Rotary cutter, slip clutch or shear pin??

[gauthier]

I'm sure you could have both,,but I've had one shear bolt break in 7-8 years,and that was this spring,[finally just broke when I ran over a little fallen limb],so ,,,I have no spare shear bolts just to give you a idea of how worried I am about one breaking
Slip clutch you are supposed to loosen bolts each year till it slips[to make sure it ain't rusted shut] on a tiller for example,than you have to tighten them,tighten them even,not over tighten them,,,now a brush hog[mine stays on my tractor for 5-6 months] I would worry about it rusting shut in the 1-2 months it sat in weather[got tractor in shed but half of hog is sticking out in rain],probably don't need to worry,but I would,so I'd have to do the above stuff at least a couple times a year,and yeah your right,how would you know you didn't get it to tight? There is instructions,but I know from doing it on my tiller,1/4 turn or maybe less on those nuts can be the difference tween slipping and not,tiller you can tell quick,hog I would be worried.

 

[Qhorse]

Thanks for all the input. My use would only be a few times a year in mostly grasses/weeds and maybe some sapling 1/4 - 1/2"

It sounds like sheer bolts maybe a safer route, how long dose it take to replace one of these 5 - 10 mins?

Thanks

 

[sweettractors]

Thanks for all the input. My use would only be a few times a year in mostly grasses/weeds and maybe some sapling 1/4 - 1/2"

It sounds like sheer bolts maybe a safer route, how long dose it take to replace one of these 5 - 10 mins?

Thanks

5-10 minutes is about right, if you keep the right wrenches in the toolbox. Ken Sweet

 

[56FordGuy]

If you're mowing the same area and keeping it maintained, eventually you will get rid of tough brush.

For what you describe, I'd probably go with a shear bolt. I keep a bolt and wrenches in the toolbox on the tractor, I might break one a year.

 

[greg_g]

Is there a method to tighten without over doing it? Does it come factory set? If I rebuild it, How do I know what the correct torque is?

In the case of my Eurocardan slip clutch, recommended maintenance and adjustment procedures were in a pamphlet that came with it. One would hope other manufacturers would do the same. If yours happens to be a 55hp Eurocardan, I can send you a copy of the instructions.

Now the truly interesting thing on the cutter I am rebuilding- It has the slip clutch to go on a smooth input shaft. Would I be able to put a shear bolt in as a backup?

A bolt obviously, but only as a fastener. Otherwise you might end up with a configuration where the "shear" bolt breaks before you ever arrive at the slip clutch release point. That kinda setup sorta makes the slip clutch redundant.

//greg//

 

[CBW1999]

Thanks for the input Greg-
I will have to clean the dirt off and see what make/model the slip clutch is.

Won't be until next week.....wife has plans for me this weekend :thumbsup:
...Actually, she and my mother are putting on a yard sale- and I get to do the work

 

[Deadman]

Storage is the key to a slip clutch. If you store them outside, or in a wet damp garage, anything and everything will rust, so the slip clutch will rust too. As the slip clutch rusts, so does your beautiful Tractor. I have had my Slip clutch on my Flail mower for like 6 years now, and I use it all summer, and store it in my dehumidified garage, and it has yet to ever rust. No moisture=No rust.
I refuse to let my tractor rust in my garage.
Dehumidifier does cost some money to run, but its worth it to me.

 

[swmich42]

Greg G, Since I am new to rotary mowers, and maintaining them, I had some questions on the maintenance on the slip clutch, and what that means. Is it testing and re-calibrating how tight the nuts are against the springs, each year, (periodically throughout the year) to make sure the clutch is just tight enough to handle what you are cutting? Or is there more to this? I have printed out recommended maintenance/operating proceedures for my used 609 I just picked up, but thought I would throw this question out there to someone more experienced.

 

[greg_g]

Well, it just depends upon which slip clutch you have, and who made it. If it's a EuroCardan Series 4, I can help with a chart that helps adjust spring length to match PTO horsepower. If it's a Series 5, there's no such chart. It's slip the old slip and tighten method. If it's not a EuroCardan, I can't help with the adjustment.

But no less than once a year - usually in the spring after it's sat out in the pasture over winter - I completely disassemble it. Sometimes there's a little rust and varnishing to clean up, other times it's simply reassembe and readjust.

Sorry about not being more specific, but like I said - it depends upon the individual slip clutch.

//greg//

 

[Chilly807]

Not sure if the model I have is a Eurocardan or not, but it's on a Eurocardan PTO shaft, Land Pride RCR1860 cutter.

They give you a dimensional length for the spring when it's properly tightened, and suggest you loosen it two turns and then engage the PTO to ensure it's slipping properly.

Once you've done that you re-tighten the bolts the two turns and you're done.

It's a pain, particularly if you store the cutter outside as I do, you never totally trust the slip clutch. If I had to do it over again, I'd look pretty hard at the shear bolt option.

Sean