Ford 861 PTO not engaging

[sthiel29]

I can't get the PTO to engage on my Ford 861 Powermaster tractor. It seems like the lever for the PTO won't push back all the way to get it to engage. I removed the side access panel and the shaft out of the back. When i pulled the shaft out and pushed the PTO lever back and forth, it would slide all the way in. then i replaced the shaft and the PTO would spin and engage. Two min later when i hooked up the 5' mower deck, I couldn't get the PTO to engage and it seems like the lever won't go all the way back again.
I am not sure what is wrong, or why I could get it to engage after removing the shaft but wouldn't engage after hooking up the mower deck?
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[whodat526]

the shaft or sliding collar is most likely twisted a little bit

 

[Soundguy]

i agree.. see any twist in the rear splines? any chewing onthe sliding collar?.. and shiny metal showign on the splines wher eit has worn in from being tight.. if so that's where it is binding.

ditto on rusty areas too.

post back

 

[LastSTRAW]

I have the Ford 860. It has two settings for the clutch and you can't engage the PTO unless you use adjust the clutch pedal to its highest point. The lower setting is fine for shifting gears but not for the PTO.

You probably know this but if the tractor is new to you this might be an easy fix.

 

[sthiel29]

I have to pull the shaft back out again this weekend, but I didn't see any uneven wear or bent up splines. The shaft looked like it was in good shape yet. But I will check again.

Should I try adjusting the clutch, because it worked fine for me for the last 3 years using the mower deck, with never having to adjust the clutch before?

Thanks for the help

 

[Soundguy]

hard to shift.. or grinds/

if it grinds.. check clutch freeplay adjustment.

 

[whodat526]

if it is hard to shift remove shaft and sliding collar and try and slide on and off by hand

 

[sthiel29]

if it is hard to shift remove shaft and sliding collar and try and slide on and off by hand

I did remove the shaft, and the lever & access panel, to slide it back and forth by hand. I could get it to slide all the way when the shaft was removed, but only when the shaft was removed, would it manually slide all the way. Then the PTO engaged when i put it all back together, but wouldn't engage again after i hooked up the mower deck. That's why i'm confused as to what's going on.

 

[sthiel29]

hard to shift.. or grinds/

if it grinds.. check clutch freeplay adjustment.

Where exactly is the clutch freeplay adjustment located?
Sorry, had the tractor for years, just kind of new to fixing it.

 

[whodat526]

slide the collar on and off the shaft by hand is what i ment

 

[Soundguy]

Where exactly is the clutch freeplay adjustment located?
Sorry, had the tractor for years, just kind of new to fixing it.

get a service manual!!!

put your hAND on the clutch pedal.. press it a few times.. follow the movement.. you will see the linkages and adjustment.

however.. it doesn't sound like you have a grind issue.. but rather the sliding coupler will not slide onto the pto.

try this.. with cover off and pto installed.. try to slide the collar manually.

if no.. lift up on the pto shaft.. IE.. ess if it is sagging at the rear.. then try.

post back

 

[sthiel29]

I did order a service manual, it just hasn't gotten here yet.

 

[sthiel29]

So, I went and worked on the tractor again. I drained all the oil out. Removed the internal PTO shaft by pulling it out of the back of the tractor again. Removed the access panel on the left side where the PTO shift lever is. Checked all the teeth on the PTO shaft, no wear on it, looks perfectly fine. Checked the teeth inside where the end of the PTO shaft slides into, no wear, looks perfectly fine.

Once the PTO shaft was out, I held the clutch down, then I reached inside the tractor and could manually push the rod (that the PTO shift lever pushes on to engage and disengage it) forward to engage the PTO. Just like when I did it the first time, it went forward to the engaged position.

I put the PTO shaft back in from the back, with the PTO still in the engaged position, and put the four bolts back in. I put the side access panel with the PTO shift lever back on and put the bolts back in. Then I put the oil back in.

Once it was all back together, I didn't have any problems moving the PTO shift lever back and forth from the engaged position to the disengaged position. So, I started it up to see if it would give me problems again. Even though this is exactly what I did initially to try and fix it when I couldn't get the PTO to engage.

Now it will engage and disengage without any problems or grinding. I hooked up the mower deck, drove out into the field, and cut the last 2 acres that i had to do without any problems at all! Everything is working fine again.

I don't know what the problem was to begin with, or why it wouldn't work once i hooked up the mower deck last weekend, especially when all I did this time was exactly what i did the 1st time to try and fix it????????

But I got it working now and haven't had any more problems.

So, I'm glad it's fixed, but still completely confused about the whole situation. And I want to say Thank you to everybody that posted and helped me with this problem. I really appreciate everything!!

 

[Soundguy]

my guess is just some sticky linkages with a lil gunk and surfce rust ws making for enough drag that it would not shift on that reduced mechanical advantage small lever setup.

the disassembly and movement got stuff cleaned up.

have a goodun!

 

[topekaguy]

I'm having the same problem with an 850 (not two-stage clutch or live pto). The lever won't slide back and forth. With the engine running, I can get the pto turning by holding the lever, but when I release the lever, the pto stops. I removed the lever access panel, and the finger hooks into the shaft properly, but the shaft won't move. What do I do to free up the shaft?

 

[Soundguy]

i'd be pulling the pto shaft out and leave that side cover off.. inspect the pto rear splines and the sliding colalr.. and shifter mechanism for damage,rust, twisting, etc.

post back

 

[topekaguy]

Thank you.

 

[topekaguy]

Soundguy, I removed the pto lever panel, then removed the four bolts on the pto shaft. I could pull the rear shaft out about 1/2 inch, but no farther. How do I get the rear shaft to come out?

 

[Soundguy]

did the shaft itself only come out a half inch.. or did the bearing carrier come out with it. if the beairng carrier and shaft comes out only half inch and sticks.. try putting a screwdriver thru the hole inthe pto shaft and then using a hammer to tap on it.. sometimes the bearing carrier sticks a bit right at the end of the travel where it exits the center housing

 

[topekaguy]

I'm not sure what you mean by the carrier bearing. If you mean the bearing that bolts the shaft to the tractor frame, yes the carrier bearing and the shaft will pull out about 1/2 inch and then stop. I might also mention that when the pto shaft is pulled out that half inch, the pto lever shaft (on the side) also moves about half an inch. I'll use a screwdriver and see if I can coax the shaft on out by tapping on the screwdriver. (You probably won't hear from me for about a week. I've got other work that's going to occupy all my spare time.) Thanks for the suggestion.