Rotary Cutter Are your rotary cutter blades free swinging?

[3RRL]

You can still do it.
Just clamp a 2 x 4 that spans both blades exposing the cutting edges. Clamp both blades with several C or K clamps and they will be held out like when they're stuck.

 

[Highbeam]

When you tip the hog up and over like that does the gear oil run out? There must be a vent somewhere. I bet you had a hunk of wood debris on top of the hog deck and then raised the hog and pinched the spinning PTO shaft against the wood to cause that.

I like the hog flippage. A guy could even flip it up against a tree. Don't go under the hog. I am currently typing like a cripple since some of my fingers were crushed by a brushhog a week and 2 days ago. I can't blame the hog, but I am not putting any part of me under that thing without double safety devices. The bone soup in the broken finger will glue itself together in a few more weeks.

Great fun to walk into the ER in a farm town and tell them you had brushhog accident. People were popping up to see a stump where my hand should be.

 

[BB_TX]

<font color="blue">When you tip the hog up and over like that does the gear oil run out? </font>
Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad to hear it is mendable.
After being up 30 minutes or so, it has never shown any sign of leakage.
Someone may have raised their 3 PT too high and let the rotating PTO shaft hit the front of the cutter deck. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[EddieWalker]

Henro,

Thank you for the saftey tip and your concern. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The first time I crawled under there was to break the blades free from each other after they got tangled in a stump. One wedged on top of the other.

While under there, I realized that it was a pretty dumb position to be in.

I put a set of 4x6 blocks under it at the rear and went under again. This still seemed unsafe.

Now I put them at three points. One pile of blocks just behind the rear tires and one set in the very back.

I'm still nervous being under there, which is why I like the idea of flipping it on it's side. I just wish I was smart enough to have figured that our a few years ago. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Eddie

 

[RobJ]

I don't think I've enver seen those blades freeze up. Usually the wear causes plenty of play. When I got my used BH with the tractor I can still tilt the 4 footer on it's side by hand. I removed the whole stump jumper and blades to sharpen and clean up. Mostly because I wanted to see if I could so I could then lub up all the bolts for next time I needed it off.

 

[N80]

I give up. How do you get it tilted up against the FEL if it is leaning against the FEL?

 

[Highbeam]

You lift it with the FEL using a chain until it's vertical and then back up as you lower the fel a little.

 

[cisco]

Looks like a very reasonable way to service the blades. Me, I've a few inch rise from the ground around the concrete apron in front of my garage and the adjacent ground, so drive the tractor up on such, but leave the brush cutter over the ground. I then lower the brush cutter and crank the (adjustable) center link of a 3ph until it's as short as possible. Then, when I raise the 3ph I can get about 2' of clearance under the rear of the deck. I place (two) car jacks under the rear edge of the brush cutter. I used to crawl under the cutter, and smooth out the blades with an angle grinder (if you do this, PLEASE wear eye protection). Nowadays, I pop the blades off with a 3/4" impact wrench (my 1/2" didn't work), put them on my grinder and smooth the dents (a sharp blade is NOT what you need, but a smooth one with a mildly dull leading edge is fine). Then I use teflon lubricant on the blades where they're supposed to rotate around the connecting bolts, and ------- ready to cut. Takes 15 minutes (but cost a bunch for the 3/4" impact wrench).
Cutter? 72" Woods. How often do I do it - every few months during growing season, and at the end of each season I buy new blades (about $30).

 

[Highbeam]

So is your blade nuts a 1-11/16" socket?

I also bust out the ear muffs for the grinding when the blades stay on the machine. I find it is really loud.

 

[N80]

This is how I've done it in the past:

If you look closely you can see a large chain hooked around the tail wheel boom. Its still faily tight under there, but manageable.