The PTO clutch is an essential component in your mower or lawn tractor. It’s the part that transfers power from the engine to make the cutting blades spin. A well-functioning PTO clutch ensures strong and consistent blade rotation to cleanly cut turfgrass for a beautifully manicured appearance. But like most components, the day will come when a PTO clutch needs replacement.
When replacing a PTO clutch, you should carefully choose the new one. All PTO clutches are not the same. They vary widely in quality for both performance and length of expected service life. It’s best to do your homework before buying your new PTO clutch.
Two companies have dominated the outdoor power equipment market for PTO clutches: Warner and Ogura. Chances are the original PTO clutch in your mower may come from one of these companies, but that doesn’t mean you have to replace it with one from the same manufacturer. Quality PTO clutches are available from DB Electrical and Xtreme OPE, and a growing number of people responsible for lawn care are choosing PTO clutches from these companies.
Here's how to choose the best PTO clutch for mowers and lawn tractors
1) Machined billet pulleys: The type of pulley used in your PTO clutch directly affects its performance. Machined billet pulleys deliver faster movement by preventing the belt from sinking deeply into a groove like cheaper formed pulleys do. It’s more expensive to install machined pulleys, but the payoff is a faster blade speed, which cuts the grass more cleanly.
2) Cooling properties: Just by their nature, PTO clutches generate a lot of heat, but heat also degrades the clutch. It’s common for many clutches to operate at temperatures exceeding 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Better quality clutches incorporate technologies that reduce heat, which can extend the service life of the clutch.
3) Highly engineered bearings: Precise engineering of the bearing helps handle heat and reduces vibration, both of which are tough on bearings. Premium PTO clutches have harder races, delivering a longer service life.
4) Premium grease: Grease may seem like a simple thing, but the quality of the grease used in the construction of a PTO clutch can make a difference. The best lawn tractor PTO clutches use a premium-grade grease that better handles high temperatures. This extra protection helps extend the service life of a PTO clutch.
5) Strong rivets: Cheaper PTO clutches may cut corners in ways that you’d never suspect right down to the rivets. Stainless steel makes the best rivets that maintain strength and resist corrosion from exterior weather conditions. Strong rivets are important to maintain the structural integrity of the PTO clutch. If weak or corrosive materials are used, the intense vibration that PTO clutches experience could result in breakage.
6) Protected wiring: PTO clutches work in harsh environments in which moisture, branches, rocks, curbs and other obstacles can cause damage. Wiring needs to be well protected to keep it shielded from the elements. Exposed wiring is the worst possible scenario.
7) Replaceable bearings: The pulley bearing is the component within the PTO clutch that is most likely to wear out first. Some models of PTO clutches allow you to replace just the bearing without replacing the entire unit. That feature can be a money-saving advantage in the long run.
PTO clutches are essential for meticulous lawn care
The ability to transmit power from the engine to the cutting blade plays no small part in the appearance of your lawn. Strong, consistent blade motion will deliver an even cut across the lawn, and that’s all due to equipping your mower or lawn tractor with a quality PTO clutch.
