Flail Mower Caroni Flail Roller Bearings

[greg_g]

A little off-season modification might extend the life of that mower. The existing design is flawed. On higher end flails, the stubs are integral to the roller. The bearing assemblies then get tapped onto the stubs, dirt seal facing the roller. Once seated, they're held in place with spring clips. End caps then seated on the installed bearings. Mine seated easily with a block of wood and a little tapping with a 3 pound hammer. Then the completed roller assembly gets bolted back onto the mower frame. No slop in that design.

//greg//

 

[joemd11]

I don't want to hijack this thread from sunspot. I think my mower is ok for the rest of the season. The way the roller is mounted on these Caroni flails is not very robust. I'll tinker with it over the winter. I hope sunspot posts with the progress he has made with his repairs.

 

[sunspot]

I could not crack the bearing race with a cold chisel and hammer. I even tried heating up the piece.
I finally used a diamond drill and that worked.

Now to tackle the outer race in the roller ends.

I might try a cutting torch.

 

[joemd11]

Dana, was that race frozen to one of the axle stubs? Looks like that was a pain to get off. Do you have to buy the replacement bearings from Caroni or can you get them elsewhere ?

Joe

 

[leonz]

All Bearings are metric and you can buy replacement bearings at any well stocked
auto repair or bearing reseller-purchasing them at KAMAN Bearing will get you a bearing
faster as they have a huge local inventory.

 

[sunspot]

Dana, was that race frozen to one of the axle stubs? Looks like that was a pain to get off. Do you have to buy the replacement bearings from Caroni or can you get them elsewhere ?Joe

Joe, the race was not frozen but it was what I call a press fit. The diamond drilling took about 30 minutes on a drill press. I'll probably order the parts from Agri.

 

[joemd11]

Dana,
I'm eager to see how this goes back together with the new parts. Please keep us posted. I've got a few questions but will hold them until your finished. I don't want to pester you with a lot of mundane questions. I think I may have done something to tweak the roller mounts on my flail. One side may be splayed outwards and this is what is causing the side-to-side slop in the roller.

 

[sunspot]

Hi Joe

Ask away. There may be a time setback for fixing my flail. My torch failed and has been sent out for repair. Also I have been IM'img with Leon who has been in touch with Agri about the bearing issues.

The roller support on my setup is straight and true. I believe they cost $55 each at Agri.

 

[8404]

View attachment 272263View attachment 272264must be something in the air. Mine did the same thing and my mower is only a year old. I added grease every time i mowed and it still failed but i think the problem is because i mow in wet conditions in the spring time and moisture and grit is getting into my berrings especially on the offset side that i use to cut the lowest part of diches with.
Im going to be going a differant rout on the repair this time im going to remove the roller and replace it with two bush hog tail wheels. ive been thinking about this for some time. with the roller out of the way it will cut going backwards too and the roller wont interfear with the discharge of tall grass as much either. anyway ive always ended up modifiying my mowers for better or for worst.

Ok so here is my fix for my roller problems i just finished it and mowed with it and it perfect at least for now. It acually has a rear dishcharge now and will cut going backwards. and when i cross gravel or asphalt its quiet rather than the rumble of the steel roller crushing gravel. past experiance with bush hog wheels makes me think it will be a while till i have any problems again.View attachment 273110

 

[Ledge End]

Nice job on the mod :thumbsup:

 

[sunspot]

I just got off the phone with ASG. The bearings are $75 each:thumbdown:. When I receive them, I will measure and post the information here.

 

[leonz]

I just got off the phone with ASG.
The bearings are $75 each:thumbdown:.

When I receive them, I will measure and post the information here.

Hello Dana,

Have you been contacted by the folks at agrisupply about your bearing failure?

leon

 

[sunspot]

Leon, no contact. I had to place my order because the grass is getting out of hand. I will IM my order number.

 

[sunspot]

Item Description Price Extended Price
31418 1874 BEARING OR 2205 W/O SEATS 74.95 149.90
This is pasted from the invoice. I have no idea if it is tariffed. The price may be high because the inner race is positional. Roller bearings may not work if tilting(?) Is needed.

 

[greg_g]

That seems like more bearing than a fixed roller needs; the positional part I mean. A conventional bearing assembly should be all that is necessary. Replaced those in my Ford 917H a few weeks back at $51/per. That was through a NH dealer. If I could have read the actual bearing number, I'm sure I could have gotten them cheaper elsewhere.

//greg//

 

[leonz]

Yikes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you do not need a bearing of this type AYYYYYYYY Caramba LUCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I would not use a two row axial loaded bearing like this NO WAY!!!

Can you flip the bearing over and send another picture of the back side
with the bearing assembly flat against the table?

The metric size identification numbers for the bearing are
ALWAYS supposed to be stamped into the outer race.


The only reason I can think of for using an axial loaded bearing with a
low ball count in this case is to compensate for bearing wear versus using
a heavy roller bearing or a standard caged two row ball bearing.

The bearing choice makes no sence because of the low speed and duty cycle and
the zero need for a bearing that would need to tolerate axial loading which a rear roller
would not create anyway as the loading is always supposed to be linear not axial.

 

[sunspot]

Hi all,
I closely examined the bearing for any markings. What I found was not stamped but looks like etching. The marks are CF and 205.

I put a new battery in my Harbor Freight digital caliber and this is what I got.

Outer diameter is 52mm with a thickness of 18mm. I was not able to nail down the inside diameter as I was reading a different size on multiple tries. It varied from 24.66 to 24.85.

I measured shaft size of the support. It is 25mm. I was not able to slip the bearing on the support shaft by hand but I have a bit of peening from trying to beat the inner race off the shaft.

So lets call it 52x25x18mm.

 

[leonz]

Hello Dana,

What you have there is a self aligning 2 row ball bearing.

it is more bearing than what is needed for the application in this case.

 

[sunspot]

I believe you are correct. Now to see who can find a local sourced bearing that will be equal to the OEM. I looked some at McMaster-Carr and found one for $8 but with no skill in the application, I do not know if it will be a replacement past the size.

Hello Dana,

What you have there is a self aligning 2 row ball bearing.

it is more bearing than what is needed for the application in this case.

 

[leonz]

Hello Dana,

KAMAN Bearing has seven retail stores in Alabama.

These stores are located in Albany, Atlanta, Birmingham,
Huntsville, Lagrange, Muscle Shoals and Montgomery, Alabama.


To be on the safe side you should have the stubs machined to correct the damage
from using a hammer.

They can help you with this issue.