Ya just can't fix stupid.....ME!!

Hello Forum Chums!
Ok....ran out of room to push the snow....bought a snow blower used about 4 years ago....great shape...stole it....no PTO shaft came with it, so it sat in barn...no time....too many projects....desperate now......gotta get it running......spy two old long PTO shafts in the barn......ok says I.....cut one down.....silly me....the square part does not run the whole length of the shaft......duh!.....I find that out AFTER I cut the shaft to length .......undaunted, I cut the inner shaft off the square female end.....weld it to the shaft......cut the male end to fit......and viola.....new shaft!!....darn I am good.....right??.......well no....forgot that I cut the shaft with the faulty assumption that the square female portion ran the whole length .......short story.....didn't compensate.....new shaft......too long by six inches.....ok.....that's why God made grinding wheels.....you see where this is going right??......grind off the weld.....re cut the shaft and re weld.....right length now!....Ed saves the cost of a new PTO shaft......see above.....man... I am good!!.....snow blowing fool I am......now for the really stupid part.......Pavlov's dog.....conditioning.....I have been getting hay bales for the horses all winter......you lift the bales high off the ground......not so with the snow blower......kinda ran out of shaft.......the two kinda separate ......the noise is deafening.....I realize what I just did and push the clutch pedal to the running board of the 861...... Clunk, clang bang.....my Border Collie runs for cover......... When all is done.....the part of the PTO shaft that is connected to the spline on the tractor is jammed at an 80 degree angle......I get it off......to the vice I go.....sledge .....knock it loose....and somehow by Gods grace....I didn't ruin my new shaft......sheepishly I return to the tractor.....look around to see if anyone saw me...... Install the PTO shaft.......set the quadrant lock.....and I learned about "tractoring" that day!!........ If anyone can beat that story.....please post yours!!......Douglas .......OUT!!

Glad no one and nothing got seriously hurt.
Might actually be worth the cost of a new shaft!

How's the high crop 8N coming along?

Umm, I did the same thing. Kind of. I always grind feed with a Farmall M. I hooked it up one day and instead of hooking it to the regular drawbar I hooked it to the swinging drawbar (pinned down). I kind of liked it. I could get it into tighter spaces because the sides of the grinder hitch didn't hit the drawbar. About two months later I needed an over running clutch for something so I take the one off the M. I didn't really need it for grinding anyway, right? The tractor is just sitting there grinding most of the time. Next time I ground I turned a little tighter and pulled that pto shaft right apart. Running. I know what noise you speak of. Imagine it happening with a shaft double the length.

It appears that the swinging drawbar put it out another 14 inches it didn't have. That whole time I had run it with only about two inches inserted (the two inches the ORC gave it). It's a miracle I didn't bend that thing up while grinding corn or hay.

Now it stays on the drawbar.

New shaft was 300.00..... So guess it was worth it.....maybe
not the stupid part...LOL......regarding the Hi
Crop....soon....been too bloody cold......days off been
plowing....and getting hay for 12 critters!!!....how you been
friend?........love to Joan!!

(quoted from post at 10:30:32 03/16/15) New shaft was 300.00..... So guess it was worth it.....maybe
not the stupid part...LOL......regarding the Hi
Crop....soon....been too bloody cold......days off been
plowing....and getting hay for 12 critters!!!....how you been
friend?........love to Joan!!

Click to expand...

If you have time for shipping they have 35"-48" up to 47" - 66" for $99.88 shipping included . I have bought a few with no problems bush hogging heavy stuff .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PTO-Shaft-A...pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339c20b4b0

I'm doing well, thanks. Supposed to be almost 70 today and I'm
on vacation. Not sure how that worked out! LOL

Tinkering with the crispy Jubilee and have the shop doors open.
Spring always seems great don't it? Mud season is here.
Hopefully you'll be getting some warmth soon too!

You say you didn't realize that the square part of the shaft didn't run all the way up the shaft.

Well, you can buy that square part at TSC. It's about 6 inches or so long with the grease fitting in it already. It's has a stepped down machined end on it ready to fit into the shaft so you can weld it. They also have the shafts ready to be welded up and all the ends you might need. They have the square shafts too.

Good to know....and thanks......I would still be having to
custom fit.....the shaft length is short....32 inches over
all......much less when you factor in the yokes and universals....very short distance from the PTO shaft spline to the
blower .....consequently .....very little lift .......I can lift the
blower safely about 12inches......I set the quadrant stop
appropriatly this time!!!!!!!

Also good to know......I was able to salvage the old one.....free is good!!

Great tale Ed!

These parts made me :lol:

my Border Collie runs for cover.........
.....look around to see if anyone saw me.

T

(quoted from post at 15:25:36 03/16/15) Umm, I did the same thing. Kind of. I always grind feed with a Farmall M. I hooked it up one day and instead of hooking it to the regular drawbar I hooked it to the swinging drawbar (pinned down). I kind of liked it. I could get it into tighter spaces because the sides of the grinder hitch didn't hit the drawbar. About two months later I needed an over running clutch for something so I take the one off the M. I didn't really need it for grinding anyway, right? The tractor is just sitting there grinding most of the time. Next time I ground I turned a little tighter and pulled that pto shaft right apart. Running. I know what noise you speak of. Imagine it happening with a shaft double the length.

It appears that the swinging drawbar put it out another 14 inches it didn't have. That whole time I had run it with only about two inches inserted (the two inches the ORC gave it). It's a miracle I didn't bend that thing up while grinding corn or hay.

Now it stays on the drawbar.

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...

look at the bright side.....we will never do it again.......lol