Power take-off

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.