HOW-TO Remove A Seized Lawn Tractor PTO Clutch - video

[@edjak]

Hey Dony, I had a seized PTO on my JD 160 like in your video, when I watched the difficulty you had, I cringed. So I took a different approach which was a lot less invasive. I kept soaking the top of the PTO shaft with PB blaster (or other) for two days. Then I took a blunt air chisel and rattled the heck out of the base and shaft and after awhile it fell into my hands. Food for thought! Cheers.

[@stans5270]

Dony, use SHORTER bolts. The larger the space is between the puller and what is being pulled, the more flex is being introduced. Most times I change the bolts to longer ones right after it breaks loose. I have found that using a socket with a short extension works the best for me for the center hole. The socket prevents the extension from cocking and moving the puller around.

[@darrellbaker4537]

I was just about to comment to suggest using a socket until i seen your comment. Works

[@dram6262]

Jobs like this helped me learn special words.

[@donyboy73]

lol, me too!

[@Zombeegun]

I've learned all those words many moons ago and now in to "make them up as I go along" stage!

[@jrodt9]

😂😂👌

[@AUTOFLOWERMADNESS]

Especially when taking the pressure fitting off the clutch guide and smashing ur finger off the bay while skinning it. Oh sweet sweet pain

[@sluggonotnancy6178]

@@AUTOFLOWERMADNESS ....LOL.....BUTTA--FING---GAAA!!!

[@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950]

“use plenty of anti-seize on the shaft”. Best advice i have heard this week. Sometimes the tolerances are pretty tight and you will eventually want to get your shaft out.

[@grantw.whitwam9948]

That's what she said!

[@mrbrown6421]

When possible, I drain all engine fluids, remove the deck, and roll the beast over on its side so I can see what I'm working on. Then, I pour penetrating oil on the shaft, give it some sympathy taps with a hammer, maybe some torch heat and call it a night. They usually free up after a while, but I am not a business so I have a lot to time to address these issues. Tires are also a problem on older machines. Pneumatic tools with a pointed bit can help a lot also, as long as you understand how that works, and use it properly. We don't do acetylene. I have NEVER seen anything as bad as THAT seizure. Well done sir.

[@jeffreykreft5442]

I dont know what diameter the end of the puller rod is, but to help keep it aligned you could cut a piece of 3/4 or 1 inch copper pipe, slip it in the bolt and the puller so it wont slip off the bolt head. Just a suggestion. Great video, these can be a real pain to remove once they are seized on there.

[@donyboy73]

i'm going to weld some steel tubing on a bolt about 1" for my next one to keep puller lined with bolt

[@jeffreykreft5442]

donyboy73 that will work too, just thought that this way it would be cheaper for me since I have copper pipe laying around, and it wouldn’t be permanent to the puller. Either way it won’t slip off the bolt and make it allot easier. You probably do allot of these so having a designated tool for this would be worth it. Thanks

[@nheng6913]

Shredded mower belt (my fault for driving over small brush stumps) jammed the clutch, destroyed the retaining pin (no longer available) and sheared off the clutch wires. This video, while well done as usual, put the final lump in my stomach when you brought out the torch 😞 Being unable to turn the engine at all by hand at this point really seized the moment (no pun intended). Fast forward 24 hours ... pulled the bolt out of the clutch and the clutch fell on the floor. This in a 30+ year old Troy tractor. Fabbed a new retainer pin from 5/16 drill rod (not fun), managed to tap into the sheared off wire stubs, then potted the wires for mechanical protection. Put anti seize on the engine shaft this time although 30+ years seemed ok (indoor storage). All is good 🙂

[@mcarroll598]

Nice video. And if they only put some anti-seize on from the factory!

[@semco72057]

I have to remember the work you did here because I may have to remove a clutch on one of my mowers and I don't want to be as difficult as it was for you. Thanks for sharing this information with us all.

[@donyboy73]

this machine was neglected its whole life, left outside etc that's why it was seized on

[@butler386]

Holy Cow that was a tough one. Glad you got it out without hurting the crankshaft seal. Great video.

[@liveinmyamerica]

Good job Don, sometimes not everything goes perfect, good patience and you got it done.

[@davekana8388]

That’s usually how things go for me, fights you the entire way. Thanks for taking one for the team!

[@819John]

center drill a dimple in the bolt going into the shaft and a dimple in the end of the puller put a bearing ball in the dimples helps to keep things centered also before breaking out the torches sometimes a hammer blow on the end of the puller helps shock thing loose.

[@bigbob0042]

I installed a Xtreme Fatboy clutch on a Kubota zero turn for a customer a few weeks ago luckily his old clutch just slipped right off LOL , but gotta make sure you use a torque wrench to tighten it down , not an impact wrench and gotta make sure you burnish the clutch too before putting the mower back to work

[@kellyconstenius676]

Sometimes you have to break out the Fire wrench. I have seen vids of guys swapping out the cutting head for the welding head on the torch. To get access to cramped areas and get finer heat control. One guy was even cutting by using the OXY valve like you would on a cutting torch. Just by opening the valve by hand to cut the sides of nuts off. I have not tried it yet. But I will, I have some hard to get at exhaust bolts that broke off. Another good thing to try. While you have pressure on the hub/ pulley whatever. With the puller. Brake out a good air hammer. A few burps on the end of the puller. Most times they just pop off. Some times violently. I just upgraded my Air hammer last year. From the cheapie in a CH kit. To a good mid-level long-throw hammer. WOW!! Life changer. I recently did a Brake and front end job on a very rusty mid 90's F150. Before I really got into the teardown. I took the air hammer with a flat hammerhead. And burped each bolt beforehand. It shocks them like Gramps used to do with a hammer blow by hand. Everything just came apart like I lived in California.

[@kevinwoodcock7578]

Outstanding video quality Don.. Your videos keep getting better and better.

[@mmafanatic90]

Man, that thing was really stuck on there! Great video and great patience displayed too lol

[@MaximumZargon]

I feel your pain! When I do these, I must admit that I will use the original or a replacement crank bolt so that eliminates the wobble. Haven't ever had an issue doing that (tempting fate to say that!). Excellent video as always!

[@jkbrown5496]

Just had to fight the coil off my JD X500. Tried all the easier methods. Ended up using 2 1/4" bars across the top with U-bolts and a two-jaw hydraulic puller. For space I had to rig to use jaws off a screw puller. And still it resisted. Let it soak with new PB blaster overnight and after setting up to apply heat, I decided to give it a couple more pumps (short due to space limitations) and she popped. Had to rig 2 more times to get it all the way off. I was almost to drill and tap like you did, but was going to try a loop of wire rope across the top first since when it elongated it would be closer to the inner race/shaft.

[@johnkelly7154]

That was a tough one Dony. I was cursing along with you. I find that tapping the part with a hammer to shock it while it's under tension from the puller sometimes helps. Also a long pre soak with penetrating fluid if you can get to it helps also. Take care.

[@vchow6749]

Totally agree. I mix ATF and acetone then soak the work piece a few times. It's worked nearly every time.

[@donyboy73]

yes I did soak in penetrant, I edited out all the cursing out lol

[@holdemNE1]

If I were to try this at home I would have broken something else or injured myself. Well done.

[@843292]

Another excellent video... wow, so much work! I had a steering plate strip but couldn't get the old gear off because I don't have a puller that would work... gonna get one though!! Thanks again for the video courage to tackle tough jobs like this.

[@clarkkent4991]

Wow! Very labor intensive!!!! Hats off to you because you seem to have kept your cool. I have a Cub Cadet Super LT1050. I’m trying to remove my PTO clutch to get to the drive belt for replacement. Also while I was removing one of the nuts on the steering sector plate I managed to shear off the end of one of the bolts that connects to the control rods. So now there is not enough bolt to put a nut on. So now I’m also installing a new sector plate. Smh. The problem with installing the sector plate is that the plate has a bolt that is partly blocked by the clutch. So I have to remove the clutch. On my clutch there is a huge washer type device with two flat sides and the other two end are rounded. Almost like a regular round washer but with two flat sides. How or what do you use to brace it so that you can get a breaker bar on the regular but in front of it to drop the bolt free from the clutch? I know that’s a lot but I really need some help. Thanks a lot. Any advice?

[@robwright4398]

It's called a D drive, I had the same question. I saw a video where they used a thin open end wrench. What did you end up using?

[@clarkkent4991]

I used a high torque impact wrench and it came straight off without even having to brace the washer. I used that same impact driver on the nuts for the blade retention. Easy easy. Thanks for the info. Side note spray it with WD40 or some other type of penetrating oil. Let it sit for about 2 hours or overnight. Like butter. I got the “corded “ impact wrench from Harbor Freight. Worked perfectly. I also used a deep socket.

[@09hoseclamp]

Those are great clutches and priced well!! I put one on my machine when it needed a new one.

[@nashguy207]

Wow that was one stubborn clutch. I didn't wan't to come off. Good job you gave some good tips in this video. Hope your wife is doing well. Have a great weekend!!!

[@eranorion]

See those little sorta half round cutouts on the clutch? I screwed 2 bolts into them and used that to pry with the puller. Worked, with no drill/tapping. Now to get the top bearing out.

[@danielrobert7181]

So impressed with you keeping your cool. Vous êtes le meilleur ! Don't forget to vote on Monday !

[@robertsimonofsky3959]

Nice video. The rest of jobs this month should be nice and easy

[@jacobdellinger4931]

awesome video dony i use a air hammer. dont think i seen one that stuck before awersome job

[@whitfieldjeff]

I know this post is old, but I have an old GX345 that is exactly the same…coming off in pieces. Hoping to get the last two off. Thanks for your guidance!

[@daminlong7867]

Finally see what a gear puller is used for.

[@JPilot2]

G'day, Don! You are right-on! What a 'big pain' in the who haw!! I too, like using brazing tips to 'concentrate the heat', directly onto a smaller surface. Suggestion: In the future, you could use a 1/2-in Drive Socket Extension or even a Deep Well Socket in order to reduce the flex between the puller and pulley. I agree, about applying plenty of 'anti-sneeze lubricant!' Lol! 🤣 Enjoyed the video! Thank you! Cheers! 😊✌🏼🛠❤️

[@wtbm123]

Good video . Sometimes heat is required . But I usually put a bolt screwed into crank fully . Then pull down , kinda pry down . Then use my air hammer on bolt . They usually walk off . But you need to pull down , so you are not beating the bearing clearance up in the engine . Also any electric clutch i replace , i check the charging system . Clutches like 13.2 volts min , some say 13.4v

[@vetterfellow]

Thank you DB73 for your how to videos. This job did look like a tuff one. Excellent work my friend. Cheers !!***.

[@spresc2180]

Use a hardened socket with is small enough diameter to fit inside the opening, bolt end first, and it will sit flat on the cranks end. Put the pullers pusher into the sockets 3/8ths square end and go to town. there will be no wobbling of the puller.

[@Drottninggatan2017]

On the second part of the clutch you might have been able to use the puller directly on the shaft and skip the bolt.

[@donyboy73]

I didn't want to damage shaft, it's better for a smaller bolt to be inside like I did

[@C-M-E]

It may have been mentioned already, but if not, a very helpful bit of kit if you don't have a torch or don't want to mess with it, an induction heater will pay for itself in one job and likely last for a few more. It's a little investment (though they have the amazon models for ~$250), but it's definitely cheaper than a torch kit and associated gas being $150 all by itself. The big upside is that it's only heating the bolt and the area around it so that you're not inducing a HAF on the part you don't want to blaze on.

[@bigbob0042]

Great Video Dony

[@trouts4444]

Great video, very well done as usual.

[@dontblameme6328]

How's does all that heat not destroy the crankshaft seal?

[@bnhamilton]

Looks like the crankshaft itself would get warped.

[@jimhoover7913]

Xtreme says dont use anti seize on clutch mounting bolt though...dry at 55 ft lbs on my dixie chopper

[@jafinch78]

Wondering if a better grade bolt will help also. I literally, invested in an air hammer, air compressor that's higher CFM to run the hammer and have two candidate working engines I'll be pulling the drive pulleys off of one of these days. I'd wire brush the shaft also before putting anti-seize too. I like the idea of trying to pull off before quenching also as that's the way I was taught. Cherry red, then quench, then pull. I have new 2001 Dodge Ram 360 V8 exhaust manifolds to replace the one cylinder leaky gasket chunk missing... though the manifold bolts are one of those... do I just cut the bolt heads off and cherry red then quench then slowly work out with vice grips maybe after whackin good straight down? Or try to remove and just risk having to maybe drill and extract some?

[@Blackfourtrak]

I've never had to be this extreme on one before, problem with this approach is you really do risk messing the crank seal as well.

[@jamesyee4143]

Thanks for that clutch removal video,what's the best octane we should use for small engines???

[@marklubecke4854]

Morning Don, Why not put the puller drive bolt directly on the crankshaft, then drive it with a hammer, to induce vibration while pressure is on?

[@bluekingfisher1416]

Good job in removing that church. Boy that bearing looked pretty chewed up. I enjoyed watching. Cheers.

[@mattbrennan8088]

that one was really stuck up there! I have had maybe two that were just as bad like that. Did the transmission pulley move free after the the clutch was off?

[@philliphall5198]

Thank You for information and advice

[@wesh4233]

Well this will be fun

[@motoman5023]

My boss would have steam comming out his ears for the amount of time spent on this. Good job that was really stuck. Don,t forget air hammers are a mechanics best friend

[@caseih-pz9vp]

What I have done is start the mower with the idle on as low as it will go. Then with a lot of light to see I use a very long pry bar and gently pry the clutch off. The reason for a lot of light and long pry bar is to be away from the clutch when it comes off and it comes off very easy DO NOT need a lot of force. And LOW idle!

[@vanamee692]

Excellent! (but all I have is a mapp gas torch. )

[@googleplusisdead]

I know not everyone has an air compressor and impact wrench, or even an electric one of any sort but I find the "hammering" of such a device on the puller a lot better at pulling stuck things. No idea, of course if it'd have helped here but thought I'd mention it. Also, using a nice grade 8 bolt with same threads as interior of the shaft would keep it from wobbling around as you pull. RichE San Diego, CA

[@donschlonski2936]

What do you mean by hammering? Just whack the thing and expect it to fall?

[@robrobson1519]

Remember the old Chilton Manuals? How do you remove ...... First remove the ...... Awesome

[@victorbaker4585]

Is that bolt a reverse thread on the end of the shaft?

[@Smalltechguy]

I was wondering if you ever had any issues with receiving a bad PTO clutch? I'm in the middle of one now that the switch does function as in clicking the magnets together and releasing them, but when I crank the motor the blades will not spin. It's a zero turn Craftsman ZTL 8000 powered by a Kohler. The old one was a Warner 521925. The replacement looked awesome, but still fails to engage. I thought about sending it back. How did the finished clutch go on the deere??

[@donyboy73]

never had that happen, you could manually test clutch by rigging wires to see if it clicks, otherwise you may also need a new pto switch

[@RichardSivonen]

Your the man donyboy73 ❤🦅🦅🦅😎

[@sthpawil]

NOTE: If you want to replace the PTO clutch bearings on a John Deere X300 series mower, the top bearing is a non-standard NSK 6205-16 double seal bearing (25.4mm ID x 52mm OD x 15mm width). The bottom bearing is a standard 6206 double seal bearing (30mm ID x 62mm OD x 16mm width).

[@gordbaker896]

If the top bearing is 1" ID, how do you get it on when the bottom ID is over 1" 30mm?

[@sthpawil]

@@gordbaker896 The top bearing slides onto the crankshaft that comes out the bottom of the engine, which is 25.4mm diameter. A 30mm diameter adapter fits into the bottom bearing, and the mounting bolt goes up through the adapter. If you take a PTO off of a X300 series mower, you will see how it all goes together.

[@gordbaker896]

@@sthpawil Thanks for clearing that up. Very different from the L, LA etc models.

[@jimmyhobbs5029]

good video. My mower dropped the bolt out of the PTO shaft this afternoon. I haven't been able to move the clutch assembly gonna be a MFer!

[@jamesk2532]

Donnyboy you're so badass, 👍

[@terrykemble-yi2nc]

That was great pal, thankyou.

[@nobodynothing1717]

I can't get the 5/8 bolt to come out it just spins. I'm trying to change drive belts on a troybuilt gt 50 big red horse. Any help would be greatly appreciated

[@dorigart6210]

Does anyone know how long the bolt 5/8ths is mine sheerd and not sure if this process will work?

[@tractors4us]

Yes I too learned to form certain words with my mouth doing jobs like this

[@mikejones6974]

Great job Dony! Yeah frustrating! No fires tho!

[@danielrowe2174]

How did you unbolt the PTO bottom clutch without the engine spinning? I see there are 2 flat spots near the bolt area and wondered if a pipe wrench or special tool is required to hold it while undoing the bolt. I have a 36 inch Textron bobcat that needs a new hydro belt installed, but the PTO clutch has to be down a little because of a support bar that interferes with clearance.

[@donyboy73]

i used an impact

[@andrewknow5254]

Any concern on cooking the crank seal?

[@andrewknow5254]

Nevermind heard you say it

[@colehara]

Would have been nice if someone at the factory had thought to put some antiseize on there when they built it.

[@BrainHurricanes]

They are not building it to be repaired...they want you to buy a new one.

[@JSchrumm]

Don't insult the good people of China like that they know everything about everything.

[@stanhoover]

Here's a question for you. If you are replacing the engine, and the clutch, would you just use the torch to cut off the old seized clutch? This is on a JD zero-turn.

[@MichiganSpinnaker]

I just put grease on mine 20 minutes ago. Is that not good enough?

[@h2000l]

Could you have used ratchet deep deep socket or a steel pipe instead of a bolt on the crankshaft? It could have been more stable. Also shorter bolts on the puller would make it more stable.

[@999thenewman]

Very helpful video. Thanks for sharing.

[@motorv8N]

Great video - thank you. Question: Wrestling with this now but all I want to do is change the transmission drive belt. Does the clutch have to come off to do that? It works fine but getting the belt over it to the upper pulley is proving really difficult even with all other idler pulleys loosened off. Hate to destroy a working clutch before I have to over a $50 belt replacement even if is seized on....😬

[@donyboy73]

on some machines the clutch must come off

[@motorv8N]

Thanks for the speedy reply. Forgot to say it's a Deere LX277 AWS model. I'm beginning to think it's the only way....☹️

[@bobuk5722]

Well, with 20:20 hindsight thicker pull bolts would be better. Consider using a puller with a pointed draw bolt and drill a location hole in the spacer. Harmonic pullers are designed to free things by being hit on the end with a hammer - the vibes supposedly do the work. I think I'd have used a less ferocious heat source - straight acetylene for example. There's a very neat, and expensive, induction heater made for doing this job, but you'd have to have a big time need to justify the cost. Still, you got it off, so that's a sucess! Any plane landing you can walk away from is a good one. Cheers. BobUK.

[@boscoalbertbaracus1362]

For real, the amount of heat being dumped into one spot by that oxygenated flame was making me cringe, great to chop the driveshaft off, not so good for expanding a single component. I'd hate to watch him turn his torch off also, I bet. Could've used a map gas bottle and probably done fine also.

[@anthonyelectric6045]

Wow Don, that beat you up brother 💪

[@wysetech2000]

WoW, that was a tough one.

[@hardhead2956]

Hi unfortunately that pulley you mentioned is serverly Damaged I used My pulley remover witch Just Damaged it to the point I had to use angle grinder to cut the pulley Off I then completely removed the engine from the chassis to My dismay there appears to be a Large Nut but to confuse things more there also appears to be a further keyway still running Up thru the nut and crank I have used ever trick in my book to remove sed keyway with no success and I have been thru every Shop manual to try to work out whether or not is/or does this nut in fact undo or is it Just a design to hold onto to maybe rotate the engine with as the manual's don't show any thing about this please help cheers Tony Perry from down Under Australia (Grafton NSW your input will make an old retired gentleman very happy I Would hate to have to tell Old Bob that I will have to replace the entire engine especially that it pers like a kitten because the price of a complete motor is almost as dear as a new mower please do you know whether it's a nut or not if so I thought I will Just drill the rest of the key way out and attemp to undo sed nut sorry for the lengthy Text Tony Perry 👍

[@Redskool1]

Very helpful!

[@garylaxson]

How do I remove the center after removing the 5/8 bolt?

[@brianfrancis2862]

how keep crank from turn when try take center bolt off

[@mikesecondo2254]

Not everyone has torches...use the crank bolt with large washer and impact...it will pull the clutch off the crankshaft

[@neverclevernorwitty7821]

Getting ready to do battle with an X360 now. The crank bolt is snapped off and still in there.

[@davequinn4701]

Perhaps hitting it with the cold water tap when it's red hot...

[@Jim-ie6uf]

Man, that was a tough one!

[@ronaldwatson6742]

All that heat on the crankshaft you don't think that will ruin the main seal?

[@georgestrickland9278]

i run into this a lot and that top pulley will be just as hard to get off

[@mikebones322]

Air hammer usually will walk it off!

[@lobsterbox20]

Hi Don, just curious, what could be done to prevent something like this from happening in the first place? I’ve done quite a lot of engine removals and I’ve never seen a clutch this bad. How do you reckon it got that way to begin with?

[@donyboy73]

as I showed in video the anti-seize will totally prevent that. However the machine was neglected and left outside

[@tractors4us]

Indeed

[@anthonytriolo3643]

Put a grease fitting on the clutch and freeze it w/ freon or simular to remove it rather than gas.

[@donschlonski2936]

How?

[@jackcollier929]

Cut the bolt head off, grind to a point, then drill short in the puller end and it can't wander.

[@1anthonybrowning]

That is why if a clutch or stack pulley ever gets removed, anti seize should be applied upon reinstalling.

[@REVNUMANEWBERN]

IF you have used the Xtreme clutches B4 , give us you professional opinion of them !

[@donyboy73]

no issues , i have used many

[@Bass.Player]

The only thing about putting anti-seize on the shaft is that the next time the bearing fails it will spin the race on the crankshaft and then your looking at a new crank....

[@REVNUMANEWBERN]

MY GOD !! On my Snapper tractor I got 1/2 tru what you did after destroying the puller, THEN pulled the motor & had to use a die grinder to cut everything off the shaft in pieces.

[@donyboy73]

I was afraid I would have to do that too!

[@Tater4200]

Man.... I drilled into mine and it was the fkn electronic bit..I hit copper 😢😢😢😢 it's the part that's stuck!!! Ughhh!

[@johnmilner7603]

Holy seized Batman.

[@rpavlik1]

Wow, what a painstaking process. Almost surprised it didn't enter "not economical to repair" territory.

[@bnhamilton]

Great video, but not for the average DIY'er.

[@nicoletamihacea6197]

I also want to start repairing chainsaws and lawn mowers