Mr. Mike I've never commented on a TH-cam video in my life. But after spending about an hour dripping sweat and grease I new what I needed to do. I typed in my problem into Google and the first video that popped up was this one. I thought I had done everything but I didn't think to shoot grease into my 3 ball bearings in my collared lock. After about 5 minutes of shooting grease in them and moving the collar back and forth I finally got them to release in my PTO spline. I've already learned a good bit from your videos but this trick really was a game changer. Thank you for your expertise and making tractor tutorial videos great again!
Tractor Mike, Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so glad I stopped struggling in the 90 something degree heat and came inside to watch your video. I thought I was about to blow my lid trying to connect my Landpride bush hog to my PTO stub shaft. I was pushing the wrong ring collar forward when I should have been pulling back the collar. You got me lined out. Thanks again.
Mike, your tip at the end about your friend's PTO problem was my exact problem. I was pushing the rear collar instead of pulling the foremost collar as your friend did for 20 minutes or more. Thank God for your video. I had no idea two collars would move. After watching your video, the collar went on in seconds. Thanks Mike!
Count me as another victim of the pull don't push club! Thought for sure I needed to push the collar forward to get that darn shaft to connect!! Thanks Mike, saved me more hours of frustration!!!
Thanks Tractor Mike! My problem was the last one you mentioned: a collar that acted like I should push when I should pull. I could have saved that 30 minutes of bewilderment if I searched you out sooner. Thanks again!
Thank you for this video i spent 45 minutes trying to get my ball bearing style pto coupler onto my tractor and decided it was a horrible design, watched your video and I had been pushing the collar rather than pulling it, 30 seconds later I was hooked up and out bush hogging! Thanks for the info!
Wow where was this video 8 years ago when I had to figure this out. I greatly appreciate how patient you are with your viewers Mike. I used to get pretty upset when I first got a tractor to manage our small farm not being able to figure these things out and no one could explain things well enough to me over the phone or in conversations with colleagues to do any good. It's great to watch your videos to learn about different tractor and equipment differences in case I come up against this in the future.
As a novice I watched til the end and I’m grateful that I did. The part about that bearing you can pull and push… that was me too. You instantly cured my annoyance. Thank you!
THANK YOU!!! The “Bush Hog” solution was a lifesaver. Now I just need to remember in three years when I hook up the post hole digger again. 50 years ago we just put a grade 2 bolt through the hole lined up with the slot on the shaft. Simpler times.
Seriously? This is the best video regarding pto issues. Thanks a million. I just picked up my tractor today and I’ve been racking my brain on how to remove the pto. The other videos didn’t help. This was 100% what I was looking for.
Thank you 10K times over. My granddaughter and I were perplexed as to how to take the PTO off. We are working with an old misused tractor that needs lots of love and we will watch all the videos you have so we can learn. We will master this! You are awesome!!!!
THANK YOU Tractor Mike! After struggling for over a half hour, and trying my usual fixes, WD40, a block of wood and a hammer, I went online for a solution. Turns out I have one of those slightly misleading couplers. THANK YOU Tractor Mike.
Just spent an hour trying to get my post-hole digger on! Im not going to tell you the words I used for an hour! Watched your vid.........10min later its on! THANK YOU!!!!!! Frozen Balls!!!!! lol
The Secret to putting on a PTO Shaft “Here is the best way to do it bar none: Back up to the implement making no mistake on distance or evenness. Get off the tractor and give the line-up a once over. Once you are certain everything is perfect straddle the PTO shaft and pull into place. Although everything was perfectly even and lined up the shaft will be off-center. Mutter a small obscenity about the impossibility of these relational physics. Get back on the tractor and go back and forth at least 3 times. Climb back down and straddle the PTO shaft again only to find out it is worse than the first time. Even though you are fully aware of the weight of the implement you should now attempt to move the implement. This will automatically cause a slightly larger obsenity to blurt out of your mouth. Climb on the tractor again and while in 3rd gear rip around and get a clean shot at the implement. Climb off muttering something about putting a man on the moon and pull the PTO Shaft until it meets up with the tractor’s PTO. Calculate the odds of six splines over the circumference of the shaft and after quick calculation make mental note to never play the lottery again. Throw down the PTO shaft and kick the tire hard enough that you will remember it for the rest of the day. Wipe your forehead with your sleeve, yell at the dog, promise a kick in the pills to the unfortunate inventor of this contraption then go get a drink of water. When you come back the shaft will go on on the first or second try. It is extremely important to put the PTO cover somewhere you will not remember it and it is likely to hide for at least 4 weeks. Climb on the tractor and wait for 20-25 seconds before you start the tractor. This will provide sufficient time for the wife to call you in or the cell phone to ring and avoid wearing out your starter prematurely. I hope this helps…it works every time for me.” -DwightD123
Butterfly Springs Ranch I keep telling my wife that the occasional swearing is a necessary step in getting anything hooked up with a PTO shaft or coupler
Hey Mike, I bought a new brush hog a few months ago and I have been trying for over a week to get the PTO shaft connected to my tractor, I have read the manuals and watch videos and have been unable to find anything that describe this Coupler, Thank goodness for the part of this video were you talk about helping your neighbor with one that he had banged on and could not get out to his tractor that one little tip that you provided in this video allowed me to finally connect the brush hog to my tractor on the very first draw. Thank you for your time and advice. Have a blessed day
Thank you!!! I have a PTO with the type your buddy had. Kept pushing the outer forward and could not understand why the balls were not going over the shaft. After your video, I pulled the inner part back and it slipped on like butter. Always fun buying used equipment and figuring out how the little stuff works.
🙏🏻 thank you, this just answered a bunch of my questions. First time installing PTO shaft on tractor, after watching your video I got it on in 5 minutes
Thank you so much Mike. I had about had it this morning trying to get my PTO connected. Watched your video and the last part was the trick. I was pulling on the wrong part lol. Reminded me of when I bought my first auto transmission vehicle. I learned the hard way to push the brake THEN shift.
I want to say thank you for this video. Mine was the last part of the video I was trying to over an hour to get this attached. Then finally after watching your video, 2 minutes later it’s on.
If the mower and shaft have been sitting out in the weather for a long time the ball bearings (one, two, or all three) can get stuck. Lube them well with WD-40 or another light oil and work the steel ring back and forth. Try pushing them inward (gently) with a screwdriver when the ring is in retraction position if they still won't move. The problem will either resolve right away or you might have to be persistent. Laving the bearings with lube letting the thing sit overnight may do the trick.
You need to add that if you turn your tractor off before trying to hook up your PTO shaft it will turn freely making it much easier to hook up. I have been running tractors all my life and just discovered this trick a few weeks ago. Since I have talked to at least 20 farmers and none new of this trick. Its a miracle for hooking up. Thanks keep up the good videos. Thanks
Hi Mike, thank you, you saved my rear end. I had the same problem your friend had with the slide ring coupling but, in my case, it was attached to the tractor. Please tell your friend that he is not alone with this problem. I have the instructions for the post hole digger but they didn't bother to show how their coupling works!!
Once again you saved my ars! I was trying to hook up my pto shaft to my new tractor kicking and a cursing after that didn't work I said let's go see what Mike has to say and in 30 freaking seconds you solved my problem. I saw the lock pin but didn't realize you have to push it down to get it on . Thanks again
Thanks for this! We'd just gotten our "new" IH674 a week or so ago and had to get the PTO shields installed before I could make use of the brush hog. We'd had smaller tractors with PTO's but not an Ag-sized tractor so the coupler was new to me. This was perfect...much appreciated!
Ha! Thanks for the vid. I figured the balls are froze. The landpride crc1872 has about 4 hours on it. I bought it today. the splines had been stuck in dirt. I couldn't get it to go on. So I sprayed it with penetrating oil. I still couldn't get it on, so gave up to let the stuff do its job. Now I seen your vid, I'm confident as to what to do. thanks Tractor Mike!
I bought a new Branson about a month ago. I was trying to hook up my new brush hog axle to my PTO and was having some problems. Duh da da dahhhhh...... TRACTOR MIKE TO THE RESCUE! Thanks Mike. Your video got me going. THANKS!!!!
Mike I spent most of the afternoon trying to hook the PTO from my rotary cutter to the tractor, no love. Watched the video, went out to the barn and just like magic pulled the collar instead for pushing and I’m good to go. Thank you!
Thank you for the video. Even without sound I was able to gleen the process of removing that front PTO universal. Mine was to slide the housing to one side. After a few attempts and a squirt of Fluid Film it was off.
wish I would have seen this video before this morning. I had my tractor in the shop for its first 50 hr maintenance and also bought a post hole digger for it so when they returned the tractor last night with the post hole digger attached then left with out explaining how the pto worked on it it took me and 2 other people 30 min to figure out how to get it off so that I could reattach the backhoe.
Thank you so much for this nugget of information... I was out with my new 1973 john deet tractor and I had a hard time figuring out how to take the pto off a snow blower!!! Thanks
There is a 4th type here in Oz Mike. It has two push in buttones, one on either side that release the bearings...a real PITA to try and keep them depressed when holding a 20kg PTO shaft! I'm going to see if I can come up with a clamp to keep them depressed until the PTO is engaged (and a strap to support the PTO shaft as I wrestle it onto the tractor!
Thanks. I was struggling with the last issue, a frozen coupler that worked just the opposite of the other ones I have. Lots of WD40 and your video got me connected to my implement.
Mike, your videos have saved me many hours of frustration. That last tip was the one that has had me struggling for a good three hours. The little plastic collar tripped me right up, and I was convinced the bearings were seized. About two minutes after watching this video I had my snow blower up and running thanks to you!
Give it a generous blast of WD-40 (or your preferred flavor of penetrating oil) before it goes on and when it comes off and you'll never have a MECHANICAL problem with PTO shaft installation or removal, especially if it's removed and stored out of the elements. Now whether or not you're moving the locking mechanism in the right direction is a different matter entirely, lol. Great video Mike, thanks! 👍
Another note, silicone spray lubricant is by far the most waterproof of all spray lubricants and it "sticks" to stuff better so it doesn't get slung off as much. Lithium is the 2nd best behind silicone. Personally though, I prefer grease because like silicone spray, it's extremely waterproof and "sticks" to the pto and coupler. I do have some liquid wrench silicone spray though for when I need to get into tight crevices where penetrating oil is needed.
Mike loved your hints. Here is another that I don't have a soap box for maybe you do. I found that I lacked the strength to both hold back the ball release and push the ball joint onto the tractor PTO. My hint is to grasp the ball release with both hands putting thumbs into the universal joint and retract the ball release while using the thumbs to advance the shaft. This has the advantage of evenly retracting the ball release while also allowing my old shoulders to exert enough forwards pressure to advance the shaft. I have to admit that I had enough trouble that at one point I removed the tractor metal PTO guard to give me enough room to grasp the joint.
Great advice...hooking the PTO is just hard, you'd think in today's world we would have a better option. I remember selling a 10 foot rotary cutter to a 90 year old man. It had a constant velocity PTO and those things are horrendously heavy and cumbersome. I wondered when he bought it how in the world he was ever going to hook it up. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty but he wanted the heaviest-built cutter we sold and that's what it had.
I’m 13 and have been around tractor my whole life and now have my own tractor that was my paw paws. Today I went outside to hook up my bush hog so we could redo it (new paint, new decals, etc) and this would be my first time hooking up to an implement with a PTO. I thought I had heard my dad say that the push pin for the bar type had to be pulled. I sat out there for 15 minutes pulling that pin and eventually pulled the PTO Stub guard off ( the guard above the PTO on most if not all tractor that stay on the tractor) which in my tractors case is a pain in the butt because it’s gotta be lined up JUST perfect for the pin to go back through. I eventually thought it may be called a push pin for a reason. I pushed the pin and it slid right on. I them couldn’t get it to lock in but my dad had the PTO marked for me so I could see where it should stop and connect. Needless to say I spent another 10 minutes getting the PTO locked in. Turns out the inner spring is sticky and has to be pulled back out. 🤦🏼♂️ I questioned my tractor skills for a few minutes while I drove home. Any way thanks for the info! And great video as always!
Learning the differences between the three different types was very helpful, and helped me get the Brush Hog PTO shaft off the JD 3032E. I then easily installed my new Tractor PTO Link. Now all I have to do is get a longer PTO shaft for my Frontier RT1157 rototiller, since it's about 4-6 inches too short...
I also, use a bungle cord cradle to hold the shaft at approximately the right level when trying to connect the PTO. This helps protect my back - especially if it takes a while to get the splints lined up.
At last - Thank you Tractor Mike from good old Britain and confused farmer.com - I love how the Americans explain all this stuff so sensibly and clearly ! Hurrah USA.
Thanks, Mike! I'm another Bush Hog owner who was pushing the wrong part of the collar forward. Hopefully, next time I'll remember to pull the forwardmost ring.
I've had several people that said the same thing. I probably should have put that at the start, but it has helped my "watch time" and Google loves "watch time" :).
I could've saved hours today if I had watched this video first. The yoke slid on far enough to dig the hole but when I'd lift the auger it'd slide off the splined shaft. So damn frustrating. Thanks Mike.
PTO's are a PITA, but yeah grease on the shaft to help them slide on and keep the locking mechanism lubed is a must. It's lining up the shafts and then lifting and shoving (usually in a tight awkward position) that makes them such a pain when you need to switch implements.
I'm glad i watched the last 20 seconds of this video because pushing the collar the wrong way was my problem as well. This is what happens when you only use something once a year.
I was trying the same thing as your friend (sliding the rear collar forward)... by sliding the forward collar backwards it went on easily. Thanks so much for your video. mardyn
My ball bearings were not frozen, they were loose enough to get the shaft over that locking lip but nothing I could do was taking the shaft off. I had to tie a strap around the shaft and secure it to a stable object and drive the tractor away and it popped free. BE SURE YOU HAVE THE SHAFT PAST THE LOCK BEFORE PULLING IT OFF OR YOU WILL HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS!
Can't say thanks enough. New LP Cutter with collar design. I'd always had pin and was pushing instead of pulling. Had I just had decent cell service at my farm, I could have watched this there instead of wasting time and almost buying another pto shaft.
I had not used my frontier 60" shredder in almost a year, it was the ball/collar (2nd type you showed), and it would not go on. I was using Garage door lube and gear oil. It took me 30 minutes of lube+hammer. Eventually, it got on. I should have started with Penetrator.
The shaft that came on my John Deere MX6 seems to be some kind of hybrid. It has the collar that only pulls back. You can't push it forward. Once you get it lined up to the stub shaft, you can pull all you want (even when it was brand spanking new) and you only have a small chance that it will slip on. The collar also turns, but it does not turn like what you're showing; that is, it does not snap back, nor is there any spring action to it. One day, out of pure happenstance, while I was trying to get the shaft on while pulling the collar back, I TURNED the collar a bit -- perhaps a quarter to my right (counterclockwise) -- and the PTO slid right in! That was about 4 or 5 years ago. The next time I tried to put it on, it was balking, as usual, so I turned the collar the same way and it didn't help, so I turned it the opposite direction perhaps a half a turn, and the PTO slid right on. I looked in with a flashlight, and I cannot for the life of me see what it is doing different. Pulling back retracts the balls, but it's almost like there is a "fine tuning" of the shaft grooves or something that I cannot see. Somehow, turning the collar while pulling on it, and finding just how or where to turn it to, allows it to slide right on. Otherwise, you can be standing there all day pulling on that collar and trying to shove it on to no avail.Wish I knew what it's doing in there!!
I highly recommend you use silicone spray lubricant, it's the most waterproof and tacky so it gets slung off moving parts less. Lithium spray is the 2nd best behind silicone. Once you get the balls or pin moving, I personally like to put a thick coat of grease on the PTO "male" shaft before putting the implement on. This ensures you never get an implement "frozen" onto the PTO shaft which I have also seen.
It looks as if the new tiller that came with the tractor has a PTO shaft that's too long...when the two halves of the shaft are lined up next to each other, with half on the tractor PTO stub and the other on the tiller, the female end on the tractor half comes all the way to the universal joint on the tiller. Now what? You've answered every other question I've had, but this has me stumped!
I have a John Deere HX15 brush hog that has a very heavy PTO shaft. I find it easier to put a 2x4 across the lift arms on the tractor and get the shaft level with the tractor PTO and cut the tractor off. Saves a lot of heavy lifting while trying to line up the splines and trying to push the shaft on while pulling on the collar.
I noticed no mention of the one major problem with the twist collar connection. I found that when bush hogging an impact on the blade could cause the collar to rotate slightly, in the direction you would normally turn it to disconnect. This was cause simply by the enertia of the collar when the impact occurred, This would then cause the coupling to move slightly rearward. After a couple of impacts, the drive shaft would completely disconnect and you would then need to reconnect. Sometimes that coupling can be too hot to comfortably handle. After replacing the coupling with the first style you showed with the push pin, that has permanently solved the problem.
Son of a B! I've been banging on and cussing out mine for the last hour and it's like the last one you showed. Slid right on when I tried it the right way.
Tractor Mike I forgot to say thanks! If you hadn't posted this video, I'd be out there this morning beating on it again. I was just going to try a bigger hammer. You saved me a lot trouble.
You're welcome! I think I said it in the video, but my neighbor did the same thing you did. He's really, really smart about mechanical things, that was the first (and probably only) time I actually knew a little more than he did. When I found him he was covered with sweat, there was a gallon of penetrating oil on the ground, a small hammer, a huge hammer and a small pry bar laying there and he was going after the big pry bar when I showed up. I slid the PTO on with no problem. He looked at me, for a second I thought he was going to deck me, then I thought he might kiss me, then he got this big old smile on his face, relieved that the ordeal was over. I honestly think he might have had a stroke or heart attack if I hadn't showed up. And I get it, you really think you're moving those little balls when you slide that collar the wrong way, but it won't go on like that :).
Mike, if only I had watched you 2 hours earlier. I was pushing that PTO attachment as hard as I could. Some days I am hard pressed to find someone dumber than I am.
That one has caught a lot of people judging by the comments. Doesn't seem to matter what IQ they boast. It feels like moving it forward should work. The engineer that designed it is probably laughing at all of us that have had it happen.
Mike, depending on age of the implement. There might be 2 bars opposite each other that require both bars to be pushed in to install on the tractor PTO shaft. If an implement is near or over 50 years old it could have 2 bars.
So Mike thanks for this I know it's 8 years old but I have frozen balls and NOTHING I did worked, penetrating oil, heat nothing. Luckily Bush Hog replaced the entire Quick attach yoke and Cross bearing under warranty for me.
Great video Mike, worth mentioning that prevention is better than cure! As you cover in your other videos, keeping your PTO shaft release mechanism well lubricated will make life easier down the line.
We had a few implements from the 50's where you had a hole in the PTO and the Coupler where you placed a pin in it. Had a lot of farmers use a nail that they bent over with a hammer. That was dangerous as can be.
Thank you! I had the same problem as the guy with the Bush Hog you mentioned at the end of the video. No telling how long it would have taken me to figure it out, if I could have at all.
I despise the shafts where you have to pull and push. I prefer the first one you showed. Another problem is lining up the shafts. Sometimes I'm able to turn shafts on tractor or implement.
Pushing on that rounded pin that sticks up hurts my thumb. A small washer over the top makes a bug difference. Also have a shaft with the slider. On mine, I can slide it back the collar then put a zip tie around the shaft to keep it open while I slide the pto shaft onto the splined shaft. Then I cut the zip tie free and the collar slides forward.
1st of all your video have been extremely informative; thank you for the wealth of info, but when mentioned frozen balls; my balls, I lost it. Still cracking up. Thanks Mike; keep up the great work.
Great video ! I have this 1:50 quick release . I have frozen balls the driveline is stuck on the PTO shaft . I sprayed WD40 on it still stuck . Any suggestions how can get driveline off . Thank you
Hi Mike, great video. I have the first type with a bar and spring stuck on my pto shaft. Cannot for the life of me get it off. If I cut the bar and spring off the back of it with a grinder, it should just come off correct?
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None of the other sites explained *how* the PTO couplers work (or don't work). Your clear instructions are incredibly useful!
Mr. Mike I've never commented on a TH-cam video in my life. But after spending about an hour dripping sweat and grease I new what I needed to do. I typed in my problem into Google and the first video that popped up was this one. I thought I had done everything but I didn't think to shoot grease into my 3 ball bearings in my collared lock. After about 5 minutes of shooting grease in them and moving the collar back and forth I finally got them to release in my PTO spline. I've already learned a good bit from your videos but this trick really was a game changer. Thank you for your expertise and making tractor tutorial videos great again!
Tractor Mike, Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so glad I stopped struggling in the 90 something degree heat and came inside to watch your video. I thought I was about to blow my lid trying to connect my Landpride bush hog to my PTO stub shaft. I was pushing the wrong ring collar forward when I should have been pulling back the collar. You got me lined out. Thanks again.
I have "FROZEN BALLS." Thanks for the laugh, Mike. Your deadpan delivery of that one was perfect.
He said you just keep trying to penetrate that shaft... also use some penetrating oil. Get it in there Klell
@@mso2683 LOL!
Mike, your tip at the end about your friend's PTO problem was my exact problem. I was pushing the rear collar instead of pulling the foremost collar as your friend did for 20 minutes or more. Thank God for your video. I had no idea two collars would move. After watching your video, the collar went on in seconds. Thanks Mike!
You are welcome! You wouldn't believe how many people have had that happen...
Count me as another victim of the pull don't push club! Thought for sure I needed to push the collar forward to get that darn shaft to connect!! Thanks Mike, saved me more hours of frustration!!!
Thanks Tractor Mike! My problem was the last one you mentioned: a collar that acted like I should push when I should pull. I could have saved that 30 minutes of bewilderment if I searched you out sooner. Thanks again!
Thank you for this video i spent 45 minutes trying to get my ball bearing style pto coupler onto my tractor and decided it was a horrible design, watched your video and I had been pushing the collar rather than pulling it, 30 seconds later I was hooked up and out bush hogging! Thanks for the info!
We had the same problem! 🤣
Wow where was this video 8 years ago when I had to figure this out. I greatly appreciate how patient you are with your viewers Mike. I used to get pretty upset when I first got a tractor to manage our small farm not being able to figure these things out and no one could explain things well enough to me over the phone or in conversations with colleagues to do any good. It's great to watch your videos to learn about different tractor and equipment differences in case I come up against this in the future.
+Matt Jenkins Eight years ago I was still trying to learn how to turn a computer on :). Thanks for the nice comments, glad to help!
the last part about your neighbors implement was the connection i had on my snow thrower... beyond happy you took the moment to explain this
I fell victim to the pushing instead of pulling today as well. An hour of frustration lead me here. Thanks a bunch.
As a novice I watched til the end and I’m grateful that I did. The part about that bearing you can pull and push… that was me too. You instantly cured my annoyance. Thank you!
THANK YOU!!!
The “Bush Hog” solution was a lifesaver. Now I just need to remember in three years when I hook up the post hole digger again.
50 years ago we just put a grade 2 bolt through the hole lined up with the slot on the shaft. Simpler times.
Seriously? This is the best video regarding pto issues. Thanks a million. I just picked up my tractor today and I’ve been racking my brain on how to remove the pto. The other videos didn’t help. This was 100% what I was looking for.
Thank you 10K times over. My granddaughter and I were perplexed as to how to take the PTO off. We are working with an old misused tractor that needs lots of love and we will watch all the videos you have so we can learn. We will master this! You are awesome!!!!
THANK YOU Tractor Mike! After struggling for over a half hour, and trying my usual fixes, WD40, a block of wood and a hammer, I went online for a solution. Turns out I have one of those slightly misleading couplers. THANK YOU Tractor Mike.
Just spent an hour trying to get my post-hole digger on! Im not going to tell you the words I used for an hour! Watched your vid.........10min later its on! THANK YOU!!!!!! Frozen Balls!!!!! lol
The Secret to putting on a PTO Shaft
“Here is the best way to do it bar none: Back up to the implement making no mistake on distance or evenness. Get off the tractor and give the line-up a once over. Once you are certain everything is perfect straddle the PTO shaft and pull into place.
Although everything was perfectly even and lined up the shaft will be off-center. Mutter a small obscenity about the impossibility of these relational physics. Get back on the tractor and go back and forth at least 3 times. Climb back down and straddle the PTO shaft again only to find out it is worse than the first time.
Even though you are fully aware of the weight of the implement you should now attempt to move the implement. This will automatically cause a slightly larger obsenity to blurt out of your mouth. Climb on the tractor again and while in 3rd gear rip around and get a clean shot at the implement. Climb off muttering something about putting a man on the moon and pull the PTO Shaft until it meets up with the tractor’s PTO. Calculate the odds of six splines over the circumference of the shaft and after quick calculation make mental note to never play the lottery again.
Throw down the PTO shaft and kick the tire hard enough that you will remember it for the rest of the day. Wipe your forehead with your sleeve, yell at the dog, promise a kick in the pills to the unfortunate inventor of this contraption then go get a drink of water. When you come back the shaft will go on on the first or second try.
It is extremely important to put the PTO cover somewhere you will not remember it and it is likely to hide for at least 4 weeks. Climb on the tractor and wait for 20-25 seconds before you start the tractor. This will provide sufficient time for the wife to call you in or the cell phone to ring and avoid wearing out your starter prematurely.
I hope this helps…it works every time for me.” -DwightD123
Butterfly Springs Ranch I keep telling my wife that the occasional swearing is a necessary step in getting anything hooked up with a PTO shaft or coupler
Hey Mike, I bought a new brush hog a few months ago and I have been trying for over a week to get the PTO shaft connected to my tractor, I have read the manuals and watch videos and have been unable to find anything that describe this Coupler, Thank goodness for the part of this video were you talk about helping your neighbor with one that he had banged on and could not get out to his tractor that one little tip that you provided in this video allowed me to finally connect the brush hog to my tractor on the very first draw. Thank you for your time and advice. Have a blessed day
I should have put that at the start of the video, I'm shocked at how many people that little design flaw has trapped. Glad it helped!
Thank you!!! I have a PTO with the type your buddy had. Kept pushing the outer forward and could not understand why the balls were not going over the shaft. After your video, I pulled the inner part back and it slipped on like butter. Always fun buying used equipment and figuring out how the little stuff works.
Thank you. I looked for this information everywhere with no results. Thank you for posting this valuable information
🙏🏻 thank you, this just answered a bunch of my questions. First time installing PTO shaft on tractor, after watching your video I got it on in 5 minutes
Thank you so much Mike. I had about had it this morning trying to get my PTO connected. Watched your video and the last part was the trick. I was pulling on the wrong part lol. Reminded me of when I bought my first auto transmission vehicle. I learned the hard way to push the brake THEN shift.
The last side comment was the reminder I needed. Haven't used the post hole digger in 5 years. The plastic pushed one way, the metal the other!
Thanks Mike. Spent 20 minutes trying to remove a PTO by pushing the collar! Watched your video and realised I had to pull it...doh.....many thanks.
I want to say thank you for this video. Mine was the last part of the video I was trying to over an hour to get this attached. Then finally after watching your video, 2 minutes later it’s on.
They can be pretty tricky. Glad I could help!
If the mower and shaft have been sitting out in the weather for a long time the ball bearings (one, two, or all three) can get stuck. Lube them well with WD-40 or another light oil and work the steel ring back and forth. Try pushing them inward (gently) with a screwdriver when the ring is in retraction position if they still won't move. The problem will either resolve right away or you might have to be persistent. Laving the bearings with lube letting the thing sit overnight may do the trick.
Mower or whatever implement, that is.
You need to add that if you turn your tractor off before trying to hook up your PTO shaft it will turn freely making it much easier to hook up. I have been running tractors all my life and just discovered this trick a few weeks ago. Since I have talked to at least 20 farmers and none new of this trick. Its a miracle for hooking up. Thanks keep up the good videos. Thanks
Works on most tractors but not all. My New Holland TC40 won't free wheel.
Hi Mike, thank you, you saved my rear end. I had the same problem your friend had with the slide ring coupling but, in my case, it was attached to the tractor. Please tell your friend that he is not alone with this problem. I have the instructions for the post hole digger but they didn't bother to show how their coupling works!!
That tidbit about sliding the collar back saved the day for this new tractor owner!
Once again you saved my ars! I was trying to hook up my pto shaft to my new tractor kicking and a cursing after that didn't work I said let's go see what Mike has to say and in 30 freaking seconds you solved my problem. I saw the lock pin but didn't realize you have to push it down to get it on . Thanks again
Thanks for this! We'd just gotten our "new" IH674 a week or so ago and had to get the PTO shields installed before I could make use of the brush hog. We'd had smaller tractors with PTO's but not an Ag-sized tractor so the coupler was new to me. This was perfect...much appreciated!
Ha! Thanks for the vid. I figured the balls are froze. The landpride crc1872 has about 4 hours on it. I bought it today. the splines had been stuck in dirt. I couldn't get it to go on. So I sprayed it with penetrating oil. I still couldn't get it on, so gave up to let the stuff do its job. Now I seen your vid, I'm confident as to what to do. thanks Tractor Mike!
I bought a new Branson about a month ago. I was trying to hook up my new brush hog axle to my PTO and was having some problems. Duh da da dahhhhh...... TRACTOR MIKE TO THE RESCUE! Thanks Mike. Your video got me going. THANKS!!!!
Glad I could help! Thanks for watching!
Mike I spent most of the afternoon trying to hook the PTO from my rotary cutter to the tractor, no love. Watched the video, went out to the barn and just like magic pulled the collar instead for pushing and I’m good to go. Thank you!
You're welcome...you wouldn't believe how many people have been "bitten" by that.
Mahalos Tractor Mike! That last part of the show about the pulling back but it’s actually forward, just saved me after over an hour of trying!
If you'll read the comments, that one has nailed a lot of people. Glad you got it off (or on) :)!
This helped me today May 11 2024, thank to Mike and the penetrating oil, ( Seafoam ) it came right off.
I was pushing the quick connect ring. Thank you Tractor Mike!!!
Thank you for the video. Even without sound I was able to gleen the process of removing that front PTO universal. Mine was to slide the housing to one side. After a few attempts and a squirt of Fluid Film it was off.
wish I would have seen this video before this morning. I had my tractor in the shop for its first 50 hr maintenance and also bought a post hole digger for it so when they returned the tractor last night with the post hole digger attached then left with out explaining how the pto worked on it it took me and 2 other people 30 min to figure out how to get it off so that I could reattach the backhoe.
Thank you so much for this video. The last item you spoke about was the problem I've been having. So much headache for such a simple issue!
Thank you so much for this nugget of information... I was out with my new 1973 john deet tractor and I had a hard time figuring out how to take the pto off a snow blower!!! Thanks
There is a 4th type here in Oz Mike. It has two push in buttones, one on either side that release the bearings...a real PITA to try and keep them depressed when holding a 20kg PTO shaft! I'm going to see if I can come up with a clamp to keep them depressed until the PTO is engaged (and a strap to support the PTO shaft as I wrestle it onto the tractor!
Wow, I've not seen that one. Sounds like I should be thankful...
Thanks. I was struggling with the last issue, a frozen coupler that worked just the opposite of the other ones I have. Lots of WD40 and your video got me connected to my implement.
Mike, your videos have saved me many hours of frustration. That last tip was the one that has had me struggling for a good three hours. The little plastic collar tripped me right up, and I was convinced the bearings were seized. About two minutes after watching this video I had my snow blower up and running thanks to you!
Great video, BTW. Thank you Mr. Mike.
thank you. that connection is unintuitive, and your explanation is terrific
I like the way he says, "Good Luck" at the end. At least he didn't add, "You're gonna need it"!
Give it a generous blast of WD-40 (or your preferred flavor of penetrating oil) before it goes on and when it comes off and you'll never have a MECHANICAL problem with PTO shaft installation or removal, especially if it's removed and stored out of the elements. Now whether or not you're moving the locking mechanism in the right direction is a different matter entirely, lol. Great video Mike, thanks! 👍
Another note, silicone spray lubricant is by far the most waterproof of all spray lubricants and it "sticks" to stuff better so it doesn't get slung off as much. Lithium is the 2nd best behind silicone. Personally though, I prefer grease because like silicone spray, it's extremely waterproof and "sticks" to the pto and coupler. I do have some liquid wrench silicone spray though for when I need to get into tight crevices where penetrating oil is needed.
Mike loved your hints. Here is another that I don't have a soap box for maybe you do. I found that I lacked the strength to both hold back the ball release and push the ball joint onto the tractor PTO. My hint is to grasp the ball release with both hands putting thumbs into the universal joint and retract the ball release while using the thumbs to advance the shaft. This has the advantage of evenly retracting the ball release while also allowing my old shoulders to exert enough forwards pressure to advance the shaft.
I have to admit that I had enough trouble that at one point I removed the tractor metal PTO guard to give me enough room to grasp the joint.
Great advice...hooking the PTO is just hard, you'd think in today's world we would have a better option. I remember selling a 10 foot rotary cutter to a 90 year old man. It had a constant velocity PTO and those things are horrendously heavy and cumbersome. I wondered when he bought it how in the world he was ever going to hook it up. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty but he wanted the heaviest-built cutter we sold and that's what it had.
I’m 13 and have been around tractor my whole life and now have my own tractor that was my paw paws. Today I went outside to hook up my bush hog so we could redo it (new paint, new decals, etc) and this would be my first time hooking up to an implement with a PTO. I thought I had heard my dad say that the push pin for the bar type had to be pulled. I sat out there for 15 minutes pulling that pin and eventually pulled the PTO Stub guard off ( the guard above the PTO on most if not all tractor that stay on the tractor) which in my tractors case is a pain in the butt because it’s gotta be lined up JUST perfect for the pin to go back through. I eventually thought it may be called a push pin for a reason. I pushed the pin and it slid right on. I them couldn’t get it to lock in but my dad had the PTO marked for me so I could see where it should stop and connect. Needless to say I spent another 10 minutes getting the PTO locked in. Turns out the inner spring is sticky and has to be pulled back out. 🤦🏼♂️ I questioned my tractor skills for a few minutes while I drove home. Any way thanks for the info! And great video as always!
Learning the differences between the three different types was very helpful, and helped me get the Brush Hog PTO shaft off the JD 3032E. I then easily installed my new Tractor PTO Link. Now all I have to do is get a longer PTO shaft for my Frontier RT1157 rototiller, since it's about 4-6 inches too short...
I also, use a bungle cord cradle to hold the shaft at approximately the right level when trying to connect the PTO. This helps protect my back - especially if it takes a while to get the splints lined up.
At last - Thank you Tractor Mike from good old Britain and confused farmer.com - I love how the Americans explain all this stuff so sensibly and clearly ! Hurrah USA.
It is nice to hear from a viewer across the pond! Thank you for the kind comment.
Thanks, Mike! I'm another Bush Hog owner who was pushing the wrong part of the collar forward. Hopefully, next time I'll remember to pull the forwardmost ring.
That last tip was it! After sweating and struggling for an hour, all it took was pulling back instead of pushing the collar forward.
I've had several people that said the same thing. I probably should have put that at the start, but it has helped my "watch time" and Google loves "watch time" :).
Jared Zotz same here. I'm wore out from battling that thing. Slid right on after seeing the proper way to do it.
Jared Zotz I
Same here
I could've saved hours today if I had watched this video first. The yoke slid on far enough to dig the hole but when I'd lift the auger it'd slide off the splined shaft. So damn frustrating. Thanks Mike.
Thank you! My issue was the very last issue you talked about where I was trying to slide the wrong collar.
PTO's are a PITA, but yeah grease on the shaft to help them slide on and keep the locking mechanism lubed is a must. It's lining up the shafts and then lifting and shoving (usually in a tight awkward position) that makes them such a pain when you need to switch implements.
Man , you resolved my issue ..thank you tons (-: ; I was pushing ahead )-:
The very last scene solved my problems with a Bush Hog. Just spent two hours pulling back on the smaller collar and hammering away.
Thankyou, I am no longer having any trouble, you resolved it.
I'm glad i watched the last 20 seconds of this video because pushing the collar the wrong way was my problem as well. This is what happens when you only use something once a year.
I was trying the same thing as your friend (sliding the rear collar forward)... by sliding the forward collar backwards it went on easily. Thanks so much for your video. mardyn
My ball bearings were not frozen, they were loose enough to get the shaft over that locking lip but nothing I could do was taking the shaft off. I had to tie a strap around the shaft and secure it to a stable object and drive the tractor away and it popped free. BE SURE YOU HAVE THE SHAFT PAST THE LOCK BEFORE PULLING IT OFF OR YOU WILL HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS!
Oh my! My hammer and I are getting busy to get that darn auger off. Momma needs her backhoe! Thank you for the video!
Can't say thanks enough. New LP Cutter with collar design. I'd always had pin and was pushing instead of pulling. Had I just had decent cell service at my farm, I could have watched this there instead of wasting time and almost buying another pto shaft.
I had not used my frontier 60" shredder in almost a year, it was the ball/collar (2nd type you showed), and it would not go on. I was using Garage door lube and gear oil. It took me 30 minutes of lube+hammer. Eventually, it got on. I should have started with Penetrator.
Couldn’t help but laugh. “You have…frozen balls.” 2:50 great video
The last one was mine....on a bush hog brand. Was driving me crazy till i watched this. THANK YOU!
The shaft that came on my John Deere MX6 seems to be some kind of hybrid. It has the collar that only pulls back. You can't push it forward. Once you get it lined up to the stub shaft, you can pull all you want (even when it was brand spanking new) and you only have a small chance that it will slip on. The collar also turns, but it does not turn like what you're showing; that is, it does not snap back, nor is there any spring action to it.
One day, out of pure happenstance, while I was trying to get the shaft on while pulling the collar back, I TURNED the collar a bit -- perhaps a quarter to my right (counterclockwise) -- and the PTO slid right in!
That was about 4 or 5 years ago. The next time I tried to put it on, it was balking, as usual, so I turned the collar the same way and it didn't help, so I turned it the opposite direction perhaps a half a turn, and the PTO slid right on.
I looked in with a flashlight, and I cannot for the life of me see what it is doing different. Pulling back retracts the balls, but it's almost like there is a "fine tuning" of the shaft grooves or something that I cannot see. Somehow, turning the collar while pulling on it, and finding just how or where to turn it to, allows it to slide right on. Otherwise, you can be standing there all day pulling on that collar and trying to shove it on to no avail.Wish I knew what it's doing in there!!
Sounds like a damaged spline
I highly recommend you use silicone spray lubricant, it's the most waterproof and tacky so it gets slung off moving parts less. Lithium spray is the 2nd best behind silicone.
Once you get the balls or pin moving, I personally like to put a thick coat of grease on the PTO "male" shaft before putting the implement on. This ensures you never get an implement "frozen" onto the PTO shaft which I have also seen.
It looks as if the new tiller that came with the tractor has a PTO shaft that's too long...when the two halves of the shaft are lined up next to each other, with half on the tractor PTO stub and the other on the tiller, the female end on the tractor half comes all the way to the universal joint on the tiller. Now what? You've answered every other question I've had, but this has me stumped!
I have a John Deere HX15 brush hog that has a very heavy PTO shaft. I find it easier to put a 2x4 across the lift arms on the tractor and get the shaft level with the tractor PTO and cut the tractor off. Saves a lot of heavy lifting while trying to line up the splines and trying to push the shaft on while pulling on the collar.
I noticed no mention of the one major problem with the twist collar connection. I found that when bush hogging an impact on the blade could cause the collar to rotate slightly, in the direction you would normally turn it to disconnect. This was cause simply by the enertia of the collar when the impact occurred, This would then cause the coupling to move slightly rearward. After a couple of impacts, the drive shaft would completely disconnect and you would then need to reconnect. Sometimes that coupling can be too hot to comfortably handle. After replacing the coupling with the first style you showed with the push pin, that has permanently solved the problem.
I had this same problem today and my twist collar broke in half. Trying to find a video on how to replace it is proving impossible. Any advice?
Son of a B! I've been banging on and cussing out mine for the last hour and it's like the last one you showed. Slid right on when I tried it the right way.
You're about the third guy who has said that, I probably should have put that at the beginning but it's helping my "watch time". Glad you got it on.
Tractor Mike I forgot to say thanks! If you hadn't posted this video, I'd be out there this morning beating on it again. I was just going to try a bigger hammer. You saved me a lot trouble.
You're welcome! I think I said it in the video, but my neighbor did the same thing you did. He's really, really smart about mechanical things, that was the first (and probably only) time I actually knew a little more than he did. When I found him he was covered with sweat, there was a gallon of penetrating oil on the ground, a small hammer, a huge hammer and a small pry bar laying there and he was going after the big pry bar when I showed up. I slid the PTO on with no problem. He looked at me, for a second I thought he was going to deck me, then I thought he might kiss me, then he got this big old smile on his face, relieved that the ordeal was over. I honestly think he might have had a stroke or heart attack if I hadn't showed up. And I get it, you really think you're moving those little balls when you slide that collar the wrong way, but it won't go on like that :).
Tractor Mike haha! Yep, that was me last night too. Unreal...
Mike, if only I had watched you 2 hours earlier. I was pushing that PTO attachment as hard as I could. Some days I am hard pressed to find someone dumber than I am.
That one has caught a lot of people judging by the comments. Doesn't seem to matter what IQ they boast. It feels like moving it forward should work. The engineer that designed it is probably laughing at all of us that have had it happen.
Thank you! I just wrestled with my PTO for 45 minutes and can't get it to go on. I'll check it out and give it another try tomorrow.
Mike, depending on age of the implement. There might be 2 bars opposite each other that require both bars to be pushed in to install on the tractor PTO shaft. If an implement is near or over 50 years old it could have 2 bars.
Thank you Tractor Mike! Your video saved us hours of fussing and cussing!
So Mike thanks for this I know it's 8 years old but I have frozen balls and NOTHING I did worked, penetrating oil, heat nothing. Luckily Bush Hog replaced the entire Quick attach yoke and Cross bearing under warranty for me.
LMAO! The last 20 seconds of the video solved my problem on my Bush Hog PTO shaft. THANKS for the help, Mike - I just subscribed!
The very last example was a life saver for me :)
Thank you Mike mine was the last one you showed for a bush hog.
Great video Mike, worth mentioning that prevention is better than cure! As you cover in your other videos, keeping your PTO shaft release mechanism well lubricated will make life easier down the line.
Thank you for the tips! Your videos have saved me so much time!
We had a few implements from the 50's where you had a hole in the PTO and the Coupler where you placed a pin in it. Had a lot of farmers use a nail that they bent over with a hammer. That was dangerous as can be.
The last little trick was my problem. Thanks for the hint.
Thanks for the great advice, you just saved me a lot of time!! Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the comment, Jeffrey! Glad I could help.
Thank you! I had the same problem as the guy with the Bush Hog you mentioned at the end of the video. No telling how long it would have taken me to figure it out, if I could have at all.
My 50 year old Howard rototiller has a double bar style opposite each other. Even a little new motor oil is a good thing to keep things free moving.
Thanks ! I have the third one ! Your video gave a perfect explanation for my problem !
I despise the shafts where you have to pull and push. I prefer the first one you showed. Another problem is lining up the shafts. Sometimes I'm able to turn shafts on tractor or implement.
Hey Mike,I just bought a 1959 Ford 841 without a PTO. Can I get one that will install in this tractor. thank you
Tractor mike is awesome. He has helped me with many probs
That last example happed to me yesterday! I spent hours trying to unfreeze by pushing forward. Why didn't I see this video first .....ARRG
Pushing on that rounded pin that sticks up hurts my thumb. A small washer over the top makes a bug difference. Also have a shaft with the slider. On mine, I can slide it back the collar then put a zip tie around the shaft to keep it open while I slide the pto shaft onto the splined shaft. Then I cut the zip tie free and the collar slides forward.
Pull don't push! Thank you for the vid!!
1st of all your video have been extremely informative; thank you for the wealth of info, but when mentioned frozen balls; my balls, I lost it. Still cracking up. Thanks Mike; keep up the great work.
Great video ! I have this 1:50 quick release . I have frozen balls the driveline is stuck on the PTO shaft . I sprayed WD40 on it still stuck . Any suggestions how can get driveline off . Thank you
Hi Mike, great video. I have the first type with a bar and spring stuck on my pto shaft. Cannot for the life of me get it off. If I cut the bar and spring off the back of it with a grinder, it should just come off correct?