185 PTO Issue
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=171641
Printed Date: 09 Jul 2025 at 12:26am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: 185 PTO Issue
Posted By: theogeo94
Subject: 185 PTO Issue
Date Posted: 30 May 2020 at 7:44pm
| I have a 185 Diesel that the PTO stopped working on. I can engage the lever in the cab and see all the linkage on the exterior of the tractor move. Is there anyway to look at any of the linkage in side the tractor to what the issue is? Or maybe there is a different place i should be looking at. I can freely spin the PTO shaft by hand when i try to turn it by hand. Any help yall can give me will be greatly appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 30 May 2020 at 8:58pm
| I would guess it sheared the pin on inside that shifts coupler in side. Remove side plate on right side and look in. MACK |
Posted By: Boss Man
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 7:54am
| Early 185's had a manual disconnect level on the outside. Later ones still had the coupler but you had to remove the cover on the right side if it moved out of place. Was told if you hit the PTO brake at high RPM it can pop the coupler out of place. |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 8:13am
| Look behind the battery box down low. In the area of the foot clutch pedal you may see a lever. Rotate the lever counter-clockwise while someone else turns the PTO shaft at the rear of the tractor. Hopefully it will lock back into place. |
Posted By: theogeo94
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:09am
| Thanks for all the info, I'll start trying them all out here later today. the cover on the right side, is it the round one directly behind the engine? |
Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:15am
| No, it's the square one behind brake pedals. MACK |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:22am
| If you don't check for the lever behind the battery box first, you are going about this all wrong. |
Posted By: theogeo94
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:23am
| I think without looking at it the cab blocks that partially, but hopefully i can still get the bolts out to the cover. |
Posted By: theogeo94
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:59am
i checked that last night, everything on the outside of the case from the lever to where it goes in seemed to be working correctly.
|
DrAllis wrote:Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 10:05am
| So, you have a 185 that has the manual shifting Grind-O-matic PTO ?? In other words, you must push in the foot clutch and then "grind" the PTO lever into gear and then release the foot clutch ??? If this is so, you should feel the grinding thru the lever. The external lever near the clutch pedal pivot is known for getting twisted out of shape and then not fully stroking the coupler 100% into engagement. You should feel the mechanism "detent" into full engagement and into full neutral, especially if you operate it down low where the lever it located and all other linkage disconnected. |
Posted By: mruhlig77
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 10:13am
|
I am no expert..but, I took the PTO shaft out the back and deburred the end..add fluid back and worked a lot better.. |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 10:32am
|
OK. You do apparently have the manual PTO. I still think your lever is potentially bent/twisted. Like I said, you should be able to feel the detent for full engagement. |
Posted By: theogeo94
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 2:22pm
Lever moves in its full range of motion, all the linkage moves on the outside that are visible, but I don't feel it detent in like it would do before it stopped working, like others suggested, that cover on the right side is not easily accessible do to the cab I have on the tractor. Is there any other covers I can take off that make that area inside the case visible? |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 7:02pm
| While you had the rear PTO shaft removed, it would have been helpful to shift the PTO control lever at that time to see and listen if it detents into the fully engaged position. That would confirm whether the problem is in the sliding coupling or shifter or rear shaft. When in the full detent disengaged position, the sliding coupling is 100% on the front PTO shaft. So, if it slides easily on it both ways and detents both ways, the problem is on the removed rear PTO shaft. More dressing/grinding of the splines are the solution. |
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 7:21pm
Had issues with a 180 mechanical, ended up dropping the whole drive unit and replacing the slider with the output shaft. Quite a chore dropping the cast iron drive mechanism. 
|
Posted By: DougG
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 7:22pm
| Had one that broke an ear off in the inside bell crank that holds it engaged- |
Posted By: MACK
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 8:35pm
| Like I said at start, pin sheared inside. Unhook linkage where it goes into housing. Rotate linkage in housing. If linkage rotates free, more than 45 degrees, pin is sheared. MACK |
Posted By: theogeo94
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:16pm
| spent some time today double checking the linkage on the outside then started removing the PTO shaft and the battery box. the PTO shaft did have some wear and had two spots that look freshly broke off but still looks usable depending on the shift collar is, Went that route first just cause of the hassel of taking that side cover off due to how the cab covers that area of the tractor |
Posted By: theogeo94
Date Posted: 31 May 2020 at 9:19pm
On the list to check next, didnt do it first due to access issues at the cover plate. |