PTO selection lever

[Roy]

Two questions out of curiosity:
1) The PTO selection lever allows for mid-PTO, rear-PTO, or simultaneous mid/rear operation. Under what circumstances would someone engage both PTO's?
2) There is an unused lever slot on the BX showing icons of hydraulic pistons (compressed and extended). Owner's Manual doesn't say anything about it (but slot is shown). Is this for front attachment options (e.g. front blade)?

 

[kokopelli2]

roy,
i was thinking the same thing. i have come up with no solution, since the owners manual for my b2410 says never to run both the mid and rear PTO at the same time.

 

[glennmac]

Good questions, Roy. Orange makes great tractors but lousy manuals.

Maybe the PTO levers are separate not so you can operate them at the same time, but so that you can operate them independently, one at a time. In other words, you wouldn't want it to be that both PTO's engaged when you flipped a single lever.

Just a newbie guess.

Glenn

 

[huckflynn]

My BX was delivered Thursday afternoon. As the dealer was walking me through all the controls, etc. he mentioned the mid and rear combination as possibly used with the snowblower and an implement (forget what he called it) for sanding/salting.

Huck

 

[Roy]

So I guess the mid-PTO would also engage an optional front PTO (if so equipped for a snow blower) and the rear would run a salt spreader. Makes sense, but it seems odd that all units would be equipped from the factory for such selection. Nothing I have considered really makes sense. The mid/rear PTO may be one of those 'gizmos' that sounds neat, but when you think about it, you go 'Why?'.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I saw a shredder attachment (I think Track-vac) that would run off the rear PTO. So you would need to engage both the mid and rear PTOs to use this device. I don't remember reading that you should not engage both at the same time.

 

[Kelvin]

Roy,
A few notes that may clear up some issues or add more confusion.

(1) On all compact tractor front PTOs (like my older model B7100) that I have seen to date have been simply a fan-belt arrangement attached to a pulley on the crankshaft. The "electric" PTO switch engages a clutch mechanism that looks a lot like the clutch assembly on an automotive air-conditioner compressor.

(2) My B2150 has mid and rear PTOs that operate simultaneously (whether I want them to or not) from a single PTO engaging lever.

(3) To my knowledge the mid-mower is the only application for the mid-PTO; therefore any operations that would require both to operate simultaneously would have to involve mowing duties, such as powering a rear mounted grass catching or vacuuming device. (I am not familiar with the operation of snow-blowers, so they may possibly use the mid-PTO).

Hope this helps...
Kelvin

 

[Anderson]

The mid PTO does run front mounted snowblowers, and brooms - I just finished installing my blower last week, and there's an extension shaft that runs through the quick hitch.

On my L3600 I have one lever that turns on the PTO(s), and one lever that selects rear pto only or rear and mid pto