Rotary Cutter Brush Hog Blades COMING OFF

[Asar2525]

I seem to be having the opposite problem of most people. I have an old brush hog (FMC Sidewinder) that I've used for the past 4 years. I use it for pasture mowing and cutting down weedy parts of hay fields, but also for mowing brush that grows up in our woodlot.
So far this year I have had a blade come off 4 times. I've had good luck finding the blade but keep losing bolts... I just tried putting Nord-Lock washers on both blades but had a blade come off even with those! Every time I tighten the nuts I use a 3/4" drive T-bar with a 3ft pipe and torque it down as hard as I can. I'm nearly at wits end and am seriously considering welding the nut on the bolt. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Are you sure your using the correct bolts for your cutter, most of the side winders I’ve had use the bolts with a flat side.

 

[Asar2525]

I'm using the type with a raised portion that keeps the bolt from spinning. It looks like someone redid the bolt holders at some point before I owned it.

ATRC11 Blade Bolt Kit at Tractor Supply Co.

I would think this would work fine since it keeps the bolt from spinning.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Redid the holders as in how?

 

[Asar2525]

From what I can tell the holes in the original stump jumper got stretched out so there is a 3/8" plate welded on the bottom and a 3/8" plate welded on the top of the stump jumper that holds the bolt. These each have a 1 1/8" hole drilled in them and the bottom one has a small part machined out for the crimped "tab" on the bolt that keeps it from rotating. It's very heavy duty.

 

[atcNick]

You probably need a cotter pin through the bolt after you put the nut on. Do you have a hole in the bolt at the end? If so, use a castle but and a cotter pin

 

[Asar2525]

atcNick, There is no hole for a cotter pin and it isn't a castle nut.

 

[atcNick]

Here’s kinda what it should look like

 

[atcNick]

atcNick, There is no hole for a cotter pin and it isn't a castle nut.

Hmm... man. I would think that’s standard. I wonder how easy it would be to replace the shaft bolt. I had the same problem as you. It was constantly falling off... once I realized what the cotter pin hole was for I haven’t had an issue since

 

[Zebrafive]

I would get another brush hog, before something, or SOMEONE, gets hurt. I would NOT take the risk of keep using it. You have been lucky four times. Two would have been my limit.