What is a PTO Over-run Clutch?
A PTO Over-run Clutch is a ratcheting mechanism that slips onto the PTO shaft on the back of the tractor, and the driveshaft of your rotary implement slips onto the male end of the clutch. The best way to understand what it does is to understand what happens if you don’t use one. Without the clutch, several undesirable things happen when you’re using a brush mower. 1) Safety: When you want to stop the tractor, and step on the clutch to do so, the momentum of the mower blades will continue turning the mower driveshaft, and in turn, the PTO and transmission of the tractor. This produces “mower push”. It will take several feet for you and the tractor to come to a stop because of this mower push, which is obviously not a safe situation. 2) Convenience: If you’re mowing, and want to change to a different gear, you will have to stop the tractor, and then wait several moments while the mower spins down to allow you to shift without grinding gears. 3) Wear and tear: Having the overrun clutch i
