PTO hookup- Is it just me?

[jmc]

Hello All,

Whenever its time to put on the rotary cutter, I find myself semiconsciously dreading the PTO shaft hookup. Not so much locking the shaft on, but getting the splines aligned is the trick. Its a combination of things- no good place to stand; ducking the top link while sidestepping the bottom link; needing both hands to extend the shaft while needing a third hand to rotate the stub spline; or difficulty rotating the shaft while trying to extend it- all these things complicated by protective shrouds on both the tractor and on the PTO shaft that reduce the ability to get a good grip.

To the tractor designers- I'd gladly trade my factory cup holder and cruise control for a better hookup system. Does anyone else have this problem?

John

 

[jdsafeman]

I have the same problem with a 15' mower. I cut a piece of lumber that fits between the u-joint and I use it for leverage to turn the shaft. Easy to line up now and I keep the stick in the tool box.

 

[Wombat125]

Whenever its time to put on the rotary cutter, I find myself semiconsciously dreading the PTO shaft hookup.

There's no semi-conscious about it. I am fully conscious of my disdain for this task.

My trick is to keep it greased and curse at it like a wounded sailor.

The JD Autohitch sounded interesting for a moment, but was turned off by price, complexity, and the requirement to cut all my PTO shafts to fit it. Even my dealer said it was kind of bogus technology.

 

[Willl]

Don't tell anybody, but I cut the shroud portion off the protector sleeve because of this problem.

Made a world of difference in hooking it up. And it's still protected by the tractor metal shield.

 

[jsborn]

Don't tell anybody, but I cut the shroud portion off the protector sleeve because of this problem.

Made a world of difference in hooking it up. And it's still protected by the tractor metal shield.

I did the same thing and if the safety police come after me I wont tell you did it too.

 

[yzbdsbp]

I have the same problem with a 15' mower. I cut a piece of lumber that fits between the u-joint and I use it for leverage to turn the shaft. Easy to line up now and I keep the stick in the tool box.

Just like as stated here I hate it too. But I only have a 6' bush hog so the way I have learned to do it....is after i hook the lower arms to the cutter, I raise it up just enough that i can turn the shaft when im tryin to hook the PTO up. If you have the cutter on pretty flat ground, it will allow the shaft to turn the blades just enough for the splines to line right up and slide right up on there. Same concept as jdsafeman only a much smaller scale.

 

[scott_vt]

Don't tell anybody, but I cut the shroud portion off the protector sleeve because of this problem.

Made a world of difference in hooking it up. And it's still protected by the tractor metal shield.

Good Mornin Willl,
Sounds like a good idea to me, like you said you still have the protection of the PTO tractor shield ! Its kind of redundant to have two levels of protection, especially when you could reduce the level of cuss words on every PTO hookup ! I may try that myself !

I have also found that keeping those splines really clean with a wire brush helps IMO !

 

[mwb]

My new Montana is a PITA to hook up compared to my old Ford. The biggest difference with the new machine is that the PTO is locked - it won't freewheel by hand. I made the mistake of disconnecting my blower with some snow still in it - i had to use a prybar to turn the blower over to line the splines up. Any implement that doesn't turn over by hand would be difficult...

The other difference is that the Ford had a crank adjustment for the link arm; this made coupling a lot easier. The Montana has a crappy get-off-the-tractor-and-crawl-under-to-adjust thing (my dads new L3400 'bota is just as bad). I intend to change mine to a TNT

I still love my new machine though!

 

[randy41]

greasing the shaft goes a long way toward making the hookup easier. the top link is the last thing i connect so it doesn't get in the way. i hook up the 2 sides first then i turn the tractor off and hook up the pto and then start the tractor and hook up the top link. i find the most annoying thing is if i really didn't line the tractor up well and i have to climb up on the seat and adjust its position.

 

[jas67]

I just put the PTO in gear (with the engine turned off), and that keeps it from turning counterclockwise (it will still turn clockwise, due to the overrun clutch). Then I just need to rotate the implement's shaft counterclockwise to line up the splines.

This works everytime!

 

[Eric_Phillips]

I took the shrowd off the tractor. I also hook up the PTO first. I back the tractor up and stop about a foot before the lower links would line up. This way I have some room to get in between the tractor and the mower.

 

[Runner]

I cussed it too, until I learned that, on my tractor (JD2520) when you shift the PTO lever to the mid PTO setting, it allows the rear PTO shaft to be turned easily either direction. So lining up the splines is a snap, and that was the only hard part to hooking up a driveshaft for me.

Now that I know this, I'm kicking myself for not figuring it out sooner. Not sure if it works this way on other tractors with 2 PTO's, but it's worth a try.

 

[jsboening]

I cussed it too, until I learned that, on my tractor (JD2520) when you shift the PTO lever to the mid PTO setting, it allows the rear PTO shaft to be turned easily either direction. So lining up the splines is a snap, and that was the only hard part to hooking up a driveshaft for me.

Now that I know this, I'm kicking myself for not figuring it out sooner. Not sure if it works this way on other tractors with 2 PTO's, but it's worth a try.

I do the exact same thing on my 3720. It's way to hard to turn the shaft on the 84" RMM by hand.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

If I turn my kubota off, then you can turn the pto by hand.

 

[zzvyb6]

I don't recommend using grease on the pto splined shaft. Use a dry lube because the grease will pick up dirt, chaf, and threads from your gloves.

The biggest offender to me is the sliding force for extending the pto driveshaft. That needs to slide easily, too, for a good one-handed installation.

 

[GaryS]

Does anyone else have this problem?

My brush hog is a PITA to get hooked up but my RFM goes on smooth as silk. I do think that some shafts attach easily and others are more difficult.

gary

 

[Reg]

Maybe I don't "get it" - the problem.
Maybe I "GOT" the solution early on ?
As long as the end of the shaft is parallel to the tractor's stub it is simple enough to just rotate the tractor's stub with the other hand until the splines engage, then press the lock button and slide it the rest of the way on.

PARALLEL may be the key.

 

[JoeL4330]

Reg is absolutely right: the key is parallel (that is, the entire pto shaft--not just the end has to be "co-axial" with the tractor splined shaft ...said another way, the u-joint must be straight on and the whole thing end on to the tractor's spline shaft).

For me (and most everyone, I would assume) this means that the top link must be connected to raise the implement slifhtly to that level position, which unfortunately means that the top-link is in the way ...so be it. I should mention that after it is lifted parallel I shut off the tractor (no way would I attach to the tractor spline when the tractor was running and, anyway, I wouldn't be able to turn it to align the splines) and then am extra careful to avoid toes under the implement on the off chance that it will lower itself ...which mine doesn't.

Usually, lining up the shaft so it is coaxial mostly means lifting the implement slightly, in my case. It could also mean eliminating any side-to-side bias...in my case, centering and re-pinning the sway arms.

When it is all lined up just right--and, yeah, lubed with whatever--it slides on slick as snot ...incidentally, the tell-tale that it is lined up right is that I can push it on by grasping the pto shaft beyond the U-joint (with one hand while the other pushes in the detent pin or messes with the collar, or whatever, depending on the implement.

Once you have lined it up and it slips right on, be bold: slide it on and off a few times to get the feel of how it is supposed to work and to build up your confidence.

 

[RalphVa]

I do what many others have mentioned: put PTO in mid slot; can rotate by hand then; once you feel it go onto the splines, you pull the detent back or push the button (have both kinds) and push it on.

The top part of my PTO shield raises up. Didn't know about this at first. The dealer showed me.

Another thing that I do and not mentioned yet is I use either a tension cord or my chain I sometimes use as a top link to hold the PTO shaft up at about the right height. That way, I don't have to support its full weight while monkeying around rotating the shaft, etc.

Ralph

 

[sixdogs]

I put oil on the pto shaft frequently and wipe it off occasionally to keep it clean and lubed. But , I also oil the little detent balls that are in the yoke of the impliment I am trying to hookup. I really think this area is the problem in that the balls rust a little or dry out and are hard to push in while hooking up.
Once oiled, no or less problem for me.

In lining up the spline, I find there is usually a way to get the PTO shaft to turn. Some tractors are with it engaged, others not,. There usually is a way to turn the shaft on the tractor.