TC35DA Broken PTO shaft

[vosje]

Late last summer, the PTO shaft broke off clean at the back of the tractor. I was using a pull-type bat-wing finish mower with a nice (but heavy) u-join PTO shaft. There was never any signs of trouble, the shaft was turning smoothly even during pretty sharp turns. There's no sign that any other damage was caused.
Now its time to fix it. After looking at a diagram, I think I need to take the top off the rear gear housing under the seat and access a snap ring that keeps the PTO shaft "stuck" in the tractor.
What kind of skill does this require? Has anyone done it? How likely is it that something else inside has gone wrong and I will get into more trouble than I'm ready for by opening it up in my shop? Is there major removal of gear assemblies required?
I don't think I was abusing the tractor at all. I pulled the same mower with my 1988 JD 1050 for years with no problems. Will this happen again?
Thanks for your expert help.

 

[dave1949]

Welcome!

Wish I had some experience to share--well not really. :laughing: The four things I can think of that would stress the PTO are: the drive shaft is too long, PTO operated at a very sharp shaft angle, no slip(ping) clutch or shear(able) bolts on the implement, PTO drive shaft u-joint lock-up..

 

[Utopia Texas]

I don't think it is going to be as easy as slide the broken shaft out and slide the new one in. There are bound to be bearings the shaft rotates on and seals to keep the rear end fluid from leaking out. Let us know how it turns out.....