John Deere 4010 PTO

[Ldwallace]

Well it appears my 4010 540 RPM PTO is toast. I tried the penny fix.. No joy.

Is there any other work around for the PTO?

I know this is probably dumb but. Is there anyway to rig a rotary cutter so that I can run it on the
1000 RPM PTO?

About how much should I expect to pay for a fix?

I will probably call the local JD dealership today to ask what when they can get to it. What else should I
have looked at while it is in the shop?

You guys have been a great resource, I appreciate your help.

 

[Tx Jim]

Changing rotary mower to operate on a 1000 rpm pto correctly would involve changing gears in mower gearcase. If your 4010 was mine I'd change pto to "540 rpm only" by removing 1000 rpm drive gear & eliminating the tiny speed change pins. yes a tractor split between clutch & trans housing is required to accomplish that task.

 

[fdt860]

My dad had a deere 2940 and he used it to.run a pto.irriguation pump.
It was a 540 rpm pump, and that meant 2400 engine rpm.and l9ts of fuel.
We always ran the engine at around 1400 rpm with 1000 rpm pto shaft.
Just saying thay if your mower is not very big, just run it with the 1000 rpm shaft and do not accelerate more than 1400 to 1500 rpm.
You will enjoy a quieter ride, and much better fuel.comsumption, plus a cleaner running engine (hotter exhaust gases).


(That would be less pto speed than the 540 pto ran full throttle no load at 2720rpm on a 4020...)

 

[Northvale PA]

Assuming the shift pin in the transmission broke, please look at this post I did

https://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1327048&highlight=

The 3/4 pipe plug was in the tractor when I bought it, and allows access to the pin.

 

[Jim Pollock]

I know this is not recommended but we took a 540 shaft for a 4010 and machined a counterbore in the back to make it look like a 1000 shaft and this makes the 540 shaft run 1000 rpms. We use it
for some jobs where we dont want to run the motor real hard such as brush hogging. You just have to be careful not to rev it up too high. If yours is already broke, not sure this would work. Does it run 1000 rpms now or just not at all

This post was edited by Jim Pollock on 07/29/2022 at 08:08 pm.

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 22:26:19 07/29/22) Assuming the shift pin in the transmission broke, please look at this post I did
The 3/4 pipe plug was in the tractor when I bought it, and allows access to the pin.

Drilling that hole in correct location then inserting shift pin(item 32) through that 3/4'' hole that was drilled in trans case then installing/spreading cotter key(item 31) is a feat beyond my mechanical capabilities.

 

[Northvale PA]

I will try to explain that it is not difficult to put the pin in. I used a Parts grabber and you only need to turn
the engine over and the PTO shaft and line the holes up. Sticky grease holds the pin. Then insert the
cotter pin with sticky grease on it. You are doing this about 3 inside. The small Christmas light inside
the transmission lights it up perfectly. 2 things I didnt need to do that are probably very hard: the pin
was not bent, it had sheared. I am not sure how to get a bent pin out. Also, my tractor came with the
pipe plug. I would have a very hard time drilling and tapping a pipe plug in the side of my transmission
case unless I had witnessed it being done. It seems like an incredibly risky thing to do on someone
elses word. However that photo is my tractor and that pipe plug is in there. So, no splitting option. Good
luck to all 4010 owners, mine is a workhorse.

 

[Ldwallace]

Yes, the pto turns when I take the 540 stub off the tractor. There is a small metal rod that comes out of
back of the pto. It seems to be spring loaded, when the 540 shaft its screwed on the rod is compressed
back into the tractor. My understanding is this rod when compressed changes the pto from 1000 to 540
rpm.

Your idea is interesting. Lets see if I understand you. I think you are saying drill a hole into the PTO
stub. Now when the stub is attached to the PTO the rod is not compressed. Therefore the I can run the
pto and the rotary cutter.

On the 4010 I believe the full PTO speed is 1900 engine RPMs. So now I can run the engine at 950
RPMs and run my rotary cutter at approximately 540 RPMs.

Do I understand you correctly? Anyone have any ideas on possible unintended consequences?

I would think I could run the rotary cutter a little faster than 540 but to much faster than that might cause
other problems.

 

[Jim Pollock]

(quoted from post at 13:20:31 07/30/22) Yes, the pto turns when I take the 540 stub off the tractor. There is a small metal rod that comes out of
back of the pto. It seems to be spring loaded, when the 540 shaft its screwed on the rod is compressed
back into the tractor. My understanding is this rod when compressed changes the pto from 1000 to 540
rpm.

Your idea is interesting. Lets see if I understand you. I think you are saying drill a hole into the PTO
stub. Now when the stub is attached to the PTO the rod is not compressed. Therefore the I can run the
pto and the rotary cutter.

On the 4010 I believe the full PTO speed is 1900 engine RPMs. So now I can run the engine at 950
RPMs and run my rotary cutter at approximately 540 RPMs.

Do I understand you correctly? Anyone have any ideas on possible unintended consequences?

I would think I could run the rotary cutter a little faster than 540 but to much faster than that might cause
other problems.

We do it all time. You just need to counterbore the back of the 540 shaft so it doesnt push that pin in. The only thing is you have to watch nobody revs it full throttle.

 

[Jim Pollock]

My son does this on his 4010 and he tried it on the 3010 but it doesnt hardly have enough power when the engine is running this slow. The 4010 has no problem.

I think one thing that kills the 540 pto on these tractors is when you install the 540 shaft it tries to push that pin in but if the gears are not lined up in there, the bolts have enough pressure to bend the pin up inside the tractor and then its only about half way in gear. Another thing is if the pto shaft gets loose and is not holding it all the way in 540.

My son finally just took his 3010 apart and removed the gear for 1000 rpms and put a spacer or something in there to keep it in 540 all the time. No 1000 option now but no more bent pins either.