Another what would you use question.....

[jaoneill]

Bought a New Idea round baler that had been sitting in a shed for 20+ years, an awesome buy that had seen very little use (not enough to wear the paint off the pickup strippers. Tractor end of the PTO shaft was lying across the top of the machine but therein ls the problem. The half that goes into the gearbox, the "inner" shaft, with the tractor half sliding over it. I struggled to get the shafts to slide together more than 6" or so and then had a duece of a time pulling it apart. Figured it was gunked up with old grease so tied a rag to a stick, soaked it in gasoline and shoved it in between the shaft and outer shield to clean the gunk off (a lot). Although I removed a lot of grease it only got marginally better, still can't get the shafts together more than 8'-10". I can only assume that it is old hardened residual grease but the inner portion of the shaft has a coating that is 1/16" or so that is even resistant to my pocket knife, almost like a hard plastic coating. Wondering if anyone has run into this issue and what kind of solvent might be most effective.

 

[Bonnan]

Assuming neither piece is bent/distorted applying some heat along with a solvent might work.
No help with specific solvent suggestion; I just resort to trial & error.
Jim B

 

[jaoneill]

(quoted from post at 02:14:54 05/19/19) Assuming neither piece is bent/distorted applying some heat along with a solvent might work.
No help with specific solvent suggestion; I just resort to trial & error.
Jim B

Both are straight as an arrow, outer half looks like new. Was hoping there might be a solvent that would work and not to have to remove the shield tube but, think I might just bite the bullet, take it apart and use a wire wheel to clean it up. I almost have to wonder if it might be a coating someone applied at some point, or even from the factory, it takes a sharp knife to cut into it.

 

[RedGreenGuy]

I would try poring oven cleaner in the shaft hole. let it soak awhile. Rinse out with water. May take several applications.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Diesel fuel will soften up old hard grease pretty good most times

 

[jaoneill]

(quoted from post at 03:24:27 05/19/19) I would try poring oven cleaner in the shaft hole. let it soak awhile. Rinse out with water. May take several applications.

I'll give that a whirl; this isn't my first rodeo, I have been rebuilding/restoring cars and machinery for 50+ years. If I have cleaned up and rebuilt one PTO shaft, I have done close to a hundred. #2 fuel oil is my first choice for cleaning up old grease, followed by KERO, then RUG, with brake cleaner if necessary to eliminate oily residue. After going out to get another look this morning I am convinced that it is some sort of plasticized coating that the solvents in the grease have softened up a bit over the years. Surface is a bit soft, creating the drag when trying to push the outer shaft on but, under the surface it appears to be a very hard polyethylene, bonded to the metal.
I'll see if it reacts to the oven cleaner and if not, I'll pull the safety shield off and remove it mechanically.
Thanks for the ideas, much appreciated......

 

[centash]

My New Idea spreader had the same coating
on the shaft. It must have been intended
to prevent the shaft from rusting and
sticking. It is the worst idea I have ever
seen....get some oil or dirt in there and
its slmost impossible to move thr shaft
after it has set for 6 months or so. Now I
pull mine out completely when finished with
the machine.
Ben

 

[jaoneill]

(quoted from post at 00:42:26 05/20/19) My New Idea spreader had the same coating
on the shaft. It must have been intended
to prevent the shaft from rusting and
sticking. It is the worst idea I have ever
seen....get some oil or dirt in there and
its slmost impossible to move thr shaft
after it has set for 6 months or so. Now I
pull mine out completely when finished with
the machine.
Ben

I pulled the shield today so that I could physically get at the entire length of the shaft. Coating goes about 3/4 the length. It's impervious to any and every chemical I tried. It's hard plastic of some description, extremely well bonded, it doesn't burn and only melts at just short of the underlying steel turning cherry red. Best I've been able to do is heat and scrape off small sections at a time. It simply globs up the scraper and by the time I move the scraper 6" from the flame to wipe it off it's already hard and adhered to the scraper. Doesn't make it any easier that the shaft itself is one of those modern commie oddball shaped things; I can see that this is going to be a long painful process but it will be gone.......
:twisted: :twisted:

 

[jaoneill]

I pulled the shield today so that I could physically get at the entire length of the shaft. Coating goes about 3/4 the length. It's impervious to any and every chemical I tried. It's hard plastic of some description, extremely well bonded, it doesn't burn and only melts at just short of the underlying steel turning cherry red. Best I've been able to do is heat and scrape off small sections at a time. It simply globs up the scraper and by the time I move the scraper 6" from the flame to wipe it off it's already hard and adhered to the scraper. Doesn't make it any easier that the shaft itself is one of those modern commie oddball shaped things; I can see that this is going to be a long painful process but it will be gone.......
:twisted: :twisted:[/quote]
One absolutely worn out, brand new, twisted wire wheel on my body grinder and an hour later the coating is history, easier than the torch process but stubborn to the last scrap.......

 

[lastcowboy32]

I have a tedder and a finish mower with shafts like that.

I only ever use WD-40 (the penetrating kind) as lubricant on them, applied sporadically over the course of the summer.

I'm not smart enough to pull the shafts before the winter, as suggested above, which means that I usually have to break out a hammer and chisel and hit the back end of the part that mates to the tractor to get it to move the first time in the spring, apply WD-40... work it back and forth... apply some more... work it back and forth, then I'm usually good for the summer again.

I was worried about pulling them for the winter. I thought that they would be hell to get back together.

 

[jaoneill]

If you are willing to spend an hour or so apiece, the double-twisted wire wheel on the grinder will end the grief permanently.