PTO death rattle?

Hey out there,

I have a question about my '55 860. I've noticed when I'm finish mowing that I pretty predictably get a sort of knocking or clanging sound whenever the mower hits an area of thicker vegetation. At first I thought it had to do with my beat-up finish mower, but now I'm pretty positive the noise is coming from the center housing, right below the seat. If I put my hand on the side of the housing I can feel the vibration when it starts to clang!

I checked for end play on the pto shaft and there is virtually none whatsoever. The pto doesn't jump out of gear either, or even seem like it might. And when I say thicker grass, I'm not trying to bale hay or anything -- just normal barnyard grass. The engine's not bogging down at all -- just seems like when there's a little extra stress on the pto shaft, something's getting loud in the center housing.

Anyway does anyone have any thoughts about this? The tractor's generally in great shape and I'd certainly rather intervene sooner than later, especially if delaying means something evil is about to happen. Don't like the sound of that noise! Should I suspect something's excessively worn or broken in the shifter linkage? Oh, and I do have the shop manual for this machine. Thanks!
 
I don't have an answer for you.
I would first try to more closely determine
if the noise is coming from the transmission
or the rear end.
I would also drain the oil down till I
could open the round cover on the side and
inspect the sliding coupler.
Maybe reach in and see if you can feel any
looseness there. Feel if there is any side
play in the bearing where the pto output
shaft comes out of the transmission.
If you have a helper you could engage the
pto and have them use a 2x4 to lever against
the pto shaft to put a load on it while you
listen with a big screwdriver to your ear.
Could be a bearing going out in the
transmission somewhere. Could be the clutch
too. But locating the noise more accurately
would be the first step.
 

Thanks UD -- I'll see if I can get it to rattle with a 2x4 as you suggest. Whether it will or it won't, I guess the next step will be to pull the inspection plate and see what I can see. I sure hope it's not a transmission problem!
 

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