Bushhog Vibration

[rdam]

I have an L3230, 8x8 shuttle with a 5 foot BushHog brand "Squealer". The BH is vibrating excessively at PTO speed, as if the blades were unbalanced. It is not consistent. It may smooth out for awhile, and after shutting down the PTO, and then re-starting a few minutes later, the vibration will be bad. All looks in order underneath. The driveshaft is attached to the PTO properly. The blades swing on the pan "relatively" easily. Cutting low, with the skids almost touching the ground, seems to smooth things out??? Prior experience with a 6 foot "Squealer" was excellent, with little if any vibration. Any ideas what to check?

 

[Bird]

You say it "looks" in order underneath. Did you check to make sure the blade bolts and nuts are tight? You did say the blades seem to swing "relatively" easily on the pan. Were they both the same? Sometimes when you stop, one blade may swing inward which throws things out of balance when you start again until the cutter gets up to speed and swings that blade back out straight.

 

[gator]

I have a Squealer 48 and had the same symptoms. Ended up being a 1'"x2" chunk missing from the stump jumper (mine is football shaped) on one blade side. I cut the same size chung out of the opposite side and the vibration ceased. My suggestion is check your stump jumper carefully for missing pieces. I have not had any problems since I cut out a opposite piece.

 

[jbrumberg]

rdam:

Solid advise so far. I would grease the pivot points where the blades attach to the stump jumper/blade pan so that they swing freely. I would also check your blades for missing material. It does not take alot of "misbalance" between blades to make for vibration when running at speed. Jay

 

[john_bud]

Jay has a good one there. I broke a blade in 1/2 and that made it shake a bit. Not as much as you may imagine, but lot's more than normal.

Sticks also hold the blades on the inside of the jumper and thay makes it shake bad.


A bent blade may hit the deck or the jumper and get hung up. Use a ruler and check distance from the blade tip to the deck. Might as well check the distance from the pivot to the end of the blades too. Then check the distance from the jumper to the deck as you spin it 360 to make sure the shaft from the gear box isn't bent.

jb

 

[TedLaRue]

I had exactly the same symptoms with my Bush Hog. The blade bolts go through the blade, then the stump jumper, then through the blade bar. The stump jumper's metal had broken out around where the bolts went through it, and it was shifting around and not staying centered. When centered, there was no vibration, but when off center it vibrated a lot.

The problem wasn't obvious when I first looked underneath. You might want to take a closer look to see if you have that problem.

 

[Theowegian]

I suspect you have a slip clutch with your Squealer mower?

If you do, then the vibration problem could be due to your slip clutch.

Read all about my experiences with a slip clutch here. I have a similiar set up as yours, an L3130 + 5 ft Bush Hog Squealer mower.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/80841-brush-cutter-vibration-3.html

dwight

 

[thatguy]

I have experience the same thing but with a JD LX4 - Just yesterday i started the pto and it had a slight vibration.. I ran it for a while and it seemed to be cutting OK.. But I stopped and let the cutter spin down and when I restarted the PTO the vibration was gone.. I think one of the blade had gotten stuck..

Brian

 

[jbrumberg]

I have experience the same thing but with a JD LX4 - Just yesterday i started the pto and it had a slight vibration.. I ran it for a while and it seemed to be cutting OK.. But I stopped and let the cutter spin down and when I restarted the PTO the vibration was gone.. I think one of the blade had gotten stuck..

Brian

Thatguy:

That is the first thing I do whenever I get the "shakes" (on my tractor that is) . Jay

 

[JerryG]

Sounds like one of the blades was stuck partially folded up.