has anyone else bent the pto shaft on an MX6?

[RollingsFarms]

somehow i managed to bend the pto shaft on my MX6, along with one of the brackets where the top link of the 3 pt hitch attatches to. how i did it i don't know but it happened sometime last season. i don't remember hitting anything or doing anything that would have caused such damage to my bush hog. i'm very suprised at this because i had a John Deere 205(5' light duty) cutter that lasted a LONG time, and took WAY more abuse then the MX6 has ever thought of taking and never had one problem with it. i guess this just baffles me because the MX6 is head and shoulders much more cutter then my old 205 was, and yet i've had nothing but trouble from it in the 2 years i've owned it. has anyone else besides me managed to tear one of these up like i have? how much do you think a new pto shaft is going to cost me?

 

[beenthere]

Maybe the top link was adjusted too long, and the front edge of the deck contacted the PTO shaft, bending it? I came close to that once.
Also, I put chains in place of the steel braces that are on the cutter (top link connection back to the frame), and like that much better than the steel straps.

 

[1ID]

Well I only have the MX5, but no. I really don't know how one could do it but it must be possible. I mow some commercial properties and have mowed, concrete chunks, rail road car hitch coupler, cyclone fencing, paint cans, beer bottles etc. Yea my deck doesn't look pretty anymore, but I have never broke anything more then a couple shear bolts in 4 years. I wish you had as good of luck as I have. I hope you get it figured out, very bizzare to me.

 

[AKfish]

somehow i managed to bend the pto shaft on my MX6, along with one of the brackets where the top link of the 3 pt hitch attatches to.

Whoa... that would take some doing!!! :shocked: They're a beefy machine!

How about a pic or two? Might be able to come up with a theory if the pictures tell a story.

AKfish

 

[sunnyside360]

Maybe the top link was adjusted too long, and the front edge of the deck contacted the PTO shaft, bending it? I came close to that once..............

I'd bet on what beenthere said above because it almost happened to my new 6' cutter. While cutting a 50 acre field last summer, my wife was was running the 6' cutter and I was running an 8' cutter when I noticed the problem. She raised the cutter and I could see the deck was no where near level but she did not see it. Anyways, I stopped her just in time before the PTO shaft got bent. The lock nut on the top link had worked loose and allowed the top link to get longer. Ended up with just a slight mark on the PTO protective cover where it was contacting the front edge of the deck.

 

[deere5105]

I too would bet on it hitting the deck somehow. I have an MX6 and have cut some 3" & 4" stuff with it without any issues. I would think the slip clutch would slip before it would contact something hard enough to damage the shaft.