JD H PTO / Power Shaft replacement

Im sure the answer exists somewhere here, I'm having trouble conducting a narrow search of the forum. I have a '41 H with a bent PTO Shaft, (its the pre-war 1 1/8 diameter) . I'd need to replace it, I see there are 1 3/8 shafts available on line and I understand they are interchangeable. Is there any trick to replacing it? (I have replaced one on a JD B and it was strait-forward ) Are there any tricks to replacing one in a JD H? Thanks

No tricks involved, it's quite easy. Besides the larger shaft, you will need the rear bearing housing (with the flipper guard) that goes with the larger shaft.

Simply drain the transmission oil and remove all (8) 3/8 capscrews that retain the rear cover to the main case. Then pull the existing cover with the old 1-1/8 shaft off and out. Transfer the new pieces to the rear cover (or maybe you can get a complete package; shaft, rear bearing housing, and rear cover) and reinstall.

(You can't pull the shaft and rear bearing housing out while leaving the rear transmission cover in place = the rear cover must come off.)

There are shims between the rear bearing housing and the rear cover that control the amount of backlash of the bevel gears driving the shaft. According to Deere instructions, you are supposed to start with a full complement of shims, then remove them one at a time until there is a slight amount of backlash while still rotating freely when the shaft is turned by hand.

You'll need a new Master Shield because the new rear main bearing housing is much bigger and longer and will push your existing Master Shield back far enough so the top mounting bracket wont reach the attachment point on the platform. You might be able to bolt in a splice plate and make your old Master Shield work.

And if you're a detail nut, there was a slightly longer drawbar that was furnished with the 1-3/8 shaft package which placed the drawbar pin hole at the proper location to conform to the ASAE standard.

Thank you for the detail. I've seen a few shafts come & go w/ a rear bearing housing on them (wished I'd jumped on those now). As you can see by the pic, I only have a flipper guard, maybe I should spurge and buy a new master shield. I see the shims occasionally on line, any recommendations on where to get them? I'm starting to think, since the 1-1/8 shaft will run my mower attachment (shown), if I conveniently found a strait 1-1/8 one, I presume I could use my existing rear bearing housing? (not to worry about draw-bar originality, as you can see I managed to attach a cross drawbar to it (no holes drilled btw) for a 2 pt mount) Thx again!

All 1-1/8 shafts for the H were the same, so if you find a straight one, that will certainly fit properly, no matter what age the donor tractor might be. Shimming may or may not be required, even with a 1-1/8 shaft. There were three shims available - two were paper: a thick one (H601R), and a thin one (H602R). The other was a steel shim (H603R). I don't know the thicknesses of any of those, unfortunately. The two paper ones are still available from Deere, but they're not cheap - $9.78 each from my dealer. If shimming is necessary, I'd suggest simply making shims using some bulk gasket material typically available in various thicknesses from automotive parts stores, or making them out of plain old card stock or file folder material. Use the originals as patterns. Keep in mind that there were certainly many tractors that received different PTO shafts in the field, and it is likely very few of them every received proper shimming adjustment - as long as there is no bind or interference between the bevel gears at the inboard end of the shaft, the PTO will work fine - there may be a little difference in noise level, that's all.

Thanks for the tips. I just ordered a 1-1/8 shaft. I hope for a smooth installation.

Thanks again

Just a update on my progress. I located and received a 1-1/8 replacement shaft. I'm glad I had the occasion to drain the rear end, it had at least a gallon of water in it. (presumably via condensation dating back to WWII), other than a little sludge , the inside looks good. I've cleaned it out as best I can, I put the cover back on tonite. (I intend to flush it out before I add gear oil) as I was tightening down the pto rear bearing housing (rotating the pto shaft as I went to ensure it was free, it eventually wouldn't turn). The original shaft had a metal shim (which I used). I have found some more shims on line, I'll use them accordingly. One question, the cover has a vintage paper gasket, (it came off in few pieces). I've ordered the only replacement I could find from OLDJDFORYOU, it happens to be cork. I presume that it will be thicker than the paper gasket and possibly act as a shim itself? Pics attached of the replacement shaft (on the tractor w/ no flipper guard) and the original. (The shafts from the rear housing to the bevel gear looked identical)