disc repair question?

[Mike4282]

I am looking at buying a used 12 ft transport disc (unsure of model), a few of the disc wheels will need to be replaced.. if any of you have done this, how big of a job is it to replace a few of the disc's?? thanks for any advice.

 

[LeadPoison]

It totally depends... If it isn't rusted too bad, it really isn't too big of a deal. You just need the right tools. It also may depend on the bearings. I would replace all the bearings while you have it apart. Sometimes they need to be pressed
in and that can be a real pain.

 

[gwdixon]

I am looking at buying a used 12 ft transport disc (unsure of model), a few of the disc wheels will need to be replaced.. if any of you have done this, how big of a job is it to replace a few of the disc's?? thanks for any advice.

Once you get the end nut off it falls apart like a Chinese puzzle. I had to apply a lot of heat and use a breaker bar while holding the center shaft with a 4' pipe wrench jammed against the frame. The nut finally came loose when glowing red.

Can't imagine how it would get done with the gang off of the frame. Maybe a HUGE impact wrench with 200+ psi.

It is then that you'll know what kind of disc to order since the center shafts come in different sizes and even shapes. Plus, it looks odd to have one or two large discs on a gang. It tends to make for uneven soil penetration. It is tempting to replace all of the discs on the gang and take a close look at the bearings as LeadPoison mentioned.

Another thing to check is if the axle is compromised where it goes through the disc blade. The blade on mine had a square hole and the square axle was cut round where the old blade contacted it. Granted, it was a very old and well used disc. It can be welded and ground to repair it.

All in all, it is a labor intensive task with heavy components. A FEL/chain is a great help in moving stuff around and lifting the frame to drop the gang.

 

[franklinute]

I have worked on several farm discs and some big offset bog type discs. I like having a skid steer with forks available to move the machinery around. To dismantle the machine I use big adjustable wrenches, pipe wrenches, large pry bars and several cheater pipes. Also a good idea to have a torch handy. First step is to remove cotter pin in the end of the axle if it uses a castle nut. Next clean the threads of the axle so you won't damage any threads. If the nut is extremely tight and the whole axle shaft turns then you must hold the axle to remove the nut. This depends on how the other end is made. Try a pipe wrench, maybe grind a couple of flat spots on the axle head to get a better bite or weld a large nut to the head end. Once the axle nut is almost off unbolt the bearings from the frame and the whole axle and discs will roll out. Sometimes the scapers get in the way so either loosen them or raise the frame of the disc so the axle will roll out.

 

[gwdixon]

I have worked on several farm discs and some big offset bog type discs. I like having a skid steer with forks available to move the machinery around. To dismantle the machine I use big adjustable wrenches, pipe wrenches, large pry bars and several cheater pipes. Also a good idea to have a torch handy. First step is to remove cotter pin in the end of the axle if it uses a castle nut. Next clean the threads of the axle so you won't damage any threads. If the nut is extremely tight and the whole axle shaft turns then you must hold the axle to remove the nut. This depends on how the other end is made. Try a pipe wrench, maybe grind a couple of flat spots on the axle head to get a better bite or weld a large nut to the head end. Once the axle nut is almost off unbolt the bearings from the frame and the whole axle and discs will roll out. Sometimes the scapers get in the way so either loosen them or raise the frame of the disc so the axle will roll out.

Yep, that's how you do it.

 

[flusher]

I am looking at buying a used 12 ft transport disc (unsure of model), a few of the disc wheels will need to be replaced.. if any of you have done this, how big of a job is it to replace a few of the disc's?? thanks for any advice.

Could be easy or not. I have a 13-ft Minneapolis Moline transport disc (model KA1300).



Getting the nut off the end of the axle can be a struggle. I had to repair the bushing on the end of one of the axles. The bushing had essentially disintegrated so I made a quick "farmers" fix to get me going.



At 13 ft wide, that disc was too much for my Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine) to pull in anything but dry soil, so I narrowed the disc by removing two of the outer pans from each axle. Instead of struggling with rusted nuts, I just cut the pans off with my 4-1/2" angle grinder and a bunch of cutoff blades.

Good luck.

 

[Mike4282]

Thanks guys I think I am going to take on the job..

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Try to find out the brand first and if you can't post some pics and let us see so we can help you id it. Then price out the parts and make sure you can even still get the parts you will need. These things can get expensive fast.