# PTO operation problem



## craig6 (Jul 19, 2012)

I have a AGCO Challenger MT297 tractor. I bought it at an auction recently. The PTO will not engage. The lever goes in but nothing happens. Does anyone have any ideas or had this problem. There was another thread sometime back where a guy had a problem with his PTO. He was brushhogging and the PTO slowed and came to a stop, like something internal was slipping. Does anyone know if it has a clutch pack at the PTO? I have no books on it. Thanks, Craig


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Depending on the style of PTO used, it could be a mechanical clutch, or more likely, a hydraulically operated clutch. Have you asked at an AGCO dealer? Another thing that could be happening is that the splined shaft that runs the PTO off of the pressure plate of the main clutch could be stripped out. My 574's shaft was less than 1/8" from stripping out when I rebuilt the engine. The splines were worn 3/4 of the way through and would have stripped off down the road. That's a less likely scenario. I'd check to be sure the linkage is moving and adjusted properly, and see if you can get a service manual for the tractor.


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## craig6 (Jul 19, 2012)

Thanks Country. How many hours did your tractor have at that time? I haven't talked to any service guys yet or found a manual. Plan on tearing into it asap. I was hoping someone might have had this problem or new about it. Linkage seems to be working ok.


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

My tractor had about 8,000 hours on it at the time. I think the problem was mainly caused by running the chopper and baler because both introduce shock loads in the drive line that could cause the splines to chatter. The PTO shaft on our 350 Utility sheared off internally once, causing the PTO to not work. I'm really not familiar with the tractor you have, so I can't give you any solid place to start looking. I did find a parts breakdown for AGCO equipment here: http://www.agcopartsbooks.com/PartsBooksN/login.aspx?region=NorthAmerica Click "View Books" by "Guest User" and you can put in your model number for the breakdown. Looks like the PTO clutch is in or near the bellhousing behind the main clutch. I hope you get it going soon!

One thing I noticed is that there is a section called "PTO Change" which shows a lever and a shifter fork for the PTO. Does that tractor have a dual speed PTO that you shift between? Could that be between speeds and not engaged? Could the shifter fork be broken and not engaging the gears or clutch? Something to look into I guess.


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## craig6 (Jul 19, 2012)

Thanks Country. I'll look into those things. This tractor has only 990 hours. So hopefully it's one of the simpler things.


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