PTO shaft size

[Capricious]

I have a 42" rotary cutter which I will be running behind a 16 hp (13.6 PTO HP) tractor.

The PTO shaft that came with the cutter has "pin-type' quick connects for standard spines on both ends,
and the cutter has a splined input shaft. There was no shear pin/bolt anywhere in the driveline so I have
a slipclutch on order from AGS. The clutch has male/female spines and i will install it on the cutter gearbox.

The question: the PTO shaft that came with the cutter is of the type with a solid square bar and this thing must
weight 40 or 50 lbs. The bearing caps in the yokes measure 1.25 inches diameter. It just seems way bigger than it needs
to be. Can I run this cutter with something a lot lighter, like this:

Braber Equipment General-Purpose PTO Shaft Assembly — 32in. Collapsed Length, Model# 69.885.001 | Tractor Accessories| Northern Tool + Equipment

I will have to shorten the shaft I have in order to make it work with the slip clutch, and I'm thinking I ought to leave this
heavy thing long (maybe it has some resale value) and use a lighter shaft that is a lot easier to install on
the tractor. It's a real job working with that heavy shaft around the PTO shaft guard on the tractor.

Thanks.

 

[mjw357]

The square PTO shaft you speak of sounds like a real antique. It also sounds like it does not have the outer cover that prevents you from getting yourself wrapped up in a spinning PTO shaft. I would stick the square one in the barn and get a modern one like you linked to.

 

[Capricious]

The square PTO shaft you speak of sounds like a real antique. It also sounds like it does not have the outer cover that prevents you from getting yourself wrapped up in a spinning PTO shaft. I would stick the square one in the barn and get a modern one like you linked to.

It has a round sheet metal cover, with sheet metal "bell ends" over the universals, but nothing like the big end plastic covers:




I hitched the cutter to the tractor for the first time yesterday, and getting the shaft coupled to the tractor with the PTO guard on the tractor, and the "A" frame of the little cutter right there, was a real job. Kinda have to hold the thing out at arm's length, and that shaft is heavy. I had to use a jack stand to support the shaft.

I'm just wondering if that 14 lb shaft would stand up to the cutter. It will have the slip clutch.