Power take-off shaft assemblies

A power take-off shaft assembly comprising a hollow drive shaft rotatable at a first speed;

• a drive sleeve surrounding the hollow drive shaft and rotatable simultaneously at a second speed;
• a power take-off shaft provided with differently splined end zones each of which is adapted to fit within the hollow drive shaft, and with a flange between said zones;
• means providing for selective engagement of said flange with one of said hollow drive shaft or said drive sleeve and for preventing erroneous engagement of said flange with either both of said drive shaft and said drive sleeve or with the wrong one of said drive shaft and said drive sleeve, comprising an inner circle of equally spaced holes step counterbored at the other side of the flange and a set of stepped bolts, each being matingly interfittable in said step counterbored holes and adapted driveably to secure the power take-off shaft to the hollow drive shaft when passed through the inner circle of holes from said one side of the flange, so that the splined end zone of the power take-off shaft appropriate to the speed of the hollow drive shaft projects operatively, and adapted driveably to secure the power take-off shaft to the drive sleeve when passed through the outer circle of holes from said other side of the flange, the power take-off shaft having been turned end-for-end so that its splined end zone appropriate to the speed of the drive sleeve then projects operatively each of said bolts having a length dimension insufficient to engage one of said drive sleeve said drive shaft when incorrectly inserted, whereby attempted insertion of a bolt into a hole not counterbored on a side of the flange into which such insertion is attempted leaves said bolt short of possible engagement with one of said drive shaft or said drive sleeve;
• and means for providing a clearance between the flange and that one of the hollow drive shaft and the drive sleeve to which the power takeoff shaft is not for the time being driveably secured.