4 ms·

Ask HN: Why are we not using magnets for PTO coupling?

I don’t know if anyone here can answer this query for me. But going to ask anyways.. I spent 6 hours today trying to uncouple and fix 4-5 of my different tractor implements to a small tractor PTO spline. It’s ridiculous and primitive. And one can only do this with brute strength. I am not an engineer or a mechanic or know anything remotely automobile related, but I have few questions 1. Why not use powerful magnets to ‘guide’ PTO shaft to the splines? 2. Can it be done with some kind of laser guidance ..like a laser light(think like a low cost cat toy not high tech) I am exhausted, hurting, smelly, sunburnt and greasy all over and I didn’t even get to attach all of my machines’ implements. I am flabbergasted by the primitiveness of this necessary task of swapping implements. Any hacks or thoughts or advice?

steverb 6y ago
There are easy connect PTO couplers. Of course you have to buy (and attach) adapters for all your gear, but it might be worth it to you.
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  Any pointers for Kubota tractors? I have a quick hitch and it does help a lot but only for their implements so far. But even that is heavy! I would like to farm till the day I die and I don’t see myself doing this as an old woman. It was a battle.
  - steverb 6y ago
    None at all, sorry. I haven't had to deal directly with farming/ranching in 30 years. :-) I just grew up in the middle of nowhere rural Tennessee and I used to run a website for farmers. My suggestion would to talk to the folks at your local co-op, or even talk to your Kubota dealer.
    - jelliclesfarm 6y ago
      Thanks. Will do.
h2odragon 6y ago
The forces that go through that coupling are immense. The tool free, one person (with luck) stuff we have now is a triumph of engineering compared to some of the methods tried before then, I'm sure. Questions: How often have you done this before? Have you gone and asked someone with more experience for tips and ideas on how to make it easier? Have you trawled the tractor forums looking for advice? Or are you a new user of a developed technology with 50+ years of service who has immediately decided it sucks and needs rethinking? I personally agree with you that PTO couplings suck; hydraulic drive is a lot easier from a user perspective, but there are a number of tricks to make handling the job easier. Grease the pins, never drop an implement on the ground but leave it on a pallet you can move, etc. A winch on the tractor can be very useful, especially with a pulley or two on the ROPS.
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  Thanks for the ideas. I am not entirely a newbie. I have operated tractors before but I have always preferred (sexism alert)a big strong male around to do it. I was messing around with a new implement I got from Italy and wasn’t easily compatible with the Kubota quick hitch ..Altho it is technically supposed to be compatible. I don’t know if it’s smoke filled air or the 95+ degree heat but it was incredibly disheartening. Straight talk: this is NOT meant for female muscles. Lack of easy sophistication excludes women from working with machinery like this. It’s really heavy. Tractor is about a ton(doesn’t matter anyways) and try reciprocating spader is about 266 kilos. The drive train is already heavier than the Kubota approved land pride implements. What’s the point of third party implements if it doesn’t fit like a glove? Having said that Kubota and land pride come together like a dream and I bought a special quick hitch for that. Smooth as butter. But I really want to try new implements and re fabricate parts of existing work. Even if I can design and visualize it..I literally can’t heave and ho ridiculous tonnage like this. I am not built for power lifting. I almost broke down and cried today.
  - steffan 6y ago
    I have a theory that for women, it's really the middle ground that is hardest; small light things are easy enough for anyone, and very heavy things level the playing field also; nobody, man or woman is going to lift something that weighs 500 lbs., so you use pulleys and winches and hydraulics to make life easier. But the middle ground is tough because you might have to lift something 150-200+ pounds which will exclude most women and a number of men, but may still be light enough to not normally demand assistive machinery. In any case, I've had my challenges with PTO shafts on a Kubota + Land Pride mower. The other comment about greasing the PTO shaft & coupler is probably a good start. I found the biggest challenge to be holding down the retaining ring(?) while simultaneously rotating and pushing the PTO shaft onto the PTO. I don't know about the layout of your spader, but anything to help take the weight off so you can just worry about the alignment part will probably help.
sigmaprimus 6y ago
I just hooked up a brush cutter to an old 8N this afternoon and appreciate your question. I think a bit of nail polish on the spline and yolk/cone might help in getting the correct orientation, so at least You will only have to push it on once. It might be possible to build a tool to clamp both sides, keeping them aligned and have it pull apart or press them together. Something like a porta-power hydraulic ramset would do this but that could be just as much heavy work so maybe more of a scissor jack system would work better.
- jelliclesfarm 6y ago
  I was going to get a ten ton jack tomorrow and try again. But the thought of walking into a Home Depot or Harbour Freight is Arghh. There has to be a more elegant and less messy solution. I can’t wrap my head around today’s circus battle between woman and machine. What a waste of time and energy. How long am I going to keep fearing the PTO change..if it were easier, I would be working with multiple implements and getting so much done. Sometimes I think it’s probably worth it to buy an old and cheap used tractor to dedicate it to a specific implement or task. I can get so much done esp with my kind of vegetable/flower farming.
  - sigmaprimus 6y ago
    Aint nothing elegant about farming. Good news is there are plenty of good men(and women) who will recognize a good woman, elegant or not. I think you might be a bit too worried about the fact that you are a Woman, and not enough concerned with your upcoming crops. Sorry fer thrown da shade but thank god you have a tractor and implements!!! Maybe you're just lonely, I know how that can feel. PS: Unless you want to become addicted to fixing broken down old tractors, don't buy another old tractor. ..Lol Unfortunately everything about tractors is dirty hard ass, make you wanna cry, kind of work!!! GL IF4Y!!
    - jelliclesfarm 6y ago
      crops are only good if you have the right tools and know how to use them. i have a love/hate relationship with tractors.

steverb 6y ago

There are easy connect PTO couplers. Of course you have to buy (and attach) adapters for all your gear, but it might be worth it to you.

jelliclesfarm 6y ago
Any pointers for Kubota tractors? I have a quick hitch and it does help a lot but only for their implements so far. But even that is heavy! I would like to farm till the day I die and I don’t see myself doing this as an old woman. It was a battle.
- steverb 6y ago
  None at all, sorry. I haven't had to deal directly with farming/ranching in 30 years. :-) I just grew up in the middle of nowhere rural Tennessee and I used to run a website for farmers. My suggestion would to talk to the folks at your local co-op, or even talk to your Kubota dealer.
  - jelliclesfarm 6y ago
    Thanks. Will do.

h2odragon 6y ago

The forces that go through that coupling are immense. The tool free, one person (with luck) stuff we have now is a triumph of engineering compared to some of the methods tried before then, I'm sure. Questions: How often have you done this before? Have you gone and asked someone with more experience for tips and ideas on how to make it easier? Have you trawled the tractor forums looking for advice? Or are you a new user of a developed technology with 50+ years of service who has immediately decided it sucks and needs rethinking? I personally agree with you that PTO couplings suck; hydraulic drive is a lot easier from a user perspective, but there are a number of tricks to make handling the job easier. Grease the pins, never drop an implement on the ground but leave it on a pallet you can move, etc. A winch on the tractor can be very useful, especially with a pulley or two on the ROPS.

jelliclesfarm 6y ago
Thanks for the ideas. I am not entirely a newbie. I have operated tractors before but I have always preferred (sexism alert)a big strong male around to do it. I was messing around with a new implement I got from Italy and wasn’t easily compatible with the Kubota quick hitch ..Altho it is technically supposed to be compatible. I don’t know if it’s smoke filled air or the 95+ degree heat but it was incredibly disheartening. Straight talk: this is NOT meant for female muscles. Lack of easy sophistication excludes women from working with machinery like this. It’s really heavy. Tractor is about a ton(doesn’t matter anyways) and try reciprocating spader is about 266 kilos. The drive train is already heavier than the Kubota approved land pride implements. What’s the point of third party implements if it doesn’t fit like a glove? Having said that Kubota and land pride come together like a dream and I bought a special quick hitch for that. Smooth as butter. But I really want to try new implements and re fabricate parts of existing work. Even if I can design and visualize it..I literally can’t heave and ho ridiculous tonnage like this. I am not built for power lifting. I almost broke down and cried today.
- steffan 6y ago
  I have a theory that for women, it's really the middle ground that is hardest; small light things are easy enough for anyone, and very heavy things level the playing field also; nobody, man or woman is going to lift something that weighs 500 lbs., so you use pulleys and winches and hydraulics to make life easier. But the middle ground is tough because you might have to lift something 150-200+ pounds which will exclude most women and a number of men, but may still be light enough to not normally demand assistive machinery. In any case, I've had my challenges with PTO shafts on a Kubota + Land Pride mower. The other comment about greasing the PTO shaft & coupler is probably a good start. I found the biggest challenge to be holding down the retaining ring(?) while simultaneously rotating and pushing the PTO shaft onto the PTO. I don't know about the layout of your spader, but anything to help take the weight off so you can just worry about the alignment part will probably help.

sigmaprimus 6y ago

I just hooked up a brush cutter to an old 8N this afternoon and appreciate your question. I think a bit of nail polish on the spline and yolk/cone might help in getting the correct orientation, so at least You will only have to push it on once. It might be possible to build a tool to clamp both sides, keeping them aligned and have it pull apart or press them together. Something like a porta-power hydraulic ramset would do this but that could be just as much heavy work so maybe more of a scissor jack system would work better.

jelliclesfarm 6y ago
I was going to get a ten ton jack tomorrow and try again. But the thought of walking into a Home Depot or Harbour Freight is Arghh. There has to be a more elegant and less messy solution. I can’t wrap my head around today’s circus battle between woman and machine. What a waste of time and energy. How long am I going to keep fearing the PTO change..if it were easier, I would be working with multiple implements and getting so much done. Sometimes I think it’s probably worth it to buy an old and cheap used tractor to dedicate it to a specific implement or task. I can get so much done esp with my kind of vegetable/flower farming.
- sigmaprimus 6y ago
  Aint nothing elegant about farming. Good news is there are plenty of good men(and women) who will recognize a good woman, elegant or not. I think you might be a bit too worried about the fact that you are a Woman, and not enough concerned with your upcoming crops. Sorry fer thrown da shade but thank god you have a tractor and implements!!! Maybe you're just lonely, I know how that can feel. PS: Unless you want to become addicted to fixing broken down old tractors, don't buy another old tractor. ..Lol Unfortunately everything about tractors is dirty hard ass, make you wanna cry, kind of work!!! GL IF4Y!!
  - jelliclesfarm 6y ago
    crops are only good if you have the right tools and know how to use them. i have a love/hate relationship with tractors.