PTO shaft slides off

[Per Hansa]

Hi all, I was running a brush hog the other day and inadvertently ran over a small stump hidden in the grass. I immediately stopped, but after resuming again the PTO shaft slid off the
tractor. I hooked it up again, ensuring everything appeared locked etc, but within a few minutes it worked itself off again. I'm sure something was damaged when I hit the stump, but
have no idea where to begin to troubleshoot. My first thought was that one of the 3 retractable balls within the end sleeve of the shaft were sheered off, but after looking at them I don't
see any obvious damage. Any help would be very much appreciated!
Tom

 

[JMS/.MN]

Make sure the balls are still spring loaded. Everything looks dry- I"d give the whole assembly a good shot of PB Blaster, or similar, and try it again.

 

[rrlund]

If that doesn't do it,pull the collar back and there's a wire ring in there. Take that ring off and the collar will slide off the front so there's access to everything.

 

[charlie n]

After you get it lubed up make sure you pull back all the way on the collar.Get it pushed about 2 inches on the shaft,release the collar and push till you hear it click in the pto grove. Good Luck.

 

[RickB]

Nothing to do with what you hit and everything to do with lack of lube.

 

[Per Hansa]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I sure hope you're right. Admittedly, it's been a while since I gave the brush hog a good lube. I'll tend to it, and make sure I follow up on here to let future browsers know if that did the trick or not. Thanks again.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Do you give the pto shaft the "tug test" after attaching it? Make sure it is locked on.

How is the fit of the PTO yoke on the PTO shaft of the tractor? If it wobbles a lot it can work itself off.

 

[BAP]

If you need a rebuild kit for the quick disconnect we have them available! Our code 26-021
Thank you
Brooks AG Parts
New Richmond, OH

 

[Tx Jim]

Check to be sure the telescoping shafts slide freely IE not twisted & have adequate lubrication

 

[Per Hansa]

Guys, thanks again for all the suggestions. I had the opportunity to fiddle with it tonight--it was already lubed up, but used some WD-40 on the bearings inside the PTO sleeve, used some steel wool to scrape the surface rust off, and slid a good bit of grease around the inside of the sleeve. I guess that did the trick. Took it brush hogging for 15 minutes and it didn't move a bit. So, for those who may have this issue in the future, I'd take everyone's recommendations and ensure everything is lubed well. Hopefully that'll be your issue, and you'll be back in business. Thanks again all!

TK

 

[RickB]

Thanks for the follow up!

 

[carvel minne farmer]

(quoted from post at 18:13:54 03/09/18) Guys, thanks again for all the suggestions. I had the opportunity to fiddle with it tonight--it was already lubed up, but used some WD-40 on the bearings inside the PTO sleeve, used some steel wool to scrape the surface rust off, and slid a good bit of grease around the inside of the sleeve. I guess that did the trick. Took it brush hogging for 15 minutes and it didn't move a bit. So, for those who may have this issue in the future, I'd take everyone's recommendations and ensure everything is lubed well. Hopefully that'll be your issue, and you'll be back in business. Thanks again all!

TK

per hansa a $5.00 tube of grease will save you thousands in repairs! I use a product called fluid film tk in a spray can the best iv'e ever used for jobs like your pto coupler, knotters and chains on my baler. super rust penetrator and really gets in there to loosen and lube up parts.

 

[Per Hansa]

Just to be clear, everything was properly lubed at the grease nipple locations. That's probably not enough though, as I learned. Especially if your brush hog sits outside and is susceptible to rust. Like "carvel minnie farmer" suggests, maybe having a can of spray lube on hand is a good idea, so you can spray inside the shaft collar to keep everything lubricated and operating properly. See the picture I posted, even though it was greased regularly, you can see how the inside of the collar still needed a spritz of WD40. I think in my instance one of those 3 ball bearings that keep the collar locked onto the PTO drive had frozen up and wasn't retracting. Happy mowing!

 

[carvel minne farmer]

I carry a can of fluid film in the tractor tool boxes and in each trucks tool box tk, like you I have been caught with a stubburn coupler, or pto or trailer crank.