WD PTO Gearbox

I have a 1948 WD, and I suspect the PTO gearbox has  a bad gear or something in it. A neighbor has a PTO gearbox from a WD45 Diesel, that I could get to put on it. Are the PTO boxes the same and interchange between a early WD and a diesel WD45? Thanks

diesel has larger gear to run it slower and hangs lower requiring the different carrier at rear

The unit is the same of the WD and WD45.  They are not to bad to pull off and find the reason for the sound.  Parts or a replacement are readily available.

This WD is used to run an old 50" blade sawmill to make lumber. It will power the sawmill 4 to 5 hrs at  a time. It may sound perfect for an hour or 2 then it will start clicking every once in a while, not steady, maybe click a couple of times then nothing for another 30 minutes then an occasional click. Does that sound like a bearing or a gear? Thanks

I guess you would call it a PTO jackshaft drive. The mill was originally set up to be run by a large flat belt. We went and made a shaft with a Ford pickup rim and tire mounted between 2 bearings. The truck tire rubs on the original large flat pulley and runs the mill. The PTO shaft from the tractor hooks directly to the shaft we made with the truck tire on it. The truck tire shaft can be adjusted or slid in or out to put more or less pressure on the original large flat belt pulley. We have run this set up for many years and seems to work good. It does take a lot of power to run the mill. This WD has done a good job with it tho, I don't think its putting too much pressure on the PTO shaft, but at the time we set it up, it seemed the simplest way to make the mill operate from a tractor PTO.

That would not put a hard jolt on the pto gears, as the tire would absorb the shock!!  sounds like a slick setup!! LOL!!! thanks; ac fleet

You really won't know until you pull the gearbox off. It's not very hard. Better to check it sooner than later. Make sure you get the correct gasket when re-installing. It's the gasket thickness that sets your gear mesh.
Everything in the gear box is easy to change. Put a new seal in it too while it's off.
If somethings wrong with the intermediate gear up top, that much harder to replace. From what you describe though, it doesn't sound like that the problem.

TramwayGuy wrote: The later Wd45's used a tougher housing material because the original housing had failures due to breakage.

Regardless of the component, breakage is the most common failure mode.

I haven't seen a housing that ever broke without some other reason.

I've seen a housing and gears that broke because something that wasn't supposed to fall down into the PTO gearbox DID. Amidst the list:

1) Pin from hand clutch
2) Ball bearing from somewhere...
3) Pieces of chipped gear
4) Water from transmission (becomes ice, which expands to the order of 112,000psi when it freezes).

---Not necessarily in that order.

The intermediate idler gear's shaft is the tricky part, but can be done from below. It takes copious amounts of patience, an open mind, and some clever thinking... some chopsticks, a magnet, two midgets, a rubber chicken, and some ketchup...