Brush Hog Broke???

[SGTLOWE]

I have a older brush hog that I bought used a while back. I used it to cut and it worked fine. I got it out yestersay to cut a path to move some cows through and about half way through it I noticed it was not cutting good. I inspected it and the drive shaft was spinning fast but the blades were just barely turning. I am thinking I stripped a gear, but I have heard that some hogs have a "slip clutch" type device. Could this be the case and I need to "reset" it some how?

John

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

John you will either have a slip clutch or a shear pin. You probably sheared a shear pin. Look where the PTO shaft connects to the gear box. There will be a bolt going through the yoke and the shaft to hold them together. Remove the bolt to see if it is broken. If it is replace it with the same grade bolt that comes out of it.
Bill

 

[Bird]

John, you might have a sheared bolt, as Bill mentioned, or maybe you have a slip clutch that needs adjusting. They do periodically have to be adjusted. Do you know what one looks like; i.e., what to look for? And can you post a picture of the driveshaft so we can tell just what you have?

 

[RalphVa]

John,

A slip clutch will look like a large collar near the gear box of your brush hog. If no large collar, you've sheared a shear bolt. It's probably still there and dragging a bit, causing the blades to spin a little bit. When mine went the first time, the bolt came out entirely, and the blades wouldn't turn at all. The second time it happened, the blades turned a bit before stopping, as the shaft of the bolt stayed in place then. I had to poke it out with a screwdriver. Your shear bolt could be hiding behind the plastic safety shroud. I took some tin snips and snipped away that **** thing.

Ralph

 

[Doc_Bob]

Are you talking about the PTO shaft or the shaft on the rotary cutter shaft?
Bob

 

[SGTLOWE]

From what you guys are saying I am thinking if might be a slip clutch. The bolt is still good on the shaft near the box. I will get a pic and post in the am. If it is a slip clutch how do I go about repairing/adjusting it.
Thanks for the help,

John

 

[Bird]

John, I'm sure there are lots of other places, too, but if you go to the Bushhog website, then click on "Owners Manuals" on the left side of the page, you can probably find the information in almost any of the rotary cutter manuals, but I know page 12 of the "Squealer Models" has illustrated instructions for slip clutch maintenance.

 

[SGTLOWE]

Here are some pics of the setup...

 

[Farmwithjunk]

No slip clutch there. Is the input shaft on the gear box turning with the driveshaft? (Round shaft that points forward from gearbox and connects to PTO shaft) If it is, and there's nothing turning under the mower, you might have gear box troubles. That shear bolt looks rather substantial. Good chance the gears went south instead of the shearbolt breaking. It may just be an optical illusion, but it LOOKS like there's a little twist in the PTO shaft. That would indicate that the mower has seen a fair amount of "torture". What sort of tractor are you using? (How much horsepower are you turning loose on the gearbox?)

 

[rdbrumfield]

I agree with Farmjunk. Also I would replace that driveshaft. They don't tend to lenghten and shorten when torgued or bent. Could cause you some expensive damage to the tractor when picking the unit up and down.