Universal joint angle on PTO

[oosik]

I seem to remember reading in one of my OP manuals - do not exceed 15 deg - the angle between the PTO shaft & drive shaft. Must have been in my snowblower manual...

 

[Gordon Gould]

This may be comparing apples to oranges because I run the pto at 250 to 350 rpm when using my winch and it is at a low duty cycle usage. But there are also high torque requirements when it is used. After 15 years of pretty steady use the pto shaft is fine and it has never made any noise at this steep angle. I am not saying this is OK or not OK because I don't know. I am just saying this is what I have done. My 10 year old chipper shaft also has a severe angle but less severe than the winch. It has less hours but runs at 540 rpm. I have had no problems with it either.



gg

 

[CCWKen]

U-Joints change speed as they rotate off from a center axis. They are NOT constant velocity (CV) joints. CV-Joints are a different design and can tolerate larger angles. If you have a single U-Joint in the driveline, the angle should be kept to a minimum. I think 5* in that case. If you have two in the driveline that are angular opposites, then I think the max is 15* (for longevity).