Probably a stupid question but gotta ask anyway. I have a 1964 Ford 2000 134 cu in gas tractor w/ 4 speed trans. Is there a way to increase PTO without increasing tractor speed? Reason for question is mowing threw heavy under growth and want to be able to creep threw it and even in first gear if I spot a stump or something not a lot of time to stop. It could

Just be me and just need to learn how to drive tractor better but thought I'd ask anyway.

perry, this might be the answer to your question, do not know if it would fit, however, if you could find one and by the time you had it installed, you could probably buy a much later model tractor with a lower set of gears.

as others said, this spring wash and wax your tractor up good, sell it and buy you a tractor that will do what you want, you only live once!!!!!
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Then came the Sherman Step-down transmission which worked the same as the Step-up except it lowered the gear ratios rather than raised them to give the tractor a slower ground speed. The Step-down used the same gear case as the Step-up transmission but was painted red instead of the gray like the Step-up. The Step-down transmission, available with cable or lever shift, is an extremely rare find today.

Dean - I agree that increased angular momentum (not torque or hp) at a higher engine speed can allow the mower to be more effective, and that could possibly allow you to run at a slightly lower PTO speed, but not much. The blades on a rotary mower are designed to cut best when run at 540 rpm input speed due to their own angular momentum and centrifugal force at their "designed for" blade speed, and changing the amount of hp, torque or angular momentum at the input won't change the angular momentum or centrifugal force of the spinning blades. The only thing that will change that is the speed of the blades, and the only way to change the speed of the blades is to change the input speed.

Surplus Center offers a speed increaser gear box that you might swap into your mower 30 hp box for $200

A Sherman changes the input speed to the main transmission, and the PTO speed is tied to the main transmission input speed, so to get proper PTO speed when running the Sherman in step-down mode, you must increase the rpm's to where the input speed to the main transmission is the same as it would be without the Sherman. If you are running the Sherman in step-down mode and think that you're getting proper PTO speed at a slower ground speed then you are mistaken. All the Sherman does when running a 540 rpm PTO implement is make you run the engine at higher rpm's.

when cutting heavy stuff, back before I had a 5 speed, that was one tactic, 1st and sherman low, and run the engine at max rpm to get enough oomph to the mower.

My N pretty much went obsolete the first day a 135/172 rolled into the yard. :)

I do it all of the time and it works great.

The increased engine power and torque at higher RPM necessary to achieve 540 PTO RPM in conjunction with the torque multiplication of the gear reduction allows an 8N to cut things that it could not otherwise cut.

I also often operate the mower at less than 540 PTO RPM. Works great.

Dean

A Sherman combination transmission will help to a degree but it is certainly not as good of a solution as is a 5 speed or S-O-S.

I have Sherman combinations in both of my 8Ns. The one used with a 5' rotary is in UD about 95% of the time. In 1st/UD the ground speed is considerably slower and the mower still cuts well even below 540 PTO RPM. Better yet, the torque multiplication and increased engine HP allows cutting much heavier cover at engine RPM compatible with 540 PTO RPM.

Dean

I figured as much but thought I'd ask. Guess just means I need to learn to drive better!

Agreed, even with a Sherman in low and max rpm, it wont be a good financial trade off.

Better off to mow as is or sell and get a 5,6,8, or 10spd.

Sorry, no way to change PTO speed in relation to that tractor's ground speed without shifting gears. And if you're already in 1st there's no place to go but up.