how to make pto shaft stop sticking

[Paul Wheaton]

The pto shaft on my bush hog sticks a lot and is getting to be a nuisance. I've tried lots of grease and working it in and out. Still sticks.

Could it be slightly bent? And the only solution to be to replace it?

[uncle Will in In.]

Is the drive shaft sticking or is it the saftey shield around the outside of the shaft? If the shield gets a little ding in it it can be a bear to slide in and out. Usualy if the drive shaft is bent it wlll put it out of balance and shake everything when it gets to turning fast.

[Paul Wheaton]

I'm pretty sure that the sleeve is not the problem.

Often, when I try to lower the bush hog, it stops about a foot off the ground because the pto shaft is sticking. I'll have to bounce it a bit, or get off and stand on it to get it to go the rest of the way down. I think the plastic sleever would not be able to hold things up like that. I think it has to be the steel PTO shaft.

It doesn't look bent. But it doesn't look rusty either. It just sticks. Frequently. Not sure what else to do.

[Tractorman]

Sounds like the shaft is to short and is binding when you lower it.

[moopups]

Take it apart and check for bends by placeing it next to a straight edge, the insert piece. Small dings can be removed by putting it in a vice and drawing a file lenghtwise placed crosswise on the shaft with major pressure. Check that the 3 point isn't the problem, does it lift and drop everything else?

[HermitJohn]

I'll bet its twisted a bit, making things bit difficult to slide. I would doubt you can make it better. Might pull it apart and go at it fast and furious with wire brush on angle grinder. Polish it real good then grease it again. It may help a little, but probably not.

[uncle Will in In.]

Paul, when it is unhooked from the tractor, is it still really hard to pull apart and slide back together??? If not the problem could be in the hydraulic cylinder that is working your 3pt arms. I had an 8n Ford that got the cylinder jimmied up inside from tools jaming up and down on the 3pt.

[Ross]

Metric or square shaft PTO? I'm wondering if you've managed to mis-align a metric shaft because if so it would bind terribly.

[Paul Wheaton]

When the tractor is not connected it has super sticky spots. So sticky that we cannot manually move it.

The shaft in not square - it's sort of triangular. And there is one edge slightly different from the other two to make sure it goes together right.

[Farmer Brown]

I have had the rectangular ones get worn and try to turn inside the hole to the point it would stick. I bought a new "slip sleeve" I think it's called and replaced that and worked fine. Was on JD baler. It would hang up and not slip in and out on a turn. FB

[agmantoo]

Paul, when manually moving the pto shaft in and out it must operate freely. Take the male part of the shaft completely out, thoroughly grease the male shaft and slowly re-insert it into the female while visually attempting to determine why it is binding. All burrs, bends and twists that prevent the unit to sliding together must be corrected, then you will be good to go.

[Ross]

Those shafts are somewhat prone to twisting, if you're sure you have correctly aligned then you might have to replace the tubes.

[moopups]

The 'super sticky spots' is a dead give away that its the hydraulic lift system, not the pto shaft, confirm by examining the shaft off the tractor - does it bind now? If not, you need to go to the hyrdaulics to find the problem.