Portable PTO Power Unit

Portable PTO Power Unit POWER TAKE OFFS (PTO'S) Power Take Offs (PTO's) 28-3-26 Harry Benjamin, Shelby, Montana, recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a pto power unit that he built for a neighbor, using components off an old Massey 750 combine. The two-wheeled trailer is equipped with a Perkins 6-cyl. diesel engine, which belt-drives a 1,000 rpm pto shaft. The engine has about 200 hp and runs at 2,000 rpm's. A series of belts and pulleys are used to gear the pto down to operate at 1,000 rpm's. The controls and gauges mount next to the engine. There's a hitch both on front and back. "The owner is a farmer who sells grain vacs as a sideline business. He travels to farms with a demonstration model and hauls the pto power unit and grain vac behind his pickup," says Benjamin. "When he gets to the customer's farm, he pushes a switch to start the engine and then flips a lever to engage the pto. He never has to unhook the grain vac from the pickup. Then when he's done with the demonstration, he gets in his pickup and drives off. There's no need for a tractor at all. He even uses this machine on his own farm to clean out grain bins. "I think the same idea would work for anyone who doesn't have a tractor equipped with a pto, or who doesn't want to tie up their tractor. Grain vacs require a lot of power so this rig works great. But a smaller model could be built using an electric motor." Besides the combine engine, Benjamin also used the combine's fuel tank, radiator, muffler, and air cleaner. A surge tank mounts above the radiator and supplies the cooling system. The wheels and axle were salvaged from a mobile home. He used 2 by 6 sq. tubing to build the frame and running gear. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry Benjamin, Triangle Pipeline Co., L.L.C., 205 S. Devon Rd., Shelby, Montana 59474 (ph 406 432-2196 or 406 460-2196).

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