Cutting a PTO shaft

[Sideways]

I am getting ready to put a PTO overrunning clutch on my Iseki TX1500F and believe the PTO shaft for my bush hog is going to be about 3.5 inches to long.
Can I cut the PTO shaft down or should I just buy a shorter PTO shaft?
Thanks

 

[kenstrac]

How much shaft do you have now?
Just make sure that you have at least 10in. inside the shaft after you cut it at fully extended point

 

[J_J]

If you need to cut the shaft, then just cut it. Don't know what you have to cut it with though. Some options are grinder and cut off wheel, torch, plasma. I have used a Stihl 760 cut off saw with metal cutting blade to cut a solid 2 in shaft in a couple of minutes. I also burned a hole in my pants from the sparks.

 

[kenstrac]

Hacksaw,Sawzall ,cutoff saw , band saw etc.

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

If you have the tools cut it, it's not that hard. Takes less than five minutes to cut both pieces on a band saw, or less than a minute on a dry cut saw.

Hardest part seems to be getting the guards off in a way that they will go back on

Erik

 

[kenstrac]

If you have the tools cut it, it's not that hard. Takes less than five minutes to cut both pieces on a band saw, or less than a minute on a dry cut saw.

Hardest part seems to be getting the guards off in a way that they will go back on

Erik

I cut a piece of wood the length of the shaft and to the right thickness to make the shaft centered in the sleeve and cut it on my horiz. band saw cutting the sleeve ,wood,shaft all at once.

 

[Sideways]

Thanks for the replies.
I only need to cut 3-4 inches off but won't know for sure until I get the clutch and take measurements.
I have a chop saw with a metal cutting blade that I can make a straight cut with.
I wasn't sure if there would be a safety issue with shortening it up or not.

 

[Bedlam]

Also be sure to cut the same equal legnths from both shafts

 

[600rider]

don't forget to cut the shields too!

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

I cut a piece of wood the length of the shaft and to the right thickness to make the shaft centered in the sleeve and cut it on my horiz. band saw cutting the sleeve ,wood,shaft all at once.

That's an excellent idea, I'll have to try that. Lucky for me I already have a PTO shaft that need an inch or two taken off.

 

[Bird]

Go to Bushhog.com, click on "Manuals" and pick one, such as a manual for a tiller, and you'll find good, illustrated instructions (page 7 for the RTS tiller). And when I needed to cut the shaft for my tiller, I didn't have a power saw handy, so I just put it in the vise and cut it with a hacksaw, just as their illustration shows. It was much easier than I expected.

 

[Willl]

The only thing left to add is to measure twice, cut once.

 

[Sideways]

That's great information Bird!
Thanks

 

[Opti-Mist]

The only thing left to add is to measure twice, cut once.

Yup - Cut it off twice and it's still too short!

 

[Willl]

Yup - Cut it off twice and it's still too short!

One more time should make it perfect.

 

[dodge man]

I bought a used brush hog and had to shorten the PTO shaft about the same amount you do. A metal cutting band saw wouldn't hardly scratch it. That was with a brand new blade. This is the kind of band saw that you clamp something down in, set the amount of weight on the blade, and just let it go on its own. I ended up using a torch on it. It made the ends kind of rough, but they smoothed out with a grinder.

 

[Charlesaf3]

Also be sure to cut the same equal legnths from both shafts

Does this really matter?

I would have even said 10 inch overlap was generous. Not that that is a bad thing

 

[Opti-Mist]

Does this really matter?

I would have even said 10 inch overlap was generous. Not that that is a bad thing

It matters only in the extreme, like cutting all the excess length from the outer part thus leaving virtually no overlap. Otherwise, you're right, it is not crucial as long as sufficient overlap remains.

 

[Sideways]

Got the overrunning clutch today and cut the PTO shaft, everything works great.
Ended up cutting the PTO shaft twice since I was leary about taking to much off at one time.
Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Bird]

Ended up cutting the PTO shaft twice since I was leary about taking to much off at one time.

A man after my own heart. I've had to cut things sometimes 3 or 4 times for the same reason.