Question on changing Mott flail cutters

[farmermaker]

Hey!

My mott flail cutters are held on with a d-ring, a clip, and a bolt. The bolts are impossible to remove as they are ancient. They are also like tough to grind off because of the angle of attack.

I'm left with cutting through the d-ring, clips, and bolt then replacing them all. Seems quite wasteful. How do you do it?

Thanks!

David

 

[leonz]

Hello and good afternoon beetbox,

Don't waste good hangers and clips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its best to wrench them off using a right angle impact wrench and a box wrench for the bolt head or the nut.
Cutting the D ring and clips will not help as you still need to remove the bolt and nut.

If you can rent an air compressor, right angle impact wrench and shallow impact sockets it will go much faster for you as chances are the nut or bolt head will break off anyway.

Spending time with a breaker bar and impact socket and box end wrench will require a very long time to remove the nuts and bolts.

All you will have to do is push the wrench to the point where it will not move either on the flail mower rotor or against a block of wood to hold the wrench in place.

You will want to have goggles and earplugs as the air exhaust noise from the impact wrench will be very loud as you are under the flail mower shroud.

I would replace them with fine thread nuts and bolts when you install the new or sharpened knives. My preference would be allen head bolts, washers and nuts making sure I use blue Loctite.

 

[farmermaker]

Hello and good afternoon beetbox,

Don't waste good hangers and clips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its best to wrench them off using a right angle impact wrench and a box wrench for the bolt head or the nut.
Cutting the D ring and clips will not help as you still need to remove the bolt and nut.

If you can rent an air compressor, right angle impact wrench and shallow impact sockets it will go much faster for you as chances are the nut or bolt head will break off anyway.

Spending time with a breaker bar and impact socket and box end wrench will require a very long time to remove the nuts and bolts.

All you will have to do is push the wrench to the point where it will not move either on the flail mower rotor or against a block of wood to hold the wrench in place.

You will want to have goggles and earplugs as the air exhaust noise from the impact wrench will be very loud as you are under the flail mower shroud.

I would replace them with fine thread nuts and bolts when you install the new or sharpened knives. My preference would be allen head bolts, washers and nuts making sure I use blue Loctite.

Thanks Leonz for the great answer. Time to invest in more air tools methinks. Is this what you had in mind when you said right angle impact wrench?

Cheers

 

[leonz]

The image did not come up beetbox, but if Dewalt is the only local model available and
you have a Dewalt tool repair network in the Dominion go with that; but my preference is
Ingersoll Rand air tools for the occasional user and Snap On or Matco for the heavy
continuous use of air tools.

Getting the best 12 point box end wrench-black steel/beating wrench or a bunch of good 12 point wrenches
and the right angle air wrench with the highest torque available-that you can afford will save you hours of
work. You will need a larger air compressor or plan on renting a gas engine or electric air nailer for one or two days
and you will save lots of work and keep money out of the swear jar.