PTO soft start - Claas 697 ATZ

[Lazy-Farmer]

Been having a nightmare getting my new topper to fire up without popping a sheer bolt. If I pop the PTO in and out multiple times I can get it going and once going it cuts fine even in heavy stuff without any issues. It’s just start up torque that’s popping the bolt.

Using an M8 8.8 sheer bolt.

my main problem is I don’t know if the Claas 697 ATZ has a soft start and if so how to work it. The PTO witch has three positions. One is clearly a stop. Two is the PTO symbol without the turning arrow. Three is the PTO symbol with turning. One and three do as expected and two seems to do nothing. 3 puts PTO in and just pops the bolt.

ideas or suggestions welcome but ideally somebody who knows what the middle setting should do and how to work it. Or if it simply hasn't got a soft start. Really hope that’s not the case.

 

[Goweresque]

Position 1 is PTO disengaged and braked, position 2 is PTO disengaged but free to rotate (ie sensible when turning a machine off in case there's no over run clutch on the machine) and position 3 is PTO engaged. As far as I'm aware no soft start.

If its one of the smaller single rotor toppers then they are notorious for popping shear bolts, I have a Teagle 6' one and its a nightmare. Trouble is that single rotor and blades are a hefty lump of metal to get going round just by turning a shaft at the centre, if there wasn't a relatively weak shear bolt you could easily twist or snap the gearbox shaft.

 

[Lambo1050]

Could be PTO speed if your using 540e as will start harder than just 540 had a muck spreader brake shear bolts for fun when use in economy speed

 

[Lazy-Farmer]

It’s a 5.5m 6 rotor folding topper and I was starting on 540 not 540e. I’m going to have to work something out as I went through 6 sheer bolts before I managed to start the thing and even at that it was touch and go. Can you mess about with the computer to make the clutch come in easier. I can never decide if modern PTO switches are progress. Had way more control on the older ones with a real clutch. Granted loads of other things are way better.

 

[Lambo1050]

Was thinking that when reading your first question the old PTO clutch were good for thing like this. If it’s new have the dealer had this problem before with this machine

 

[Goweresque]

Are you sure you've got the right shear bolts for it? Sometimes the manufacturer uses a very odd size so that you have to buy the bolts from them rather than off the shelf, and if you use a standard size bolt they snap for fun, being ever so slightly smaller.

 

[Thick cut]

Some tractors now are using prop solenoid valves for PTO engagement and are adjustable via the dealers software changes, but not sure if Claas have this feature.

 

[Moors Lad]

I once had a nightmare with some shearbolts from a small "dealer" near me (6` single rotor topper) . Got some from a different source and the problem was sorted!! Not much topping to be done here at this time of year...... (if only!!)

 

[fermec860]

Been having a nightmare getting my new topper to fire up without popping a sheer bolt. If I pop the PTO in and out multiple times I can get it going and once going it cuts fine even in heavy stuff without any issues. It’s just start up torque that’s popping the bolt.

Using an M8 8.8 sheer bolt.

my main problem is I don’t know if the Claas 697 ATZ has a soft start and if so how to work it. The PTO witch has three positions. One is clearly a stop. Two is the PTO symbol without the turning arrow. Three is the PTO symbol with turning. One and three do as expected and two seems to do nothing. 3 puts PTO in and just pops the bolt.

ideas or suggestions welcome but ideally somebody who knows what the middle setting should do and how to work it. Or if it simply hasn't got a soft start. Really hope that’s not the case.

We’ve a Renault 636 ares the pro on that is very good just turn the switch and it automatically takes up load if it’s sences to much load then it disengages the pto

 

[Sid]

Simple trick to it.
My old john deeres would eat shearbolts as well .
But I found whilst moving forward in drive engage the pto. It puts some of the load through the gearbox and well as the pto.

 

[Lazy-Farmer]

I once had a nightmare with some shearbolts from a small "dealer" near me (6` single rotor topper) . Got some from a different source and the problem was sorted!! Not much topping to be done here at this time of year...... (if only!!)

I just got the topper and was giving it a test run on some waste ground before I give it a service and tart up in the workshop.

 

[Lazy-Farmer]

Simple trick to it.
My old john deeres would eat shearbolts as well .
But I found whilst moving forward in drive engage the pto. It puts some of the load through the gearbox and well as the pto.

I’ll give that a try.

 

[daveydiesel1]

You could try puttin tractor in high gear and as your turnin on pto simultaneously let out clutch o tractor to kill revs of engine. If you can bring tractor down say 200 revs that should do trick bit may take wee bita practice to do it right but youd get the hang o it

 

[Lazy-Farmer]

You could try puttin tractor in high gear and as your turnin on pto simultaneously let out clutch o tractor to kill revs of engine. If you can bring tractor down say 200 revs that should do trick bit may take wee bita practice to do it right but youd get the hang o it

Ill give that a go but ill need to come up with a proper solution as its not just me that will be using it and will need to be more straight forward.

Has anyone ever swapped a sheer bolt for a slip clutch or similar? Any other ideas welcome too.

 

[Goweresque]

Ill give that a go but ill need to come up with a proper solution as its not just me that will be using it and will need to be more straight forward.

Has anyone ever swapped a sheer bolt for a slip clutch or similar? Any other ideas welcome too.

Thats a point, don't large toppers usually have slip clutches rather than shear bolts? I know my Spearhead 4.6m batwing topper does.

Where is this shear bolt? Is it on the PTO shaft? Are you sure someone hasn't just put a new PTO on and got the wrong one? Are there any slip clutches protecting each rotor? Is this a brand new machine or secondhand?

 

[Lazy-Farmer]

Thats a point, don't large toppers usually have slip clutches rather than shear bolts? I know my Spearhead 4.6m batwing topper does.

Where is this shear bolt? Is it on the PTO shaft? Are you sure someone hasn't just put a new PTO on and got the wrong one? Are there any slip clutches protecting each rotor? Is this a brand new machine or secondhand?

Sheer bolt is on the tractor end of the PTO shaft. It’s a well used machine. I looked up the parts diagram online and it has both slip clutch and sheer bolt options. Annoyingly it didn't say which to use. Nor did it say what grade of M10 to use. I got it with an 8.8

This made me call the dealer and have a chat to them. They said try with a 10.9 and see how that works as they said it would be fine on it. Since popped one in and it seems to start ok. Need to wait and see how it is when it’s topping time.

The only slip in the system would be the belts. It’s got 3 gearboxes and 6 rotors all belt driven form the gearbox.

It’s a Joskin TR 555 CH6 Topper just incase anyone is searching for this problem in future.

 

[Goweresque]

Sheer bolt is on the tractor end of the PTO shaft. It’s a well used machine. I looked up the parts diagram online and it has both slip clutch and sheer bolt options. Annoyingly it didn't say which to use. Nor did it say what grade of M10 to use. I got it with an 8.8

This made me call the dealer and have a chat to them. They said try with a 10.9 and see how that works as they said it would be fine on it. Since popped one in and it seems to start ok. Need to wait and see how it is when it’s topping time.

The only slip in the system would be the belts. It’s got 3 gearboxes and 6 rotors all belt driven form the gearbox.

It’s a Joskin TR 555 CH6 Topper just incase anyone is searching for this problem in future.

M10 sounds like a more likely size for a topper shear bolt, you mentioned M8 Before?

 

[Lazy-Farmer]

M10 sounds like a more likely size for a topper shear bolt, you mentioned M8 Before?

That was just me being a bumb ass sorry. I had M10 8.8’s. Just a brain typo.