PTO conversion kits

[Scott Eakers]

Would anyone recommend the PTO conversion kits switching from 1 1/8 to 1 3/8. Or will the adaptor work okay for a finish mower. Do I need a ORC on a finish mower?

 

[old]

YES you need an ORC or you could end up in trouble like up a tree. As for the conversion the ORC will take care of that and will be just fine that way and that will save you a few bucks in the long run in the PTO shaft and new oils and seals etc.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Scott,

I wouldn't run ANY mower without an ORC. The host of this forum has them for $43.69...and we have them in our store for about the same. TSC has them for quite a bit more $.

 

[Leemo]

Like the others I'd recommend an ORC. I have a 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 straight adaptor shaft on the shelf but I won't probably ever use it. I run ORCs on mine. If the original PTO shaft and bearings are OK I don't know of any reason to switch. Your tractor, your call.

 

[Ultradog MN]

You DO NOT need an orc for a finish mower.

 

[souNdguy]

Ditto what the others said..Besides being cheaper.. the orc is easy to remove/install.. and does the job.

soundguy

 

[BillM (OH)]

Finish mower doesn't have much inertia, so an ORC is not absolutely necessary, BUT as SouNder sez it's way cheaper than a new 3/8 shaft, plus when the grass gets ahead of you and you have to go to the bush hog, you gotta have an ORC for that.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Your kidding right! I wouldn't think of mowing without one unless I had a tractor live power.

 

[Leemo]

Actually most finish mowers don't have the weight to push a tractor much, unlike a brush hog that has the heavy blades and generate a lot more power when they're spinning at cutting speed. Brush hogs were used for years without an ORC too. It's just a matter of being more cautious and keeping in mind that you won't stop on a dime. I prefer to use an ORC but Ultradog knows that a finish mower isn't nearly as hard to stop as a brush hog or heavier PTO driven implement.

 

[Dell (WA)]

Scott.......while an ORC (Over Running Coupler) is not an absolute necessity with a finishing mower, it is VERY NECESSARY with a brush-hog. The beauty of the ORC, is you can buy them with 1-1/8" input and 1-3/8" output that fits all modern PTO shafted mowers. So you don't need a separate adapter. Most up-size adapters are sheetmetal and NOT very strong. Brushhogs eat'em-up.......Dell, yer ORC safety preacher

 

[Anonymous-0]

Not meant to be smart and I understand where your coming from about push but I'm thinking more about starting than stopping. Every time you push in the clutch the blades are going to try and stop. Get in some tall grass that may be a little moist and it sure helps if the blades are turning before moving ahead. Think of it this way. Try taking your riding lawn mower in some taller or thicker grass and while moving ahead, try and start the blades. See where I'm coming from. BTW, I have a Woods finish mower for my 1952 8-n and I'm only trying to help from my experience mowing with the or-clutch.

 

[Ultradog MN]

NO I'm not kidding.
Issues like this are what causes the hair to raise on my head - how so many new tractor owners haven't a clue about the workings of a tractor.
The reason for an orc on an N is because they do not have any place for all the inertia of say a brush hog to go when they step on the clutch. So with transmission pto the INERTIA of that big heavy spinning mass will drive the tractor forward as you have heard so many times on this board. But a finish mower has very little inertia.
Like off the top of my head maybe 1/20th that of a brush hog. So it does not have the power to push you forward like a bush hog will and so no you do NOT need an orc with a finish mower.
Now I'm not calling you out or making an example of you but I really wish people would use their heads about these tractors and not go around doing things - dumb things sometimes - because Mike and Willie down at the local watering hole said it was the right thing to do.
It's just like guys that are too afraid to pull off a drawbar so they hook a chain to the front axle and pull that way. It's their tractor and they can pull any way they like. But I would rather educate them to the whys and hows and wherefores of these things and have them make intelligent (or at least informed) choices about what they are doing with them.
Wikipedia article on inertia. Read the darned thing

 

[G6 at Snook, TX]

To me, unless I absolutely have to, I do not start in grass I back up and take a run at it. If I have to start from a corner and the grass is thick I normally do it in neutral and drop the mower into the grass. If the grass is relatively light, it is not an issue. It may take a minute or so longer, but I am out there to do it right and to not tear up my equipment.

If you are a newbie get the orc. I don't use one, but I have mowed over half my life without one and have not had any close calls since I was about 15. I am now 31.

As with anything tractor or mowing related it mainly comes down to common sense and judgment. If you have a good head on your shoulders and don't rush things you will be fine. I still have trouble sometimes remembering the rushing lesson. Though I will qualify it like this: Sometimes when you are shredding, you will not see that rock or stump in the grass. That is why a shear pin (grade 2 bolt) is on the shredders gear box. Sometimes you will hit an obstruction.

 

[wwildhorse2k]

I always put an ORC on all my N tractors

.

 

[GA Dave]

Scott,
Here's what I put on mine. I use a rotary cutter but if I had a finish mower I'd use one also. David.....................

http://www.agrisupply.com/-over-riding-clutch-/p/12051/cn/3500000/