Bush hog gear box issue.

[namesray]

Well my streak of bad luck continued today. Just about done mowing a 20+acre field, its late, and all I had left was a little seperate 1 acre field to finish. Things were going "ok" up until this point.

I entered the little section with blades already going, mid rpms (1500 ish), lowered my woods rc6 bush hog and began to mow. Went about 15ft and decided these weeds were thicker and I had better drop a gear or 2. When I started to move again, no cut!?!?

PTO was spinning. Must be shear bolt, right? So to the tool box and checked it out. Shear bolt was fine and intact.

I turned the pto back on, low rpms, and blades were spinning.??. I am also having hydraulic issues with the tractor (kubota mx5200) and I thought maybe the hydraulic pto jammed up and stalled or something, but was spinning again.

To the field again to finish and with full rpms (2500) and lower gear, into the tall weeds I go. Bush hog clipped a few and then quit cutting anything. Pto was still spinning.

Well, I am home now with the 2 pieces of junk (tractor and bush hog) and after further investigation, I think something in the gear box is stripped or disconnected just enough that when there is resistance against the blades, they don't spin.

With a flash light I could watch the gears turn in the gear box until I jammed the pto shaft with a bar, then the blades would keep going, but the gears would stop. Don't worry, we checked this with the tractor off, pto disconnected, and spinning slowly by hand, and no one directly under the bush hog.

Bush hog is under warrenty so we will see how this turns out. Any one else ever have a bush hog do something simular? I like the woods rc6, cuts nice when it works.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Sounds like the blade carrier is loose on the output shaft of the gearbox. Bound to have caused some damage to the shaft with it slipping.

 

[TomSeller]

What grade shear bolt are you using?

 

[drizler]

What grade shear bolt are you using?

Oh, The UGLY EVIL question....................................
A guy I know trashed one last year using the land owners machine to hog a field he was cutting in exchange for hunting privileges. Wham, sure enough, the owner who is a chemist by trade had gone out years earlier and replaced the one he broke with a Grade 8. I hope that isn't what happened to you.

 

[boggen]

slip clutch? most rotatory cutters / bush hogs. have a "slip clutch" near the gear box. and is a replacement for a "shear bolt" there is better text / pictures / video out there in how to properly setup and maintain slip clutches.

slip clutches = designed to "slip" if ya hit something. vs damaging something. slip clutches need to be maintained min yearly. and checked to make sure they have not been rusted up per say. if slip clutches set to loose. they will get everything spinning. but as soon as you go into weeds. things will begin to slip. if slip clutches are set to tight. you might hit say a tree limp / stump. and damage your tractor. vs slip clutch slipping letting things spin on tractor side, but allowing blades to stop.