Brush hog slipper clutch I should post in Ford but I like this forum

[johneic]

This is my Ford 3000, 17 second video, I know I should post in another forum but I get more informative answers here (I think its because we have to fix problems on our own, rather than database answers and dealer answers) plus in other forums I have gotten rude answers, never a rude answer here though.

I think my brush hog slipper clutch is slipping or my pto clutch is slipping, see what you think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hmIgYCmiS8&feature=youtu.be

I am purposeful in loading up the hog, usually when I do this my engine lugs or dies, that is not occurring here.

So my single question is: Do hog slipper clutches have to be tightened from time to time? I have used this unit for three years now and only greased fittings and maintained the oil in the gearbox.

Hear how quiet it gets when I "load it up"?

If I am out of line with this question I will delete (or mods delete, please)

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

I wasn't aware brush hogs had a "slipper clutch" - I have a 3' hog and it looks to be all rigid drive from the tractor PTO to the blades. Do you mean over-running clutch that is on the tractor? It appears as if something is indeed slipping or at least slowing down. I'm assuming the noise is mostly coming from the hog as you can hear something slow down.

 

[johneic]

By "Slipper clutch" I am referring to a clutch at the front of the gearbox, a "slip clutch", I call them slipper clutch, it takes the place of a "shear pin" on a hog (rotary mower), it slips instead of breaks, first 3 pics are mine, the second to last pic is a new one I found online for $180.00, one of mine are slipping I think, I have only owned this 7 foot hog for about 3 years, but I know the sound when it is working, and it is not lugging the engine like when I get in too tall of grass.

The last pic is my tractor,

If for nothing else I am sharing here,

The bolts with springs on the back can be tightened for more friction, this is what mine might need, if its my pto clutch (independent PTO) I need to go back to my Ford Select O Speed Mechanic (also called "Power Shift" by John Deere), these transmissions have not been made since the 1970s, mine is a 1966ish, The mechanics that were factory trained have long since retried. (Hard to find and expensive, which is why tractors with SOS transmissions can be found for a low cost, that is what I did, $3,500 tractor cost). But keeping these transmissions working can be expensive.

 

[284 International]

I can't specifically help, but you have (Unfortunately) a range of possible issues. The simplest by far is as you suspect, the slipper clutch not being sufficiently tightened. A stripe on both plates with a marker, a streak of nail polish, or a scribed witness mark would let you know pretty quickly if the clutch is slipping.

If the trouble is on the tractor side, it will be tougher to diagnose. Tractordata shows three options for PTOs on the tractors, and it could be any of a number of things. Properly adjusting the tractor clutch is never a bad idea though, even as regular maintenance, and tends to be skipped or ignored, so may be a starting point if the PTO slipper clutch is holding.

Were it mine I would mark the clutch and keep the wrenches needed to tighten the bolts with me. Then, if it slipped, I would tighten the bolts, say, a third of a turn. According to this chart, compressing the springs a quarter of a millimeter increases the torque required to slip the clutch by 600 lb-ft.

If the threads are metric, it is easy to calculate the difference in spring compression: If the threads are, say, 1.5 pitch, then one full turn of the bolt compresses the spring 1.5mm. Since the nut has 6 points, it is easy to turn 1/6 rotation at a time, giving 0.25mm adjustment.

If it isn't the slip clutch, I have nowhere to start giving advice. A good resource to private message may be Soundguy, he's big into Ford tractors of that vintage, and may know where to start in diagnosing the PTO trouble.

 

[johneic]

To Quote You "A stripe on both plates with a marker, a streak of nail polish, or a scribed witness mark would let you know pretty quickly if the clutch is slipping."

Beautiful idea, I never thought of this, big thanks!

 

[johneic]

I might add, my (independent) PTO clutch is a lot like a Hydro drive clutch pack (wet clutch) for Iseki hydro tractors, if neglected major problems happen, so I must determine which need attention. I just had my PTO clutch pack replaced 3 years ago and it was a bit tight, I had the mechanic loosen it up a bit and no problems since, one of these clutches need adjustment and 284 gave me an idea I will try tomorrow.