John Deere Maintenance Monday: PTO efficiency
Living the Country Life Radio Program with Betsy Freese
Radio interview source: Dan Paschke, product manager, John Deere
In this edition of Maintenance Monday, we're answering a question from K.L. in Missouri, who just bought a new utility tractor. She wonders at what RPM to operate the PTO and mower for maximum efficiency, and is there any regular service that needs to be done on the PTO?
John Deere Product Manager Dan Paschke says every tractor has what's called a rated engine speed. The whole system -- including the hydraulics and the PTO -- is designed to be run at a certain speed. Most tractors that rate an engine speed for PTO applications start around 2,200 and can go as high as 2,700 RPM. It varies from model to model.
"The general rule of thumb is, always engage your PTO at a lower speed, and then raise up the engine speed with the implement out of the ground so it's not engaging the ground," Paschke says. "Raise it to rated engine speed and once you're there, go ahead and engage the ground and begin moving. And that is the best place to run it."
On Deere tractors, you'll see a yellow tick on the tachometer, which shows you how fast the engine is going. Match this mark to get the best efficiency out of the power take-off system. If your tractor has a 540 economy PTO feature, you'll raise it up to speed, and then the system will take care of the rest by lowering the speed into economy mode.
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