PTO Shaft won't slide

[airbiscuit]

I belatedly picked up my flail mower. Last fall the seller put some grease on the PTO shaft and pushed the two halves together. So last week, I picked it up, and wanted to take the tractor half off so I wouldn't lose it in transport. We both pulled on it,and couldn't get it to budge. I hooked a strap on to the PTO and lifted the mower, but still no slide.

Any have any ideas on how I can free this up? I don't think it is rusted together, I think the grease is making a very tight seal.

 

[brown40]

Heat it up. Secure the gearbox end & implement, get a few wraps of rope and a hitch on the free end, then use a comealong and a truck hitch/fixed point. Watch the tension and pull direction.

 

[BufordBoone]

First thing I did was spray penetrating oil down into the connection. Next, I placed a scrap piece of wood against the yoke. Then, I applied light, repetitive taps of a hammer on the wood and got it moving and then off. Once apart I cleaned it, added grease and everything slid smoothly.

 

[airbiscuit]

I've thought of and will try both approaches. The problem is the plastic guard pretty much obscures everything.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I had one rust together. chained one end to a pine tree and pulled apart with tractor. I put a pretty good yank on it, the tree ended up dying from the stress, and it was about 30' high. Only takes a little rust spot.

 

[BigBoyToys]

Worse come to worse just cut the plastic cover and heat it. You can get a new cover for pretty cheap.
Just an example...Complete P14 Shield 3919 Cv Pto Shaft 9Cs459|Eurocardan

 

[brown40]

Wow--thats the most intact pto shaft I've seen for a while--no metal to be seen. Looks like you may actually be able to remove the plastic without damage. I'd dump a big pan of boiling water through it first if I wasn't keen on disassembly. I'm sure your grease hardened and pressure locked it together--soften it up and it should go. Had the same thing happen to an ancient sweeper I was lent--took an hour but has been fine since--it had no plastic remaining and rust in the mix...

 

[bspeedy]

Wow--thats the most intact pto shaft I've seen for a while--no metal to be seen. Looks like you may actually be able to remove the plastic without damage. I'd dump a big pan of boiling water through it first if I wasn't keen on disassembly. I'm sure your grease hardened and pressure locked it together--soften it up and it should go. Had the same thing happen to an ancient sweeper I was lent--took an hour but has been fine since--it had no plastic remaining and rust in the mix...

This is a great tip and one I will use when faced with the same problem. On equipment stored outside, I've found that taking one half of the PTO shaft indoors is the only solution that has worked so far. On one particularly stubborn shaft, I chained one end to a tree and one end to my truck - 8000 lbs of CC LWB powerstroke diesel 4wd. Couldn't separate the shaft. Had to do the heat-n-beat routine. Of course I had to destroy the plastic guard in the process.

 

[Catman8]

You did not mention if you can remove the PTO shaft from your flail mowers gear box, does that come off easy. The problem I have with my flail mower is the splines are permantly rusted to the gearbox, I've tried penatrating lube, heat, and even the vibration from running the flail for hours of operation will not release the two. Permantly rusted together, I would love to remove it but figure if I keep messing with it I will damage the oil seal or something worse. Oh, and by the way, what engineer designed the PTO release button to be round on the end and goes to the bone on your finger, they couldn't of made the push pin flat for comfort, the spring has so much tension I need to use a tool to push it. I have switched from grease on all my three point connection to dry lube in a spray can and love it, no more getting grease all over you when hooking things up. . You might have better luck if you remove the PTO shaft from your flail to work on it, like other have said, now you can connect one end to a solid object and use a pulling devise on the over end, always throw a blanket over the cable for safety and stay out of the bite.

 

[Garrett Wiggins]

This is a great tip and one I will use when faced with the same problem. On equipment stored outside, I've found that taking one half of the PTO shaft indoors is the only solution that has worked so far. On one particularly stubborn shaft, I chained one end to a tree and one end to my truck - 8000 lbs of CC LWB powerstroke diesel 4wd. Couldn't separate the shaft. Had to do the heat-n-beat routine. Of course I had to destroy the plastic guard in the process.

This!!

 

[PJSprog]

Judging from the looks of the housing and the tractor end coupler, I think it's safe to assume there is probably rust involved.

Those plastic covers usually come off with a few screws, so there should be no need to destroy them.

 

[boggen]

a tad dangerous hooking up. but if you could attach to rear of tractor, and raise up the 3pt hitch just enough to get shaft connected. and then let it run for a bit to warm things up. then raising up / lowering the 3pt hitch "not a lot" but to create some push/pull force on the shaft as it is spinning.

have had to do this to the post hole digger over the years. it seats for a couple years plus, then time to come use it, it rusted up some. thankfully i can easily remove the auger bit, and just have the gear box on the end. and it shakes and rattles some. (not real smart idea) gear box darn near flips on me, and cause additional damage. but it frees up the pto shaft, enough to get some grease on it, and then away she goes freely.

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go with other folks notes. just random blah here.

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just wondering if you could some how attach an impact wrench to end of PTO shaft. so you could obtain clock wise and counter clock wise sudden burst of shock vibration. that an impact wrench creates.

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what i am trying to get at... when dry fitting sch40 fittings say 2", 3", 4" fittings. oh the pipe will slide all the way in. but you are out of a lot of luck getting the pipe back out to prime and glue/solvent weld everything together. i end up taking a screw driver and hammer. and going around tapping the fitting end, right up against the pipe. and kinda walk the fitting off the pipe. (kinda like walking a dresser on a couple legs to position it)

if you had say a log splitter, and some how able to hook 2 ends of shaft to it. see if you could pull on it some. rotate shaft some, give it another pull, rotate some give it another pull.

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with other folks idea, of warming it up...

take 2 to 4 garbage bags and a roll of tape. and stick end of shaft into garbage bag, then toss a couple more on. then use tape to loose hold bag around shaft, and start dumping in boiling water. the tape is there to reduce amount of hot water you need to dump in.

if you could find a kitchen sink to garden hose adapter ((most likely in aquariums / fish isle of some local store possibly)) turn sink to hot. and run garden hose out. to fill up container / garbage bag. menards/lowes/homedepot most likely have sink to garden hose adapter in the "misc brass fitting section" were all the little baggies are of different fittings.

 

[airbiscuit]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

I removed the PTO shaft from the flail mower. The plastic guards really obstructed the shaft, but I sprayed PB Blaster in the tiny gaps that existed and let the PTO shaft hang vertically overnight. I wrapped nylon tie down straps around the base of the yoke(s) and fed them up through the center (so it would pull straight and not pull on the universal joint). Then I chained it up between two large trees. I barely got tension on the come a long, and it slipped apart like butter.

Thanks for all the tips. I think what did it was

• The PB Blaster
• Having a Straight Pull

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Glad you got it apart. I now keep mine indoors.

 

[JRobyn]

Hmmm. I just posted in "the other" stuck PTO shaft thread. Maybe shoulda been in here?

I wonder if a sufficient quantity of grease collects down in the ends of a PTO shaft, can it become hydraulically stuck? Do PTO shafts have little air vents drilled at the very end of the outer shaft?

 

[2458n]

Tried everything above-nothing worked including the tie to telephone pole and a diesel 4x4 dually dump truck. Used the trash bag trick filled with a gallon of PB blaster instead of water. A month later had the engine hoist hooked up and applied pressure using straps choked onto shafts. Did not let loose even then. After setting under tension for several days the PTO halves released at night. Keeping tractor half in garage now. Have a chipper back after two years.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I ALWAYS pull them apart and keep half in my shop...sometimes the whole shaft, if it comes off easy...

I NEVER use grease on them, I wipe clean and use a spray lube and spray the "buttons" and the shafts EVERY time I put them back together...

SR