PTO Cart Lets Small Tractor Do Big Job

PTO Cart Lets Small Tractor Do Big Job POWER TAKE OFFS PTO S A pto cart was just what Al Rutkoski needed to run an 851 New Holland round baler with an 801 Ford The Ford didn’t have enough power on its own to make full-size bales But with a pto cart powered by a Chevy 350 making big round bales was no problem “I didn’t need a bigger tractor except to run this baler ” explains Rutkoski “I came up with the idea of using a separate engine ” Running a pto off an engine usually requires reversing direction of the drive Instead Rutkoski found a 350 engine from a 1976 4-WD pickup and a transmission and transfer case from a 1987 Chevy pickup He used a governor off a New Holland combine to keep engine rpm’s constant He picked up a still-in-the-box carburetor for a 1967 Cadillac at auction He made a cart to carry the power unit “I set it up so the front driveshaft faces the baler’s pto shaft ” explains Rutkoski “The transmission is a 4-speed with high and low for 8 gears forward When baling I set the engine to run at 2 000 rpm’s ” Rutkoski took the original Chevy front driveshaft and welded 540 pto splines on the end He mounted it to the cart with a support bearing for attaching the baler pto shaft Hand controls for on/off starter clutch and throttle as well as a tachometer are mounted to a pipe mounted to the tongue of the cart Rutkoski can reach behind him to control the engine and the pto from his tractor seat The 801 provides hydraulic power “I might add a power steering pump to the engine for live hydraulics so I have the option of using my truck on the baler ” says Rutkoski “As it is I can even pull the baler behind my repowered TE20 Ferguson Contact:  FARM SHOW Followup Al Rutkoski 3441 Lamton Rd Decker Mich 48426 ph 989 325-1293; alsmachineshop1@hotmail com

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