Bugger’d up PTO shaft

[Errin OH]

At the end of last season I found a bolder in the ditch along the road. It ki11ed the tractor when the mower got on it. When I went to drop the mower I noticed the PTO shaft didn’t want to slide back but didn’t really pay it no mind. Well this year it didn’t want to move at all. On closer examination I see that I put a pretty wicked twist in the PTO shaft.

So I went to remove the pin and shaft only to discover it isn’t moving either. Drilled a hole through it and torched it out.

Still no go. I figured I would mow a bit and see if it would start slipping. I ended up on the tractor for 3 hours doing ditches, fence lines and some areas around the barn that we did not get to with the rider, that grew up to tall. I’ll keep soaking it and see if it will free up. Due to the age and unknown brand I hate to cut it off, I might need it.

I do not see any key ways or spline openings on the ends of it. Looks to be just a round shaft and pin setup, frozen solid.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Pin hole is likely distorted, that;s what is prolly holding it in place.
Is there a snap ring forward of the u-joint yoke? Most have the
snap ring, to hold the pto shaft on the shaft, after the shear pin
breaks. I'f keep the penetrating oil on it, and use it, till it frees
itself.

 

[JD Seller]

Erin you can damage your tractor by using a PTO shaft that slides hard. So I would quit using it before you make yourself a larger repair. When the shaft slides hard it puts end force on the PTO bearing at the tractor.

I saw a guy do this on a JD 4240 PS tractor. It broke the snap ring grove out of the transmission housing. The rear end housing had to be removed an welded and a new snap ring grove machined in it. The entire bill parts and labor was over $7500 ten years ago.

So a $100 PTO shaft can cost you much more money.

Measure the shaft behind the yoke. Then check at a local Farm supply place. TSC, Farm and Fleet, and others have complete shafts for not too bad a price. All you need is the correct diameter and if it has a key in it or not. It could have been a shear bolt type that rusted solid.

IF you find a shaft that is the correct diameter then just cut the old yoke off.

Another trick I have done is to take a Sledge hammer and hold it on one side of the yoke/hub. Then take a two pound hammer and hit directly across from the sledge hammer. I do mean HIT IT HARD!!! The sledge hammer will act like an anvil so you will not damage the bearings in the gear case. By hitting the yoke this way you can usually get them to come lose. You are jarring it and expanding it at the same time.

 

[Tx Jim]

Errin OH
You can save the crinkled pto shaft by cutting the
twisted tube out and welding in a new tube. CAUTION:
one needs to keep the u-joints on each end in
phase(time)

 

[RodinNS]

What I would do there... is take the U-joint apart at the yolk on the mower. Leave the stuck yolk alone. Then take the remnants of your twisted shaft to a dealer that sells driveline parts and have them match up the appropriate shaft. If you want you could cut the tube off that old yolk and weld a new tube on to it and change the square adapter in the other end. Might have to do that anyway to get the correct length shaft....
I would heed JDSeller's advice. If you continue running the mower with a bound up shaft you WILL break something on the tractor and it probably won't be cheap. It's quite common to break the snap ring groove out of the bearing retainer on the tractor's PTO shaft.

Rod

 

[ben there]

it looks to be pretty standard size...measure diameter of shaft coming out of gear box and take that info with you to buy new shaft...prob wont be much difference in price for complete driveline if you count headaches tryin to get that apart...i'd torch yoke off...when you button things back up put plenty of anti-sieze on it and a grade 5 bolt...DO NOT USE GRADE 8.

 

[Deere Scotty]

WOWWW!!! You sure know how to do things. I tell everybody there days I brake an anvil with a rubber mallet; but You have me beat there!

 

[Bill in IL]

Wonder if you left a little booger inside when you torched the bolt out of the hole. I would heat the crap out of the yoke to break the rust and beat it off. You could burn your seal out of the gearbox but sometimes that's the way it has to be.

If you cut the cross bearing out maybe you could use a 2 jaw puller on it.