A recent test of my new old shredder was met with a drive shaft failure on the shredder. The sequence of events that followed resulted in the overrunning clutch splined shaft sheared off and bent and twisted the D2 tractor PTO output shaft. I could probably live with the shaft twisted but the nearly 1/4" of run out is unacceptable.

Does any one have a good 4B9444 PTO output shaft? I really don't need a complete gearbox if I can avoid it.

Thanks,

Patrick.

A good machine shop may be able to make a new also, with the right material.

"Revurse da choppa maybe?"

I managed to straighten my bent PTO shaft enough that it should work. The twist is something to live with.


I confirmed today that Caterpillar has no 4B9444 PTO shafts anywhere in their system.

I am considering having a shaft or shafts made and was wondering if there was anyone interested in having one made as well?
This would be to help defer some of the milling cutter cost and presumably a production run unit cost would be less expensive than a one-off.

There are milling cutters available for the 1-3/8" and 1.75" shaft parallel key splines. They are expensive, >$200 for both, more so if domestic.
I am looking at 1045, 1144, 4130 & 4140 steels for this effort. The milling cutters are High Speed Steel and will not hold up as well on the 41XX as the 1045 or 1144 so the 41XX may not be best. I have machined 1144 and it is easy to work with.

Thoughts? ideas? Suggestions? Interest?

Thanks,

Patrick

just a thought there are various 540 pto extensions available maybe one could be modified on the big end to work I know that I would be interested in one I cant remember what tractor I have that is bent I will have a look

What size cutters do you need. That is not a complicated piece to make. Bob

In its simplest terms one cutter for a 1.750" 6-spline and one for 1.375" 6-spline shaft.
The drive gear on mine is almost exactly 1.750" on the major diameter but the way my shaft is made there is about 0.045" slop.
My drive gear registers on the minor diameter of the shaft and not the major diameter of the shaft I think it ought to be the major diameter.

While this shaft is not really that complicated to make I am trying to get through this with the best cost/effort balance.
Using form a cutter should make production faster than various end mills. Using a super-spacer is faster than a dividing head. etc.