Mower deck attachment and removal

[Paul Allwood]

G'day all

I recently bought my first tractor - a Kubota B7200HSTD with a 60" RC60-72H mid mount mower deck.

So far I've found that attaching and removing the mower deck is not so easy, with the most difficult part being connecting the PTO shaft under the tractor. The uni joint on the end of the shaft needs to be engaged on the PTO shaft, then a pin inserted through the uni joint and the shaft then a cost pin inserted through the pin. This is made even more difficult due to a loader sub-frame.

I'm guessing this setup isn't intended to be fitted and removed frequently.

Has anyone here come up with a better way to connect to the PTO under the tractor ?

Many thanks

Paul

 

[Bee-Positive]

Hello Paul, welcome aboard.

Are you sure you're not hooking it up backwards?

The U-Shaft should stay with the mower deck (connected by parts 100, 110, 120 below). The end of the shaft that connects to the tractor should have a collet that you pull back which releases an internal pin(s), then slide the shaft onto the spline, then let go of the collet. Push back and forth on the shaft to make sure the collet is locked on the spline or all sorts of entertainment will occur when you engage the pto.

Yellow is the tractor, orange is the mower gear box.

 

[Paul Allwood]

Thanks for the welcome, for your comments and for the pics. In the pic you shared it shows the PTO shaft on the tractor (yellow) with a groove running around the shaft - I'm guessing that quick attach during must use this groove to lock in place. I don't have this groove on mine at either end. Both ends are the same as shown in the mower end (orange) pic.

But now knowing that a quick attach style connector exists I'm wondering if I might be able to find a suitable adaptor for the tractor shaft.

Thanks again.

 

[Paul Allwood]

Thanks for the welcome, for your comments and for the pics. In the pic you shared it shows the PTO shaft on the tractor (yellow) with a groove running around the shaft - I'm guessing that quick attach during must use this groove to lock in place. I don't have this groove on mine at either end. Both ends are the same as shown in the mower end (orange) pic.

But now knowing that a quick attach style connector exists I'm wondering if I might be able to find a suitable adaptor for the tractor shaft.

Thanks again.

Oops - cross out "during" and replace with "fitting". Auto-correct catches me every time, and I don't know how to edit a comment.

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Oops - cross out "during" and replace with "fitting". Auto-correct catches me every time, and I don't know how to edit a comment.

Hello Paul,

you can edit posts later to correct typos.

In this post are a few pictures how a quick release coupling and mating PTO shaft looks like.

Link post pictures quick connect

There are different versions (shape) of those quick couplings but they all work pretty much the same way.

Kind regards,
Hugo

 

[Paul Allwood]

Hello Paul,

you can edit posts later to correct typos.

In this post are a few pictures how a quick release coupling and mating PTO shaft looks like.

Link post pictures quick connect

There are different versions (shape) of those quick couplings but they all work pretty much the same way.

Kind regards,
Hugo

Thanks Hugo

 

[Bee-Positive]

Maybe something like this? I have no experience with these and am not sure if you would strictly need a PIN HOLE type adaptor or if a set screw type would work. Make sure you get the proper spline count and diameter. Change to a collet quick connect on the shaft which I haven't investigated as to how complicated that might be. Then cut your existing shaft to fit.

Hopefully a more experienced OTT member will chime in to tell me if I'm way off base here. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[N3BP]

Given these decks haven't been produced in over 30 years, there is little to no aftermarket support for them. The mid-pto is an oddball size and spline count that is unique to Kubota. Any adapter might throw off the driveline angle which is bad. These decks were designed to run at the 2nd PTO setting, and not 540, so they spin pretty quick.
They aren't the easiest to remove and install, but they will cut with the best decks out there. It's a case of "it is what it is". The mounting systems have come along way on the Kubota MMM's. I'm attaching the mounting pages of the manual in case you don't have them

 

[Paul Allwood]

Maybe something like this? I have no experience with these and am not sure if you would strictly need a PIN HOLE type adaptor or if a set screw type would work. Make sure you get the proper spline count and diameter. Change to a collet quick connect on the shaft which I haven't investigated as to how complicated that might be. Then cut your existing shaft to fit.

Hopefully a more experienced OTT member will chime in to tell me if I'm way off base here. Wouldn't be the first time.


View attachment 158721

Thanks - might be worth a try

 

[Paul Allwood]

Given these decks haven't been produced in over 30 years, there is little to no aftermarket support for them. The mid-pto is an oddball size and spline count that is unique to Kubota. Any adapter might throw off the driveline angle which is bad. These decks were designed to run at the 2nd PTO setting, and not 540, so they spin pretty quick.
They aren't the easiest to remove and install, but they will cut with the best decks out there. It's a case of "it is what it is". The mounting systems have come along way on the Kubota MMM's. I'm attaching the mounting pages of the manual in case you don't have them

Thanks

 

[Bee-Positive]

What N3BP said - he's been there, done that.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Wow that's a project getting the deck on/off.

 

[Paul Allwood]

Wow that's a project getting the deck on/off.

It certainly is. Probably take me almost as long to fit and remove the deck as it would to mow the grass.