OH POO! What did I do?

[blueriver]

Why can't the OP tear the gear box down, order the new shaft and put it back together?

John Deere - Parts Catalog

 

[RoyJackson]

Why can't the OP tear the gear box down, order the new shaft and put it back together?

Depends on his skills and if he has the tools.

 

[Willl]

Snakes, can you find a serial number on it?

 

[blueriver]

Depends on his skills and if he has the tools.

Correct ... I thought I read someone advised him to park it in the woods and get a new one. Even with a lack of skills he could at least get the parts and have a shop do the rebuild.

 

[rasimmo]

Correct ... I thought I read someone advised him to park it in the woods and get a new one. Even with a lack of skills he could at least get the parts and have a shop do the rebuild.

In the post that said that, it also said the parts were not supported by JD. I am not sure though.

 

[RoyJackson]

Correct ... I thought I read someone advised him to park it in the woods and get a new one. Even with a lack of skills he could at least get the parts and have a shop do the rebuild.

That may be the best way to go if the OP has to have all the work done...and, the condition of the cutter may not justify putting much money into it.
But, with al the good advice he's got so far, at least he can make an informed decision.

 

[blueriver]

In the post that said that, it also said the parts were not supported by JD. I am not sure though.

Okay ... when I looked them up on the John Deere Parts Catalog they where there ... of course that don't mean they have them!!!

 

[blueriver]

That may be the best way to go if the OP has to have all the work done...and, the condition of the cutter may not justify putting much money into it.
But, with al the good advice he's got so far, at least he can make an informed decision.

Roy thats also true. I don't know what a shop would charge.

 

[clemsonfor]

Yes the blades will turn for a minute or so after you turn the cutter off, has nothing to do with the clutch.

If you can get the shaft i think you could get it done for half the cost of a new one?

Here is a question, how handy are you? CAn you cut and weld metal, take things apart?

Also does anyone know if the cheaper gearboxes from Ag supply will fit? You can get a 40HP gear box for $120 in store or shipped(obviously plus shipping). This would be the cheapest solution. The picture of them on the catalouge looks just like the one on my Jbar BH. They are shear pin boxes. If they wont fit and you can weld or have some one who can you can make it fit!

 

[MHarryE]

The shaft didn't break from this one incident. The lines you see on the fracture surface are called beach marks. They are created as the shaft fatigued. The rough area in the center is the final fracture. There is a step on the shaft OD where the shaft was machined - probably the snap ring groove. If you look at the JD Parts Catalog, it shows 3 possible gear boxes. The ones shown as item 28 and 30 illustrate a shaft with a snap ring groove. Item 32 is the later design (shown by the serial number range having no end number) and the snap ring grove has been removed. The illustration shows that instead there is a shoulder in the middle of the shaft where the snap ring was previously located. It is very likely that they found the original design was subject to bending fatigue failures. That snap ring groove not only weakens the shaft by the reduction in diameter, but the corner of the groove creates a stress riser that magnifies the fatigue factor. The new design is much more expensive because it is made by machining the shaft out of a larger diameter bar, but my rough estimate is its at least twice as strong as the original design in the loading that a rotary cutter sees. It looks like you can get a replacement for the failed part if the parts catalog is correct - it doesn't say anything about not being serviced separately - that you have to buy the entire box, blade holder, and blades, but it looks like something on which you would expect a repeat failure. A shear bolt or lower slip clutch setting isn't going to stop a fatigue failure like this - it is going to happen sometime although a lower slip clutch setting will prolong life.