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Need insights about PTO engagement

LostMine85

Active member
Joined
Mar 25, 2025
Messages
28
City & State/Province
Florida
My family got a bunch of tractors: a Deere 4720, a Kubota 5740 and 6060, a Kioti NX5510, and a New Holland TV140. Most of them are my dad’s, and a couple of them are mine.

Since the beginning I learn to run one, my dad always thought me that I had to slow the engine way down before turn on the PTO for any attached equipment, to avoid a big jolt that could break something.
Now I know that most of the tractors have a hydraulic PTO system, and it's totally fine to just flip the PTO switch no matter how fast the engine is running. all my tractors have hydrostatic transmissions.
Well, I've seen on the internet that people are using snow blowers backward, dragging the snow, and then just turning on the PTO full blast when they're in the clear.

What do you all think about this? Especially from tractor experts, like dealers or mechanics, who know about these specific tractor models.
 
On hydrostatic machines we usually just flip the switch so we never really idle down to turn on the PTO.
 
It's tough to shake the old habit of slowing down the engine before engaging the PTO, but modern hydraulic PTOs handle smoother transitions and that thing of using the snow blower backward and cranking the PTO, might work short term, but over time, it could cause wear or damage.
 
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