A Power Take-Off (PTO) would be a cool addition to a model tractor if it was possible to squeeze it in. You would be able to turn simple moving accessories like a hay fork in a more realistic manner but how would you do it?

Well I can think of two ways, the first and most obvious is to add an extra motor to spin the PTO. This is not a problem if you are working with 1:10 or 1:16 models as you should have an abundance of space but the 1:32 guys will struggle with space as it is already hard to fit the drive motor and steering servo in without leaving room for much else.

If you did manage this then you would have perfect speed control of your PTO and easily be able to connect any moving accessory you like to the tractor.

The second method would be to use a drive motor which already has a power take off shaft built into it. An example of this is the Tamiya 70108.

 

 The obvious drawback to this method is that the shaft will only spin when the tractor is moving and the rotational speed is proportional to the vehicle speed.

So what can those of us who like 1:32 scale do? Well why not take a leaf from SIKUs book and forget about a PTO, they already have accessories for 1:32 scale models without a PTO.

 

They simply use motors on the accessory where they want it to move just like I done with the steering on the John Deere Mower Conditioner. Simply add your motors, servos, LEDs and a microcontroller to your accessory. Although maybe put a bit more effort into hiding the battery and cables than SIKU done with the above tractor 🙂

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the RC Tractors Website for new places to hide batteries, new accessories I’ve modified for the tractor and possibly some ideas for future projects. Pop over to the RC Tractors Forum if you have any suggestions or ideas for RC tractor accessories.