seasonal disconnect

Ellis Kinney · Jul 25, 2016

My SMTA has the live power feature. I take the live power unit out of gear (the easy part) when I am raking hay or using the brush harrow. When I use the finish mower it needs to go back into gear. I am usually by myself and have to crawl under the tractor to try and move the seasonal disconnect dozens of times before I hit the right spot and the gears line up by turning the engine and transmission with the hand crank. Thanks, Ellis

Hayfarmer · Jul 25, 2016

shortly after I got my SMTA I was running my baler and PTO just stopped, seasonal disconnect coupling broke. I split the tractor and put in a solid coupling, I believe that is all that is available today. I guess the question is, why do you disconnect the PTO? If bands are adjusted correctly it should stop completely with handle foreward. I had heard that there was some noise from PTO unit when seaonal disconnect was engaged but I haven't noticed any.

Ellis Kinney · Jul 25, 2016

Hayfarmer, 2 reasons, It whines when the lever is pushed forward, locked out. Other reason, my operators manual says to take it out of gear if not being used. Ellis

D Slater · Jul 25, 2016

Think I remember a bulletin IH put out saying to have engine at a slow idle and shift into mesh.

TXZane · Jul 25, 2016

There are a lot of bearings behind the seasonal disconnect and some are very expensive. Why not try to save them. And there is a whine when the PTO is off. It may be normal but to me it sounds like bad bearings. I always use my disconnect if I'm not gonna use the PTO for a long time. It was a pain to do it with one person, but the last time I engaged it I think I hooked a bungee strap to the lever and then I went back to the PTO and spun it until the bungee pulled the disconnect back into place.

pete 23 · Jul 25, 2016

The pto whines when shut off because the planet gears are actually turning at a higher rate of speed than when pto is engaged. That is why they say to use seasonal disconnect. Problems with those disconnects caused them to change their minds and put a solid coupler in and let them turn internally in the rear unit all the time. Now, for connecting disconnect back up, that requires what we call Yankee ingenuity (depending on which side of the Mason Dixon line you live on). I would clamp a vise grip to pto shaft, put rear unit in gear, loop a rope over end of vise grip and under draw bar, giving you a 90 degree turn. A pull on that rope when you are under the tractor should turn shaft as it only takes about 30 degrees turn. A whole lot of tractors are running around with the pto engaged to get away from the whine, BUT, that is risky to say the least.

BarnyardEngineering · Jul 25, 2016

It doesn't hurt anything to leave it in gear. I'd estimate 99% of farmers never knew about the seasonal disconnect and even fewer actually used it.

sd pete · Jul 25, 2016

I grew up on SMTA 400 560 300 and I never heard of a seasonal disconnect Until I came on here. We had a pto quit on the 400 and it had a regular coupling. That was back in the 70's sometime.

pete 23 · Jul 25, 2016

Darn, that would be too simple.

D Slater · Jul 25, 2016

This information in a later operators manual is patterned something like the service bulletin.
There was a serial number break on 300 and 400 tractors when the splined coupling became standard and standard on all 350 and 450. Seasonal disconnect was still a option though, even on 560 tractors.

Ellis Kinney · Jul 26, 2016

That sure does make it a lot easier. I do not have that page in my owners manual. My Uncle gave me the SMTA to take care of before he died. He bought it new in the late fall of 1953 in Lexington, Ky. I have his old manual. Thanks for the response. Ellis

seasonal disconnect

Ellis Kinney

Well-known Member

Hayfarmer

Well-known Member

Ellis Kinney

Well-known Member

D Slater

Well-known Member

TXZane

Member

pete 23

Well-known Member

BarnyardEngineering

Well-known Member

sd pete

Well-known Member

pete 23

Well-known Member

D Slater

Well-known Member

Ellis Kinney

Well-known Member

Similar threads