Twisted PTO shaft - GIF

[Altair]

Twisted PTO shaft.




Previously:

Tractor PTO safety demonstration and accident - video and GIF
Machining a large shaft - GIF
Cutting a large shaft with a thermal lance - video

[Frank S]

flying too close to the ground with no gage wheel makes for a bad day

[BuffaloJohn]

That is a mower windrower, without the cover. I have one of those - made by PZ Zweegers - here is a link to one for sale:

https://www.tractorhouse.com/listing...rage-equipment

It is meant to swing to the rear for transport and 90 to the right side to operate.

Now - if you swing it to the rear and turn the PTO on, you would get this guy's twisted driveline.

[stillldoinit]

Local engine builder here Close to Buffalo showed me an oil pump shaft from a 302 out of a mustang that looks exactly like that.

[hemmjo]

100 bucks for an adjustable PTO slip clutch sounds pretty cheap about now.

[BuffaloJohn]

That clutch wouldn't have helped the video guy, he locked up the U-joint...

I'll have to look at mine tomorrow, I don't remember if it has a clutch or shear pin. I'm going to guess shear pin on the pto shaft on the mower end.

In order for that clutch to work properly, every year you have to loosen the bolts and let it slip and then tighten the bolts a little (its in the manual). I think only two of my implements have clutches. For a mower like this, it might not have either because the drums can't catch on anything, the blades are all of about 3" long on pivots, and short of running the pto in transport mode, it doesn't need anything.

For the shear pin, what the guy in the video would do if the bolt kept snapping would be to put a nice hardened bolt in there so that pesky bolt wouldn't snap and make you have to stop and change it.

[hemmjo]

That clutch wouldn't have helped the video guy, he locked up the U-joint...

I'll have to look at mine tomorrow, I don't remember if it has a clutch or shear pin. I'm going to guess shear pin on the pto shaft on the mower end.

In order for that clutch to work properly, every year you have to loosen the bolts and let it slip and then tighten the bolts a little (its in the manual). I think only two of my implements have clutches. For a mower like this, it might not have either because the drums can't catch on anything, the blades are all of about 3" long on pivots, and short of running the pto in transport mode, it doesn't need anything.

For the shear pin, what the guy in the video would do if the bolt kept snapping would be to put a nice hardened bolt in there so that pesky bolt wouldn't snap and make you have to stop and change it.

PTO shaft locked up, clutch should have slipped. The PTO clutch most certainly would have saved that shaft. That is exactly what it is for.

I bet the manual for his tractor also tells when to change oil, when to adjust valves, how often to grease the fittings, check the brakes, change coolant, and any number of other critical items.

If you are going to run a piece of equipment, you need to either take care of it with regular maintenance, or repair it. It is cheaper, and SAFER to do the maintenance. You never save money neglecting maintenance.

Equipment VERY SELDOM fails when you are not using it. The lack of maintenance, almost exclusively, makes its appearance when you don't have time or the parts for a repair. If that shaft was on his bailer, and got twisted when he was racing the rain to get that hay of of the field into his barn, all that nice hay would be ruined.

The mowers can and DO get things jammed between the cutter heads. Most of them have multiple cutter head. I have worked on them with up to 8 heads. Each head turns in opposite its neighbor. They will jamb up on a log or rock, any number of ways to jamb up the works. If your tractor has more horsepower than the equipment is rated for, you should have a clutch.

I am thinking it might take about 15 minutes to loosen 8 bolts, give the clutch a good spin, and tighten the 8 bolts. How long do you suppose it will take to drive to get a new shaft, and how much will that cost? While he is at it, may as well put in a new U-Joint as he probably never greased that either.

That greasy spot on the shaft is exposed because the shaft got SHORTER when it twisted.

[BuffaloJohn]

PTO shaft locked up, clutch should have slipped. The PTO clutch most certainly would have saved that shaft.

Well, your admonishment of the fellow who wadded his pto is noted, but he ain't reading this thread.

Also, the clutch goes after the second U joint, and when this mower is placed in transport mode, the second U joint is folded so it won't work as a U joint anymore. The clutch doesn't work for this type of mower - which swings 90 degrees for transport. He has it in transport mode in the video.

I checked on mine today since I was out mowing (though not with the PZ mower) and my PZ has neither a sheer pin nor a clutch. This guy's mower is possibly a PZ or more likely it is an asian knockoff of the PZ mower. Either way, it does not have anything to save the PTO.

As for getting stuff jammed between heads, this style mower doesn't seem get jammed. I've had my mower for more than 25 years and I used it mostly for clearing ditches. I ran it though all kinds of brush, roots, stumps, rocks, etc... I beat it up. It never jammed. If it had too big a thing to pass through the rotating drums, the breakaway feature took over. I lost plenty a knife, but never a jam.

[thevillageinn]

Somehow turned the shaft into the weakest link. Not the cheapest weak link but that’s what happens sometimes.

[bob_3000]

Is that "twist" something that happened over time or is is a sudden result?