PTO Guard
The arrangement of covers and tubes that protects the rotating power take-off shaft and the universal joint driveshaft from contact. The protection consists of three parts and all three must be in place together: the shaft end guard on the tractor side, the guard fixed to the input shaft on the machine side, and on the intermediate shaft the telescopic guard tube that does not rotate with the shaft.
PTO shaft accidents are among the most serious in agriculture, because a rotating shaft wraps up clothing within seconds. That is why the protection has three parts and all three must be in place.
- If the guard cover on the tractor side is broken, the shaft must not be operated.
- The plastic guard tube of the intermediate shaft is held by a chain; if the chain has broken, the tube rotates with the shaft.
- The guard tubes must be able to turn freely and must not stick to the shaft; grease them at least once a year.
Electronic retrofit kits are not part of this chain of protection and do not contribute to PTO safety. On the other hand, being able to control the linkage from outside the cab means you have to manoeuvre less around the shaft when attaching an implement. Even so, under no circumstances should anyone approach the implement while the PTO shaft is turning.
The context where this term is used: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control