pto shaft stuck

olgentdc · Mar 30, 2017

post hole digger pto shaft will not telescope,,. rust stuck,,. one of them trianglelated tri ribed hollow modern bs shafts ,,. it has never been bent and for the most part is in new conndition,. i drilled a hole and srpayed liquid wrench,. hitched the pto to the 14t disc and drug it acorss 20 acres of corn stalks,,. both ends are plugged so i filled the pto with hydraulic oil and pulled the disc over another 20 acres of corn stalks,. never had one be his ornery with out givin up and comin apart ,. what do you guys do when you cant get them apart ?

Logan in SE Texas · Mar 30, 2017

a little heat and constant pull...is where I would start.

onefarmer · Mar 30, 2017

I'm with logan. Get a come-a-long and put pressure on it while heating it. Maybe put it on your grill to warm the whole thing then pull while heating it hotter with the torch.

2x4 · Mar 31, 2017

chain one end to a tree. Mine was jammed by being built too long & I cut 2" off each shaft. That cured it. And a lot of grease of course.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 31, 2017

Dragging it in the dirt sure won't make it come loose,hook it up so you can tie both ends and put a come-a-long on one end and pull it tight and make sure its a straight or it'll bend the shaft.Then if it still holds apply a moderate amount of heat up and down the outside shaft.Once you get it loose make sure the shaft is fully greased.Also hook up past the universal joints on both ends or you'll be buying U joints too.

Graham of New Zealand · Mar 31, 2017

Those stupid things seem to be always (in my experience) built with no grease nipples fitted. Jamming, excessive wear and rust problems are the natural result. I know they can be removed, pulled apart, greased and put back but that is absolute humbug easily avoided.

Pair-a-dice farm · Mar 31, 2017

I hate those type PTO shafts. The best solution is prevention. I try to always take them apart when not in use. However I forgot last year and had one seize up. I tied it to a tree and kept constant pressure while heating it and it still wouldn't come apart. I finally got it apart by standing it up and kept pouring ATF fluid down it.

Case Nutty 1660 · Mar 31, 2017

I have found using oil only on them for lube is better at least for me here than grease as grease will get thick and sticky as well, I have had to pull them apart before as well, as stated be careful doing this as they can be bent
cnt

John B. · Mar 31, 2017

Once apart I would clean it and apply anti-sieze on the male part and put it back together. That doesn't seem to wear off as grease does. When the post hole digger is not in use I would make sure the PTO shaft is stored inside.

JoeM(GA) · Mar 31, 2017

Pour some diesel in it a couple of days in a row, it will follow the rust, then try to pull apart

BarnyardEngineering · Mar 31, 2017

You don't want to heat the whole thing, just he outer tube so it expands away from the inner tube. Putting it in a grill will heat both inside and outside equally, so all you will have is a hot PTO shaft.

Unfortunately this doesn't work if the shaft still has the shield on it, especially a plastic shield, and you don't want to destroy the shield.

showcrop · Mar 31, 2017

2X what 2x4 said on both counts. Similar topic for younger guys. be sure to oil the receiver hitch tube on your truck at least twice a year.

hd6gtom · Mar 31, 2017

I had 1 like that off a rotary mower. tied a log chain around both ends and hooked the other end of the chain to 2 different 100 hp tractors. tightened up the chain and started whacking it with a big hammer. half a dozen whacks and she popped apart. I always pull it apart and leave 1 end laying on the mower now.

Russ from MN · Mar 31, 2017

We bought a neglected Bush Hog auger last summer, did what many have suggested. I tied it between 2 big trees with a come-a-long on one side, and heated. Once I got it pretty warm I started tapping it with a hammer and it popped apart. Then I put a rag with some emery cloth on the end of a long 1/2 rod and cleaned the bore, swabbed it out like a gun barrel. The male end I wire brushed with a small grinder. Now it is very oily!

rrlund · Mar 31, 2017

I've known auto mechanics who said they've seen drive shafts seize up and they never could get them loose.

DoubleR · Mar 31, 2017

I hooked my 3 pt post hole digger up to one tractor. Then chained the end of the pto shaft to another tractor and pulled it apart. I now pull it apart when I unhook it and put it back together when I use it again. Anything pto driven that has to winter outside I pull the pto apart and store that half in the barn.

I brought some Kroil penetrating oil last summer and have been amazed at some of the results I've got using it. I would try that if I had a pto stuck again before I started hooking tractors to it providing I could get to the problem spot with it.

BobReeves · Mar 31, 2017

I pulled one apart by chaining both ends parallel to one of the lift cylinders on my loader. Extended the cylinder and it popped apart.

Aaron Ford · Mar 31, 2017

I fought the same problem. Two trees, come a long, heat, kroil, and a hammer. Took several days but I was too cheap to replace it so I was careful and real patient. Finally popped loose, cleaned, greased, and put it back in service.

Hope yours goes as well,

Aaron

donjr · Mar 31, 2017

2 comalongs, 2 pullpoints, a can of rust breaker, and a BFH......

showcrop · Apr 1, 2017

(quoted from post at 21:27:29 03/31/17) 2 comalongs, 2 pullpoints, a can of rust breaker, and a BFH......

Why two come-a-longs?

pto shaft stuck

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