[AT] "Live" and "Independent" PTO's

[Indiana Robinson]

PTO's had to change as implements changed. The Allis Roto-baler did a lot
to further the move but so did forage harvesters, regular balers, corn
pickers and combines. Anything that could load up on a slug of weeds or a
big wad in a windrow. You have to remember that in those days good weed
control was non-existent in some crops.
That Roto-baler also put a hand clutch in the Allis C tractor and that and
a few other nice changes made it the CA.
One early way around the problem of units jamming due to lack of tractor
size or live PTO was implement mounted power units. With a power unit
engine you could stop  the tractor and maintain power to the implement. If
you had a big "slug" to deal with you could stop,  let the implement clear
and then inch into the slug. My father bought a new Allis Chalmers chopper
and blower set in the late 1940's and didn't really have the HP to run it
properly which was common on farms here at that time. He got by by using
the McCormick 10-20 which moved slowly and if he hit a slug he could use
his foot to kick the tractor into neutral not using the clutch and after
the chopper cleared he then used the clutch to put the tractor back in
gear. Not exactly how you want to do things but it did work and it was not
done daily.
Our first actual "live" PTO capability on this farm came in the early
1950's when a John Deere MC crawler was acquired (and with the 40C that
replaced it in a few years) that had live PTO by way of the steering
clutches. If you pulled both steering levers all the way back it stopped
the tractor but not the PTO. Not a lot of HP going on but it worked fairly
well.
The combine of that time was a John Deere 12-A with its own engine (LUC).
Worked pretty well, still not a lot of HP to spare.
Our first real "live" PTO came with the new Ford Jubilee which was bought
with a hydraulic hand clutch behind the transmission. it worked well (but a
bit jumpy unless you were very careful engaging it) and the HP of the
tractor was enough to do the job fine even if it still didn't have a lot to
spare.
Our first "independent" PTO on the farm was on the IHC 300-Utility bought
new in about 1956. It had both the independent PTO, the TA transmission and
the "Fast-Hitch". I was rather fond of that 300-U and if there was more
loose money laying around unused I would have one now.
The use of power units on implements sold about a zillion V-4's for
Wisconsin Engines. I once had an IHC baler with a Farmall Cub engine power
unit on it.
Tractors without either a live or independent PTO drive son Scott bonkers
but they never really bothered me all that much, I grew up on them. The
extra motions and sometimes extra planning were all just part of daily
life. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate that live stuff though...
:-)
One time an old friend decided to build a sprayer onto an old WC Allis
(hand brakes) as a dedicated sprayer. He said that it was going fine until
he got to the other end of the field. He said "All of a sudden I didn't
have enough hands to do everything"...  :-)


-- 
-- 

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com
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