Slasher ( bush hog) Help

[John Corey]

Hi guys
I used my slasher on the weekend but it didn't cut. (Pretty sure in the States you guys call them a bush hog)

I have a 26hp Kubota sunshine and was slashing in pos 1 at 540 with the throttle lever at 80%. I tried it in both first and 2nd gear but the grass wouldn't cut so I figure the blades may be blunt.

I raised the slasher to have a look and they certainly do not look sharp at all and the blades also have little nicks out of them. I bought the tractor with slasher a year ago and have no idea whether they have been sharpened or how old they are.

My question is, do I remove them and sharpen with a bench grinder, or does anyone leave them in situ and sharpen with an angle grinder?

I would prefer to remove them but I'm not sure how to. As you can see in the pics there is a central bar with the blades secured to each end. Do I take the whole thing down by undoing that large central nut, or do I just remove the blades. Is there a tip or easy way to remove them? It's a bloody large bolt.

Can someone also explain to me whether the blades are supposed to be fixed and not moving. What I mean is, does only the central bar spin rotate and therefore move the fixed blades? Or does the central bar rotate and the blades also rotate independently? I ask that because I can physically grab the blades with my hand and move them around 360 degrees. Are they supposed to do that?
Thank you
JC

 

[Diydave]

I would say those blades are close to the replace me now condition. End should be square. Can't tell from the small picture, but most blade carriages of this type have blades that are supposed to swing, so there is some "give" in case you hit something. Some models have a hole in the deck floor, that you can stick a socket wrench through, and remove the upper nut, on each blade bolt. If yours doesn't, it will be easier to take the entire blade bar down, by removing the center bolt. You can gain some torque advantage, by removing the bush hog, and leaning it sideways against a building or sturdy tree, and sticking a crow bar through the U-joint, so it stops movement in the gear box, while you attack that big nut, with a socket wrench. Once you have the nut off, the shaft is a tapered spline arrangement, most of the time, takes some doing, sometimes, to get the whole part off, sometimes. Once you get it off, then take out the blade pins. Needless to say assemble it all back together, use never seize compound to make the job easier, next time.

Top left is what the bolt in blade looks like: http://www.agrisupply.com/searchcenter.aspx?keyword=hog+blade+bolt&prv=&adv=&hawkb=

 

[D2Cat]

John if your blades were dull and chipped they could be dressed with a 4" angle grinder while still on the mower. You would need to raise the mower as high as possible and crib it up with good solid wood to be safe while under it working.

HOWEVER.....as DIYDave said, those blades look like they been used and abused too long. Best of follow his instructions and get them replaced. They will then be sharp and just as important...balanced.

An easy way to work on 3pt deck mower blades is to have the implement removed and raise it with a tractor loader. Put it up against a tree and brace it with a big wooden post to protect yourself from any chance of falling. Then you can stand to work and get much greater leverage with the hardware.

However you do it, work with caution.

 

[Daren Todd]

For the center nut, the easiest way I have found to remove them is with an impact gun Cordless or pneumatic, pick your poison. with the belt still in place, they tend to come right off. I'll usually raise the mower as high as I can get it, block it so it doesn't crush me, and then reach under it with the impact.

The technical term in the states for your mower is a finish mower by the looks of the blades

Bush hog usually refers to a rotary cutter and is used for small saplings, briar patches, mowing fields and such. The blades are connected to a heavy round metal disk referred to as a stump jumper. And the blades will also swing back and forth

 

[John Corey]

Thanks a lot for the great advice guys. I will do what you say and just get them replaced rather than sharpening. There are no openings in the top deck to get a wrench through so I will do as you say and get it upright against a wall etc to make it easier to work with.
I appreciate the help.
JC

 

[Diydave]

For the center nut, the easiest way I have found to remove them is with an impact gun Cordless or pneumatic, pick your poison. with the belt still in place, they tend to come right off. I'll usually raise the mower as high as I can get it, block it so it doesn't crush me, and then reach under it with the impact.

The technical term in the states for your mower is a finish mower by the looks of the blades

Bush hog usually refers to a rotary cutter and is used for small saplings, briar patches, mowing fields and such. The blades are connected to a heavy round metal disk referred to as a stump jumper. And the blades will also swing back and forth

Darren take another look at the picture, pretty sure that's a bush hog type mower. Just doesn't have the stump jumper, just a blade bar. He might be able to get the blades off, by wedging a 2X4 against the side panel, and turning the nuts off of the blade bolts, from underneath...

 

[Daren Todd]

Darren take another look at the picture, pretty sure that's a bush hog type mower. Just doesn't have the stump jumper, just a blade bar. He might be able to get the blades off, by wedging a 2X4 against the side panel, and turning the nuts off of the blade bolts, from underneath...

I stand corrected Had to go look at it on the big screen in the office looking at it on the tablet, i would have bet money it was a finish mower blade

 

[Russell King]

Be sure you get the correct blades for your mower. The ones on it may not be the correct ones. Contact the maker and they should be able to provide the correct part number. There are lots of blades that look almost the same in the US. May not be such a problem in Australia.
The bolts are normally keyed and do NOT turn. The nut must be turned and is probably larger than your largest socket unless you are a large equipment mechanic but usually you need to get the largest drive you can to get a strong breaker bar to get them loose.

The blades are suppose to rotate separate from the driven bar.

Be careful with that type of bar, if it hits a stump the mower is what will move, not the stump. Just walk the area if you are not sure what is on it before mowing.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk