Rotary Cutter 5' Howse Brush Hog

   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #1  

bford

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
39
Location
Central Oklahoma
I have a 5' Howse Brush Hog and am needing a little advice on how to change out the blades. I bought the cutter used and have no idea when the blades were last sharpened. How often should they be sharpened or replaced??
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #2  
Here's a link to Howse: Search Results : Howse Implement Company, Your source for tractor and farm equipment parts and supplies
If you want to buy a manual.

As far as "sharpening" those blades...it's more a matter of dressing the edge. You really don't want a sharp cutter blade.
As far as replacement...well, my Land Pride blades are 10 years old and still going strong (annual or biannual blade dressing).
Before you dress the blades, look for broken blades, cracks and nicks (I'm sure you'll find nicks!!). Blend the nicks out as best you can and replace those blades if cracked or broken. This is where the operator's manual comes in handy...if for nothing else, the torque spec. It'll will likely be in the 400 ft-lb range.
One thing that is very important is to have the cutter solidly positioned when you work on it. If you work under it (NOT recommended IMHO!!), use enough jackstands to prevent it from falling. I use my loader, some clamps and chains to prop mne against a tree (blades facing out) and a keeper on the chain to prevent the cutter from falling.
Have the usual protective gear on too...
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the info. I will look into getting a manual. One more question........I hear about people replacing seals. What should I look for as warning signs? The cutter runs really strong and quiet right now.......
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #4  
Thanks for the info. I will look into getting a manual. One more question........I hear about people replacing seals. What should I look for as warning signs? The cutter runs really strong and quiet right now.......

I've never had a bad seal so reading those threads might provide better information. I would suppose you'd see 90wt gear oil under the cutter if you had a bad seal.
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #5  
A bit over 11 years ago, I bought a new Howse 500 (5' rotary cutter). It did not have the access hole in the deck that my Bush Hog rotary cutter had, so it was a little more trouble to remove the blades and stump jumper, but not too bad. In the first place, I found the nuts and bolts holding the blades to the stump jumper were not tight at all; was sure glad I checked them before one came loose. Then the stump jumper was mounted on the gear box output shaft which was a tapered spline. I made my own "gear puller" with two 6" C-clamps and about a 10" piece of channel iron. Of course I backed the nut off, but left it on so when the stump jumper came loose, it didn't fall on me (I had the whole rotary cutter up on jackstands and blocks so I could safely work under it).
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks everyone for the feedback. Just recently moved to acreage and purchased a TO 30 with a brush hog and box blade. Learning as I go........... life is good!
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #7  
I have a 5ft. House,Its really old, but Cuts great. You'll need a 1 5/8" socket. I got one an use a reducer to get it to 1/2" an use a breaker bar(remember lefty Lucy,right tight). You'll find the nuts by looking through the hole on the top side of the cutter. The first time you take them off it might be hard unless the guy before you used "Never seize"(I use it Always.)There is a dimple to key the bolt so you don't have to hold the bottom side.Be sure to un hook the pto.So you can turn the disk,By reaching under an turning slowly.
Once you get the,m off you can sharpen them using a 4" side grinder. I use a pice of pipe 4 ft. long with a rod centered under it so it balances on say a saw horse. then slide the blades on each end making sure they are equal from the center. this will help you pick the light one, sharpen it first then sharpen the heavy one an take enough off so it balances.Look at a new blade at tractor supply an try to match the angle.Once their sharp an balanced. I wire brush,or wire wheel to get the rust off EVERYTHING! check for cracks! in the bolts lock washers nut an the main stump jumper part.I leave it on the tractor using jack stand on front an some wooden cribbing at the wheel end. Strangely the lower it is the easier it is to take off an put on.You just don't have to pick them up as far.
Also you'll see there is a dimple on the bolt that is important to get it where it wants to be when you reinstall everything. (Another reason to have the rust free so everything goes together smoothly)The never seize will let you tighten it back easily .Remember to add extra blocks so if it slips you'll be ok. AS for the seals if it don't leak leave it alone,I drained an replaced with new oil Any parts store will sell you the right stuff.
Good luck
Army Grunt
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #8  
unless they are worn out.. I wouldn't change them.

a file or angle grinder dresses them nicely, in place.

just check them beginning of each year, and check the gearbox to make sure it is full to the level check plug.. but not overfull.

grease the zerks on the tailwheel hub and spindle when you get ready to go mow...

when the seals start to weep, if ever, pump some gun grease in on top of the oil... then go another few decades checking it.. :)

soundguy
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #9  
One thing for sure is that if it needs a seal, it needs to be replaced. If you just pump grease in the gear box, thats ok for the gears. But there are two input shaft bearings and the grease will not get to them and you know what happens when you run bearings dry. $$$ I know, for I had a old bushhog brand bushhog and thats what happen to it. Fourty dollars of bearnings and races. That was several years ago. Thats why they put 90 w oil in the gearboxs.
 
   / 5' Howse Brush Hog #10  
Um.. I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with your statement.

as an old iron monger.. I've used PLENTY of old implements with leaky seals.

your contention that the front input shaft bearing CAN NOT be lubed by the grease is.. well.. LAUGHABLE to say the least.

For 1, ever hear of JD corn head grease? any idea what that was developed for? gear boxes on corn headers? don't figure they burn up using that grease do ya? It's a NLGI 0# grease.. it flows. You can also get NLGI 00# grease that is more or less a pourable lube a lil thicker than molassis on a cold morning. You can also get EP pourable lube, which has a viscosity somewhere in between the nlgi 00# grease, and say.. 300w gear oil.

I't COMMON practice to fill a gearbox with a pourable grease / lube to combat a weeping seal. when you do this you ov course fill so that the front seal and bearing are still getting lube.

You wouldn't pack a gearbox like this with regular gun grease like a #2 or #4 as it will hog out and form a cavity.. however adding some #2 or #4 gun grease to a box that already has oil in it, in order to thicken it up to prevent a weeps seal is fine.

I have a 10' mower. int he owners manual it states to use an 85w140 gear oil OR a EP pourable grease like a nlgi 00# grease.

I have currently have an old servis 6' hog ( think rhino ), that had weepy seals, but was filled with pourable grease. seals stopped weeping, hog has been beating down brush just like it was it's first 30ys of life. lube level is above the low end of the input shaft. have an old magrix seeder with a gearbox doing the same deal... don't look like it's planning on quitting any time soon either.

while for most equipment, seal replacement isn't bad, and can be done with a generic if you know the shaft OD, housing ID, and depth, I have run into a few applications with specialized seals that without the oem parts.. a generic could not be had without machining the input housing to accept the common unit. for a cheap old clapped out implement that runs fine on grease.. it simply may not be worth it to stick 100$ or more of machining plus the seal cost into what may have been a 'free' deal anyway...

soundguy

One thing for sure is that if it needs a seal, it needs to be replaced. If you just pump grease in the gear box, thats ok for the gears. But there are two input shaft bearings and the grease will not get to them and you know what happens when you run bearings dry. $$$ I know, for I had a old bushhog brand bushhog and thats what happen to it. Fourty dollars of bearnings and races. That was several years ago. Thats why they put 90 w oil in the gearboxs.
 
 
 
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