Rotary Cutter bush hog not cutting

tractor killer · Oct 1, 2009

Thank you jinman......right now it is still just sitting in the yard ...doing nothing... had some guy going to fix it...never showed up...then showed up only to have dinner and was dark...didn't show the next day cause he over slept till dark...haha...seems people just don't know what they are doing or don't want the money..not sure which.....I love my tractor....just wish it would work. snif snif

rd_macgregor · Oct 1, 2009

If you have a friend with a utility trailer, or even a pickup truck (with a bed liner!), you might be able to get a 5 ft. cutter home cheaper than hiring a hauling company or wrecker. My stuff is all six-ft, so the truck is out. When I haul my Kioti tractor, I have the local wrecker do it, but it isn't cheap. I'm saving up for a 10k or 12k trailer to give me the illusion of saving money when I move the equipment.
It sounds like you are on a steep learning curve.
Good luck.
BOB

clemsonfor · Oct 1, 2009

TK are you retired or do you work? The reason i ask is see if any coworkers have a trailer and can help you out, say for $20 bucks a cooked dinner etc. If retired and you dont work , do you have any friends with even a 4x8 utility trailer, the place could load it for you and when home you could chain it to a tree or the tractor and just drive the trailer out from under it. Can you call one of your husbands old friends and see which may have trailers im sure they will be sympathetic and help you.

tommu56 · Oct 1, 2009

tractor killer said:
there is a place in Chesapeake on 168 but they do not deliver....have you ever? like I can put this 5 foot hunk of metal in my car and take it home, what are they thinking...you know someone who sells and dellivers?

Go to home depot rent their truck. or go to uhall and get a rental truck.
Then drive to TSC or were ever new piece is.
Have them put in bed of rental truck back drive home back up to a hill and pull it off with your tractor and a couple of 2x8 spanning the gap.
Hook mower to your tractor and make sure it works.
Return truck.

or wait at "tsc" and look for some one to pull in with a pick up and or trailer and ask what it would coat for them to deliver it.

tom

kthompson · Oct 1, 2009

If you have not bought the cutter yet, look around for a tractor dealership. All here will deliver might be a fee but should be reasonable. Also they can come to you if warranty issue. Price is not that much different.

If you have bought it from such as Tractor supply you can be sure they have others who can not haul what they bought and they know people who will haul for fee.

roadhawk · Oct 1, 2009

tractor killer said:
there is a place in Chesapeake on 168 but they do not deliver....have you ever? like I can put this 5 foot hunk of metal in my car and take it home, what are they thinking...you know someone who sells and dellivers?

Is it too far to just drive the tractor down there?

clemsonfor · Oct 1, 2009

hawk i thought about that but it sounds like this may be near a larger town where she may not feel comfortable driving around other cars etc.

Chilly807 · Oct 1, 2009

Let me get this straight.. you're going to spend the price of a new brush cutter, and they won't/can't deliver ?? If they were a hundred miles away, I could see a problem, but if it's only a few miles (less than 20) you should be shopping somewhere else.

Most will deliver out of common courtesy to a customer, especially a new female customer, which in the tractor business has to be like finding a hen's tooth under a four leaf clover.

I try to make delivery part of the deal, if they won't, it's their loss.

Chilly

newby in alabama · Nov 9, 2009

I have the same problem. Lookm what I found Brush hog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It seems my blades are to sharp, I will try this as nothing else worked.

JDGirl · Aug 29, 2013

I'm having a similar problem with my brush hog not cutting...I will try jacking it up and see if the blades are stuck. Wonder if that could cause it to not raise or lower the mowing heighth as well? I'm new to this and need to cut our pastures before we get any substantial rain. But I might need some more help if that doesn't work...

SoGeorgia · Aug 29, 2013

Is your PTO shaft turning? Does it sound like the blades are turning? If your mower won't lift either you have multiple problems.

JDGirl · Aug 29, 2013

PTO shaft is turning, but the 2 drive lines are not turning as well (very slowly). Seems as though some of the blades were working when I first started out, but then nothing was cutting. Also the mower won't lower and is permanently in UP position. After re-reading all of the posts on this subject, I'm thinking I will look for sheer bolt and make sure the blades are turning before jacking up the mower.

Gary Fowler · Aug 30, 2013

JDGirl said:
PTO shaft is turning, but the 2 drive lines are not turning as well (very slowly). Seems as though some of the blades were working when I first started out, but then nothing was cutting. Also the mower won't lower and is permanently in UP position. After re-reading all of the posts on this subject, I'm thinking I will look for sheer bolt and make sure the blades are turning before jacking up the mower.

Sounds like you have closed up your rate of descent valve that is usually located right below and in front of your seat. Turn it counter clockwise when facing the rear of the tractor and it should allow the hitch to drop.

Sounds like you have sheared a bolt if the PTO is turning but the blades are just slowly rotating. Look for a hole in the coupling closest to the bush hog gearbox. It should have one hole in it that will line up with the other half attached to the gear box. Likely it will take a 3/8" diameter bolt. Align the holes in both halves and insert a bolt that fits tightly into the hole and tighten it up. I like to put a jam nut on behind the first nut so it stays secure. Grade 5 bolt should work for you.

JDGirl · Aug 30, 2013

Gary Fowler said:
Sounds like you have closed up your rate of descent valve that is usually located right below and in front of your seat. Turn it counter clockwise when facing the rear of the tractor and it should allow the hitch to drop.

Sounds like you have sheared a bolt if the PTO is turning but the blades are just slowly rotating. Look for a hole in the coupling closest to the bush hog gearbox. It should have one hole in it that will line up with the other half attached to the gear box. Likely it will take a 3/8" diameter bolt. Align the holes in both halves and insert a bolt that fits tightly into the hole and tighten it up. I like to put a jam nut on behind the first nut so it stays secure. Grade 5 bolt should work for you.

Thanks Gary. I replaced the bolt this morning (not sure if it was a grade 5 or not). Unfortunately it was way to hot here to try out by the time I got home. I'm going to try the rate of descent valve next. Hope it is a easy to find as the shear bolt... I'm very new at this as I moved in with my mom after dad died, and my brothers and nephews would not show me how to use the tractor...we had to pay someone to put out hay each week during winter, until I finally got someone local to at least show me the BASICS. Now I just use my common sense and the internet! LOL

JDGirl · Sep 2, 2013

Okay shear bolt tightened this morning...mows for just a minute. The thing in the middle (PTO?) is turning rapidly but the 2 drive lines on each side are only moving slowly...not fast enough to mow. Blades are turning very slowly and don't appear to be in any bind. Could it be I need to put grease in the gear box on all three of those things (PTO AND DRIVE LINES)... Any other suggestions? Where do I put this grease? I see many possibilities.

JDGirl · Sep 2, 2013

Guess I'll go take some pics and start taking off one of the bolts and see what I come up with...probably start on top. Seems logical.

TripleR · Sep 2, 2013

Have you pulled the top plate and checked your gearbox? We have blown a couple and had to replace them.

JimRB · Sep 2, 2013

Read this owners manual. It may not be your model of brush cutter but it covers many basics that you should know.

If you have 1 sheer bolt you may have another 2 or 4, or 3 or 6 if you have a mower with two more gear boxes.

http://www.modernagproducts.com/images/15-RAPTOR.pdf

JRobyn · Sep 2, 2013

I'm not real familiar with multiple gearbox bushhogs, but from your symptoms, it sure sounds like something is wrong with the main/central gearbox since no power/rotation is being transferred to the secondary boxes. The gearboxes usually have an allen-head plug in the side where you put in gear lube (usually 90 weight gear oil), filled up to the bottom of the plug hole. But even if there was no lube at all in the gearboxes, they should still work to transmit rotation/power.

Either there is still a sheared through shear pin at the input shaft of the main gearbox (or possibly a slipping clutch if the bushhog is equipped with one), or the gears or a shaft inside the box is broken.

Some pictures would definitely help.

You might also try disconnecting the PTO shaft from the tractor and see what happens if you try to turn the shaft (still connected to the bushhog) by hand.

Best of luck!

- Jay

JDGirl · Sep 2, 2013

I managed to open up the three places where the grease goes and added some. Inside the gearbox looked okay...but I don't know what to look for. I may have to hire a professional if I blew the gearbox...