The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

I'm in the latter stages of fitting a live drive gearbox to my Super Major but can't get the PTO shaft out of the rear axle to remove the old box. Does anyone have any suggestions based on experience please as to how to proceed?
Many thanks.

It should be straight forward to remove, do you have raised PTO? If so it's slightly more complicated, but not much. If you've tried to lower the PTO casting under the gearbox first it will be difficult to remove; lift it back on and remove the shaft, then lower the casting.
Sandy

Hi Sandy,
The pto gearbox is still attached. Might it be that the seal/bearing at the output end is stuck tight to the main gearbox? If so I guess some brute force with a chisel/punch is all that's needed ?

Undoing the 4 bolts at the rear of the tractor is all you need to do to pull out the shaft.
and of course don't forget to drain the oil first!

Thanks Mathias1, I thought that's what I had to do but the bearing is very firmly stuck on the back end despite removing bolts. Big hammer I think !!

hazzard wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:37 pm

Thanks Mathias1, I thought that's what I had to do but the bearing is very firmly stuck on the back end despite removing bolts. Big hammer I think !!

Yes, and if that doesn't work, your hammer wasn't big enough

If you have an old pto uj to hand, slot it on and lock it in place, then you can put a rope or strap through the uj and get as straight line pull on it either by hand or more mechanical means.

It can only be either the PTO bearing and seal housing that is stuck in the rear axle case, or the PTO extension tube that is stuck on the splined output shaft of the PTO auxiliary gearbox under the main gearbox.

With the 4 bolts removed from the bearing and seal housing use a soft hammer such as a copper headed hammer to carefully tap the square PTO bearing and seal housing so as to rotate it in the rear axle case. If it starts to move use some penetrating oil around the gap that has opened up between the housing and rear axle case, keep tapping it round and round and it should free and withdraw.

If the housing is free in the rear axle but the assembly will still not withdraw then the extension tube must be stuck on the PTO gearbox output shaft - very unusual and slightly worrying as it suggests a twist in one or other or both of those components. Use a spare quick release coupling onto the PTO shaft and either a slide hammer if you have one or other means of tapping the coupling rearwards so as to try and free the extension tube off the PTO gearbox output shaft.

Let us know how you go on.

Well I started out gently with a soft headed mallet and ended up using a lump hammer and a 1" d shaft as a punch and eventually it gave up and moved enough so that I could get a slim chisel behind the casting, so all is well thanks. I hope it all goes back together when the 'new' gearbox goes in in a a couple of days.
Thanks for all your advice

Well at least that's better than having it stuck at the PTO gearbox end!