Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[Latestarter]

Now there's a thought... you never know!

 

[Bruce]

Actually, may ask guy across the street to do the final push of the PTO thingy. Nice guy. He's really nice to look at too

Maybe I should get my single dtr to be here when the single neighbor comes over. They're same age & unattached.

Just make sure if they hit it off that they live at HIS place, not hers. Otherwise he won't be as available to help.

I've never touched a real tractor PTO before but "thinking out loud": If you lack the force (whatever that means) to get it tight enough to connect, would it be possible to attach a come along to the rear of the tractor and the "attachment/implement" and pull it that last inch or five?

 

[Latestarter]

OK, just some quick feedback... new blades make a WORLD of difference.

ETA: Took a break and ran to Arby's for a late lunch to try out one of their new triple thick bacon sandwiches they're advertising. It was terrible. The bacon was over cooked/burned some time last month, then re heated/hardened in a microwave before being placed on the sandwich. Thought I was going to break teeth trying to bite through it. In fact several bites I couldn't get through it and pulled the whole strip out of the sandwich. Once I could get some of it chewed up it turned into little pebbles/rocks. It had no bacon flavor either... just like greasy burned brown sugar.

Oh well, back to mowing... Got a front pasture to do again.

 

[Bruce]

That is one way to save your wallet and waistline

Yeah, new blades sure do make a difference. No chips out of the cutting surface, edge flat, nice and smooth

Now you just have to NEVER hit anything harder than grass and you'll be good for some time!

 

[Baymule]

I've never touched a real tractor PTO before but "thinking out loud": If you lack the force (whatever that means) to get it tight enough to connect, would it be possible to attach a come along to the rear of the tractor and the "attachment/implement" and pull it that last inch or five?

You have to line up the U-joint (female) with the splines on the PTO (male) and shove it all the way to the back of the PTO. The shaft is just long enough to reach, not much extra play room to it. Mine has a spring loaded set screw pin that locks in place when it is properly attached. It usually takes both me and my husband to put the brush hog on. I have quick connect for the other attachments, but they have to be adjusted for the brush hog.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

. It usually takes both me and my husband to put the brush hog on.

Ditto that! There's just nothing easy about it...sigh.

 

[greybeard]

There should be no reason it takes much effort at all to connect a PTO shaft on even the biggest implement. They are all designed from big batwings to little finish mowers, to be hooked up by one person with ease. The most frequent reason a pto shaft is difficult to get on is not at the shaft end but is in the telescopic section of the shaft itself. The 2 parts of the shaft need to be pulled apart regularly, cleaned and coated with a good thin lubricant--silicone grease or thin lithium grease, then reassembled. It should slide so easily that it would come apart if held upside down. Technically, the internal and external halves of the PTO tube should never see metal to metal contact. They are designed to have a thin film of lubricant all the way town the shaft between the 2 pieces at all times, whether they are the old square tube or the current 3 sided tubes. This prevents wear and thinning of the tube wall thickness, which can lead to catastrophically shaft failure.

On the input tho, (tractor end) of the shaft, the internal splines should be cleaned good and so should the external splines of the shaft stub that comes out of the tractor. These splines too should get a good coat of lubricant before connecting them. This minimizes wear of the splines, prevents a wear shoulder from forming, and keeps rust from forming if the implement is left on the tractor without being rotated for any period longer than 1 week.

When you take your implement off, again clean, then coat the internal splines with lubricant, as well as making sure the telescope section is clean and coated with lube.
Next time you get ready to use it, it'll go right on.

Baymule: There should be plenty of extra length to any telescoping PTO implement shaft. Unless the shaft has been shortened, I would say at least an extra 1 foot of engagement should be present after the shaft is connected to the tractor. (depends on the input HP requirement rating of the implement) If it's just a matter of the telescope part doesn't want to come out any farther, it's usually from corrosion inside the 2 parts and it just needs to be pulled apart and cleaned/lubed.

I much prefer this type connection at the tractor end of the the shaft as opposed to the twist collar. Just a simple push button that moves the pin over to a 1/2 round machined area to clear the shaft.

I don't like the connection with the twist collar and sure don't like the ones where you have to pull the plastic collar rearward on the shaft towards the implement, while trying to shove the connection in toward the tractor.

On the following type, you are supposed to be able to pull back on the black collar (slide it toward the u-joint) while pushing the whole thing toward the tractor..it's the kind I said I hated.

The one below, twist 1/4 turn and the retaining balls stay retracted back out of the way. Slip it on the PTO shaft and the collar rotates back and the balls lock into place in the groove, but they usually don't keep working properly for long. I hate 'em.

 

[babsbag]

We learned the hard way about keeping the telescoping shaft lubricated. Our post hole digger was firmly stuck together and it took DH a good long while to get it free. We hadn't used it in a few years and it was out in the weather, no shed or barn. We keep them lubed now. If that shaft is free to slide the PTO is pretty easy to hook up.

 

[Bruce]

I like @greybeard's "solution"

 

[Mini Horses]

DEFINATELY is in the telescopic section of the shaft itself. It looks to be a fairly new part, so I assume it was replaced (used mower) and tight from that. Apparently it was just not lubricated when stored. All else works great!!

Will see what I need to do to disassemble, lubricate & reassemble. Thanks greybeard!!

I LOVE that you give pictures -- I'm a hands on, visual type & especially when it comes to repair things. Will see what is out there -- picks in hand! -- and see where it goes.
I would love to be able to use this implement without connection help!