Clamp tool and method for manipulating a slide collar PTO yoke

A method for attaching a power take off (PTO) yoke to a tractor PTO output shaft, the PTO yoke including a yoke shaft and a yoke slide collar coupled to the yoke shaft, the yoke slide collar being spring loaded and movable from an overlapping resting position to a retracted position with respect to the yoke shaft, the method comprising:

• gripping the yoke shaft via a clamp tool, whereby the clamp tool maintains the yoke slide collar in the retracted position with respect to the yoke shaft, such that the yoke shaft is exposed for attachment to the tractor PTO output shaft,
• wherein the clamp tool comprises:
• pliers, including plier jaws and plier handles;
• and a flexible band coupled to the plier jaws,
• wherein gripping the yoke shaft comprises:
• pushing the yoke slide collar to the retracted position,
• wrapping the flexible band around the yoke shaft, whereby a first end of the flexible band is attached to a first jaw of the plier jaws and a second end of the flexible band is attached to a second jaw of the plier jaws, and
• squeezing the plier handles to tighten the flexible band around the yoke shaft such that the flexible band frictionally grips around the yoke shaft and simultaneously holds the yoke slide collar in the retracted position.