Flail Mower Flail mower bearings - Alamo

[tlj87]

TLJ87, when you go to order parts what have Alamo SD88 not a SHD88.

The roller attachment point (adjustment bolt mounting) is one way to tell.

Another is the gear box the small cover on the rear th held on with four bolts says it’s a SD88.

Great - Thank you! Looking through Flailmaster's catalog, I haven't seen any differentiation between parts for the the SD vs. SHD. They just use the widths of the units. So, I'm guessing that generally most of the parts are the same for the SD vs. SHD. That being said, they do show different roller mounting brackets, but don't say one is for the SD vs. SHD.

 

[toolslinger]

That little plate on the gearbox is also indicative of the older style gearbox. If/when you get in to it, be careful to keep track of the various shims. They are what set the preload on the tapered roller bearings, as well as setting the backlash between the gears. When I get home Tuesday I'll try to remember to post the gearbox rebuild paperwork and parts breakout I've got on it.

 

[tlj87]

What type of wrench/socket do I need to buy to remove these bolts on the extension shaft tube where connected to the gearbox?

 

[toolslinger]

Looks like a 12 point socket to me.
Mine were switched at some point to allen head bolts.

 

[dieselscout80]

I use a 3/8” 12 point swivel socket.

 

[tlj87]

Update: I ended up sending the unit to a welding/fab shop for some work. The non pulley end of the cutter shaft was out of round. They removed the shaft, built it up with weld and then turned it down. New bearings and housings from flailmaster were installed. They also fixed various cracks and deficiencies.

I got the unit back this week and installed all new extreme service blades. I’ve got the extension shaft apart to replace the bearing and spacers/retainers etc. I found that the gearbox input and output shaft seals that flaimaster sent were incorrect but after clarifying with Alamo exactly what model/version I have, flailmaster is sending correct seals today. The bearings look and feel good still in the gearbox.

The weld shop still has my roller brackets which they’re going to try to straighten up as one of the two is tweaked. I have new bearings with housings and dust boots ready to go when I get it back. I also have a new idler arm assembly to install.
Excited to get this thing together and try it out… then maybe clean up and paint?

 

[tlj87]

TLJ87, when you go to order parts what have Alamo SD88 not a SHD88.

The roller attachment point (adjustment bolt mounting) is one way to tell.

Another is the gear box the small cover on the rear th held on with four bolts says it’s a SD88.

So, I was able to get a full parts breakdown from Alamo. It seems based on the parts book that all of the 3pt Alamos are SHD, but there are changes over the years. The one I have appears to be manufactured between March 1972 and August 1990 based on the style of Gearbox and the roller mounting. It also seems the rear roller was replaced at one point because it has hex ends and those didn’t become available until 1994.

 

[dieselscout80]

Interesting

I think it was a guy at Alamo who told me that information.

You did a great job fixing your Alamo!

I’m going to be getting rid of my Alamo SHD96 due to it being too much for my tractor.

 

[tlj87]

I got everything more or less back together and ran it for a bit. It cuts great, but something isn’t right. I’m guessing a balance issue, but how do I identify where it is and how do I fix it? After running about an hour, The pulley side of the rotor is warm but not piping hot. The other side however is quite hot to the touch. I don't have an infrared thermometer to really know if there is a significant difference. The drive side is kind of cooled in part by the pulley itself, i would think.

EDIT: My new theory is that the issue might actually be, in part, the PTO shaft since the vibration at idle seems not as "fast" as the rotor is spinning? Here's a quick video at idle:

 

[dieselscout80]

An easy thing to check is if your u-joints on your PTO shaft are in phase.

If they are I think you might want to have your rotor checked for straightness and balance.

A machine shop that does drivelines should be able to do it.