Anti-Scalp Roller Mod's?

[RET]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

Actually, the last pic was from pg 1201 of the McMaster.com catalog. It cost a little of $8.00....cheaper/easier to buy the entire wheel rather than to buy bearings, spanner bushings, possible new axle, and retrofitting the OEM wheel.
Pages 1200-1209 contain their list of wheels.

Attached here is the 'quick-turn' wheel CasterCity.com. It looks very much like a traditional anti-scalp wheel. but, it costs ~$16 each. Also, not sure about the use of polyurethan tread. I need to do some more research to zone in on the proper elastomer for this application.

 

[RET]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

I could even go with a wheel that has an iron core and elastomer covering such as this.
Caster City Iron core wheel

Does anybody have technical knowledge/experience with caster wheels? Fishing for feedback.

 

[RET]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

Here's an axle from Mcmaster.com, catalog pg. 1196 (1/2 way down page). Pci did not copy very well. It has a grease zerk in the middle of the bolt head.

 

[RET]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

Lastly, pg 1197 of the McMaster.com catalog contains an assortment of bearings and bushings for make-at-home wheels. A spanner bushing combined with one of those grease zerk axles would be a good combo for retrofitting the OEM deck wheels.
I'm leaning toward purchasing a set of ready-made wheels though, complete with roller bearings and grease zerks. I'll post my choice before purchasing for your comments.
RET

 

[RET]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

One more thing....
Just e-mailed the folks at Castercity.com asking for their advice. Here is what I said:

I am looking for some replacements for the anti-scalp wheels on the mowing deck of my tractor. The OEM (Kubota) wheels are a hard, black plastic (like the ones on you riding lawnmowers at home). These wheels are plain-bore. No spanner bushing, grease zirk, bearings, etc. The mowing deck itself weighs over 250 lb. and the tractor/deck combo weighs over 2300 lb. The purpose of the wheels is to glide just at the top of the grass and 'catch' the deck when going over rough ground to prevent scalping. They are NOT intended to carry weight at all times. That being said, they DO take extreme shock loads when the deck dips down or when an immovable object is encountered (like a tree root protruding above the ground). The bottom line is that the OEM wheels wear out every each mowing season. The unprotected hub wears ('wallows') out and the 3/8" axles wears and becomes egg shaped (due probably to lots of grit/dirt getting inside the axle/wheel contact surfaces).
I frequently participate in a compact tractor web discussion group (Tractorbynet.com) where many of us are having the same problem. I was 'elected' to be the test subject in the search for an improvement. So, if I can find a replacement wheel that will last, several other folks are likely to follow behind me with additional purchases. Are you game to help me out?
Here's some specs I am looking for:
Size: OEM is approx 5" Dia by 2" W. Need to stay close to the 5" diameter due to space limitations. Can go a little wider, but would rather not go any narrower….do not want wheels to leave an marks in soft ground.
Tread: Very pronounced crown, smooth tread surface (wheels will encounter sideways 'sliding' when making sharp turns)Very much in appearance to your crowned gray rubber caster wheel here: http://www.castercity.com/GIMRW.HTM
Axle size: The OEM axle is ~5/8", but I could easily go to 3/4". I'm afraid that 1/2" may be too small….but I do not have calculations or any data to verify that. Maybe with the correct grade of steel axle I could reliably go with the 1/2" axle size?
Bearings: Some type of roller bearings (you advise) would be preferred. Probably need some sort of bearing seals to keep dirt out. Need grease zerks….tractor fanatics love to grease stuff.
Elastomer: Need a polymer that can handle substantial shock loads without shattering or severely chipping. Looks are not an issue - small dings and scratches are not a problem (but would prefer black in color if given a choice).
Hub Width: OEM is somewhere in the 2.25 - 2.5" ballpark. This is not critical except to the extent of need to spread shock loads (?).
Also, OEM is a offset hub design, not a centered hub. But, I can make a centered hub work…just may have to use some sort of spacers to keep the wheel out away from the mower deck body. I only need to keep the wheel out from the body by ~1/2".
Price: A set of 4 OEM wheels cost me ~$35 or $8-9 each. So, must balance price of this new wheel against price of a set of 4 OEM wheels each year. Basically, the new wheels should be economically attractive in the long-term.
One other note: these are fixed position wheels, no castering.
Check out this page for pics of the EOM mower deck wheels:
http://www.carverequipment.com/images/BX2230_with_60_in_mmm.jpg

 

[Henro]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

I, like many others here I am sure, are following your progress with great interest!

Keep up the good work!

 

[theboman]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

Why not raise the deck a bit higher? Seem logical and less expensive and less stressful. 1/2" would go a long way I'd bet in most cases.
Use the MMM as it was intended, the anti-scalp rollers don't roll on the ground unless a high spot hits the roller. The MMM on these tractors is suspended from the tractor, not riding along the ground.

 

[RET]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

BO,
RE: Why not raise wheels higher?

1) Wheels are already fairly high. If I go any higher, I might as well take them off...they would be of very little benefit.
2) In my experience, the lower you can go with the rollers, the more even the cut. I'm not saying they should support the deck at all times, but I would like to be able to have them brushing the grass just a tad lower than the cut level. As I said my yard is very rough, thus the rollers have to 'catch' the deck more often...thus lots of wear and tear. My yard runs North/South. When I finish mowing in the evening, then stand on the east side of my front yard and look across to the west as the sun sets, the uneven cut is extremely unsightly to my picky eyee...the higher the wheels, the more the deck can 'fall' into a low area before being stopped by the wheels.
3) Actually, the real truth is that I am just 'tinkering'. Even if I were not having problems with the wheels, I still think the design sucks. For just a couple bucks more, Kubota could have at least spec'd out wheels with spanner bushings and grease zerks.
Maybe I'm just fixing something that ain't broke....ain't that typical of an engineer? Trying to explain why I'm doing this is kinda like trying to explain why I'm converting everything I own over to AMSOIL (including high pressure grease and 2 cycle oil!). There ain't no REAL justification except that it 'Just Feels Goooood'. And, in doing these silly little things, I'm learning about stuff I never knew before and am having FUN! The boss says she would rather have me 'waste' a little money like this so I stay close to home where she can keep a watch on me!
Ya hooo!
have a good one!
roger

 

[GregW]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

RET
Your concerns are very valid. If you raise the wheels to the recommended height, they essentially do nothing. If they are set a little lower the cutting performance is greatly increased.
I would have gladly more money for a more robust deck wheel design.

The plastic wheels just make me sick to think about them and I'm willing to pay anything within ~ $1000 to correct this design fault. I have even considered scraping the deck and buying and after market one.....but I've made numerous phone calls and can not find anyone that makes a Mid Mount deck that will fit on the BX series.

Again, the BX tractor is a great design, with only one fault the "Murray" quality mower deck.

Greg

 

[Hootie]

Re: Anti-Scalp Roller Mod\'s?

I too am very interested in your progress. My picky eye cannot stand the uneven cut I am getting and believe it is because of the wheels and their inability to stabilize because they are to dang high off the ground. On the gentle slope around my house it really looks bad. I will watch for any progress. Thanks for your efforts!

Hootie