Space-Age PTO Shaft

Space-Age PTO Shaft POWER TAKE OFFS (PTO'S) Power Take Offs (PTO's) 12-4-23 If you've ever ruined a pto shaft when you turned a corner too sharp with a pull-type combine, swather, baler or other high horse-power trailing equipment, you might want to consider replacing your pto driveline with a "constant velocity" pto shaft from Nutana Machine Ltd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. According to Don Galbraith, vice president, constant velocity driveshafts let you turn at 80? under full power, without dam-aging the pto. That compares to about 50? corners allowable with conventional pto drivelines, depending on geography and the type of equipment used. "With conventional pto drivelines, the vibration increases as the angle increases. Farmers often compensate for it by slowing down and making wider turns while operating their equipment. With a 'CV' pto shaft, you can keep operating at a constant speed, even on corners. It results in substantially reduced vibrations and thrust loads, which means fewer breakdowns, lower maintenance costs and more efficient operation." Pull-type implements which do a lot of turning under full power and have hitch points Close to the tractor pto are the most common candidates for CV drivelines. Nutana, a machine fabricator, has been distributing and custom installing retrofit "CV" shafts made by Bondioli and Pavesi, a European manufacturer, for 2 years. Nutana has retrofitted high horsepower, pull-type combines, as well as pull-type swathers, balers and air seeders. CV shafts have been used successfully in Europe for at least 4 years, says Galbraith. "New Idea and New Holland are coming out with balers equipped with 'CV' pto shafts in the U.S., and Deere and other manufacturers are experimenting with them. It's definitely the wave of the future." Before a retrofit kit can be installed, Nutana needs to know your implement's drawbar length, output and input shaft size, length, spline size, and tractor horsepower. When the fanner contacts Nutana, they send him a specification sheet asking for these details. Prices for retrofit installation can range from $250 to $1,000, depending on the implement, For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Nutana Machine Ltd., 26151st Ave. N., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7K 6E9 (ph 306 242-3822).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.