quick question

[marty Johns]

This may be a Q, for the VET or J.N. but any and responces will be digested! can a 1946 A. be converted to have a live pto?

 

[Janicholson]

There really is no way. The M&W company did not make hand clutch systems (that disconnect the rear pinion on one side effecting live power without really doing it). The engine power must get past the main clutch to have Live PTO, and there are no easy ways to do that. Modern tractors have a driveshaft concentric with the trans input shaft that drives a live system. These tractors just have no similar parts, nor are any I have heard of remade to do it. JimN

 

[Steven f/AZ]

Quick answer: No.

 

[Wardner]

I beg to differ with the others.

If you pull power from the front of the crankshaft and install a small industrial clutch, you could have live power. Small tractors have been built this way although I can't give you the name of a brand. Some even run a shaft under the tractor so that the PTO is at the rear.

 

[Janicholson]

I agree entirely, The possibilities are unlimited with good engineering. I took the question, and the problem inside the tractor, rather than as a work around. JimN

 

[Anonymous-0]

Well yah, any tractor could have live power using that concept.

Glenn

 

[Wardner]

Ya, well, no kidding.

I bought a new DT466 powered IH truck in 1982 that had the holes drilled and tapped for a flange type u-joint, I also ordered the cut-out in the radiator, front frame extensions, and fixed grill. I installed a gear box and 50 hp high pressure Cat Triplex pump. Lots of refuse trucks have similar hydraulic set-ups that are clutchable from inside the cab.

 

[Uplander]

What is a live PTO?

 

[Janicholson]

Power take off is PTO. A drive shaft sticking out (usually the rear) of a tractor or power unit to drive attachmnets or remote equipment. 540 RPM, and 1000 Rpm are standard speeds loaded to the engines rated HP. A live, or independent PTO (IPTO) is connected to the engine with a smooth operating clutch (and usually a brake for the shaft for stopping it) that allows operation while the tractors main clutch is pushed down. This allows the PTO to continue to operate independently of ground speed and to be able to be stopped without stopping the tractor. Much safer, and desirable in all cased compared to those driven by the transmission, or gears after the main clutch. JimN

 

[Owen Aaland]

The Cub Lowboy had a PTO like that available.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I remember when "live PTO" came out (in about 1947, on the Oliver 77 and 88, if I remember correctly) and it was considered a big deal. The standard PTO was driven from the transmission, and stopped if the clutch was pushed in. This was a real nuisance if you were pulling a machine like a combine and just wanted to halt the tractor for a second or two to clear out an overloaded cylinder on the combine. You can imagine a number of machines where this would be convenient (Bush Hog, sickle-bar mower, for example). The same thing could be said for live hydraulics. Most of the power lifts before live hydraulics were driven from somewhere BEHIND the tractor clutch. Push the clutch in and the lift stops. If you were cultivating corn in a field with fences, and you wanted to get right up to the end of the row, you had to stop the tractor, shift to neutral, engage the clutch, raise the cultivators, shift back into gear, etc. There have been several ways of making a live PTO work out, including, as I remember, a hollow clutch shaft with the PTO shaft inside it. The main clutch in this rig had two disks, and what you disengaged depended on how far in you pushed the clutch pedal. It's been a long time, so don't quote me on any of this.
Live hydraulics and live PTO are both wonderful, and I always wondered why it took so long for tractor manufacturers to get there. I think there were a few power lifts in the late 20s, and lots of them in the 30s, but none live. Guess the engineers didn't spent too much time actually using what they designed. Well, I shouldn't complain too much. I've lifted heavy machines by hand (IHC 7-foot sickle bar) and I've lifted some with a hydraulic lift (IHC 2-row cultivator on F-12), and I never complained too much about having to shift to neutral for a second. But I was a kid who wanted to "get a lot of work done." Today, I'd probably shift 'er to neutral, throttle back, look around at the blue sky, smell the earth, maybe sit under a tree for 10 minutes with my Popular Mechanics, then amble back to the beast--which I'd then have to crank and have at least something to complain about!