Fallon
Super Member
Just replaced the bearings on my 917 (assuming the 917h is similar, although I have an adjustable idler tension pulley unlike noted above) with non greasable ones from Messick's (greasable from Flailmaster were more than I paid for the whole flail). My driven side bearing exploded & I ground the un-driven side off.
After it was off I figured out how it was actually on there. The grove in the mounting collar & the flange on the bearing are off center. You should be able to undo the set screw then rotate the collar to get it free. There is a hole with no set screw or threds i presume to jam a rod into so you can rotate it. If not a pipe wrench would probably be required. Once that collar is off (and you polished any resulting burrs) you can just slide the bearing off.
Make sure the rotor is well supported first. You pull the driven side off first as the mounting plate for the bearing is bigger than the rotor (probably need to take a few knives off to fit). Slide the rotor through that hole a few inches & you can mess with the non-driven side with clearance to get things on & off the shaft. The a few photos before you pull it apart so you can see what order the mounting plates stack. I got it wrong & put the big piece between the 2 that hold the bearings the first time & had to pull it back a part to fix it.
I broke my tensioner rod reinstalling it (tried removing a rusted on nut & the rust was stronger than the shaft). Welded a long bolt ontop some bar stock & pot a cross pin on. Will be way stronger than the original. Paint on that has been drying for a couple weeks now... really need to put that last piece on & make sure it runs right.
When I put the bearings on, I just lined things up, then twisted the esentric collar on as tight as I could so it bound the collar & inner portion of the bearing on the shaft before tightening the set screw. That sound like the right process? Or do I get to re-do something again?
After it was off I figured out how it was actually on there. The grove in the mounting collar & the flange on the bearing are off center. You should be able to undo the set screw then rotate the collar to get it free. There is a hole with no set screw or threds i presume to jam a rod into so you can rotate it. If not a pipe wrench would probably be required. Once that collar is off (and you polished any resulting burrs) you can just slide the bearing off.
Make sure the rotor is well supported first. You pull the driven side off first as the mounting plate for the bearing is bigger than the rotor (probably need to take a few knives off to fit). Slide the rotor through that hole a few inches & you can mess with the non-driven side with clearance to get things on & off the shaft. The a few photos before you pull it apart so you can see what order the mounting plates stack. I got it wrong & put the big piece between the 2 that hold the bearings the first time & had to pull it back a part to fix it.
I broke my tensioner rod reinstalling it (tried removing a rusted on nut & the rust was stronger than the shaft). Welded a long bolt ontop some bar stock & pot a cross pin on. Will be way stronger than the original. Paint on that has been drying for a couple weeks now... really need to put that last piece on & make sure it runs right.
When I put the bearings on, I just lined things up, then twisted the esentric collar on as tight as I could so it bound the collar & inner portion of the bearing on the shaft before tightening the set screw. That sound like the right process? Or do I get to re-do something again?
