Rotary Cutter Rats! Sheared spindle in Bush Hog

[jdtractor]

Hi i think like a few have mentioned earlier buy a new one.I have tried the idea of repair , doesnt work! I spent several hrs working and beating , heating , grinding etc.etc. it worked for a while until the seals went. the shaft seals and all oil , then the bearings were hot (flat) spots etc... I went to my dealer we discussed the problem , not wanting to spend money , WRONG! it cost me more ,to replace the parts ,plus all my time. I consider my time and production as far as mowing filth , xtra $$$$$$ lost. So I say replace, its cheaper , quicker , safer and better. I will not waste my time again trying to repair beat up metal, and by the way the more you heat and beat the weaker the metal gets . I know from all the welding, and working with welders Ive done over the yrs.just my .o2 cts. have a good 1

 

[Soundguy]

It seems like everyone now has the throwaway mentality. Dont even try to fix it, just get a new one. Money is no object or maybe it is because it is not their money so they recommend for someone else to spend theirs rather than repair. I have just enough of my Mom and Dad in me who lived thru the great depression, to want to salvage anything that I can and dont throw away any scrap of material till throughly looked at for future uses.

i fix everything I can safely fix.

some things.. like an out of ballance stump jumper with 2 blades attached to a small shaft that can shear if it isn't ballanced and wobbles... well.. that becomes a deadly frizzbee

I think most of us were concerned for operator or passerby safety.. not saving a buck.. or the 'throw away ' mentality.

I asusme you are offering up your homeowners / personal liability umbrella as coverage for the poster sice you are seemingly unconcerned about any safety aspect of this repair ?

this kind of repair is almost akin to welding a broke blade back together. I'm SURE it could be done correctly. I would NOT do it myself... etc.

just my 2 cents / devils advocate here.

soundguy

 

[cowski]

i would consider that a easy repair that would be just as safe as a new one.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Bent Stump Jumper 03dec2011 - TractorByNet.com Photo Gallery

Another stump jumper is about 350 [Messicks]... more than the broken shaft costs sans peripheral parts like gaskets, seals, and such needed for repairs.

Thanks.

Doesnt look too bad. You can probably straighten it pretty good with a couple big crescent wrenches equipped with cheater pipes.
larry

 

[Soundguy]

kinda abusive onthe crescent wrenches though...

a piece of 1/2" plate with slots cut in it, torched down to a cheater-handle slip over size. IE.. a 'wrench' blank would work if one does a good bit of hobby metal bending. ( i've made mock-up like that for bending..

soundguy

 

[jinman]

Horse7, I have an old stump jumper pan from a 5' cutter laying in the grass rusting. I wish you were close enough that I could sell it to you for $10. From looking at your photo, it looks to me like you still have your blades on that SJ, but they are folded underneath. Is that right? The blade mount bolts don't look disturbed to me. I think if I had a $300 bill staring me in the face, I might look for a welding or machine shop that could help in getting that stump jumper straight. Heck, I'm not so sure that a good body shop wouldn't have some tools to use. I just don't think a stump jumper has to be perfectly balanced. Between wire getting wrapped around a blade or other common dings and dents, I suspect most SJs and blades are not perfectly balanced. If the cutter seems to run smooth and doesn't have a bad case of St. Vitus' Dance, it probably would be okay. I know for a fact that my cutter shimmies a bit when it is free wheeling at full speed.

 

[SPYDERLK]

kinda abusive onthe crescent wrenches though...

a piece of 1/2" plate with slots cut in it, torched down to a cheater-handle slip over size. IE.. a 'wrench' blank would work if one does a good bit of hobby metal bending. ( i've made mock-up like that for bending..

soundguy

I bought some cheap big ones from HF and use them mostly for straightening. The jaws are still // tho, and Iv done steel up to 1/2 thick using 6 to 8' cheaters pulling with either jaw. They let you work with the metal in situ. Very handy when it cant go in a press. -- Much better than making your own with slotted metal because they are adjustable, letting you use force speading or extending inserts between the jaws and the item.
larry

 

[Soundguy]

I'm still a fan of mostly using a tool for it's intended purposes. though i will admit to improvising a few times. I have taken worn out and loose or broke adjustable wrenches and welded them up for this job.. just havn't subjected any good ones too it yet. Mild steel is still cheaper to mess with from the scrap pile..

 

[Hollow]

My dad somehow sheared the roll pin on the tail wheel of one of my bushhogs. The wheel somehow slipped out of it's frame without him noticing and he ran over it... Anyway, the pan looked exactly like yours. We beat it back out and mounted it back on the cutter without the blades, slowly revved the tractor to make sure there were no vibrations at any RPM. We had to take it back off once or twice and make adjustments but once we got it right we put the blades back on and never had any problems.

 

[snowjoker]

Lots of heat and hammer, its not as bad as you think it is.Don't forget this attachment is built heavy duty, and what do these things hit when your out mowing ? Obviously some folks here don't understand farm equipment. and the abuse they get put through.. That mower will be OK as long as your jumper is close to its original shape. Tell me what mower don't shake when they are running, ? they all do, at least every one i have run. If it is shaking way more than it used to.. your shaft wont break.. All the welds around the mower body will.. At least that's what happened to the 10 foot JD offset we had at the farm.. Had to weld it constantly. and it didn't have stump jumpers on it, just 4 lower and 4 upper blades which mulched anything going under it.. that was after the blades fell off on one side , it was never right after that..