Woods gearbox gives out again

[Robert_in_NY]

Well, I have owned my Woods MD172 brush chopper for a little over 2 years now. Just after the original 1 year warranty ran out the bottom oil seal let loose on the chopper. No problem, freak thing. Dealer took care of it for free with no problems (I have a great dealer at Larry Romance and Son's in Sheridan, NY) Well now, a year since the original gear box replacement (since the seal went out and seized the gears solid) the new bottom oil seal went out again. My dealer is offering to fix it for free again since it should not have happened. We take care of our equipment and do not abuse it. The blades look almost brand new so you can see it has not been abused. I am not sure if I want to continue using the MD172 chopper anymore or if I should trade it off on a new Bush Bull from woods possibly a 840 or trade it for a Bush Hog brand but I prefer to deal with Romances and they sell Woods. The new gearboxes Woods use seem to be built heavier and have a lot better warranty. Any one have experience with the new Bush Bull Medium Duty line?

 

[Rick Jay]

Robert_in_NY,

Your dealer sounds very willing to work with you, so that's a plus. Perhaps you could have him contact Woods and explain your situation, and mention that you might like to trade up to a heavier model. See what they can do for you. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Good Luck,

~Rick

 

[Robert_in_NY]

When the gearbox went the first time they made Woods take care of it so hopefully they can do the same. I would love to jump up to the 840 as the MD172 is nice but I don't need a 6' chopper anymore and a 7' would work better for my new use. The BB840 will cost roughly $2500 so I will see what type of deal I can swing to rid myself of the MD172. I would still like to hear from anyone else with a medium duty Bush Bull to see if they have had any problems before I get another problem.

 

[CSAW]

If it will make you feel any better I have an old M5 Woods rotary cutter. The only thing on it that is still good is the gear box. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif The rest of the thing is completely rusted out. I'm trying to figure out if is worth the time to weld it up. I only use it about once a year so I can't justify a new one.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The old M5's were great choppers. We have a old Ford 5' from the early 70's that is still going strong. Only problem is the slip clutch needs to be cleaned up and tightened. Never a problem with the gearbox on that thing. There was a M5 that just sold for $450 at a auction a couple days ago. Was in great shape except for the common dings you expect to see on a chopper. Take care.

 

[mikim]

I've got a BB600 that I absolutely beat the living !@#$% out of clearing brush - heavy brush - clearing timber that ain't never been - Thank goodness for the stump jumper on it - or I'd be hung up a lot! It takes a beating and keeps going w/o any problems at all.

 

[frank_f15]

Robert: where about in Sheridan? i am only about 40 min from there but could only find and address for them in Arcade. i would like to take a ride and check them out.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

They are right in the middle of Sheridan itself. When you head into Sheridan on Route 20 heading towards Fredonia, go past the blinking light and look to your left as they are about 500 feet past the light. You cant miss them, they have a TN and a TS parked out by the front gate as well as most of their TC's.

 

[markct]

ya gota realize that most any cutter can have its seal damaged pretty easy, things like fishing line,baleing twine, fence wire, etc get wrapped around the shaft and chew up the seal, so ya may just have to be carefull and check the oil more often in your cutter. we always ran a mix of heavy gear oil and grease, so even if the seal failed then it would still get some lubrication. make sure ya check the oil before every use

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The only problem is that there has never been anything that could hurt the seal. My dealers original thought was that it was a piece of grape wire but when they tore it apart there was no wire or any damage that would be the result of a wire wrapping up there. And for it to happen about a year after it was new and again after replacement just doesn't add up. The land I am chopping has been cut since 1987 and has always been cut every year. There is nothing in the fields but grass and weeds.

As for checking oil before every use, I use to check the oil in a gearbox before the initial use each year since I have never had problems with oil seals giving away. Now I have to check this gear box just about every day and it is pathetic. I can not let this thing sit for a week and be content in knowing the oil is still in there like I can with the $300 5' cutter that we bought from a grape farmer a few years back. That thing is one of the Quality Farm and Fleet specials that has had the crap beat out of it and it still is more reliable then the $1700 Woods MD172 that we bought brand new and have babied the couple years we have owned it. Heck, even the gearbox on our Ford chopper from the 70's is more reliable then this one on the Woods, it has never had a problem with seals and was used on my grand fathers grape and beef farm for 20 years before it was reduced to cutting our pens once a year.

When I went to hook up the Woods 2 days ago I checked the oil since it was the first time we used it this year. No oil was in it so I talked to my dealer and told him and then filled it to make sure the seal was either bad or good and ran it for about 1.5 hours and it lost about 3/4 of a quart in that little bit of time. It is running out the bottom seal onto the stump jumper. This chopper was used about 15 hours since the original seal was replaced then parked for the winter. As far as I am concerned it is a junk design. Woods only has a 1 year warranty on that gearbox but their new gearboxes on the BB series of medium duty cutters is 3-5 years ( I can't remember if it was different between the 840 and 8400 gearboxes) So woods must know these new gearboxes are better to warranty them that much longer then the MD lines. Now I am trying to see what type of deal I can swing to trade the MD172 in on a BB840. My dealer is doing his best to help me out and if the numbers work out I will get rid of the problem and hopefully Woods will have a better product in their new choppers. Sorry for the long post but I have been using choppers for quite a while and the first brand new chopper I buy turns into a headache and it annoys the heck out of me. Take care