Flail mower questions

[drjay9051]

Bit of a problem here. Got mower all ready to go. Rather than cut PTO I used one from my spreader(good fit, a bit old and rusty). Mower came on lowest setting. I left it there. Going along fine than I bottomed out on a high spot. No more cutting!! Checked it out: the PTO shaft twisted on itself and snapped. I would have thought the belts would have slipped before this!! Thankfully it was an older and weakened shaft or I suppose I could have done damage to the tractor or Caroni.

So I read the manual (poorly written) and lowered the skids a bit. Of course now the roller is too high. Looked under and found how to lower roller so it is a touch lower than skids.

Now I will cut the new shaft and HOPEFULLY not have this occur again.

BTW: Nice cut

 

[IslandTractor]

Sounds like the PTO shaft snapped because it was over or under extended rather than due to torque which is why the belts didn't slip. I'd suggest you do as the manual suggests for sizing the shaft that comes with the mower.

Also, use the slot not the holes for connecting the top link as that will allow the mower to float on the rear roller.

 

[greg_g]

Sounds like the PTO shaft snapped because it was over or under extended rather than due to torque which is why the belts didn't slip.

Not if the shaft was undersized. When rebuilding my Ford 917, I asked a sales person at AgriSupply which shaft I needed for a 74" flail. It arrived, I installed, then mowed a bit. When I went to dismount the mower, the shaft wouldn't compress. At the time, I figured it was a defective shaft - and got a replacement under warranty. Installed the new one, which not only twisted - but actually snapped in two. Called tech services, they said I was originally sold the wrong shaft. The right shaft cost 50% more, but I could tell as soon as I took it off the box that there was a huge difference. The diameter of this one was nearly twice that of the first two. I've got several dozen hours of pretty tough mowing on that shaft now, which proves the old adage about getting the right tool for the job.

//greg//

 

[IslandTractor]

Not if the shaft was undersized. /

Yes, you are correct. Recall that the OP was using a PTO shaft off another implement so perhaps it was undersized.

He needs to cut the Caroni supplied Eurocardian PTO shaft to correct length.

 

[drjay9051]

If by undersized you mean too short, no. Lots of overlap. However the shaft was very thin, square geometry. The new shaft is triangular and I would say 3 times the wall thickness of the one which failed.

Anyway, got it all together. I will use slot as suggested

J

 

[IslandTractor]

If by undersized you mean too short, no. Lots of overlap. However the shaft was very thin,

Undersized = not strong enough. Sounds like the Caroni supplied shaft should fix your problem.

 

[leonz]

The Cardan shaft has a lot of metal in it so you should be just fine happy mowing.

I think you will enjoy having a mower that just hums and does not throw things for sure.



leonz