Bush Hog PTO shaft safety cover removal? Yes or No???

mike1972chev

Well-known Member
I have a 286 bush Hog I pull behind my Super M. I have had it for about 10 years now. Recently the plastic sleeve over the PTO shaft that acts as a guard cover is coming loose at the slip yoke end where it hooks up at the tractor. (In the pics you can see where the plastic bolt have broken away.)I greased it EVERY TIME I used it,but it is coming apart now.

I can get parts to repair it,I am sure.But I DO NOT really feel I need it on there anyway.The the hitch mounting on the mower pretty much covers over the top of the shaft if it would break a U joint and I am no where going near the PTO when it is running.

My question is: should I get parts to repair it,or should I just remove the plastic cover completely and be done with it totally????

Thoughts,opinions??? (I posted this over in "Implement Alley" also,but I value many of the opinions I get in this IH/Farmall section.)
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I would clean off the accumulated grease and slide it back into position. I would then drill holes so I could wire it forward using that flange on the Joint as a way to keep the shield from sliding rearward. Replacing it is also reasonable if you can get the part. I have had my share of encounters ans the cover is a good thing. It isn't your safety intentions in question, it is that unexpected wrong things happen. Jim
 
ive seen them without and somehow long grass gets up there and wraps around shaft and cause other problems and is a b---h to cut wrapped grass off.
 
Without any guard it is not a question of if it will be when an accident happens. For safety's sake get it fixed when you can.
Til then .... be very very VERY wary.....
they can bite you before you can blink, & by then...It's too late.
If you need to get your hay in ( we all understand that one)TAKE NO CHANCES until you have time to get it fixed.
 
Few of my PTO shafts have that safety part. Most of my equipment is older than when those came out. You have to be 100% attentive all the time and you won't have an issue. If you or your operators are not that disciplined get it fixed correctly.

The lawyers have proven in court that it's the equipments fault people get hurt.

An example of this is the new saw I recently bought with a tag warning me that the "blade is sharp and can cause serious injury". With a little diagram of fingers being severed from a hand.
 
THE PLASTIC COVER IS SUPPOSED TO BE LOOSE SO IT CAN SPIN ON THE SHAFT. THAT IS WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM GETTING WRAPED UP IN THE SHAFT. WIRING AHEAD TO THE YOKE WOULD PREVENT THAT. BY ALL MEANS FIX IT AND FIX IT CORRECT IT WILL BE CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN.
 
With respect and agreement, My comment was not to wire the tube to turn, but to use the flange as a shelf, in front of which the wires would pass to allow free turning but keep the plastic forward. Jim
 
Thanks for ALL opinions submitted.:)

I found Bush Hog's web sight and downloaded a PDF of my model of mower.(They have REALLY good parts schematics.) I will take the slider tubes apart and clean and lube and get some new plastic bearing parts ordered for them. I am impressed they lasted 10 years being a totally plastic bearing!!!

Probably a real good idea to run a guard. ;)(Even though none of our older ones had them.)
 
I have a 15 year old BushHog SQ72. I deleted the really big shield on the mower gearbox but I keep those driveline shields in place and working. It definitely is not supposed to spin; that's what the two little chains are for.
 

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