Mower Removal - Decoupling the U Joint

foxnut · Dec 28, 2012

Gents,
I just purchased a B7100 HST with a RC60-71B mower. Been wanting a Kubota for a long time and am tickled to death with it. However, I wanted to un hook the mower today and had fits with the U Joint and couldn't get it to decouple from the PTO shaft. I followed the directions in the manual and disconnecting the front link and the rear links was no problem but I couldn't get the U Joint coupler to decouple from the PTO shaft. Any "tricks of the trade" that I can use or advice for a dumb newbie? Thanks

Bulldog · Dec 28, 2012

I have never used one but does it unhook like a shaft does on the rear pto? I have seen them get stuck before due to not being properly lubed when they were initially hooked to the tractor.

meanjean · Dec 28, 2012

Liquid wrench or something similar.
Some attachments use a push button affair, others use a collar. Have someone work the release while you tap the connector backwards with a punch and hammer.
I've had this same problem and loosened it with the method as laid out above.

foxnut · Dec 28, 2012

Thanks for the tips thus far. It has the collar that is suppose to slip rearward to decouple. I didn't think about trying Liquid Wrench to see if I could loosen it. I don't know how long it had been hooked up to the tractor. Will give that a try in the morning. Any other suggestions?

Bulldog · Dec 28, 2012

Foxnut, the last one I tangled with my Son and I both had to pry with bars, pipes, hammers and about anything else I could get my hands on. When it finally moved it came off easy but it was hard to get started. It seemed to help after spraying with lube to have one person pull back on the shaft while the other used the pry bar and hammer. Just be carefull what you pry on so nothing gets damaged including yourself.

meanjean · Dec 28, 2012

The only other tip I've got for you is keep all PTO ends greased and clean moving forward.

foxnut · Dec 30, 2012

Thanks for the help and suggestions. I saturated the collar and PTO shaft with Liquid Wrench and let is soak and then if finally loosened up enough to slide the collar back and un hook it. Will make sure I grease/lube up before hooking the mower back up!

ipz2222 · Dec 31, 2012

Glad you got it. Had the same problem with a used bx I bought. I don't think the mmm had ever been off. I satureated the joint with liquid wrench and used it and saturated it again. Still had to tap it off but while I had it off, i poured stp into the coupler before I put it back on. haven't had any trouble getting it off again.

foxnut · Dec 31, 2012

ipz2222 said:
Glad you got it. Had the same problem with a used bx I bought. I don't think the mmm had ever been off. I satureated the joint with liquid wrench and used it and saturated it again. Still had to tap it off but while I had it off, i poured stp into the coupler before I put it back on. haven't had any trouble getting it off again.

Thanks - I have soaked it and I will be sure to grease both the PTO shaft and the coupler before I hook it back up. I am guessing that it has been a while since it was off the tractor and just needed some good lubrication.

pmr49 · Jan 1, 2013

I'm a really big fan of Break-Free, which is sold as a gun cleaner/lubricant. It really penetrates and is quite pleasant to work with. After wiping, it leaves a nice thin coat of lubricant. Cheaper by the quart and it lasts a long time.

Sterno · Jan 11, 2013

I scammed this off a jeep website, an ATF / Acetone mix is what I use, it works great and is dirt cheap.

PB Blaster=ok. A 50/50 mix of acetone & ATF=Best Ever! Here's the cold, hard facts from the April/May 2007 edition of Machinist's Workshop. They did a test of penetrating oils where they measured the force required to loosen rusty test devices. Buy the issue if you want to see how they did the test. The results reported were interesting. The lower the number of pounds the better.

Penetrating oil . Average load .. Price per fluid ounce
None ................. 516 pounds .
WD-40 .............. 238 pounds .. $0.25
PB Blaster ......... 214 pounds .. $0.35
Liquid Wrench ... 127 pounds .. $0.21
Kano Kroil ........ 106 pounds .. $0.75
ATF-Acetone mix.. 53 pounds .. $0.10

yeagisyeag · Jan 24, 2013

New member here. When I first got my B7100, I had the same problem with the coupler. I eventually took it apart to find the balls that lock it onto the pto shaft had worn into the sleeve, making it hard to release. I ended up turning the sleeve inside the coupler to give the balls a fresh surface to ride against. It's been a couple years and I'm going by memory here, so hopefully I've described it well enough. If you remove the snap ring and take a look inside there I'm sure you'll see it.

Jim

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Mower Removal - Decoupling the U Joint

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