Grooming mower with no shear pin or slip clutch protection?

[2manyrocks]

Was it the center spindle that bent?

 

[TN8Man]

How old is the unit? I'm impressed with the strength of your belt! Not impressed with the other failed parts...

I bought the Tractor package in 2019.

 

[TN8Man]

Was it the center spindle that bent?

It wasn't the spindle that bent, it was the blade and drive shaft. The spindle threads that holds the blade were stripped. It was not the center spindle, it was the left side.

 

[crashz]

My finish mower is belt drive as well. I always assumed that the belt would slip, providing protection to the gearbox and PTO.

 

[2manyrocks]

It wasn't the spindle that bent, it was the blade and drive shaft. The spindle threads that holds the blade were stripped. It was not the center spindle, it was the left side.

Hard to see how a belt drive could transmit enough force from the left side to bend the PTO shaft at the center. I'm still leaning towards the thought that the impact jolted the entire mower deck so hard that it caused the PTO shaft to bend?

 

[TN8Man]

This event happened at the end of the last season so it's been at least 5-6 months ago. What I remember is mowing and looking back and seeing no grass being cut under the one blade. Then I replace the blade and spindle over winter. When I tested out the mower recently I noticed the bent drive shaft immediately after I engaged the PTO and I shut it down quickly. Thinking more about this as I respond to questions here makes me think I should have noticed the bent drive shaft back when I noticed the grass was not being cut under one blade but I didn't. I wonder if the bent drive shaft happened after the initial event. I don't share the drive shaft with other implements so I don't know when the bent drive shaft event occurred but it is bent now.

 

[seville009]

Just a shot in the dark regarding the bent pto shaft, but did you move the mower around somehow using the loader since you last used it (maybe to store the mower somewhere over the winter)?

It would be easy to accidentally bend a pto shaft like that with a loader bucket without realizing it.

Not that I’ve ever done anything like that (cough cough)……….

 

[old and tired]

I would try and figure out what the heck you hit!!! Make sure it doesn't happen again....

I've bent my drive shaft and just replace the center pipe. Bought replacement at Agri-supply.

 

[2manyrocks]

That is really bent to the point I wonder if something else caused it.

Have you gone back to where you think all this happened to see if there is a stump?

 

[old and tired]

If the PTO bent while using it... it would have twisted it!!

That looks like mine when I jammed it into the ground backing up my tractor (mine was the outer one that bent like that).