Power take-off (PTO) Shaft

A power take-off or power takeoff (PTO) is any of several methods for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and transmitting it to an application such as an attached implement or separate machines.

Most commonly, it is a splined drive shaft installed on a tractor or truck allowing implements with mating fittings to be powered directly by the engine.

Semi-permanently mounted power take-offs can also be found on industrial and marine engines. These applications typically use a drive shaft and bolted joint to transmit power to a secondary implement or accessory. In the case of a marine application, such shafts may be used to power fire pumps.

Agricultural PTOs are standardized in dimensions and speed. The ISO standard for PTOs is ISO 500, which as of the 2004 edition was split into three parts:

ISO 500-1 General specifications, safety requirements, dimensions for master shield and clearance zone
ISO 500-2 Narrow-track tractors, dimensions for master shield and clearance zone
ISO 500-3 Main PTO dimensions and spline dimensions, location of PTO.
The original type calls for operation at 540 revolutions per minute (RPM). A shaft that rotates at 540 rpm has 6 splines on it, and a diameter of 1⅜”. Two newer types, supporting higher power applications, operate at 1000 RPM and differ in shaft size. The larger shaft has 20 splines (1¾” diameter), while the smaller has 21 (1⅜” diameter). All three types rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the tractor (When standing behind the tractor, the shaft turns clockwise). A 10 spline type was used with some early equipment such as the 1948 Land Rover, a six spline adapter was usually supplied. It is customary for agricultural machines manufacturers to provide the nominal PTO power specification, an indication of the available instantaneous power at the shaft.

Typical applications include:
Running a water pump on a fire engine or water truck
Running a truck mounted hot water extraction machine for carpet cleaning (driving vacuum blower and high-pressure solution pumps)
Powering a blower system used to move dry materials such as cement
Raising a dump truck bed
Operating the mechanical arm on a bucket truck used by electrical maintenance personnel or Cable TV maintenance crews
Operating a winch on a tow truck
Operating the compactor on a garbage truck
Operating a Boom/Grapple truck
Operating a truck mounted tree spade and lift-mast assembly

We offer OEM/ODM parts. The PTO shaft including spare parts which Sino Machine Industry supplied were produced per customer’s drawings or specifications. All the parts are made in China. SMI(Sino Machine Industry) Castings Serving the Industrial Markets of the World.