I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt.

   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #1  

montelatici

Platinum Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
630
Location
Croom, Maryland
Tractor
Kubota B2601 and L3560 HSTC LE
Broke a shear bolt on my 60 inch Woods Bush Bull. Found a grade 2 bolt of the appropriate size at Home Depot and thought that it would be a matter of knocking out what's left of the old bolt and put in the new bolt.

It was hot. Take of the shield on the gear box end. There is then a shield around the shield which has two access holes through which you are supposed to be able to get at the shear bolt. The two access holes are not really large enough so I unbolt the second shield so that I can move it around to get at the shear bolt hole. The outer shield is hard to bolt back on, what a pain. Why is it there. The normal shield over the u-joint should be all that is needed.

Anyway it took over an hour to do the job, while replacing the shear bolt excluding removing the shields took 15 minutes. The only good thing about it is that I sweat like a pig and maybe shed a few pounds.
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #2  
Well, you got 'er done.... that's what matters...hope the grade 2 bolt works for you for a long time....
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #3  
You did stir the safety police here with even the slightest hint be it ever so subtle that you might be able to live without the monster PTO safety shields. Here come the stories about I knew a guy that....
My shields are gone, the closest I get to the spinning PTO is the tractor seat. Folks that want to watch can stand far away. I'm far more concerned about them getting hit by a piece of debris thrown by the blades then getting wrapped around the PTO when standing 50' away. Okay safety police, fire away! :laughing:

Broke a shear bolt on my 60 inch Woods Bush Bull. Found a grade 2 bolt of the appropriate size at Home Depot and thought that it would be a matter of knocking out what's left of the old bolt and put in the new bolt.

It was hot. Take of the shield on the gear box end. There is then a shield around the shield which has two access holes through which you are supposed to be able to get at the shear bolt. The two access holes are not really large enough so I unbolt the second shield so that I can move it around to get at the shear bolt hole. The outer shield is hard to bolt back on, what a pain. Why is it there. The normal shield over the u-joint should be all that is needed.

Anyway it took over an hour to do the job, while replacing the shear bolt excluding removing the shields took 15 minutes. The only good thing about it is that I sweat like a pig and maybe shed a few pounds.
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #4  
I ran in to a similar issue with my Landpride rotary cutter. The guards around the universal joint is plastic on this one, so I drilled a couple of good sized holes in the gaurd with a hole saw for better access. I can't see how the holes would make the guard significantly less safe. Far better than breaking the guard fighting with it or getting frustrated and permanently removing it.
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #5  
Bang, Bang:D

Shields are not for the smart..such as yourself, but for the dumb, careless, exhausted or frustrated and trying to cut corners or save time.

Agreed, there is no way to save someone from themselves if they insist on getting hurt, but some of the safety devices have, on occasion, avoided/reduced injury and pain. This is a good thing if it happens to you:thumbsup:
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #6  
Usually guards and shields last until something breaks and the first time they are off they stay off.......

Some things are made to stay that way!

Craig
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #7  
Yup.... dittos to that.

Usually guards and shields last until something breaks and the first time they are off they stay off.......

Some things are made to stay that way!

Craig
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #8  
I'm all for safety too, however after having one of those PTO shields explode and nail me with shards of plastic shrapnel, I no longer have them in place on any of my implements. And yes, the one that failed had been routinely maintained.

The way I see it is of all the PTO driven implements I have, NONE of them are meant to be operated while I am off the seat. If there were to be a rollover or something like that, getting caught in a spinning PTO shaft would be the least of my concerns. Also I don't allow other around me when operating PTO driven equipment. Anytime I'm working in the area of the shaft or coupling/uncoupling it the engine is off......pretty plan and simple isn't it?
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #9  
I think shields are great for those pieces of equipment that a person has to tend to on the ground. Such as a feed grinder, or when running a silo blower, and the like.

But they are just "on the books" as liability protection for the mfg'rs, and to me completely useless for such equipment/attachments as the rotary cutter.

I did see a video recently of a PTO driven wood shaver that sent chills up my spine with two people working near the PTO shaft without the machine-end of the PTO shaft shielded. Just no sense in that. Plus they only idled down the tractor to demonstrate how they could easily get to the knives (similar to jointer or planer knife head) to change them.
Common sense (like no riders on the rotary cutter when brush hogging duh! ) should prevail.
Now having said that, I still have the safety shroud on the cutter as it has a clutch. But it was close to being removed when I recently checked/adjusted the clutch :D
 
   / I'm all for safety, but with all the shields it takes hours to replace a shear bolt. #10  
It seems that not all implements are built the same. :laughing: I did not have any of your issues when replacing the shear bolt on my Mohawk Brave cutter. My PTO shield is not removable, only the gearbox shield on the cutter deck. It takes a few seconds to remove the single bolt holding the metal shield in place and the universal joint/gearbox connection is visible. Only the PTO/universal joint connection is covered by the PTO shield. The flexible parts of the universal is hidden from view by the PTO shield, but the part that slides onto the gearbox shaft is completely visible. My replacement time is under 10 minutes if I go easy.
 
 
Top