What is "power take-off"

n. A powered shaft on a agricultural tractor or other machine used for auxiliary equipment

A power take-off or power takeoff (PTO) is any of several methods for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and transmitting it to an application such as an attached implement or separate machines.

Most commonly, it is a system comprising a splined output shaft on a tractor or truck, designed so that a PTO shaft, a kind of drive shaft, can be easily connected and disconnected, and a corresponding input shaft on the application end. The power take-off allows implements to draw energy from the engine.

Semi-permanently mounted power take-offs can also be found on industrial and marine engines. These applications typically use a drive shaft and bolted joint to transmit power to a secondary implement or accessory. In the case of a marine application, such shafts may be used to power fire pumps.

In aircraft applications, such an accessory drive may be used in conjunction with a constant speed drive. Jet aircraft have four types of PTO units: internal gearbox, external gearbox, radial driveshaft, and bleed air, which are used to power engine accessories. In some cases, aircraft power take-off systems also provide for putting power into the engine during engine start. See also Coffman starter