Flail Mower Lawn Genie Flail Mower Parts Question

[jolderdude]

I'm new to this forum. I may not have the posting conventions correct but I'm willing to learn. I've searched through the Attachments forum to see if I could get my question answered from previous posts but didn't find anything.

I have a Lawn Genie L72A flail mower. I've had it about 25 years. The mower has a rotary drum with angle knives that do the cutting. The mower rests on a heavy gauge roller at the back which supports the mower as it cuts. There are caster wheels at the front that usually don't support weight on flat ground but hold up the front of the mower when going over rough or uneven ground.

The gauge roller has bearing assemblies at each end. The original bearings were held in cast frames. They worked fine for the five plus years before I bought the mower and the first 10 plus years I owned the mower. When the bearings finally blew out, the replacement parts were bearings held in stamped brackets. I had to purchase a new gauge roller to go along with the new bearings and brackets. I installed the bearings/brackets/roller in 2014. This year, three years later, the bearings blew out again.

The bearings come with a locking collar. The exploded parts diagram does not show the bearing and locking collar very clearly. At one end of the roller it appears that the locking collar is on the inside of the bearing. On the other end it appears that the locking collar is on the outside. I called the Matthews company, where I purchase the parts, and asked if they knew if the locking collar went inside or outside. I spoke to several people who referred me to another until I got to someone who said, "This mower is over 30 years old. We don't make it any more. I don't know which way the bearings and collar are assembled." He suggested I put the locking collar on the outside.

The locking collar is held by a single set screw. There is no dimple or hole on the post of the roller the bearing and collar sit on. The last time I assembled the set, I noted that the gauge roller would slide from side to side as I went around a corner. Thinking that putting the locking collar on the outside might cause the collar to be slammed against the bearing when the roller slid away from the bearing and collar, I felt that the collar might just pop off when it hit the bearing. So I went with the idea that the locking collar was actually a spacer to keep the bearing from being jammed against the roller body when the roller slid towards the bearing. So I put the collar on the inside. It lasted three years that way.

The big problem has been mowing in taller grass. By taller, I mean any grass a foot tall or taller. The grass was wrapping around the gauge roller post between the roller body and the bearing, right over the locking collar. As the grass wraps, it forces the bearing and bracket to bend out and eventually it forces grass into the bearings. It isn't logical that grass is stronger than steel but as it wraps, it has some force to it. I understand that this is more of a grooming mower than a field mower but I live in a place where you can almost see the grass grow in the spring and early summer. I used the mower to cut grass that high for over 10 years without a problem.

My question is where to put the locking collar? I'm concerned that if I put it on the outside of the bearing it will just get knocked off when I go around a corner. It I put it on the inside, I'm sure I'm going to get the same problem with grass wrapping around it, forcing grass into the bearings and pushing out the bracket.

Does anyone have a Lawn Genie L72A with the newer bearing assembly that could tell me how they're set up. Or would anyone offer some helpful thoughts?

I've attached part of the parts explosion page showing the roller and bearing assemblies.



Thanks,

 

[Steave]

I use a digital caliper and measure the bearings needed then find them online. There are several places to search for them but if I had to recommend someone it would be Big Bearing Store. There are thousands of different kinds of bearings, with that, many different sizes to go with them.

If you have the patience you can find almost any bearing whether it be sae or metric.

From the diagram you posted that would be an easy find. It would be referred to as a stamped metal bearing housing. It's a bearing sandwiched between the two stamped metal holders then bolted onto the housing with a set screw or two set screws holding the inside part of the bearing onto the shaft. The outside part of the bearing is held by being sandwiched between the stamped metal part.

 

[Spanner]

1. Do you still have the 'old' roller & brackets?

2. Were the original bearing housings held by 2 or 3 bolts to the brackets?

3. Are the holes in these locking collars seperate from the bearing itself or just an extended centre section, integrale to the bearing itself? (Does that read clearly?)

If seperate: Are they slightly 'offset' from centre? (Called an 'Eccentric Locking Collar") ?

If integral to the bearing: The normal method of securing is two (2) 'grub-screws' aligned at 90 degrees. You can drill pilot holes into the shaft through the threaded holes (of the bearing collar) to assist the 'grub'screw' to seat securely into a 'countersunk' depression rather than trying to grip the outside curve of the axle shaft where there is not much contact area. (You call that the 'gauge roller post' = 'axle shaft' to me)

As Steave says, you can buy bearings anywhere. (Local bearing distributor or on-line).

The cast housings are stronger for your application imo.
I would mount the bearings on the roller with the locking collar to the outside. (Out of the 'line-of-fire' from cut grass.)

:wrench:

 

[jolderdude]

Thanks Steave. I don't have a problem getting the bearings. Matthews Company still sells them to me. I have a new pair with the locking collars. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm supposed to put the locking collar on the outside or inside of the bearings. I appreciate your answer.

 

[leonz]

Hello jolderdude,


I have my fathers 36+ year old 48 inch towed motorized lawn genie in my stable. my rear roller has not failed yet but you have to out the locking collar on the outside as you will not have the room to lock the collars on the inside if my memory serves me right as the roller hangers are almost flush with the side edges of the rear roller tube.

 

[jolderdude]

Thanks for the reply, Spanner.
1. I don't have the old gauge roller. It went to metal recycling a few years ago. I do have the brackets. They weren't really only brackets. They were the bearing housing too. It was a cast metal piece with a ball bearing race, and a ring on the inside. Real old timey. They're all rusted up now. I've attached a picture of them. I doubt I could reassemble those as working bearings.
2. As you might guess from above, the bearing housings were the brackets.
3. The locking collars are a separate ring that is machined to fit snugly over an edge of the bearing set. The collars are round and not offset. I've attached a couple of pictures of them, too.
I wasn't quite sure what to call the 'axle shaft' but let's go with your term.
I think that you've given me a good idea on how to approach this. Drill my own depression into the shaft for the grub screw on the locking collar. There is only one screw on each collar, but let's go with what we've got. I agree, it will keep the collars out of the line of fire from the grass. Hopefully the one screw with the countersunk depression will hold when the body of the roller pushes on the bearing and collar.
I have a friend working with me because I'm way too old and out of shape to wrassle that gauge roller around. He's smarter than me, too. He is sure that we did something wrong the last time we did the assembly because there's got to be other people with this mower that aren't having these problems. Either that or the Matthews Company is making a killing on bearing and collar sets.
Thanks for taking the time to make the thoughtful reply.

 

[jolderdude]

Thanks for the reply, Leonz.
That might have been true with the old roller and bearing set but this new roller, brackets, and bearings leave enough room for the locking collars on the inside. In fact, that's how I assembled it the last time I replaced the bearings. I thought the locking collars were just spacers to keep the gauge roller from sliding back and forth on the axle shaft (thanks for the term, Spanner). There was just enough room to put the collars on the inside to prevent the roller from sliding back and forth when I went around a corner with the mower on the ground.
It's good to know that there are other Lawn Genies out there. Do you or your father use the mower?

 

[leonz]

Do you still have part 44(2 units) which are the two centering strap irons to hold the roller in place?? the two straps bolt to the side frame of the lawn genie to keep the roller from shifting from side to side while mowing centering the stub weldments of the rear roller.

I have to get my old manuals out so bear with me.

 

[leonz]

Hello jolderdude,

Before I start foaming at the mouth about flail mowers I want to welcome you as the newest Member of the "Flail Mower Nations" from the State of Washington.

Being a resident member of the Flail Mower Nations does not require a VISA or Passport to enter it and the entrance to the flail mower nations is through the recently remodeled flagstone beer garden that was fussed over last winter with heated work space tents for the masons and plumbers and also to let the new concrete and mortar cure properly for the new waterfall feature in the corner of the expanded beer garden.

We have to plant new shrubs as the old foundation Yews have become to big for the garden border and we will be planting Blue Phitzer Junipers to make the stonework look better with the blue theme of the junipers and to eliminate any need for pruning in the border plantings around the expanded beer garden.


My dad can no longer do yard work but for what its worth I had his 36 inch tow behind unit after he traded it in for the 48 inch unit and I spent $150 dollars having it brought to my place by a bunch of bandits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have taken care of it and replaced old parts and wheels and bearings and it still works well. The mule I have to tow it is not big enough for a full load so I can only do half pick up loads 13 cubic feet as the axles only get 2.5 HP on a JD LA115-hate my dealers!!!!!

All you need is to drill a dimple in each end in the collar set screw hole and use blue loctite and you will be all set.


I keep explaining to my brother to get a mower like this from Europe is 10K plus shipping but the Iowa Farm equipment Folks sell the Peruzzzo pick up mowers that are like the lawn genie 60 and 72 inch pick up mowers.


do you have the winch or is your basket set up to dump it using hydraulics?


OH before I forget it you can save the tapered side slicers and increase their lifespan by using a wet well grinder.

The folks at Micro-Mark - The Small Tools Specialists have them on sale for 90+tax and shipping- I still have the WEN wet well grinder I bought in 1988-9.

I tried to get flailmaster to make new tapered knives but they were not interested in changing to a tapered knife with a longer cutting edge so I have to buy them in a large quantity if I need them as I still have my original knives from 1992.
My dethatching blades are shot and I need to buy 64 of them in the fall when I can afford to replace them- I took them off as they barely worked anymore and did not groove and dethatch deep enough to attempt to do any overseeding work.

MY fathers motorized EZ rake wrks well with surface thatch but does not not dig to bring out the compacted thatch like the lawn genies do so well

The tapered knives that Mathews made are a beautiful side slicer knife and the standard knives do not work as well simply because the cutting edge is shorter and does not overlap as well.

Its a real shame that flail mower builders do not use the Mathews tool less flail mower knife attaching system as it saves hours of work and fussing as all you need is hot water and a wire brush if the flail mower rotor is really dirty.


If I can help with anything let me know as we have lots of loyal flail mower owners here too.

 

[Steave]

Thanks Steave. I don't have a problem getting the bearings. Matthews Company still sells them to me. I have a new pair with the locking collars. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm supposed to put the locking collar on the outside or inside of the bearings. I appreciate your answer.

I see in your pictures what you now have. The locking collars should be the last thing on the shaft as its only purpose is to hold the inside part of the bearing onto the shaft it's not designed to hold the roller in place as I'm sure you already know. Spacers, shims, or washers should be used for retaining the roller from shifting between the brackets as you mentioned. Of course there should be no clearance or gap between the brackets. If you put the locking collar on the inside and as you tighten it down that would leave a small gap for the roller to eventually loosen its way over and ruin the bearing. I realize it wouldn't be much of a gap but add that X2 for the other side and the pressure exerted on the roller and a failure is on its way. Probably take a while to create a problem but it would shorten the life of the roller bearing system. I hope your shaft is long enough to pass through where you can install it on the outside.

I own and use some pretty good old flails and would sure like to find a lawn genie with the pick up basket. No I'm not a collector I just can't pass up a good deal on old iron unless it cuts into my grocery money that is.