A crazy idea

[woodlandfarms]

One of my many projects before I have to go back to work is fixing the mower. PT put it together wrong, with the spare bolts installed on the other side of the stump jumper. So I have to take them apart because....

I need to create a bumper to stop my blades from sticking on the stump jumper.

This said, what do you guys think of using a hockey puck drilled through the center? It is hard rubber, but I am not sure if it is too hard and will just shatter when a blade swings into it. The other idea was just a chunk of old tire. I thought the puck would be better cause it would be ballanced weight wise.

Carl

 

[sawdust_maker]

One of my many projects before I have to go back to work is fixing the mower. PT put it together wrong, with the spare bolts installed on the other side of the stump jumper. So I have to take them apart because....

I need to create a bumper to stop my blades from sticking on the stump jumper.

This said, what do you guys think of using a hockey puck drilled through the center? It is hard rubber, but I am not sure if it is too hard and will just shatter when a blade swings into it. The other idea was just a chunk of old tire. I thought the puck would be better cause it would be ballanced weight wise.

Carl

I've found large rubber bottle stoppers to be useful in a variety of applications. They can be gotten in sizes as large as a hockey puck, but they are far softer. I've even turned them down in the lathe or machined them on my mill when I needed a specific shape.

John

 

[kjm3232]

I need to create a bumper to stop my blades from sticking on the stump jumper.

I bought a 4' by 8' rubber matt around 1" thick that goes on the floor of a horse barn. at a farmers supply i cut a 4" piece out of it. i used the mower with it a couple times and it seems to do okay. If it doesn't hold up than i have a whole sheet to use.

 

[KentT]

I used a chunk of hard rubber that I sawed off a rubber roller like those found on boat trailers (flat, not concave or convex roller) or anti-scalp roller for a mower deck, etc. I'm not sure where it came from...

It was about 2.5" - 3" in diameter and had a 7/16" hole in the center, and I sawed off a couple slices about 1" long, reamed the center hole out a little and bolted it on with a large flat washer, using Locktite. Works well...

My concern with a hockey puck is that it is very hard, which wouldn't absorb the impact quite as well..

 

[ponytug]

Perhaps you could cut one of these in half( 2.5"Dx1.75H, 0.5"shaft)?

Roller

Lots of different rollers to choose from.

All the best,

Peter

I used a chunk of hard rubber that I sawed off a rubber roller like those found on boat trailers (flat, not concave or convex roller) or anti-scalp roller for a mower deck, etc. I'm not sure where it came from...

It was about 2.5" - 3" in diameter and had a 7/16" hole in the center, and I sawed off a couple slices about 1" long, reamed the center hole out a little and bolted it on with a large flat washer, using Locktite. Works well...

My concern with a hockey puck is that it is very hard, which wouldn't absorb the impact quite as well..

 

[BobRip]

I need to create a bumper to stop my blades from sticking on the stump jumper.

I bought a 4' by 8' rubber matt around 1" thick that goes on the floor of a horse barn. at a farmers supply i cut a 4" piece out of it. i used the mower with it a couple times and it seems to do okay. If it doesn't hold up than i have a whole sheet to use.

I tried that on mine, and when I looked at it a few months later one piece was gone. I need something better.

 

[RegL]

One of my many projects before I have to go back to work is fixing the mower. PT put it together wrong, with the spare bolts installed on the other side of the stump jumper. So I have to take them apart because....

I need to create a bumper to stop my blades from sticking on the stump jumper.

This said, what do you guys think of using a hockey puck drilled through the center? It is hard rubber, but I am not sure if it is too hard and will just shatter when a blade swings into it. The other idea was just a chunk of old tire. I thought the puck would be better cause it would be ballanced weight wise.

Carl

You don't need a rubber bumper. The front cutting edge of the blade hits things a lot harder than the back side will ever rebound off back stop bolts. Just use a longer bolt and use an extra nut or washers as spacers so the stop bolt sticks down far enough that the blade can't bypass it.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Well, I spent all day working on the mower. It turns out all the bolts I thought were installed backward were actually broken off heads. What a PITA.

But I wanted to update you all on my bumper quest. I went out found a truck tire. 20 ply. And tried to cut it up with NO success. It would cut in one direction but not in the other. Used a sawzall and everything.

So I went back to plan A. Hockey pucks. Drilled just fine, maybe too easy (will they survive).

Here are some pix. In the brief run that I did before the PTO acted up they seemed to work quite well...

Two notes. First is that they stick further down than the blade bolts. Not sure if this is going to be an issue or not

Second, the mechanic who was up here looked at it and said I should put a peice of pipe inside all of this so that I have something to tighten down on. I passed on his idea but, maybe in the future....

Carl...

 

[ponytug]

Carl,

Cutting tires is tough, but it goes both ways...

My bet is that the pucks will fracture, since they have no internal reinforcement from fibers, but you'll find out soon enough.

Your mechanic buddy makes a very good point; if the puck can spin on the bolt, rocks and debris can rotate the puck, rather than grinding on it. Since it sticks out....

Let us know how it goes.

Since you had your mower upside down, is it possible that you knocked debris loose in the motor and gummed things up?

All the best,

Peter

Well, I spent all day working on the mower. It turns out all the bolts I thought were installed backward were actually broken off heads. What a PITA.

But I wanted to update you all on my bumper quest. I went out found a truck tire. 20 ply. And tried to cut it up with NO success. It would cut in one direction but not in the other. Used a sawzall and everything.

So I went back to plan A. Hockey pucks. Drilled just fine, maybe too easy (will they survive).

Here are some pix. In the brief run that I did before the PTO acted up they seemed to work quite well...

Two notes. First is that they stick further down than the blade bolts. Not sure if this is going to be an issue or not

Second, the mechanic who was up here looked at it and said I should put a peice of pipe inside all of this so that I have something to tighten down on. I passed on his idea but, maybe in the future....

Carl...

 

[J_J]

Well, I spent all day working on the mower. It turns out all the bolts I thought were installed backward were actually broken off heads. What a PITA.

But I wanted to update you all on my bumper quest. I went out found a truck tire. 20 ply. And tried to cut it up with NO success. It would cut in one direction but not in the other. Used a sawzall and everything.

So I went back to plan A. Hockey pucks. Drilled just fine, maybe too easy (will they survive).

Here are some pix. In the brief run that I did before the PTO acted up they seemed to work quite well...

Two notes. First is that they stick further down than the blade bolts. Not sure if this is going to be an issue or not

Second, the mechanic who was up here looked at it and said I should put a piece of pipe inside all of this so that I have something to tighten down on. I passed on his idea but, maybe in the future....

Carl...

Carl,

An old trick I learned long ago, was that rubber will cut better under water, why, I don't know. It might have to do with the fact that wet rubber is more slippier, if that is the right word. Were you trying to cut just rubber, or rubber and steel? Try soapy water.