PTO - live and learn

[Roadworthy]

I did something stupid but perhaps I can spare someone else from my fate. I connected my mower PTO shaft but apparently it didn't lock into place properly. I got the mower spinning but the shaft slipped out of place dropping onto the mowing deck and flopping around while the blade slowed down. Okay, no biggie, just reconnect and move on. In the process it dented the PTO shaft and it would no longer smoothly slide in and out. A new PTO shaft would be in excess of $300 so I decided to purchase both halves of the shaft and replace the damaged shaft. I was able to score both sections locally for just over a hundred dollars but I got the last ones in town. The vendor doesn't know when he can get more. I think I'll rig some kind of strap to prevent the shaft from free falling in the future.

 

[daman1]

Or........ just make sure you double check and it's always snapped in properly, always tug on it good and make sure it's snapped in and won't pull off

 

[nyone]

Save the old shaft. You never know when you may need a short piece of shaft.

 

[jonsstihl]

how dented is the shaft. doesn't take much raised material to keep the halves from sliding together. you might be able to fix the shaft and have a spare.

 

[coldsteelva]

Agreed. If it's near the join point, perhaps you can trim off the damage and slide the remaining, but slightly shorter shaft back together

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Or drive out the roll pin drill new hole and swap ends

 

[mrmikey]

If it's not too bad a dent possibly drill a small hole opposite the dent and use a small drift to tap the dent out?......