shear bolt

bewill · Dec 24, 2004

Took delivery of my new Land Pride 1872 cutter, pulled behind my new NHTC 40DA, and promptly broke the shear bolt when I ran over a high spot (I think I was running at too low of rpm's). I had to tap out the remaining piece of the bolt from the driveline but did not have enough room within the small opening on the rubber shield. So, I cut off enough of the shield to where I could get to it and replace the bolt. Is there any problem in operating with quite a bit of the shield gone (like a piece of shear bolt into the back of the old noggin)? P.S. I'll be posting a picture as soon as I get my wife out to take it (for some reason -- perhaps 23,000 reasons -- she is not as excited about my Christmas present to myself as I am).

GerardC · Dec 24, 2004

Is there any problem in operating with quite a bit of the shield gone (like a piece of shear bolt into the back of the old noggin)? 

Shouldn't you have thought about that before you cut it /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif? I'd get a replacement if it were me. G

Bob_Skurka · Dec 24, 2004

Certainly the shield is there for a reason, I suppose before I pass any advice on how dangerous it is to operate with a section missing, I think it would be appropriate to see a close-up photo of that shows detail of how much is gone and where it is cut out.

As for your wife not being quite as excited about your Christmas gift as you are, well just get used to that! My wife, commonly known as the lovely Mrs_Bob, is now afraid to go out of town to visit her family because she seems to "find" new things in the garage when she comes home. She's going to visit her family for a few days after we celebrate Christmas and she already knows that a new Top N Tilt set up will be arriving. What she doesn't know is that I've got other things on order too /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Glenn9643 · Dec 24, 2004

The primary function of the cover over the driveline is to protect you from becoming entangled in the spinning shaft by clothing, etc. As long as the shield is still covering the driveline you're probably OK; no telling how many are running implements without any cover on the PTO shaft. Just be careful around it.
For future reference, you can disconnect the drive shaft from the tractor, pull it apart, and remove either end of the shield on all that I'm familiar with..

bewill · Dec 24, 2004

Thanks for the advice. This shield is bolted on to the gear box of the cutter and I didn't have a long enough extension to get to it with a wrench, since the bolts were also covered. When I replace the rubber shield I'll make sure I have a long enough wrench extender in case I break another bolt, which is bound to happen on my place. Maybe I'm missing something but this doesn't seem like an ideal design by Land Pride.

beenthere · Dec 24, 2004

Just my opinion, but:
No one in their right mind would be walking or working around a PTO shaft on a rotary cutter with it running, so again InMyOpinion, there is very little sense for a shaft cover (shear bolts just drop off) to be present, other than the hype built up around "all PTO shafts need protection".
Again, its just my opinion, but I see the common sense in a covering and protection of a PTO shaft that is operating a machine like a feed grinder where the operator is walking and moving about the machine as it is being powered by a PTO.

But a rotary cutter? No chance, IMO. Sorry if I offend anyone on Christmas eve. Don't mean to, and wish you all a Merry Christmas.

jinman · Dec 24, 2004

( Sorry if I offend anyone on Christmas eve. )

You won't offend me. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif In my opinion, the only thing the shield is good for on a rotary cutter is to keep things like greenbriars from winding around the shaft. I've been operating my rotary cutter for over 5 years with no shield whatsoever. I can't imagine getting anywhere near the cutter when it's running. All PTO shafts have to be supplied with the shield in place, but I wouldn't give it a second thought about modifying or removing the shield.

BTW: I've sheared probably 35 or 40 shearbolts on my cutter and never been hit by a piece. The pieces always leave the driveline at close to 90°. You'll do more damage skinning your knuckles trying to mess with replacing a shear bolt through the shield than you'll ever do by removing part or all of it.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is just mine. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Glenn9643 · Dec 24, 2004

No offense taken! I understand your viewpoint and as I said above, there are many who operate without shields in place perhaps because they share your thoughts or perhaps because they just don't think.
I've used borrowed equipment (posthole digger) that didn't have a shield in place, and had no trouble because I was aware of the dangers. I try to keep shields operational on all of my stuff because I don't always know who'll ask to use it or who might be nearby when it's being used. Not just when I'm running the tractor. No more than it costs to maintain it just makes sense to me.

Merry Christmas.

Bird · Dec 24, 2004

( Everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is just mine. )

Jim, I'd never recommend anyone else operate one without the shields, but I removed the one from my tiller, and since I bought my rotary cutter as a "crate" job and did the assembly myself, I left that one off to start with. Then I put them both on when I got ready to sell them. But like you, I knew that I wasn't going near that PTO shaft, not only just when it was running, but I wouldn't even touch it if the tractor engine was running.

DK35vince · Dec 24, 2004

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't worry about a couple of holes in the shield either.
The first time I tried to grease the U-joints in my brush mower I had a fight with the PTO shield blocking me from the grease fittings. The shield Lost.
The shield is still in place but I cut whatever sized holes that were nessasary to get at the fittings..
Like the others said, nobody, but nobody should be climbing around that mower while it is running anyway !