Rotary Cutter How often do you adjust your rotary cutter slip clutch?

Don87 · Aug 26, 2012

IslandTractor said:
I'm surprised that some of the guys reporting here who rarely adjust don't suffer the consequences of a rusted clutch and no shear bolt. Perhaps they do slip the clutch in regular use and it is dry enough that rust is not an issue.

I don't have a cutter, but do have a tiller. I slip the clutch in the spring before the first use.
It may not be necessary as it resides in my garage, but it makes me feel better.

jenkinsph · Aug 26, 2012

Island Tractor,
There is a difference between living in the desert and living on the ocean front. If I lived on the Atlantic seaboard I would be very concerned about rusting, used to live in south Louisiana, everthing rusted up.

SPYDERLK · Aug 26, 2012

IslandTractor said:
I'm surprised that some of the guys reporting here who rarely adjust don't suffer the consequences of a rusted clutch and no shear bolt. Perhaps they do slip the clutch in regular use and it is dry enough that rust is not an issue.

It is because a gearbox is MUCH more robust than you know and microslips are forced when you hit solid objects like hunks of wood, good sized rocks, cinderblocks, etc. Keeps the clutch from actually seizing up tight.
larry

IslandTractor · Aug 26, 2012

jenkinsph said:
Island Tractor,
There is a difference between living in the desert and living on the ocean front. If I lived on the Atlantic seaboard I would be very concerned about rusting, used to live in south Louisiana, everthing rusted up.

Yes, i don't doubt dry air makes a very big difference. I'm within a few hundred yards of ocean and while rust isn't a big issue for most things I can imagine that just a bit of surface rust on an unpainted clutch plate could really affect the power needed to slip the clutch.

Spyder's point about "microslips" with smaller impacts is interesting. I have made marks on both sides of the clutch and haven't noticed such slips so maybe mine is more solidly stuck now. I'll keep loosening a half turn or so a day until I see slippage.

IndyIan · Aug 26, 2012

IslandTractor said:
Yes, i don't doubt dry air makes a very big difference. I'm within a few hundred yards of ocean and while rust isn't a big issue for most things I can imagine that just a bit of surface rust on an unpainted clutch plate could really affect the power needed to slip the clutch.

Spyder's point about "microslips" with smaller impacts is interesting. I have made marks on both sides of the clutch and haven't noticed such slips so maybe mine is more solidly stuck now. I'll keep loosening a half turn or so a day until I see slippage.

Is breaking the gearbox either in the cutter or in the tractor not a real concern then with a seized clutch?
I just got my first PTO powered implement, a 5' rotary cutter and it has a 1/2" shear bolt which seems like it would transfer alot of shock load before it snaps? I guess the PTO system on our tractors is pretty tough but I'm not in a big hurry to hit anything hard enough to break that shear pin or stall out the tractor from PTO rpms...

IslandTractor · Aug 27, 2012

IndyIan said:
Is breaking the gearbox either in the cutter or in the tractor not a real concern then with a seized clutch?
.

Yes, that is the issue. I don't worry so much about the implement gearbox as that could, if necessary, be replaced for a few hundred bucks under a shade tree. It is the tractor side of the equation that worries me. I don't specifically recall any reports of tractor damage reported on TBN but I'm sure it can happen.

A properly maintained and adjusted slip clutch has advantages in the field but the simplicity and reliability of shear bolts have advantages too. Who knows when their slip clutch has frozen? The only screwup with a shear bolt is using a higher than specified grade bolt. It was a PITA field replacing those bolts but I must admit that the peace of mind and simplicity were advantages over relying on a slip clutch with an implement that is used only occasionally in an environment where rust happens. I probably spend at least three or four times as long doing just the annual slip clutch adjustment as replacing a shear bolt. If I could chose again, for an implement that is used once a month, I'd go with shear bolt myself, mostly for the peace of mind.

Sawdustsmb · Aug 27, 2012

Bought a 10 footer at auction - bought new blades (4), gear box lower seal, pto jack shaft, for use on smooth pasture - meadows. Didn't get to use it yet or adjust the slip clutch. Son took it out friday while I was in SC. visiting my grandson - went over a bunch of thorn apples ( a NO,NO) tore out the rubber connector on a cross shaft - $827.82. Guess those slip clutches need to be adjusted!!!! Tractor and bush hog are parked.

Bob