acceptable PTO share overlap

[Steve in VA]

I have a new-to-me PTO driven 6' tiller. The previous owner cut the drive shaft to fit his compact tractor. Too much tiller for his tractor so now it's mine. I dislike buying one or both ends unless I really need to. By my measurements, I'll have ~5" of overlap between the two sliding halves. So, in your experience, am I being foolish in not replacing 1 or both halves to get the max overlap? Thanks in advance.
 

[Mike (WA)]

5 inches should be enough- I assume that's the overlap when you're actually in tilling position and working. Most tillers have adjustments for the attachment point of the 3 point pins to make the shaft as straight as possible when working.

Just be careful when lifting, that you don't lift it far enough for the shaft to come apart. Might want to practice a little before engaging PTO, and putting a stop on the lift lever so tiller only lifts far enough to clear the ground.
 

[RickB]

Most equipment op manuals specify 6" of overlap. I'll bet 5 will be OK.
 

[DeltaRed]

Mike&Rick each have the right idea.
 

[Eric in IL]

If you are really worried about the correct overlap, I would bet that a P.T.O. extension for the tractor is much cheaper than a new shaft.
 

[IaGary]

Some PTO shafts have a 4" square piece welded to the end of a round shaft.
So if 4" is enough 5 should be as well.

Gary
 

[Nathan (SD)]

24 inches or less overall shaft length and 5 inches should be fine.
 

[Steve in VA]

thanks for the feedback and also for the concensus. Eric - the idea of the extension is really out-of-the-box thinking and sure works for me as the fall-back. The dimensions I gave were in the fully dropped/tilling position.
Thanks again guys.