RalphVa
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2003
- Messages
- 7,885
- Location
- Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Tractor
- JD 2025R, previously Gravely 5650 & JD 4010 & JD 1025R
I took the blades off my Frontier RC2048 bush hog this afternoon. This cutter is a much more refined one than the LX4 I had before it.
First, I had to buy another socket, a 42mm one, to big the bigger nuts on this cutter.
I lowered the cutter onto two jack stands left over from my car repair days. Don't lower it any more than is needed to sit on the jack stands. Make sure the 3ph side tensioners are tight.
Of course, the tail wheel has to come off. It's exactly the same as on the LX4: two long bolts with 19mm nuts. I put the bolts back on and semi tight, just so I don't misplace them. I like to run it a while without the tail wheel to get to stuff easier up under and against trees. Be sure and mark where the back bolt goes.
I use my "torque wrench", which is a 6' piece of pipe that goes over the plain handle on my big socket extension, to loosen the bolts. Then I removed the nuts with a rachet handle. I had to use the socket extension to whack the ends of the bolts to get the bolt to drop with the swing blade. There's a anti-rotation keeper that fits in a slot such that it's tight enough to need some encouragement to drop.
Do same for the other blade. The stump jumper stays in place. Place the bolts, lock washers and nuts on the floor for later.
Note blade rotation, which is clockwise from the bottom, sharp edge in direction of rotation. Note also that the blades hang down (I screwed up long ago once on my LX4 and put at least one blade back on upside down.)
Inspect and sharpen the blades. You don't actually sharpen them. You take the side imperfections out of the "sharp" part. I actually run the "sharp" edge of the blade last along the grinder and blunt it a little bit. Replace if any cracks are observed.
Relative to the LX4, putting the blades back on is easy. First, locate the little key-like projection on the bolt shaft below the threads. This projection/key goes through a slot in the bolt hole. The slot is located on the inside of the hole, towards the center shaft. Line up the bolt to go in that way and run it through the blade and into the hole. Place lock washer on bolt and screw nut on. It screws easily by hand essentially all the way before it needs final tightening.
Tighten bolt with rachet handle. Then place plain 3/4" drive handle on and place the 6' "torque wrench" onto the handle. Essentially tighten until it won't move any more, about 80 # push.
Do same with other blade.
Retorque after running an hour or so and replace tail wheel.
Ralph
First, I had to buy another socket, a 42mm one, to big the bigger nuts on this cutter.
I lowered the cutter onto two jack stands left over from my car repair days. Don't lower it any more than is needed to sit on the jack stands. Make sure the 3ph side tensioners are tight.
Of course, the tail wheel has to come off. It's exactly the same as on the LX4: two long bolts with 19mm nuts. I put the bolts back on and semi tight, just so I don't misplace them. I like to run it a while without the tail wheel to get to stuff easier up under and against trees. Be sure and mark where the back bolt goes.
I use my "torque wrench", which is a 6' piece of pipe that goes over the plain handle on my big socket extension, to loosen the bolts. Then I removed the nuts with a rachet handle. I had to use the socket extension to whack the ends of the bolts to get the bolt to drop with the swing blade. There's a anti-rotation keeper that fits in a slot such that it's tight enough to need some encouragement to drop.
Do same for the other blade. The stump jumper stays in place. Place the bolts, lock washers and nuts on the floor for later.
Note blade rotation, which is clockwise from the bottom, sharp edge in direction of rotation. Note also that the blades hang down (I screwed up long ago once on my LX4 and put at least one blade back on upside down.)
Inspect and sharpen the blades. You don't actually sharpen them. You take the side imperfections out of the "sharp" part. I actually run the "sharp" edge of the blade last along the grinder and blunt it a little bit. Replace if any cracks are observed.
Relative to the LX4, putting the blades back on is easy. First, locate the little key-like projection on the bolt shaft below the threads. This projection/key goes through a slot in the bolt hole. The slot is located on the inside of the hole, towards the center shaft. Line up the bolt to go in that way and run it through the blade and into the hole. Place lock washer on bolt and screw nut on. It screws easily by hand essentially all the way before it needs final tightening.
Tighten bolt with rachet handle. Then place plain 3/4" drive handle on and place the 6' "torque wrench" onto the handle. Essentially tighten until it won't move any more, about 80 # push.
Do same with other blade.
Retorque after running an hour or so and replace tail wheel.
Ralph
