Rotary Cutter Blade Nut

Chilly807 · Mar 21, 2011

For what it's worth, the cutter will likely slide off the jack stands when you try to take the nuts off if you use a cheater bar.

You might try picking it up on one side with the loader if you have one, stay out from under the dam* thing.

I'd tell you what I did, but the safety police would be beating my door down.

Sean

RoyJackson · Mar 21, 2011

Chilly807 said:
For what it's worth, the cutter will likely slide off the jack stands when you try to take the nuts off if you use a cheater bar.
You might try picking it up on one side with the loader if you have one, stay out from under the dam* thing.

I'd tell you what I did, but the safety police would be beating my door down.

Sean

(Bolded sentence) That's why I suggested using a long cheater bar. At least there would be an avenue for escape.
Might be safer (and better leverage) if the cutter was leaned up against a tree or other substantial surface and blocked to prevent it sliding. This is how I touch up my blades.
I do this when I pull my RFM blades off for sharpening too.
I never get under an implement if at all possible.

spruce Deere · Mar 21, 2011

I'd tell you what I did, but the safety police would be beating my door down.

Thats what I would recommend....

AchingBack · Mar 21, 2011

My favorite cheap trick, (works sometimes), after spraying with lubricant, try tightening first. You might be amazed. Just a touch of tightening creates that magic little click when the rust breaks free.

ShenandoahJoe · Mar 27, 2011

Replaced the blades yesterday; everything went smoothly. You all were a big help--thanks! I figure I'll put an epilogue here, since half the things I read on this forum are archived threads.

Bought a 1-11/16" socket, an 18" slider bar (much cheaper than a ratchet) an 8" extender bar (to get me clear of the tail wheel), and a 3-foot length of 1" iron pipe. I soaked the nuts with WD-40 and let it sit for an hour or so. Then I took my new wrench and cheater pipe and broke the nuts free. Left them finger tight, though.

Rousted a nephew away from the basketball tournament and into service. Levered the cutter up in the air with a digging bar, and nephew slipped in four jack stands. Then I kicked the cutter as hard as I could from the side, and thought about how I'd feel about being underneath the cutter right then. It didn't budge visibly, so we proceeded. We did one blade at a time. Nephew loosened the nut the rest of the way, while I caught all the parts that fell. Then I took put the new blade and washer on the bolt and pushed the assembly into place from underneath while nephew tightened the nut enough to hold. When both blades were on, we levered the cutter back down on the ground. Chocked the tail wheel so it didn't roll. Now to tighten the nuts.

There's about 200 lbs of me and about 100 lbs of nephew. We were pulling about 3 feet from the bolt, so we'd need 150 lbs of force. The landscape rake weighs 160; we lifted it up in the air so we'd know what the right force felt like. (Answer: pulling for all we're worth.) Then we did that.

Two observations: 1. When I put the blades back on, my chest was under a piece of steel that would make a fair guillotine blade. Didn't like that much, but I couldn't see any other way to make sure the keys were in the keyways and the blades had the right play in them. 2. You can almost always get a 12-year-old boy interested in things involving really big wrenches.

sweettractors · Mar 27, 2011

A lot of the old cutters had holes in the deck top for access to the blade bolts. Some farmers made holes on their own with the hot wrench. I think most companies have stopped putting in those access holes. Ken Sweet

J_J · Mar 27, 2011

I am really surprised at some of you for using any lubricant on threads and nuts in a torque situation. Just about all torque figures are for dry fit. You can not get away with that on military aircraft, and probably civilian aircraft. I bet they don't do that on the space shuttle either. You can do whatever you want with your own machines, as the risk is yours.

Don't want to argue about it, as dry fit is the rule.

Chilly807 · Mar 27, 2011

sweettractors said:
A lot of the old cutters had holes in the deck top for access to the blade bolts. Some farmers made holes on their own with the hot wrench. I think most companies have stopped putting in those access holes. Ken Sweet

My Land Pride has the hole in the deck, there's really no way to get at the nuts otherwise.

Sean

banjodunn · Mar 28, 2011

J_J said:
I am really surprised at some of you for using any lubricant on threads and nuts in a torque situation. Just about all torque figures are for dry fit. You can not get away with that on military aircraft, and probably civilian aircraft. I bet they don't do that on the space shuttle either. You can do whatever you want with your own machines, as the risk is yours.

Don't want to argue about it, as dry fit is the rule.

G'day don't want to argue with you JJ i have never worked on aircraft so don't know it from that side of the fence, but every w/shop manual i have ised in the last 25 odd years has asked for a lubed thread on anything requiring specific torque value. A lubricated thread will always give you a tighter clamping load than a dry thread, i always lube the underside of the head as well. I am surprised they do not lube in the aviation industry. Like you i am not out to start an argument just stating what i know

Jon