MC scythe pto shaft missing

[Jhn]

I recently bought a 9 foot scythe at auction missing pto shaft. I assumed it is 540 rpm, but I downloaded a manual that says it has 540 ad 1000. The female on machine has 19 male splines with one double wide groove. How can I determine what rpm it is and where can I get a pto shaft?

 

[caterpillar guy]

If it is a thousand and run on 540 ti would just be slow and if it is 540 and run on a thousand it would be way fast and possibly shake things apart. Can you turn the shaft and count the revolutions of the drum or vice versa to see if it is a one to one or two to one.

 

[Jhn]

I have it 17 miles from where I live but will check. Do you mean the drum being the rotary blades? And do you know what the ratio should be for each rpm?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Finding a mate to that PTO may be difficult.

In your picture I see that the yoke is held on with a simple cross bolt. Remove the bolt, slide the rear half of the PTO off the shaft, and determine the diameter and style of shaft underneath that. I suspect that it is a simple round shaft, perhaps with a keyway.

Then you can get a complete new PTO shaft at tractor supply or another farm supply store, equipment dealer, etc.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

If you have the manual it will tell you what needs to change to convert the machine from 540 to 1000, or back. It may be a matter of swapping a couple of pulleys, and a different yoke on the tractor end of the PTO.

 

[rrlund]

Mine's square where that shaft slides in, it's 540.

 

[Jhn]

So it's possible that only a 1000 rpm has that style? Which may be a standard for all farm equipment. I had one from a fox chopper but can't find it.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

That's the 1000 PTO. If you are not replacing it with the same thing, most likely you will have to change out the sprockets. There's a link to the manual below. M-C is still in business. Someone there might know what you are working with, so you may want to give them a call.

Mike
M C Rotary Scythe Manual 7E 9E 12E

 

[Steve in IL]

Based on the manual that Ab Mi Farmer provided, it looks like the 540 and 1000 machines are the same except for the sprocket size on the rotating drum shaft (and the resulting chain length). The 1000 machines use a 29 tooth sprocket, and the 540 machines use a 17 tooth sprocket. Perhaps count the teeth there, and that should tell you which PTO shaft to buy. Be careful not to assume that the spline style used on the gearbox indicates the desired PTO RPM. Our 540 batwing mower has the large shaft 1000 shafts on all of the gearboxes.