# PTO Use



## hobbyfarmer

I am a new hobby farmer and am trying to gather information on the proper use of my PTO with a shredder. My tractor has a 4 speed trans as well as a 4 speed gear box for the PTO. I am unsure of the best combination of trans gear, PTO gear and RPM for the best use of my shredder. There is an indication of 540 on the tach for PTO use but I don't know what to set the throttle at and what gear to select in the PTO gear box. Any advice is welcomed.


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## Mickey

Think you'll receive more useful comments if you tell us what make/model tractor are you talking about.


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## Papasmirf

Typically with a shredder you will put you transmission in neutral, the brakes locked, the pto engaged with the rpms set at the mark that says 540 rpms. 


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## pogobill

I'm thinking that by "shreader" you are talking about a slasher or a brush hog type of implement. Is that correct?
With my tractor, I set the throttle at 540 as this is a common rpm for most, but not all, implements and it is independent of the transmission so It doesn't matter what gear I'm in. As far as speed goes, I'd go slow enough to do a good job, but fast enough to get the job done in a decent amount of time. Judge your speed by the terrain, what you are cutting and the quality of the of the job that you would like to finish with.

Anyone else is free to jump in and let us know how you operate your PTO. I'd like some tips as well!


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## hobbyfarmer

Thanks for the replies. I am talking about a brush hog and my tractor is a Dae Dong L3502D. I think i was a little unclear in my original post. My tractor has a PTO gear setting (1-4) that is independent of the transmission gears and and i am unsure of what gear to put the pto in. Also the Tach has the 540 indicated past 1000 rpm. This is also a little confusing to me.


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## Brutus

No experience with a Dae Dong, or any tractor with a multi-speed PTO. Maybe you can "Google" the make and model of your tractor and use "PTO settings" as key words. I would say that you always set the engine RPM so the tac is at the 540 rpm mark. The rest is mystery to me.


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## Papasmirf

This implement being a brush hog, I would set my rpms at 540, the 1 thru 4, I would set on 1 and mow a strip. Then move to 2, and mow a strip. The first thing not to do is lug the engine at all, secondly brush hogging should be done at a relatively slow speed. I never mow in a gear higher that second gear mid range. If field is tall and heavy I'll mow in first low range. I also never put my mower on the ground. Doing so added stress to the mower and tractor, making turns difficult, and wearing blades and skid plates wear prematurely. I keep the skid plate about 2" off the ground. Drive slow enough that you can gain control quickly if something happens. Do not ever move around the mower with it turning. A brush hog is a killer and doesn't give a damn who it kills, but it's always waiting to get you. Turn it of and let it stop before you get around it. Keep safety in mind first. Service it often. 


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## Mickey

My Yanmar also has a 4sp PTO. The tac has separate markers for each of the PTO speeds.

Think it best if you do a little experimenting with ground and PTO speeds. Things will need to be a little different depending upon ground conditions and what you are trying to cut. I wouldn't run the mower any faster than the std 540 RPM but if you can get the job done at a slower speed, there's nothing wrong with that.


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## PeteNM

Mickey said:


> My Yanmar also has a 4sp PTO. The tac has separate markers for each of the PTO speeds.
> 
> Think it best if you do a little experimenting with ground and PTO speeds. Things will need to be a little different depending upon ground conditions and what you are trying to cut. I wouldn't run the mower any faster than the std 540 RPM but if you can get the job done at a slower speed, there's nothing wrong with that.


IF you run slower than 540 on the PTO make sure your blades are good and sharp or the mower won't cut very well. It kind of tears it off and doesn't look so good. If the blade is sharp it will cut and look better and cut much easier too.


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## MBTRAC

I'd never run a brush hog/slasher at more than 540rpm as it may prematurely wear the implement gearbox (potential cavitation/heat build up) & cause undue stress on the tractor driveline (shock/torque loading).

The "key" to operating a slasher is to match the forward motion of the tractor to the conditions & implement capability - don't let the tractor bog down & don't overload the slasher with trash cutting too fast/too low in tough condition.

Also bring the slasher up to speed by engaging the PTO slowly when the implement is elevated then engage the appropriate forward tractor gear & slowly lower the spinning slasher - otherwise you're putting undue stress all round.........


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## Papasmirf

Also, wether you are mowing or not, if you have a FEL and you are working in an unfamiliar area and/or the grass is high, put your bucket on the ground and let it protect you and your tractor from things laying in the grass and dirt. 


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## scottcalv

There is plenty of good info here. But the OP seems confused why the 540 pto speed marker is past the 1000 engine rpm marker on the tach. This is simply because it takes more engine rpm than pto rpm to get to the desired pto rpm. And most implements run at 540. My kioti has 540 and 1000 pto rpm, but the engine runs at about 2300 rpm to get the desired pto speeds.


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