Likelihood of Entanglement when Materials are Dropped Vertically onto a Rotating PTO Knuckle

Abstract

Power take-off (PTO) is a common method of transferring power from a tractor to a towed piece of machinery. The PTO is also a well-documented cause of severe and often permanent disabling injuries to farm operators. The physical conditions that cause entanglements are not well established. Several studies have explored the parameters of PTO entanglements as materials have been drawn across a rotating PTO knuckle to test for entanglement probability. The objective of this study was to determine probability of entanglement when materials are dropped vertically onto a PTO knuckle spinning at 540 rpm. A total of 360 randomized trials were conducted with ten replications for each of the six positions (center of yoke, edge of yoke rotating downward, edge of yoke rotating upward, center of cross, edge of cross rotating downward, and edge of cross rotating upward) and six different materials (woven cotton athletic shoe lace, cotton workboot lace, leather workboot lace, cotton twine, denim strip, and Tyvek strip). Not a single entanglement was recorded. Dramatic high-speed video imagery authenticated the material's motion and path as it interacted with the rotating PTO knuckle.