Super Major pto shaft

[redxmajor]

Hello all. I am just after getting registered here and looking forward to speaking with you all about all things Fordson in the future. This is a great forum and I have been following it for over a year now but could never successfully register until now. There is so much information to be found here. Now...straight into the questions!! I have a '62/'63 Super Major and underneath the gearbox on the pto casing, there is a very short threaded shaft about an inch in diameter and two inches long protruding from where the blanking plate bolts onto the casing. The shaft faces forwards and rotates in the same direction as the pto shaft when the pto is engaged. Nobody has been able to tell me what it was for so hopefully some of you fellas can enlighten me. I'll try to get a photo of it posted in the next day or two. Thanks lads.

[BearCreek Majors]

I’m assuming the shaft points towards the front of the tractor, and you have a fairly rare option on your major. I believe it was called a auxiliary PTO and was sometimes used to drive a hydraulic pump when the rear PTO was hidden behind/under an implement such as a back hoe. I believe I had once read it was also used for some kind of a mechanical marker when planting. Post a pic!

Pat

[redxmajor]

Hi Bearcreek Majors. From one Pat to another!! Yeah, that's correct, the shaft faces forwards. I was only ever told that it may have been used to power a front mounted roadbrush. I'd love to find out exactly what it did power because if it was a front mounted implement I would try to pick one up and set it up as it originally would have been. Thanks Pat.


Pat.

[BearCreek Majors]

It may be a aftermarket kit as I can only find one part No. each for the shaft and cover in my parts books.

Pat

[john.n]

could it be for a mid mounted bar mower?

[Dandy Dave]

could it be for a mid mounted bar mower?

How about a front mounted Snow Blower??? The grass is dead around here at the moment..... Dandy Dave!

[redxmajor]

Hi john.n. I thought myself that it could have been for a mid mounted mower too. But they would be more popular on the continent than in England or Ireland (the Major was originally English but is now on the east coast of Ireland). I have checked out a lot of other Majors at various shows and have never seen another shaft like it. Dandy Dave...we could do with a front mounted snow blower here at the moment. We haven't had snow like this in years, a good 12 or 13 inches here now. But again, I don't think snow blowers would have been very popular in England in the sixties, although I stand corrected. Brian, if you're reading this maybe you could shed some light on things. I'll work on a photo in the meantime. Thanks. Pat.

[redxmajor]

Now gentlemen, here are the photos of the shaft on my Major. As they say, a picture says a thousand words! Hopefully some of you will know something about it. Thanks. Pat.

[Grani]

I have seen a picture of a front pto like this but with a normal looking pto shaft. Edit: I just found an other picture.

[Nick]

Ive personally never seen a shaft like this, although i suspect brian may have at some point. Would the thread on that shaft be a kind of worm gear to drive something slow? or am i barking up the wrong tree....again

[redxmajor]

Grani, that shaft is very similar alright. Do you have any idea what that type was used for?
Nick, I was thinking along the same lines as you because if an implements shaft threaded up onto the threads, surely in use it would tighten up so much that it would be a hell of a job to remove again (or wouldn't stay on at all if the shaft was spinning the wrong direction, I can't remember offhand which way a pto turns) So yeah, it probably does drive something via the threads possibly at right angles to the tractor. Thanks so far for suggestions lads. Pat.

[neilarmo]

just dug thisthread out agin, found this listed on ebay uk. Front pto as above.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fordson-Super-Maj ... 336497588a

[BearCreek Majors]

It looks like all three examples are different. My first thought on the industrial unit from the Dagenham plant, it may have had a front mounted sweeper on it. As it’s a PTO shaft you have to wonder if they didn’t just grab some parts off the factory floor and make it up for themselves.

Pat

[redxmajor]

That's an interesting Super Neilarmo. Am I right in thinking it's unusual to find lift arms on an industrial tractor? That shaft looks very similar to the one in the photo posted by Grani. I wonder does Brian recognise it from Dagenham? Pat, a fella told me before that the shaft was probably used to power a front mounted roadbrush, just as you are suggesting. Will Brian be on anytime soon? He may have some ideas too.