PTO Shaft

[Totlh]

PTO Shaft Broken off/twisted in two

Today, when I was running a hay cutter, my PTO quite turning. I have a L5460 tractor. Some background:

My tractor is a little over 1.5 years old. I only use the PTO when making hay. Cutter, tedder, rake, and bailer. It should be noted that my Father-in-law used the cutter to cut two fields before I started using it. He also finished the field with the same cutter after my tractor broke.

After referring to the WSM and not finding a solution to the problem I was experiencing, I determined that it would just tear into it. I found the PTO shaft sheered off right in front of the rear bearing.

Any others have this problem. To me it looks like a manufacture’s defect.
Other thoughts.

 

[Jim L.]

Has every implement run off the PTO had a safety shear bolt or slip clutch to prevent damage to the PTO drive?

PTO engaged with clutch at low speed, then throttled up to implement speed?

Any off-axis pressure to PTO shaft by implement(s), up-down or side to side?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

It sounds like you just got unlucky with a bad part, yep it happens to the best of them!
Check the bearings out real well as that is about the only other thing that could have caused it to fail.

 

[Totlh]

Has every implement run off the PTO had a safety shear bolt or slip clutch to prevent damage to the PTO drive?

PTO engaged with clutch at low speed, then throttled up to implement speed?

Any off-axis pressure to PTO shaft by implement(s), up-down or side to side?

The tractor is 1.5 years old. #1 yes, #2 yes, #3 ? does this mean making a turn with the bailer, cutter, with any other piece of equipment. - Yes

It is normal to make turns with a PTO engaged. No place in any manual that I have read says that this is not allowed.

 

[Totlh]

It sounds like you just got unlucky with a bad part, yep it happens to the best of them!
Check the bearings out real well as that is about the only other thing that could have caused it to fail.

Back bearing is bad. It is rough now. Not sure if it is prior to failure of shaft and associated metal parts in the bearing or a prior problem. It seemed to rotate fine before the shaft broke.

 

[Totlh]

Re: PTO Shaft broke in two/ twisted off

No one else had this problem? The shaft is aout 1" in diameter and is completely sheered in two.

 

[Russell King]

Re: PTO Shaft Broken off/twisted in two

You can pay someone to look at the shaft end and determine the failure mode if you’re interested in getting to how it failed.

Look around for failure analysis or such in your area.

I imagine it started cracking and propagated through the shaft over time.


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[North Idaho Wolfman]

Most likely the bearing failed and caused excessive vibration and that broke the shaft.
I would put both new bearing in it.

 

[100 td]

Even though your cutter works on the other tractor, check for any play/movement in the universal joint on the PTO coupling, if there is any, replace the universal joint. When the uni wears, they can throw out of balance and transfer this out of balance to the shaft and bearing. This may not have been the root cause of your failure, but anything out of balance over time can have detrimental effect.