Rotary Cutter Looking for blade changing advice. Thanks! :)

[wildcatskye]

I was out brush-hogging last night, feeling real sorry for the MF135 working its little heart out and decided I was going to have to do something about this situation. At this point, I am mowing with metal stumps, rather than blades, and it is time to replace them - there is no more sharpening potential left. I am surely in the minority on this forum, because I am a "she", so I have to ask for instructions in real plain language . I am a farmgirl, though, and I can do my share. I do have a dear, sweet hubby who is big and strong. What we do NOT have going for us is "smarts". I am going to have to plead to get him to agree to this project, and I hope to know what I'm talking about. I have found a couple other threads on this subject, but was confused about things like "putting a bottle jack" next to the bolts. Is it easier to remove and replace blades by tipping the mower up on its side? If not, how do we go about getting the leverage we'll need? I just tried to find labels on what type of mower this is, but the only thing I found was a TSC label that said "IM 500". Without a tape, I am guessing it is a 5' mower. Can anyone out there on Tractor by Net help me out here? If so, feel free to email me @ lmueller@neo.rr.com Thank you so much for anything you can tell me! Respectfully, Linda

 

[sweettractors]

Just sent you a email. Ken Sweet

 

[RoyJackson]

Is it easier to remove and replace blades by tipping the mower up on its side? If not, how do we go about getting the leverage we'll need? I just tried to find labels on what type of mower this is, but the only thing I found was a TSC label that said "IM 500". Without a tape, I am guessing it is a 5' mower. Can anyone out there on Tractor by Net help me out here? If so, feel free to email me @ lmueller@neo.rr.com Thank you so much for anything you can tell me! Respectfully, Linda

I tip mine up on it's side against a tree. It just needs to be something stable and make sure that cutter can't move or slide.
Once up, I use an impact wrench (need a big one though...these blades are torqued on 300-450 foot pounds).

 

[o2batsea]

If you have a loader bucket, pick it up by chaining it to the bucket. It will be easy to get to the bolts. When I did my twenty odd year old John Deere mower I thought I would have to use a giant wrench to get the bolts loose. As it turned out the bolts were very easy to loosen and the blade change was far less of a chore than I though it would be.

 

[sweettractors]

My friend cut a 3 inch hole in the top of his deck with a cuting torch for the 3/4 drive socket to go thru so he could remove the blade bolts without a lot of fanfare. Ken Sweet

 

[Chilly807]

And if you're really lucky there'll already be a hole there. The Land Pride mowers have a hole cut from the factory for that purpose.

Incidentally, welcome to TBN Linda

Sean

 

[meangreanmashean]

I just did a seal change on my JD 403 shredder. After disconnecting the top link, I picked up the back end and chained it to the roll bar of the tractor. Easy access without laying on the ground or completely disconnecting mower. Good luck!

Steve

 

[TripleR]

Welcome to the forum Linda, my wife is turning into a farm girl too and helps on all machine maintenance/repair etc.

Tilting onto the side when possible is a good idea, but hard with our ten foot mowers. I "usually" just crawl under and work there. Removal of blades is going to depend on your attachments and I am not familiar with your model, but am sure Ken's email provided good info.

Tools I use often are an impact wrench, cheater bar, torch, floor jack.

When you flip it or crawl under, what you need is going to be pretty obvious; good luck and wish I could be of more help.

 

[Dead Horse]

Yep, hole in the deck just above the blade bolts. (Woods and Deere mowers are built this way as well may be others) This is by far the safest way to do it. If you don't have an access hole, have one cut. If the deck at that location is a single piece of steel, you can even use a steel cutting hole saw. Otherwise have someone with a smoke wrench do it for you. What ever you do, make sure the deck is well braced (not with just jacks or the tractor lift) if you are contemplating sending hubby under it.

 

[TripleR]

Yep, hole in the deck just above the blade bolts. (Woods and Deere mowers are built this way as well may be others) This is by far the safest way to do it. If you don't have an access hole, have one cut. If the deck at that location is a single piece of steel, you can even use a steel cutting hole saw. Otherwise have someone with a smoke wrench do it for you. What ever you do, make sure the deck is well braced (not with just jacks or the tractor lift) if you are contemplating sending hubby under it.

Agree 100%, heavy duty jack stands or something very solid and lower it to rest on them so you won't get any leak down and movement while you are under there.

 

[MarkV]

Hi Linda, welcome to the forum. If it is of any help your IM500 is a 5' International by Hawkline rotary mower. I am sure Ken Sweet can help you with replacement blades or do a google search. With any rotary mower the blade bolts are very hefty and hard to remove without an pneumatic impact wrench. If that is equipment you do not have access to most any automotive shop would be able to help you if you can get the mower to one.

MarkV

 

[RalphVa]

I remove mine and sharpen them every spring. Here's how I do it:

1. Move PTO to "off" position (on mine, it to the front PTO position)
2. Tighten top link up all the way and raise bush hog.
3. Place jack stands to each side of back opening as high as you can set them and then gently lower bush hog onto stands.
4. Remove tail wheel assembly (on mine I have to do this to get to the bolts on the blades)
5. Rotate blades by hand until a bolt is in view through the access hole in the deck underneath where the tail wheel assembly was. Put proper-size socket onto the bolt. You'll need a good, sturdy 3/4" drive with socket. You'll also need a 5 to 6' length of pipe to fit over the socket handle.
6. After you get the first bolt off, put a C clamp in place to hold the stump jumper in place.
7. Rotate to other bolt and remove it.
8. Go underneath with new/sharpened blade in hand. Put C clamp in place to hold stump jumper and bolt in place. Go up top and start the nut, tightening it with the socket handle (no pipe cheater). Go back underneath and put C clamp that's probably dropped off back in place to hold stump jumper, making sure other side of stump jumper is in right spot. Rotate assembly and put another C clamp on other side of stump jumper.
9. Put other blade and bolt in place and relocate C clamp to hold bolt in place. Go up top and start and tighten nut with socket wrench.
10. Now remove C clamps and use cheater bar to tighten to required torque, which is probably about a 100 # push on a 5' bar for 500 ft-# torque or just push until you can't push any more.
11. Leave trail wheel off and run bush hog for a little bit, 2 or 3 hours maybe without the trail wheel.
12. Bring back and check torque before reattaching tail wheel assembly.

BE SURE AND PUT BLADES ON PROPER DIRECTION, which is usually pointed down. Note bush hog assembly rotation before removing the blades, but you can still get them turned upside down. A clue is the blades probably come within 1" of the bottom of the bush hog cover. If they're higher, you've got one upside down. Been there done that. Vibrate like ****.

Ralph

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I use a bottle jack on the stumpjumper to give me something solid when I am pounding the bolts out of the blades, I've seen people get the nuts off and beat on the bolts till they were give out without them moving an inch because every time they would hit the brass pin or punch that was on the bolt the stumpjumper would flex or give ever so slightly, the bottle jack stops that and it has worked for me every time.

 

[Dead Horse]

Hi Linda, welcome to the forum. If it is of any help your IM500 is a 5' International by Hawkline rotary mower. I am sure Ken Sweet can help you with replacement blades or do a google search. With any rotary mower the blade bolts are very hefty and hard to remove without an pneumatic impact wrench. If that is equipment you do not have access to most any automotive shop would be able to help you if you can get the mower to one.

MarkV

I use a 1" ratchet set with a 5' pipe, for torqueing the bolts down. An air wrench seems to do for removing them, same 1" socket and extension.

As to reinstalling blades, if the disc is not bolted to the rotor, R&R the blades one at a time, That saves having to deal with positioning the disk while trying to install a blade. I find that by inserting the sholder bolt through the blade and into the rotor, the tension from the blade hanging off the end of the bolt will hold it in place in the rotor, long enough for me to insert the nut through the top hole and get it (gently) threaded on to the bolt to get it started.

To keep the nut from dropping out of the socket while I thread it through the deck hole and on to the bolt, I take a piece of grass stalk and jam it between the nut and the inner surface of the socket. Provides just enough tension to hold the nut in place intil I have it threaded on to the bolt.

When removing the bolts, if they wont drop out after the nut is removed, Use a large steel dowel, say 1" diameter and long enough to hold it on the bolt end and whack it with a BFH. The bolts should NOT be jammed in the holes as the forces on the mower make the (octagonal on a deere) holes in the rotor bigger over time.

Of all the implements I have worked on, sharpening, changing out BH blades is prolly the easiest thing to do. JUST BE CAREFUL!