EEK!!! Did I Break my Stump Grinder!!!!!

[MossflowerWoods]

Yesterday I decided to emulate Foggy111 and try to systematically grind stumps, he saye he can do like 100 a day or something...

I was grinding mostly pine stumps (very aromatic) some large, some small, in a section I am about to add into the temporary pasture by expanding the electric fence.

I was on my 10th stump, a very small one actually when my TSG-50 bounced, dug in hard and stalled the tractor.

This is what I found afterwards.

For the life of me I cannot figure out why this happened. the ground was not level, but not far off from level. there was some sticks and debris under the part of the grinder that sits on the ground, but there always is.

I did nothing different tat I ever do, and it was a small stump, and I was taking small "bites" and not trying to do more than get it below the surface of the dirt to make it easier to hog/mow...

What do I do now? I worried to run the grinder, so I took it off and I'm bush hogging today instead. This thing cost a fortune and I actually NEED it to work for a long, long time...

So I guess I'm Stumped...

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[gwdixon]

So it doesn't work with that bend in the mount? Seems like something else must be wrong as well if the grinder won't function normally. It appears that the tractor's lower arm is compensating for the bend.

The fix would be to heat the bent piece and bend it back to where it was originally. Or cut off the whole piece and weld on a heavier bracket with additional support.

 

[RandyT]

Sometimes it doesn't take much to bend the pin connections. I bent the ones on my bushhog up about two inches and back about 1 inch and bent the left A arm support going up the the top link, when I snagged it on a 2 inch stump while backing over brush.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

So it doesn't work with that bend in the mount? Seems like something else must be wrong as well if the grinder won't function normally. It appears that the tractor's lower arm is compensating for the bend.

The fix would be to heat the bent piece and bend it back to where it was originally. Or cut off the whole piece and weld on a heavier bracket with additional support.

The TSG-50 "works" I was just scared I might make it worse or that I might break it, and I'm still a n00bie so I took it off and did something else.

I do not have a welder, can I just hammer it back straight for now?

David.

 

[1savoy]

MossflowerWoods,

That stinks!!!!! The way that mounting tab is attached does not look to be the best setup. I would not worry too much about it. Remove the pin and bend back in shape with a large Crescent wrench slid over the end of the mounting tab. If you have access to a welder, I would change the mounting method by having a mounting plate on both sides of the frame where you would slide a pin through on both sides with your 3 pt hitch in between the two mounting plates. Similar to box blades and such that are medium to heavy duty. Still stinks it happened but hopefully can keep it from happening again. Just re-read and see you do not have a welder. I would try the crescent wrench method before the hammer, but either should work Good luck.

 

[Gator6x4]

The TSG-50 "works" I was just scared I might make it worse or that I might break it, and I'm still a n00bie so I took it off and did something else.

I do not have a welder, can I just hammer it back straight for now?

David.

Remove the pin. Use a sledge hammer and strike the end forcing back straight. You may have to also provide a heavy object on the back before striking with the sledge to force back. Looks like half inch steel, may be hard to straighten.

Curious about the way you have the pins mounted. Will your lift arms open wide enough to reverse the pins from the way you have them now?

 

[Zebrafive]

MossflowerWoods,

That stinks!!!!! The way that mounting tab is attached does not look to be the best setup. I would not worry too much about it. Remove the pin and bend back in shape with a large Crescent wrench slid over the end of the mounting tab. If you have access to a welder, I would change the mounting method by having a mounting plate on both sides of the frame where you would slide a pin through on both sides with your 3 pt hitch in between the two mounting plates. Similar to box blades and such that are medium to heavy duty. Still stinks it happened but hopefully can keep it from happening again. Just re-read and see you do not have a welder. I would try the crescent wrench method before the hammer, but either should work Good luck.

I agree! Since you do not have a welder, have a fab/welding shop redo the mounts with plates both sides. I would worry next time the mount may rip from the tube.

I don't know if a cresent wrench will straighten it. Might reverse the pin then get a long pipe that just slides over the pin to bent it back.

 

[nspec]

For God's sake's! Please - you spent a lot of money on this thing. Don't just start beating on it with a sledgehammer!! That's a hack fix. It needs to be fixed properly. This will mean using heat to bend it back into position and then fabricating some sort of new reinforcement. Find a good metal shop to help you out. I would speak with the manufacturer first. I'd be pissed if mine did that.

I also agree with reversing the pins. The pins often face inward for shipping. They should be unbolted and turned around so your lift arms are on the outside of the frame, not the inside.

 

[foggy1111]

Not much to add to what is said and the advice given above. My pins are outboard rather than inboard as shown.

In an effort to save time when grinding stumps.....I sometimes will use my tractor to "drag" the grinder a foot or two (with the lower stabilizer bar/foot in the dirt) while repositioning for another bite/angle. I move slow.....and never had a problem as a result of doing so.....even tho the foot "digs in" as I reposition. But after seeing this.....I may have to re-think my operating methods. Makes me wonder how you applied that much load to the mount.....without impact or snagging a root???

(Remind me not to borrow you any tools. :laughing

 

[rambler]

Actually, the best fix for that would involve a 20 ton press, and some way of holding that frame member up in postion to get in the press. Cold pressing it would be just fine for that small amount of bend.

Frankly it will work for 20 years just as it is, no big deal really to the funtion of the grinder..... But I understand wanting to get it back straight for sure.

A giant Cresent wrench or pipe wrench hooked over the metal likely also will bend it back 95% straight.

The pipe over the stud might help things, tho likely will bend the pipe, and would likely bend the metal closer to the frame - you would end up with a straight stud, but the flange would have a little ripple...

The torch and hammer will work well, but you lose a lot of paint that way, and will see the hammer marks.

Just beating on it with a hammer (without the heavy backing like an anvil) will likely bend it over back by the frame, not straighten out the ripple - much like the pipe on the stud will do. You'll never chase it down with everything straight, just 'better' with the pipe or hammer methods.

Similar to a press, if you remove the stud and place the bent part on a heavy (heavy!) metal surface and beat on the other side with a hammer you could get it nice and straight. This is basically doing the 'press' option, instead of a strong press you use small repeated beatings....Basically put a pices of metal on an anvil and hammer it straight. But your frame is too big to hold easily on an anvil, so you'd have to improvise something.

The press will do the nice gentle straightening and you can fuss as long as you want to get as close to perfect as you want, the torch & hammer will also get you all straight but a bit messy.

Would guess your grinder grabbed something hard & immovable, and it pulled so hard and fast it bent the ear a bit.

While that ear is not the best design for a solid 3pt stud, perhaps you had the best result if that is all that got damaged. If you beef it up, next time something happens, what will break then? A little bent metal might be the cheapest deal to fix up....

This is a tool, they get wear & abuse, stuff like this happens, it will work a long time no matter what, if anything, you do to straighted it out again.

--->Paul