# easy way to attach to PTO?



## JeanM

Help!
I just bought a King Kutter rotary blade mower ("Bush Hog" facsimile) for my Kubota. This is the first time I have done anything with the PTO -- and to my frustration, I canNOT get the mower shaft mounted onto the PTO! I've tried lifting the mower up and bungie-cording the shaft up so it's more or less level with the PTO and I don't have to lift it, and that was some help. 

The shaft has the standard spring clip that you have to hold in, and I think that is part of the problem. Bad enough trying to line up the grooves and muscling the parts together (while contorting oneself around the mower itself and the hitch!), but to add to that holding in that spring clip!?!? Not happening, no way. 

I read somewhere there's an alternative to the spring clip -- a sliding collar lock? Would that make much difference?

Are there any other tips to get the thing mounted -- _and_ removed when I'm done -- without my having to call in the cavalry for assistance?


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## John-in-Ga

JeanM,

First welcome to Tractorfrom. You are asking a good question and I expect everyone of us hopes you get an answer to your question that will make hooking our PTOs easier. I know I do.

The short answer is: you got to hold your mouth right and say the right words. 

I am using equipment with shafts that have one or the other of the mechanism you describe for latching the PTO shafts together. I can’t say one is any easier to deal with than the other.

Here are a couple of suggestions. To begin, make sure you can extend and contract the equipment’s PTO shaft freely. Be sure both collar on the equipment’s shaft and the PTO on the tractor is clean. A little oil on each sometimes helps. Lining up the grooves is easier if you turn the PTO shaft on the tractor (should be able to do this with one hand) rather than the PTO shaft on the equipment. You should be able to get the grooves lined up and the collar started onto tractor’s PTO shaft before having to deal with the spring clip. Once the collar just barely starts to slide on the tractor’s PTO shaft you will have to deal with the spring clip and keep the collar lined up with the tractor’s PTO. The trick is to keep the collar lined up left to right: up and down so as not to bind as it slides over the tractor’s PTO shaft. This is where I have the most difficulty. It is the same with both the spring clip and the sliding collar mechanisms. 

Sometimes my PTO shaft slips on; other times I can not get “hooked up” no matter how hard I try, how I hold my mouth, or what words I use.  When that happens I walk away let my arms rest and go back and try again. Second try is usually a piece of cake. You will probably find with a little practice and lots of patience the task will get easier.


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## Live Oak

JeanM

Let me add my welcome to Tractor Forum as well! I have both types of pto shafts on various pieces of equipment and I prefer the sliding twist collar type. Just seems to go on the pto shaft easier for some reason. I have a pto tiller that is just a bear to get all the way seated on the pto shaft and I suspect that the splined teeth may be somewhat deformed. I cleaned up the splined teeth with some fine emory cloth followed up by a good cleaning out with brake cleaner spray and it goes on a bit easier but I still have to use a drift punch to gently tap it on the pto shaft until I observe the spring clip drop in place. There may also be some metal preservative on the universal shaft that seats on the pto shaft that could be causing a problem as well.

I think John pretty much covered it. Just be certain the splined teeth on the pto shaft and driveshaft are aligned and the spring clip is completely depressed and try to work the driveshaft onto the pto shaft.......once you have ensured that the splined teeth on the pto and drivesaft are in good shape and clean. 

Good luck with it and let us know how you fair. Be careful around the cutter especially if you have it lifted into the air attempting to connect the driveshaft. Those cutters are real heavy and we don't want to read about you getting injured.


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## JeanM

Thank you for your help -- and moral support, which apparently is also a requirement! 

I called the place I bought the tractor (~2 years ago) & mower (this week) from and the assistant very kindly came out to attach the mower to the PTO (while I'm stuck here at work). I just called him to see how it went -- I feel much less like an idiot because it took him half an hour! He greased it and said there was quite a bit of rust, and to be sure to run it for a while so the splines get the rust worn away. We shall see... I've printed out your suggestions for future reference if it gets stubborn again. 

Wish me luck ... especially with the weather. It's pouring and doesn't look like drying out all weekend! Phooey.


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## Live Oak

Just a few more suggestions before you start cutting. BE CAREFUL! Take is slow and easy in areas that are heavily grown over as rocks or any type of debry such as barbed wired or steel fence posts could be a BIG hazard. Watch it on the slopes and gradually and slowly drive the machine onto the slope. If your "seat of the pants slope meter" (sotpsm) alarm goes off; you are probably on too much of a slope. Stop and back up or go around. Lastly, DO wear some safety eye protection if the cutter does not have chain guard installed. I wear safety glasses and have hit by rocks and sticks/debry that hit my in the glasses. Had I not been wearing them; I am sure the out come would have been disasterous. Once you get a good feel for how the machine and equipment operates and some hours under your belt; you will be much more at ease and faster. Enjoy!


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## JeanM

I'm already plenty nervous esp. as the areas I bought the mower for are so overgrown now that I am going to have to crawl along with my eyes peeled -- not only for rocks, but lots of stumps & logs thanks to "tornado logging" before I bought the farm. 

Eye protection for even while you're up on the tractor? I hadn't considered that one before. I did read the mower manual and saw that ear protection is a must.


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