PTO not turning, what would you suspect?

[littlecmonkey]

First time tractor owner here...less than 50 hrs on a L3540 HST.

Today I decided to blow some light snow off the drive. Less than 50 yards into the game the PTO quit turning my Erskine pull behind snow blower. Didn't hit anything; snow was light and less than two inches.

When I now engage PTO tractor motor seems a bit more labored, and safety switch still turns tractor off if PTO is engaged.

Always happens on a Sunday, when everything is closed...

Any ideas?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Is it a PTO problem, Or a Implement problem.
Did you disconnect the snowblower PTO shaft and check for free movement of the blower?
With the snowblower shaft removed from the tractor's PTO check and see if you get the same bog down engaging it.
If you do then something is wrong with the tractor, if it doesn't then the problem in the snow blower or the shaft is binding.

 

[cerlawson]

Don't know that tractor, but assume it has a clutch for pto (also). In this cold weather could water have frozen on the pedal linkage or a shaft and you don't have the clutch itself fully engaged? Did it come out from a warmer storage place, like a garage? Warm up things and see if it goes OK there?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The PTO clutch on that model is a wet clutch type, and it also has one odd add on, it has a disk brake on it (stops the PTO from free spinning).
It could be a simple adjustment to get the brake to release when the PTO is engaged, The problem is your not going to be able to do the adjustment, it's all hydraulic and possibly internal.

 

[littlecmonkey]

It ended up being an implement problem. I went out to attempt to disengage the shaft, and noted two small triangular parts that originally were lined up with each other were not so now. Sheared a bolt is all. Got it replaced and all is well. Hadn't hit anything though...maybe the cold? I'll have to stock up on a few bolts as spares.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Excellent, once you get done dealing with your snow come on over and deal with mine too please!
I'm just heading out now to see how bad it's gotten out and about.

 

[RBA50]

Make sure you are engaging the PTO at idle. The shock of engaging at higher speeds can shear a bolt.