PTO came apart while bushhogging

suttles · Aug 8, 2006

While I was bushhogging this afternoon I noticed that things were kind of quite behind me.

I looked around and the bushhog was not mowing and then when I raised it and lowered it I noticed that the lower part of the PTO was not there.

The tractor has 22 hrs on it and the bushhog has even less.
Did I do something wrong?
It was down near the clutch on the mower deck that the part was missing from.
It was attached to the tractor and lower part was just not there. It was off where it goes on to the deck of the bushhog. It looked like a pin was out of the clutch part but the part attached to the tractor didn't have a place to attach anything it looked like. The shaft cover was all there.
I had been mowing for about 3 hours and I never hit anything hard.
It was all grass that had gotten tall.
I was on mostly level ground and when I noticed it was not mowing I just thought it seemed a little quiter back there and I don't know what caused this.
Please help. This is almost brand new.
What could I have done wrong?
IT was oiled at 11 hrs like the owners manuel instructed.
I was mostly in 3 or 4 gear low and once for a while I was in 1st high.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
sandy

RoyJackson · Aug 8, 2006

It sounds like the PTO shaft wasn't connected properly to the bush hog. When the U-joint slipped off the cutter (I'm assuming the U-joint isn't still attached to the cutter's gearbox), the two part shaft slipped apart. I'm surprised you didn't hear this when it happened. It had to make a racket back there.

IF the PTO shaft U-joint is still attached to the cutter gear box, it hadn't been pinned to the shaft stub properly. This would be a Warranty claim.

It's also possible the shaft was cut too short and came apart when the shaft extended (going on the top of a hill, for example). However, even if the shafts separated, if connected to the Tractor and cutter properly, you should not have lost one part.

PineRidge · Aug 8, 2006

The PTO shaft on my rotary cutter is fastened to the gearbox with a shear bolt. If the bolt isn't super tight the vibration from using the mower will shear the bolt. At that point the PTO shaft can separate from the gearbox and pull apart. It doesn't make a lot of noise when it happens. If you look closely at the gearbox shaft I think you will see where the shear bolt is broken flush with the surface of the shaft. Use a punch to knock out the old piece of shear bolt before putting things back together.

ovrszd · Aug 8, 2006

Yeah, you either sheared the pin and it came apart or the shaft in the gear box broke off. That would be easy to tell by whether the shaft piece is stuck in the Ujoint of the PTO shaft or not. Either way, I would have thought you would have noticed a big difference in the noise, vibration and pull on the tractor engine. You aren't one of those tractor operators that has an IPOD stuck in each ear when operating are you???

BobG_in_VA · Aug 8, 2006

suttles said:
While I was bushhogging this afternoon I noticed that things were kind of quite behind me.

I looked around and the bushhog was not mowing and then when I raised it and lowered it I noticed that the lower part of the PTO was not there.

It was down near the clutch on the mower deck that the part was missing from.
It was attached to the tractor and lower part was just not there. It was off where it goes on to the deck of the bushhog. It looked like a pin was out of the clutch part but the part attached to the tractor didn't have a place to attach anything it looked like. The shaft cover was all there.

I was on mostly level ground and when I noticed it was not mowing I just thought it seemed a little quiter back there and I don't know what caused this.
Please help. This is almost brand new.
What could I have done wrong?
IT was oiled at 11 hrs like the owners manuel instructed.
sandy

You need to let us know a tad more info. What is "IT"? Brand/model of tractor and mower for starters. I was having difficultly discerning a "visual" from your discription. Question: Was the PTO shaft turning but your mower wasn't? If that's the case the shear pin broke---easiy fix. If your Pto shaft was not turning, check your PTO shift lever to make sure its in the ON position. Pictures would help a bunch...BobG in VA

ovrszd · Aug 8, 2006

BobG_in_VA said:
You need to let us know a tad more info. What is "IT"? Brand/model of tractor and mower for starters. I was having difficultly discerning a "visual" from your discription. Question: Was the PTO shaft turning but your mower wasn't? If that's the case the shear pin broke---easiy fix. If your Pto shaft was not turning, check your PTO shift lever to make sure its in the ON position. Pictures would help a bunch...BobG in VA

I had to read it a couple times, but he lost the cutter half of the PTO shaft!!!!

Soundguy · Aug 8, 2006

Hmm... cutter half of the pto shaft is gone.. presumably the yoke is with it.. leaving either a smooth input shaft to the mower gearbox.. or the smooth shaft of a slip clutch.

If the gearbox.. then the shear pin broke.. if the slip clutch.. then the connecting bolt broke... What puzzles me thought.. is that there was no method to retain the lower yoke to the shaft after the coupler pin or shear pin broke.

On my KK mower and on my stepfathers Howse mower, there is a 'circlip' in a machined groove at the very end of the gearbox input shaft. if the shear pin pops, the yoke can not come of fthe shaft due to the circlip...

I'm amazed to hear that many of you do not have items like this.. seems like that would be a huge safety hazard to have a loose pto shaft that could wildly flail along benid you at 540 rpm because it can slip of fthe shaft when the shear bolt or coupling bolt breaks.. I can just imagine what could be beat up if that did happen.

To the original poster.. drive around till you see where the grass goes from being cut, to not cut.. and look around in a 10' radious.. likely you will find the missing lower shaf thalf and yoke.

Please post back and let us know what you find.. i.e. what broke exactly, etc. And if you fint the sheared slud to drive out of the input shaft so you can re-attach the pto shaft to the mower.

Pics would be great!

Soundguy

suttles · Aug 8, 2006

Sorry I didn't make it clear on what fell off.

My husband fixed it. It was the bolt that holds the slip clutch.

Nothing was damaged. He thinks it just came loose from use.

Thank goodness. I am new to using a tractor so I don't know all the parts.
I keep reading the manual and asking questions here.
I have about 22 hrs under my belt.
But I do really like using this tractor and bush hogging is almost therapy.
I was mowing after dark but on flat ground.
Is that safe to do?
We have a Kubota L3130 and Kodiak Grizzley bushhog.
I want to take care of this great machine.
Thanks,
sandy

riptides · Aug 8, 2006

I want to take care of this great machine.

I wish my SO had the time and energy to devote to tractoring.

Your doing fine.... but how dark is dark? I usually mow when I can see obstacles, holes, animals or danger items. No see, no mow.

-Mike Z.

suttles · Aug 8, 2006

Soundguy,
Do you have any pictures of what you were describing when you said:'"circlip' in a machined groove at the very end of the gearbox input shaft. if the shear pin pops, the yoke can not come of fthe shaft due to the circlip..."?

I posted what happened to the pto shaft and it was the clip that came off.
My husband thought it was just using it and it worked loose.
Anything I can learn about tractoring I would like to know.
I am afraid that I have not learned the names of the parts.
I do read the manuel and try my best to follow the instructions.
Even after reading and re reading I don't know what to call things. At first I didn't know what a pto was. Even after reading and seeing it. It just takes a while before I can become familar with the components.

I had to keep reading and asking what a shuddle shift was.
So hopefully I will have a better knowledge of the mechanical parts.

My husband knows the mechanical parts but this is the first time I have used a tractor.
I do feel like I am getting better at operating it.
I want to be sure that I can learn how to do some of the maintaince on it.

It feels so good to have something work and do what we ask of this machine to do.

There is a reward in seeing a pasture mowed after the grass has gotten to tall.

Any suggestions you have area greatly appreciated.
I would like to know that this piece you mentioned is.

Thanks,
sandy

BobG_in_VA · Aug 8, 2006

suttles said:
Sorry I didn't make it clear on what fell off.

My husband fixed it. It was the bolt that holds the slip clutch.

Nothing was damaged. He thinks it just came loose from use.

I was mowing after dark but on flat ground.
Is that safe to do?
We have a Kubota L3130 and Kodiak Grizzley bushhog.
I want to take care of this great machine.
Thanks,
sandy

Sandy, sounds like a shear pin to me. No biggie! As far as bushhogging in the dark, not such a good idea, especially in high grass. Please don't ask me what a white-tail deer fawn looks like after a bush hog runs over it (and that happened in broad daylight in 4 ft high pasture grass). Stay with it. YES, IT IS THERAPY WITHOUT THE $90/HR IDIOT ASKING YOU "Well, what do you think???" BobG in VA

dirtworksequip · Aug 8, 2006

Sandy, not chewing you out or anything,but you need to be more in tune to the tractor sounds, feel and sometimes smell of when you are operating your tractor.It will tell you whats going on. Right or Wrong. Also when you are mowing constantly glance back over your shoulder to see that everything is OK. It may save you money by catching a problem before it causes more damage. And it's not that I've never messed up. Because I have. Just passing on some knowledge gained over the years. Have fun-work safe!

daTeacha · Aug 8, 2006

I'd say dark is when the headlights don't let you see where you're headed and the rear work light doesn't let you see where you've been. The serious farmers around here often do field work in the dark, sometimes very late at night, to take advantage of a weather window.

It's a little disconcerting to be honkin' down the road late at night with the radio blaring and see a rig with what looks like a bajillion lights moving across the blackness where you know darn well there are no roads. Someone who didn't know what was going on would be convinced a flying saucer was landing or something.

PineRidge · Aug 8, 2006

Sandy this is a picture of a 40 HP King Kutter gearbox showing the shear bolt and the circle clip that keeps the rear of the PTO from coming off if the shear bolt breaks.

ovrszd · Aug 9, 2006

suttles said:
Soundguy,
Do you have any pictures of what you were describing when you said:'"circlip' in a machined groove at the very end of the gearbox input shaft. if the shear pin pops, the yoke can not come of fthe shaft due to the circlip..."?

I posted what happened to the pto shaft and it was the clip that came off.
My husband thought it was just using it and it worked loose.
Anything I can learn about tractoring I would like to know.
I am afraid that I have not learned the names of the parts.
I do read the manuel and try my best to follow the instructions.
Even after reading and re reading I don't know what to call things. At first I didn't know what a pto was. Even after reading and seeing it. It just takes a while before I can become familar with the components.

I had to keep reading and asking what a shuddle shift was.
So hopefully I will have a better knowledge of the mechanical parts.

My husband knows the mechanical parts but this is the first time I have used a tractor.
I do feel like I am getting better at operating it.
I want to be sure that I can learn how to do some of the maintaince on it.

It feels so good to have something work and do what we ask of this machine to do.

There is a reward in seeing a pasture mowed after the grass has gotten to tall.

Any suggestions you have area greatly appreciated.
I would like to know that this piece you mentioned is.

Thanks,
sandy

Not to get off subject, but I'll tell a funny story on my wife. She would laugh too if she were listening. We just bought a Kubota compact tractor. She has never ran anything but our John Deere sub-compact mowing the lawn. I'm not home now and she was eager to use the new Kubota so I said, read the manual, sitting on the tractor looking at the controls, when you think you've got it figured out, fire it up and start mowing on the flat part of the lawn and work your way into the harder stuff as you get comfortable. So she did. After an hour or so of mowing flat ground she got braver. She mowed along the elevated road bank. As she was mowing downhill into a deadend she got the edge of the deck up on the road bank. This took the weight off that rear tire. When she stopped and tried to back out, it just spun that tire. The whole situation got her stressed and the more stressed she got the more logical thought went away. Our tractor has individual brakes, differential lock and is 4 wheel drive. Any one of those items could have been used to get out of this situation. She finally gave up and walked back to the house. Our elderly neighbors stopped by and said they would help her get it out, they brought their pickup and pulled her a couple feet and she was freed. When I called home she told me the story, laughing the whole time. When she finished I said did you try the diff lock? individual brake? or 4 wheel drive. By this time she was laughing her head off at how silly she had been. I guarantee you she now knows how to use all those features. The point of my story is that's how we learn, by doing. Keep right on using your tractor and it's attachments. Next summer you will be on here offering advice to some other person running their equipment for the first time!!! We've all been there!!! Some just at an earlier age.

Soundguy · Aug 9, 2006

PineRidge said:
Sandy this is a picture of a 40 HP King Kutter gearbox showing the shear bolt and the circle clip that keeps the rear of the PTO from coming off if the shear bolt breaks.

Good pic pineridge!

Soundguy

Farmwithjunk · Aug 9, 2006

daTeacha said:
I'd say dark is when the headlights don't let you see where you're headed and the rear work light doesn't let you see where you've been. The serious farmers around here often do field work in the dark, sometimes very late at night, to take advantage of a weather window.

It's a little disconcerting to be honkin' down the road late at night with the radio blaring and see a rig with what looks like a bajillion lights moving across the blackness where you know darn well there are no roads. Someone who didn't know what was going on would be convinced a flying saucer was landing or something.

And some not-so-serious farmers have spent a LOT of time out in dark fields. Things like insurance, a paycheck, and the bank demanding I actually made payments on my loan meant I had to keep a full-time job all the while I was trying to farm, albiet on a small scale. I've bush hogged, cultivated corn, Picked corn, fed cows, fixed fences, and just about every chore I can think of after dark. In some cases, I'd much prefer to work in the dark. Cultivating corn comes to mind. That takes tremendous concentration. Daydreaming and looking around will make you plow out acres of corn. In the dark, all you see is what's in the tractors lights. Only trick was not falling asleep and plowing out a fencerow at the end of the field. (I won't tell you how I know that can happen....

)

Worst part is battling with bugs wanting to hang out in the lights.

Soundguy · Aug 9, 2006

A friend of mine asked me whi I worked 2 jobs. my wife worked 2 jobs, when we have a farm. only half jokingly i replied that you can't have a farm nowadays unless you work another job to support it..

Soundguy