Why do I keep bending the PTO return spring?

[racer4 0]

This is the third time in a year the curled end on the spring just uncurls. I've tried bending it back and it just bends again. A new spring didn't even last the winter. I may have jarred the tractor when using the plow this winter, would that cause it? When the spring bends, the pulley spins and wears out the PTO brake pad.

I also noticed the gearshift dust boot is cracked already, have to order one of them too i guess. I also somehow lost the E-clip that holds the front Tachmatic lock bar in. Maybe I'm too hard on this thing.

I'm trying to get the yard looking good this year. Waiting for some dirt to level out the back. Can't wait to use the grader blade again!! Just ordered the big Brinley tow behind roller to help smooth things out too. More seat time ya know!! I'll post some pics when I get going with the attachments. :omg:

[Duff 206]

Racer4, I'm not sure why the spring would uncurl.

I assume you mean at the end where it hooks to the dash tower?

If it is indeed uncurling, it sounds like you may have accidentally gotten a couple of springs that lost their "temper" when they were bent to form the "hook" at the end. When one uncurled and you bent it back, maybe the bending back took even more temper out of the metal (I've had this happen to me on other applications).

I also wonder if it's attached to the right place on the tractor. If the spring is only catching by the tip of the "hook", that may be inducing enough stress on the spring wire to bend (uncurl) it. Most springs, as I understand it, rely on the hook being properly attached to preserve their strength. Think of the hook at the end as a "U". The strength would be in the "valley" of the "U", not up at the tip.

Check out this thread to see if it's of any help to you:

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?...57&hl=pto+lever

Jarring the tractor while plowing really shouldn't have had any effect on the spring as the plow doesn't operate off the PTO.

The good news is the shift boot is readily available and quite cheap, and the e-clip can probably be found at any decent hardware store. I'd replace the boot as soon as you can - water, even from rinsing off the machine after use, isn't too good for the innards of the tranny.

Experts....any ideas on this one?

Duff :omg:

[racer4 0]

Yes, the end of it uncurled. I kind of figured the metal got weaker when I re-bent it but it never broke, it just uncoiled again. So I got a new one from the dealer. Thats the one that just failed. Better springs would have a stiffer wire that wouldn't uncoil, especially as little as that spring gets stretched when PTO is on. I 'm positive the spring is attached at the right points. I jarred the tractor pretty good coming over a shallow road culvert last summer, that's when it bent the first time. My mistake, I thought I had it low range 1st gear and was going to ease over the ditch. Well, it was in high range and when I let the clutch out, it hit pretty hard. It also broke one of the hood straps, so stuff definitely got moved around. When I put the electric lift on in the fall, I checked for any broken frame parts or bolts and found none. I re tightened all of the bolts on the whole thing and thought I had it all fixed. Guess not.