I did something real dumb

[texican]

I've had bushhog for a only a cpl of years. The blades, which Im sure were the original blades on this 93 M&W PC515 5ft cutter, looked like serrated butter knives with huge chunks taken out of them. I finally found some that my Rhino dealer told me would fit but they don't look anything like the originals.

I brought my tractor to my house from two counties over at the farm where it lives because I cant keep tools out there because the meth heads steal everything, plus I don't have electricity out there to run compressor. Its a real challenge for sure.

I put blades on with air gun at night, outside using my phone for a light, then forgot to get back under there during daylight to make sure they rotated. and hauled the tractor to the farm thinking I was going to do some much needed cutting but ofc when I engaged the PTO the cutter shook something fierce.

Do I just back the nut off a little at a time until they swing and then hand tighten til it look likes they are about to be too snug again and call it good?

thanks

 

[Shawn T. W]

I would think that they are too thick, you want the nuts TIGHT.

Maybe look at the old ones and measure? Or they needs bushing to tighten against ...

 

[texican]

I would think that they are too thick, you want the nuts TIGHT.

Maybe look at the old ones and measure? Or they needs bushing to tighten against ...

I think youre right. Maybe I should bought the bolts that went with the blades instead of the old orginal ones. These new blades are def thicker.

 

[NCL4701]

There should be a shoulder on the bolt. The shoulder has to be a little thicker than the blade and the hole in the blade has to be a slip fit on the shoulder for the blade to swing like it’s supposed to.

Kind of doubt you could get the nut on at all if you somehow didn’t get the bolt’s shoulder through the hole in the blade. But if you could, you said you pretty much put it together in the dark, so maybe check to make sure you got the blade(s) seated on the shoulder instead of pinched against the shoulder.

 

[Russell King]

For sure you don’t want to just have the nuts snug! They should make you hurt quite a bit to get them to the correct torque. I think you have the wrong blades or the wrong bolts.

See this picture for a proper bolt in a blade. There is a large diameter shoulder near the head that the blade fits on. You can see that shoulder sticking out of the blade on the left side. That is what you will be pulling force on since it will butt up to the blade holder/stump jumper. The threads are smaller and that next shoulder is what fits into the hole in the blade holder then the nut is installed on top of the blade holder and tightened down.

You need to stop using it and get the correct blade and bolt so the blade is really not under any clamping force from the bolt.

 

[GeoHorn]

The bolts take huge loads. I would feel better if you’d kept the old blades and used New Nuts…than the reverse.

Definitely use the Correct NEW Bolts AND NUTS for those blades.