Batwing Gear Box blew up

   / Batwing Gear Box blew up #1  

EddieWalker

Epic Contributor
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
26,487
Location
Tyler, Texas
Tractor
Several, all used and abused.
While minding my own business, just driving along, mowing the grass, I heard what sounded like a branch being destroyed by the mower blades. But it kept going of for longer then it should, so I looked back and saw a round cap laying behind the gear box, and oil everywhere.

IMG_3904.JPG

I headed back in and took of the top cover. The gears all look good, but the gear that goes through the middle of the case, and connects to the driveshaft, slides back and forth. If I slide it to the tractor, it turns the blades. If I slide it away from the tractor, the blades do not turn.

IMG_3905.JPG IMG_3906.JPG

It was Saturday afternoon, but I sent an email to my dealer, PR Equipment in Karens TX a note asking about my Five Year Warrantee. I checked my email a few hours later and had a saw that they had replied. Basically, if I didn't run it with no oil in it, the Warrantee is good. Then on Monday morning, they called me and asked me the same question, did I have oil in the gearbox? I did, and after I told him what happened, he said that I had the perfect scenario for a Warrantee Claim.

I had two options. Take the entire batwing to them, and they will do all the work, or bring just the gear box to them, and they will give me a new one.

Unhooking the batwing, loading it onto a trailer, and hauling there, and then going back to pick it up, haul it home, and hook it back up again, sounded like a lot more work then taking it off and just bringing them the gear box.

I've never removed a stump jumper before in one piece, so I can use it again. The one time I did it before, I used a grinder and a cutting torch since it had cracked, and it was already junk.

This is the main reason for this post. Getting the stump jumper off was almost overwhelming. I couldn't pry it from anywhere, and I didn't have anything to pull it off. I looked at some YouTube videos, and Land Pride had one showing them use a T Post pounder to get it off. That seemed like the easiest, least complicated way to get it off. In the video, he hit it two times, where the bolts for the blades attach, and then one time at the other bolt location. In my world, I hit it four times, did the other side four times, then went back and fourth, hitting it four times on each side, until it fell off. I didn't count how many times I rotated it, but it was enough to get a workout. Maybe 7 or 8 times total before it fell off.

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Once it was done, I was so happy, that I needed to post this in case others have to take off their stump jumper!!!!

Now I'm waiting for the new gear box to get here

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   / Batwing Gear Box blew up #3  
So......after all those fun and games. Any ideas on what caused the problem.
 
   / Batwing Gear Box blew up
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I don't have any idea what happened to it. I wasn't even in anything all that thick.
 
   / Batwing Gear Box blew up #6  
Did it push the snap ring that holds the bearing race out of the groove? Kinda looks like it and then it pushed the plug out.

Being that the bigger gear pushes on that bearing under load, the hit may have been hard enough to push the snap ring out the groove. To be honest, not a very good design solution for that.
 
   / Batwing Gear Box blew up
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I think that's what happened. I took out the snap ring and tried to push it back, but it wouldn't move, so I decided not to make it worse, and I put the snap ring back in where it's at now. The cap that fell out, wont go back in because the snap ring, and bearings, are in it's way
 
   / Batwing Gear Box blew up #8  
Sorry to hear of your trouble.

It looks like you did good with the post driver.

What brand cutter is that?

It doesn't seem to make much difference in what brand cutter it is anymore, because they all use cheap Chinese gear boxes now. Still, I think some are better than others. Most of my 12' batwing gearbox failures have just been cutting growth like you were in. Nothing heavy, nothing real brushy. Just normal cutting. Had gearbox failures on Woods BW12, and Modern Ag Viper... 3 gearbox failures total between the 2. All covered under warranty.

One side note, I've gone to 0wt corn head grease in my gear boxes now. Just another fail safe to perhaps get some more hours out of them.
 
   / Batwing Gear Box blew up #9  
I wonder if there’s even ONE manufacturer of bush hog gear boxes left in the USA or EU? Or did NAFTA and other horrific trade policies eliminate them all?
My Deere gearboxes are made in china and have been excellent. I’m afraid to switch to CHG because the oil has been just fine and never had a drip of oil.
It’s the best for if you get a catastrophic leak.

Eddie, what brand bush hog did you buy?
 
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   / Batwing Gear Box blew up #10  
Most Comer Industries gearboxes and PTO shafts are made in China and they supply most implement manufacturers all over the world, so there is that.
 

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