Flail Mower Mott Flail mower repair advice

[PRCWI]

Hi guys,

New poster but have been lurking here for a while and appreciate all the great help and advice that's given. I'm in need of some now.

I have a Mott/Alamo SD88 mower and the bearing housing on the drive side cracked. I didn't think much of it other than that I needed to replace the part. I ordered the new bearing and housing from Flailmaster and today was going to swap the old for the new and be back in business.

However when I was taking off the old bearing/housing I discovered the frame behind it is cracked/broken in several places. In fact 4 of the 6 mounting holes are broken. :thumbdown:

So now I am trying to figure out the best way to fix it. The only thin I can think is have a plate made and placed behind the existing frame with the proper hole cut out for the shaft and then after welding it in place then weld the broken bolt holes back in place on the frame and new piece. Then drill new bolt holes through the new piece and mount everything back up.

Does that sound like the right plan? I'm not a welder so I am going to have to get someone else to do all this for me and I want to make sure with all the force that's going to be there that we're doing it the best possible way the first time.

Any advice is appreciated. I will try to get some pictures up so you all can better see what I'm dealing with.

 

[aczlan]

Sounds like a plan that could work. I would take it into whoever is going to weld it and ask their opinion.

Aaron Z

 

[leonz]

Hi guys,

New poster but have been lurking here for a while and appreciate all the great help and advice that's given. I'm in need of some now.

I have a Mott/Alamo SD88 mower and the bearing housing on the drive side cracked. I didn't think much of it other than that I needed to replace the part. I ordered the new bearing and housing from Flailmaster and today was going to swap the old for the new and be back in business.

However when I was taking off the old bearing/housing I discovered the frame behind it is cracked/broken in several places. In fact 4 of the 6 mounting holes are broken. :thumbdown:

So now I am trying to figure out the best way to fix it. The only thin I can think is have a plate made and placed behind the existing frame with the proper hole cut out for the shaft and then after welding it in place then weld the broken bolt holes back in place on the frame and new piece. Then drill new bolt holes through the new piece and mount everything back up.

Does that sound like the right plan? I'm not a welder so I am going to have to get someone else to do all this for me and I want to make sure with all the force that's going to be there that we're doing it the best possible way the first time.

Any advice is appreciated. I will try to get some pictures up so you all can better see what I'm dealing with.

View attachment 318759View attachment 318760View attachment 318761

LUCKY YOU,

You will be able to unbolt the side weldment/side frame of your mower and take it to a machine shop and have them fabricate a new one which wil be much faster to do. I also think you should take the left side off and replace that one as well as the bearing as they are both bad or nearly so.

Stress cracks/breakage like this is not limited to one side of a flail mower.


Having both side plates replaced will cost you much less money than a replacement mower of that size.

IF it is an actual ALAMO CHOKE, GAG, BARF, you should be able to purchase the replacement side weldments from one of the regional ALAMO sales reps.


Thankfully Mr. Mott thought long and hard about building these beauties and the european builders will learn much from an old mott mower too.
_______________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back!
Pronovost or not at all!!!

 

[PRCWI]

I don't think the side plates just unbolt....I think they are welded on...but I'll look. If they did I would think they would be a part you could order or find online.

 

[PRCWI]

Yeah I just went and checked, the sides are welded on, not bolted. Maybe this is an older model and the newer ones bolt on?

Anyway if I was going to have a whole new side manufactured it would include cutting off the existing side and welding on a new one.

 

[BukitCase]

Your idea, "have a plate made and placed behind the existing frame" - I'm not familiar with your particular flail, but I would think that might change the distance between end plates enough to screw up the spacing where your flail's rotor sits - in that whatever thickness the added plate, the space for the rotor would be shortened by that amount.

Like I said, I don't have that model (have a 73" Caroni) but you may want to check into that before you get too far along... Steve

 

[PRCWI]

Your idea, "have a plate made and placed behind the existing frame" - I'm not familiar with your particular flail, but I would think that might change the distance between end plates enough to screw up the spacing where your flail's rotor sits - in that whatever thickness the added plate, the space for the rotor would be shortened by that amount.

Like I said, I don't have that model (have a 73" Caroni) but you may want to check into that before you get too far along... Steve

Yeah I was looking at that. I could put the plate on the outside but if I do that the bearing housing will be that much farther out and that is the side that the drive pulley mounts to. There is enough clearance on the inside though I may want to keep the plate small enough to keep it inside the rotating blade path as that will also make that clearance smaller if its outside of that.

 

[leonz]

Hi guys,

New poster but have been lurking here for a while and appreciate all the great help and advice that's given. I'm in need of some now.

I have a Mott/Alamo SD88 mower and the bearing housing on the drive side cracked. I didn't think much of it other than that I needed to replace the part. I ordered the new bearing and housing from Flailmaster and today was going to swap the old for the new and be back in business.

However when I was taking off the old bearing/housing I discovered the frame behind it is cracked/broken in several places. In fact 4 of the 6 mounting holes are broken. :thumbdown:

So now I am trying to figure out the best way to fix it. The only thin I can think is have a plate made and placed behind the existing frame with the proper hole cut out for the shaft and then after welding it in place then weld the broken bolt holes back in place on the frame and new piece. Then drill new bolt holes through the new piece and mount everything back up.

Does that sound like the right plan? I'm not a welder so I am going to have to get someone else to do all this for me and I want to make sure with all the force that's going to be there that we're doing it the best possible way the first time.

Any advice is appreciated. I will try to get some pictures up so you all can better see what I'm dealing with.

View attachment 318759View attachment 318760View attachment 318761

Sounds like a plan that could work. I would take it into whoever is going to weld it and ask their opinion.

Aaron Z

LUCKY YOU,

You will be able to unbolt the side weldment/side frame of your mower and take it to a machine shop and have them fabricate a new one which wil be much faster to do. I also think you should take the left side off and replace that one as well as the bearing as they are both bad or nearly so.

Stress cracks/breakage like this is not limited to one side of a flail mower.


Having both side plates replaced will cost you much less money than a replacement mower of that size.

IF it is an actual ALAMO CHOKE, GAG, BARF, you should be able to purchase the replacement side weldments from one of the regional ALAMO sales reps.


Thankfully Mr. Mott thought long and hard about building these beauties and the european builders will learn much from an old mott mower too.
_______________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back!
Pronovost or not at all!!!

I don't think the side plates just unbolt....I think they are welded on...but I'll look. If they did I would think they would be a part you could order or find online.

Yeah I just went and checked, the sides are welded on, not bolted. Maybe this is an older model and the newer ones bolt on?

Anyway if I was going to have a whole new side manufactured it would include cutting off the existing side and welding on a new one.

Are you sure you see weld bead there? I do not. I see at least two bolts and nuts in your
image at the 9 amd ten oclock positions that would tell me that that the side piece unbolts
and can be replaced.

The other issue is the steel plate that would be placed in the interior of the shroud;
The outside side slicers will most likely impact it at some or all points and render the knives
useless.


About adding a pice of steel to the outside to repair it will be problematic as the
rotor shaft stub is only so long in length.

Your idea, "have a plate made and placed behind the existing frame" - I'm not familiar with your particular flail, but I would think that might change the distance between end plates enough to screw up the spacing where your flail's rotor sits - in that whatever thickness the added plate, the space for the rotor would be shortened by that amount.

Like I said, I don't have that model (have a 73" Caroni) but you may want to check into that before you get too far along... Steve

Yeah I was looking at that. I could put the plate on the outside but if I do that the bearing housing will be that much farther out and that is the side that the drive pulley mounts to. There is enough clearance on the inside though I may want to keep the plate small enough to keep it inside the rotating blade path as that will also make that clearance smaller if its outside of that.

 

[PRCWI]

Are you sure you see weld bead there? I do not. I see at least two bolts and nuts in your
image at the 9 amd ten oclock positions that would tell me that that the side piece unbolts
and can be replaced.

The other issue is the steel plate that would be placed in the interior of the shroud;
The outside side slicers will most likely impact it at some or all points and render the knives
useless.


About adding a pice of steel to the outside to repair it will be problematic as the
rotor shaft stub is only so long in length.

Those bolts are for bolting on the skid plate for the mower, that is actually the bottom of the side and would normally be resting on the ground. The side is fastened on with one continuous weld all the way around. It is NOT a bolt on piece.

You may be correct on the outermost knife. I won't know until we get it fully fixed, but I don't see another option other than fully removing the entire side (By cutting it off and having another one manufactured. Worst case scenario I could always still do that so I am willing to take the chance on the inner plate.

Hopefully there will be just enough clearance there to be able to allow the knives to be useful.

 

[leonz]

Those bolts are for bolting on the skid plate for the mower, that is actually the bottom of the side and would normally be resting on the ground. The side is fastened on with one continuous weld all the way around. It is NOT a bolt on piece.

You may be correct on the outermost knife. I won't know until we get it fully fixed, but I don't see another option other than fully removing the entire side (By cutting it off and having another one manufactured. Worst case scenario I could always still do that so I am willing to take the chance on the inner plate.

Hopefully there will be just enough clearance there to be able to allow the knives to be useful.

AH so it was the way you held the camera that distorted the photo.