Rotary Cutter Rotary cutter not cutting.

[hudr]

I just sort of scanned the other posts, I didn't see anyone suggest anything about belts slipping. I had an old Ford pull type mower that had a gear box in the middle but the blades ran off of belts. It would work great until the belts wore and got slick, then it would develop the symtoms you described. If the blades are gear driven, disregard this and forget I'm talking.

 

[N80]

I wouldn't swear they weren't belt driven but I don't think so. Its a single spindle mower and the blade shaft comes out of the bottom of the gearbox. But something slipping is definitely the feeling I get.

Will investigate this weekend.

 

[hudr]

Hmmm... If it only has a single spindle I would say no to belt driven. The Ford we had (100" cut) was more like a big finish mower (it had 2 sets of blades) than an actual bush hog, but it would shred some pretty big stuff behind a stout tractor.
Does it vibrate or do anything else weird, other than slip? The teeth could be gone or a key shaved on a gear/shaft assembly.

 

[N80]

No unusual vibration. Less than normal in fact. Probably becasue the blades aren't reaching speed. Doubt major gear damage unless someone else used it after I did. It is more like something has come loose somewhere rather than broken.

I'll let you guys know the mystery next weekend.

 

[MMM]

I had that problem on my old Gyro84. It was split pin worn out and allowed output piniom nut to back off. Happens with 50 year old equip sometimes. Don't run in that condition or gears will be gone.

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue">Is there any other type of clutch? And if there was a shear pin that was sheared, would the blades spin at all?
</font>

Try checking the brush hogs output shaft as it goes into the blade carrier. The splines may be rounded out. There could be a key sheared on the input gear inside the gearbox--Ken Sweet