The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Hi Guys,
I'm having a bit of trouble with my Super Major PTO.
I've had the tractor sit for a while and now the hydraulics and PTO shaft won't turn. I thought the problem was that the second stage clutch had rusted, so I split the tractor only to find that the clutch looks fine. I put it back together but it hasn't solved the problem. Any ideas where I need to look next?

This seems rather strange as the connection straight through from the clutch to PTO shaft is through massive gears and shafts. Did you try turning the PTO drive shaft when you were in there and seeing if things turned all the way to the back?

Have you tried turning the PTO shaft?
Does it turn freely? You should be trying to turn the engine if it is in gear.

Are you sure its in gear?

You may need to drain the gear oil and remove the PTO selector to check there is nothing broken on the selector.

If the PTO will not turn the clutch would not have been stuck, stuck clutches usually mean you cannot stop the shaft turning. Are you sure the rivets in the centre of the disc have not sheared.

Hi Brian,
When I had the tractor split, I turned the centre shaft which didn't spin the PTO shaft. But the PTO shaft spins freely all the time when it's in gear or out of gear.
Your advice of draining the oil and checking the selector shaft is where I'm going to investigate next. It certainly sounds possible that that's the problem, so thanks for your help!