Best Brand of PTO Shield?

[Suburban Plowboy]

I am trying to get up to speed on these things. It looks like you can replace a shield without replacing the shaft, but I can't tell how to determine whether my driveshaft will fit a given shield.

I could just leave the snap ring out. The upper end of the shaft is covered by a steel skirt anyway, and it's not like I ride on the bush hog with my fingers under the tractor.

 

[Agvg]

The shield is specific for the model it's fitted on, but I still doesn't quite understand what the problem is. Is your shield broken? Or shall you shorten the axel? Or is the axle stuck on the telescope so it won't follow when you lift?

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

There are two issues.

1. I installed a Pat's Easy Change kit which moves the implement 4" farther away from the tractor, so I was concerned about the length of the shaft. Now I am told that the shaft telescopes, so I may have enough material to keep the old shaft. I haven't measured it yet.

2. The Eurocardan shield is an enormous pain in the butt to deal with when changing implements. I want a shield that allows me to slip the forward shroud back quickly and easily so I can disconnect my bush hog from the tractor. It looks like the Bare Co shield may be the answer, but I'm not sure yet.

 

[bigtiller]

Every time I change implements, I have to fight with the stupidly designed shroud on the end of the shield. I can't believe an engineer got paid to create this thing. Maybe there is something I'm missing.

If you cut an inch or two off of the end of the plastic bell shaped shroud, would that give you enough clearance to unhook the driveshaft?

 

[oosik]

I can't quite understand why you are having so much trouble with the PTO shield. You should not have to even touch the shield when you remove or attach either end of the PTO shaft.

Second point - I seriously doubt that you will find a "universal PTO shield". If you need a new shield - you will have to purchase a model specific shield from the PTO manufacturer.

If the bell of the shroud covers the U-joint and its disconnect workings - then do as bigtiller suggests - post #14 - and cut an inch or two off the end of the bell.

Perhaps a picture or two would demonstrate your difficulties and generate results.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I can't quite understand why you are having so much trouble with the PTO shield. You should not have to even touch the shield when you remove or attach either end of the PTO shaft.

Second point - I seriously doubt that you will find a "universal PTO shield". If you need a new shield - you will have to purchase a model specific shield from the PTO manufacturer.

If the bell of the shroud covers the U-joint and its disconnect workings - then do as bigtiller suggests - post #14 - and cut an inch or two off the end of the bell.

Perhaps a picture or two would demonstrate your difficulties and generate results.

It's impossible to touch the end of the driveshaft when the shroud is installed. You have to retract it, and that means fooling with the snap ring.

Cutting the shroud down might help. I will look at it when I get out there. I'm not sure why I need the shroud when the front end of the shaft is already covered by a steel skirt.

 

[Agvg]

Cant you just remove the steel skirt?

 

[oosik]

See now on mine, the shroud/skirt/bell only covers half of the U-joint on both ends. The half of the U-joint that goes on the PTO stub is totally uncovered. I just lift the steel PTO skirt - rotate the PTO shaft until the disconnect button is UP - push down on the button and pull the PTO shaft off the PTO stub.

You are having to mess with some snap ring so the bell can be retracted so you can get at the release button or collar - activate that and then pull PTO shaft off. While disconnect sounds tough - in your case - I'll bet connecting up is a REAL BAG of H E L L.

If this is the way it is with yours - - I would definitely look at carving the bell/skirt back to the point where at least half the U-joint is uncovered. Like you said - on the tractor end - the metal PTO shroud covers that end completely, anyhow.

 

[mwayne]

Another vote for Bare-co shields, in addition to the quick release already mentioned mine came with multiple sized bearings to fit a number of different PTO shafts.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I don't have a good photo of the entire PTO shaft end, but here is a shot of most of it. The thing I hate here is that snap ring. You have to struggle to get it off.

Someone suggested cutting off the steel skirt. That's part of the tractor. I don't want to mess with that, and it wouldn't help me get at the end of the shaft because the plastic thing is stil in the way. I didn't realize it was possible to flip the steel part up. I don't know if that's true with this tractor. I hope so. I didn't notice it yielding while I was fighting with the shaft.

I am going to try to figure out whether a Bare Co shield will fit this shaft. Life is too short for this crap.

I agree that putting the bush hog back on the tractor is probably even worse than taking it off.