You flip the PTO switch, the implement doesn't turn, and the mower or baler behind you might as well be a trailer. Before assuming the worst, know that most dead PTOs are one of four things, and two of them cost almost nothing.

The four usual causes

• Interlocks. Modern tractors refuse the PTO if the operator presence switch, seat switch, or engagement sequence isn't right, and some want the switch cycled off-then-on after every start. Check the book's sequence before anything else. More "broken" PTOs get fixed by sitting down harder in the seat than anyone admits.
• The switch itself. PTO switches live a hard life in dust and weather. If it engages sometimes, or works when you hold the knob just so, the switch is the suspect, and it's cheap.
• Low or wrong hydraulic fluid. On hydraulically engaged PTOs, the same low fluid that makes a loader lazy makes a PTO clutch slip or refuse entirely. Check the level, and note whether the PTO also slips under load once engaged - slipping points past the switch to the clutch pack.
• The clutch pack. If it engages but bogs and stalls the implement, or chatters under load, the clutch is worn or the pressure feeding it is low. That's a pressure test, and it's where the yard checks end.

Worth knowing before you call

Whether it's electric-over-hydraulic or mechanical, whether it fails engaged or disengaged, and whether it ever slips versus never turning at all. Those three answers usually separate a forty-dollar switch from a split-the-tractor job, and we'd rather tell you which one it is before anything gets scheduled. Call 660-280-3880 or use the service request form - we work on most ag and construction makes, in the shop or at your place.