m37 pto

[gusbratz]

I would like to get a pto on my 1962 m37, are they all standard? I seem to remember somebody telling me that the different years had different gear tooth counts? there is one on ebay and I want to verify it. thanks.

[Charles Talbert]

The difference is not tooth count, one from any M37 will work. The only difference is very slight and it is the gear diameter. Easily compensated for in the shim pack adjustment when it is installed with the correct backlash adjustment. Personally, I'd rebuild any one I purchased, there will never be a better time to do it, then you know what you have; plus you can be certain of the fact it wasn't for sale because the seller knew it had a problem that he perhaps forgot to mention.

[Elwood]

I'll second Charles' advice to assume that a rebuild is in order, especially for the one one ebay right now. That one will need at least the end plate with the lower shift lever pivot, instead of the blank plate that someone has put on there, which is not usable as-is.

I'm in the process of rebuilding one now, and even though it looked very good on the outside before disassembly, I've had to replace the idler gear (a broken tooth, which I still haven't found), the sliding gear (rust damage), the main drive shaft (wear and rust damage), the reverse shaft (badly worn), the shift shaft (rust damage), the seals, and all of the roller and needle bearings. As Charles has pointed out before, the PTO is the low point in the transmission, and doesn't get fully drained when changing trans lube unless you add a drain plug to the lowest spot on the PTO housing, so water just sits in there. I could tell exactly where the sliding gear in mine had last stopped because of which teeth had corrosion damage.

The short of it is to not pay a lot upfront for a used PTO, since it will likely require a lot of work (and money) to make it usable and reliable.

[Charles Talbert]

I'll second Charles' advice to assume that a rebuild is in order, especially for the one one ebay right now. That one will need at least the end plate with the lower shift lever pivot, instead of the blank plate that someone has put on there, which is not usable as-is.

I'm in the process of rebuilding one now, and even though it looked very good on the outside before disassembly, I've had to replace the idler gear (a broken tooth, which I still haven't found), the sliding gear (rust damage), the main drive shaft (wear and rust damage), the reverse shaft (badly worn), the shift shaft (rust damage), the seals, and all of the roller and needle bearings. As Charles has pointed out before, the PTO is the low point in the transmission, and doesn't get fully drained when changing trans lube unless you add a drain plug to the lowest spot on the PTO housing, so water just sits in there. I could tell exactly where the sliding gear in mine had last stopped because of which teeth had corrosion damage.

The short of it is to not pay a lot upfront for a used PTO, since it will likely require a lot of work (and money) to make it usable and reliable.

You are absolutely correct, the majority will require quite a bit of work to make them right. Gears, shafts, and bearings are not cheap at all.

[gusbratz]

thanks guys, I guess I will pass on the pto for now and keep dreaming.