Flail Mower Mott 72" Flail Mower bearing replacement & drive pulley spacing

[leonz]

Don't hate me, but I need pictures of the interior of the side weldments of the flail mower please

I would love to see more pictures of the bearings and housings facing the same direction also so I can be of more help.

My soap opera is on so I will be back in a while.

 

[Zumdahl]

Do you mean the Bearing?

Sorry, I'm really not sure on the language here. The hole through the center of the new bearing/housing assembly which resembles a ~2" long pipe. I'm not sure if this is actually part of the bearing, or basically a pipe that rides inside a bearing. If for instance, I inserted the assembly and then set the pulley on the shaft could I use the bolt which secures the pulley to really press against that proud metal surface? I don't know if that 'pipe' bottoms out on something, or if it could go as far 'into' the mower as necessary.

 

[Zumdahl]

Don't hate me, but I need pictures of the interior of the side weldments of the flail mower please

I would love to see more pictures of the bearings and housings facing the same direction also so I can be of more help.

My soap opera is on so I will be back in a while.

You're here spending your free time helping someone you've never met out. I'll be out there with a camera all night if it makes this easier to resolve.
This is with the old assembly, and is the inside of the mower, the 1/2" metal piece that sticks through the side of the mower is part of the bearing assembly.


And facing the same direction if that's what you meant:

 

[leonz]

Hello Zumdahl,

By now you should have the Mott manual that covers the entire Mott flail mower line in your mailbox.

If the original bearing for the driven side of the flail mower was a flush mount face without a shoulder
they sent you the wrong bearing.

If they sent you two of the same bearing it does not take into account the fact that the driven pulley MUST be mated flush with the Flail Mower Rotor Stub Shaft on that side as the bolt will not have the holding power as the bolt threads will not be fully bottomed out and you cannot be expected to run your mower like that.

Give me a couple more minutes here.

 

[leonz]

Fixing my post here;


The bearing with the hub faces inward not outward according to the old manual, that would explain the issues your having. Do you have the washer which is part number 57 in the manual?


I will be back a bit later -my favorite attorney is on now :^0.

 

[Zumdahl]

I do have two identical housing+bearing assemblies. Thank you for the manual. Am I reading the parts diagram included incorrectly? It seems like it calls for duplicates of everything bearing cage/bearing related. The part I ordered two of from Flailmaster was the "M-702408", which references the same '700736' as the manual. Did I order the wrong part?

This may be a secondary issue, but I didn't order new bearing washers. I didn't actually see those when I removed the old pieces either. It's possible they're buried under wound grass and grease. I'll go poke at the old piece and see.
[edit] Nope, there doesn't look to be a washer on either side. I don't think the manual references a size. Is it just based on the ID (1-3/16") of the bearing?

 

[leonz]

I am pretty sure they sent the right bearing now as item 56 is the bearing with the shoulder that protrudes into the interior of the mower.

The washer on the hub side nests against the shoulder of the stub shaft of the flail mower rotor.

 

[leonz]

Good morning,

I realize that its 7:10 AM in gods country and I hope that you did not lose any sleep.

Did you have the opportunity to rotate the bearing housing 180 degrees to see how well the fit
is in relation to the driven V pulley fit-It has to be flush with the stub shaft.

Are you on the desert side of Wenatchee, Wa. or on the western side of Skykomish Wa.?

I have been an amateur historian of the Great Northern Railroad from 1890-1929 when the GNRR
crossed the cascades from Skykomish to Wenatchee using the old switchbacks from Skykomish to
Corea to Elba then on to Wellington and then across the mountains to Cascade Tunnel Station and
then on to Wenatchee and points east.


The Railroad town of Wellington, Washington was named after Arthur Mellon Wellington who was a brilliant Civil Engineer who built railroads in Mexico and South America and he was also a Member of the Board of Directors of the Great Northern Railway



We will get you through this.


Leon

 

[Zumdahl]

Sorry for the radio silence, I've been busy at work and just had a chance to get back out to the garage now. We're on the western side of the state, but further south than Skykomish. More along the I-90 corridor. Ever been to the Northwest Railway Museum? Its in right at the base of Snoqualmie Pass. One of those restored train stations, rides for the kids etc. Neat place if you're into trains and in the area.

As it stands now with the new assemblies I can't get the pulley to fully seat, and because of that it's quite out of alignment with the idle and input pulleys.
Rotating the bearing housing doesn't seem to change anything in relation to how far the shaft protrudes. The bearing assembly snugs up to is shoulder against the mower and I can't see any way to make it tighter or sit further in.

 

[leonz]

Hello Zumdahl,

The railroad museum is on my wish list when I am able to travel west as I plan on walking across Windy and Cowboy mountain on the old switchbacks with a guide after I have my knees replaced.

I have always felt that the GN made a huge mistake when they built the new tunnel as its been proven they would have gone bankrupt if it was not for the CB&Q's hauling iron ore from the Mesabi range to their docks at Allouez.

They had been upgrading the line for years before Ralph Budd pushed the new tunnel on the board and they took him at his word.

They could have kept everything intact and just improved the line every year with more modern equipment. The electric locomotives that were used until 1956 were the same ones that were used when the line from Skykomish to Wentachee in 1909.
These locomotives were salvaged after the avalanche in 1910 and upgraded to a more efficient electric locomotive after that and the ones that were sold to the Pennsylvania railroad were practically brand new and the Pennsy folks were shocked as they were practically brand new when they recieved them from the Great Northern Railroad.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is no need to apologize for the radio silence at all Zumdahl, At this point I will be candid and tell you that you need to call flailmaster on Monday if possible and explain this to them as the bearings and housings are the wrong ones.


At this time:

1. If possible remove the flail mower rotor and put it on a bench or saw horses and take pictures of both end of the flail mower rotor.

2. take pictures of both sides of the interior and exterior of the side weldments with all the holes exposed and clean.

3. take pictures of both sides of the old bearings and bearing housings.


At worst they may ask you to send the old bearings and the new bearings back as they sold you the wrong bearings and bearing housings and be sure to ask them to send back the old bearings and housings to you.

That way they can send you the correct bearings and bearing housings and also the bearing washers which you need anyway.


I would if at all possible send pictures of both ends of the the flail mower rotor to them and the shaft stub diameters and lengths of the stub shafts. You need to also send a picture of the mower knife mounts as well.


Leon


I am so sorry that I am not closer to you to help.