Grading Broke an 1845 Mower Blade

[Sedgewood]

Charlie <font color=red>Figured they'd be about a dollar each. They came today, complete with packing slip -- $5.85 per bushing. </font color=red>
Uh oh I just did the same thing - called Sean Monday and asked him to send me a dozen. That's after doing a local search to no avail and also not finding them in the MSC catalog, and then deciding it would be too expensive (assuming I value my time) to make some. I can hardly wait for their arrival!

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

I think PT can sell the machines below cost and make their profit on attachment plates and bushings.

 

[Sedgewood]

Charlie
<font color=red>I am going to try to assemble a system that uses swiveling blades like the rough cuts, but with finish type lift. I need to track down some washers, bushings, etc., and hope to hear from PT about any systems they've experimented with.
</font color=red>
An idea of this sort has been taking up some of my cranial space of late. What have you come up with?

 

[Sedgewood]

I broke the belt the other day (my own lets tighten that belt a bit fault). Aarg now just how does one get a belt over the motor, hydraulic lines etc and onto the pulley I thought before going off to ME for a few days to get psyched up for it. Simple. Remove two bolts and lift the motor to separate it at the cush drive. Turns out to be a piece of cake 5 minute belt change.

 

[Sedgewood]

And of course buying that belt isn't a matter of just going into your local tractor dealer and asking for a B136 - nosirree - no part number no belt. Times they have changed. NAPA otoh - "B136, no problem, it'll be here tomorrow." (Doesn't work for <font color=red>$5.85</font color=red> blade bushings though).

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color=blue>Charlie
I am going to try to assemble a system that uses swiveling blades like the rough cuts, but with finish type lift. I need to track down some washers, bushings, etc., and hope to hear from PT about any systems they've experimented with.</font color=blue>

<font color=red>An idea of this sort has been taking up some of my cranial space of late. What have you come up with? </font color=red>

If my chop saw blade lasts through 6 gravely blades, and the hole saw makes 12 1" holes through the 1/4" blades, I will test it tomorrow,
Stay tuned.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color=red>If my chop saw blade lasts through 6 gravely blades, and the hole saw makes 12 1" holes through the 1/4" blades, I will test it tomorrow.</font color=red>

Chop saw did great. I now have 12 short blades. Hole saw, on the other hand, made it through 1/8" of the first of 12 blades. Research has begun on plan B. Seems gravely blades are pretty hard.

I did get back to some finish mowing after wearing out a 3" cutoff wheel and part of a side grinder disk getting the remnants of the broken blade off the mounting ring. We then welded on the 1/2 small lawnmower blade PT sent as a replacement for the broken one. All in all about a 2 hour job. It did a pretty job mowing the lawn afterward, but I was careful to make sure the blades only hit grass.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Sedgewood:
re: $5.85 bushings.
Aircraft Spruce has 4130 Chrome-Moly tubing 1"OD and .625 ID. Their part
# 03-06800. $6.67/ft and you can order 1' to 20' pieces.
1-877-477-7823.

Cutting it square and the right length may be a challenge, and I already have the bushings, but if I lose them, maybe I'll go that route.

 

[Sedgewood]

Charlie
<font color=red>Aircraft Spruce has 4130 Chrome-Moly tubing 1"OD and .625 ID.</font color=red>
With any luck Sean will have misplaced my order. The time factor in drilling the 5/8 hole in one inch shafting stock is what prompted me to just order some. The cutoff is not a problem - I have a small lathe that will handle that. And the mill/drill would make quick work of the blade holes. The mill/drill is one of those "use it all the time" tools, like bubenbergs take on the forks has turned out to be.

BTW, I was out mowing tall, full load on the mower, grass on a 90 degree day over the weekend and the temp gauge topped out at the highest number, 240 if I remember right, setting off the high temp alarm. It's been running just a bit below that anyway even at moderate loads & ambient temps. You had mentioned in an earlier post that yours was running hotter than you thought reasonable too as I recall. I found no significant blockage of either cooler or the air filter. Does this conform with your experience?

And as far as the mower is concerned I think I misled myself at purchase time into thinking it would do the once a year full grown field mowing I've been using my Bush Hog for but alas that may not be. It seems full height stuff loads the blades in a way that it doesn't with the Bush Hog. I need to rethink my program here and either mow more than once a year or keep the International 484 and Bush Hog just for the mowing. I haven't even started it since PT arrived. Or look into an Ammbusher perhaps.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

John:
<font color=red> And the mill/drill would make quick work of the blade holes.</font color=red>
My machining skill is nil. We have a Grizzly vertical mill, but no bit that will put a one inch hole through the hardened blades. I'll have to get one. Anything special I should look for?
(We also have a huge old lathe, but haven't gotten someone knowledgable to help us mount the chuck so it runs true. It is a WW II vintage barrell making lathe with turret -- heavy.)

<font color=red>BTW, I was out mowing tall, full load on the mower, grass on a 90 degree day over the weekend and the temp gauge topped out at the highest number, 240 if I remember right, setting off the high temp alarm.</font color=red>
Mine hits 220-240 regularly. One time it pegged the needle, power wound down and it wouldn't take throttle. But no alarm went off. Although the Deutz book mentioned an alarm, I didn't know we actually had it. Mine obviously doesn't work. Do you know where it is located and wired?