Tractor winch help please

[Brad_S.]

Can anyone troubleshoot my situation for this mechanically challenged idiot?

I have a Wallenstein FX90 skidding winch that I haven't used in a few years. I have a need for it tomorrow and I hooked it up to the tractor but when I try and engage the tractor PTO, it stalls the tractor out. The Wallenstein manual doesn't offer any clues as to what might be.

With the tractor off, I can rotate the PTO shaft back-and-forth about 90° degrees and I can watch the chain in the winch spin freely. When I attempt to turn on the PTO it will spin for a couple turns before stalling the tractor. 

 Any insight is appreciated!

[A-z farmer]

I think your clutch is frozen fast meaning the clutch pads are stuck to your cable drum face..
Can you pull the cable by hooking it to a immovable object and try and free it carefully.

[Brad_S.]

Thank you for the reply. It turns out the problem is not the winch, it's the tractor. It was working fine this afternoon. Now, even with no load, it's stalling out when I engage the PTO.  I hope I didn't bend the PTO shaft somehow! At any rate, thank you for the help.

[Gere Flewelling]

We're you sitting on the seat when trying the PTO? Does your tractor have a safety switch in the seat that will stall the tractor if you are not in the seat when PTO is engaged. Some smaller JD's have that feature.