concerned about.
The whole unit vibrates a decent amount. I haven't yet
sprayed any lubricant on the blade attachments, so they
may be sticking. On the other hand, some of the vibration
may be due to the driveshaft. Should I repace the driveshaft?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Aldie

 

[Bird]

I can't really say how dangerous it is, but personally, I don't think I'd operate one without a straight driveshaft. And I don't know whether one can be straightened, but most likely just replaced.

 

[grandad]

There is some amount of back and forth sliding of the PTO shaft as you move over uneven ground. If the shaft has a kink at the wrong place, it could potentially bind, causing excessive wear or failure of some key part. So, beyond the vibration, using a bent PTO shaft is probably not the best thing to do. Lots of operators do it, though.

 

[aldie]

Thanks guys, for your input. I learned from another source
that if the sliding joint can be completely retracted and
compressed, without binding, then the shaft is probably not
bent. I tried this on mine and the sliding shaft showed no
signs of binding. The wobbling that I noticed is probably
the plastic outer guard. I learned that there should be 2
chains holding this guard in place so it doesn't rotate. These
chains are missing.

Aldie