Slip clutch

[Borys]

Hey there…relatively new to tractors. I recently inherited a farm that came with Kubota MX5100. I just heard about slip clutches (I know all about shear pins and until recently thought of them as a necessary evil)…does anyone have recommendations for make, model or what I need to specify to get one that fits.

 

[SDT]

Hey there…relatively new to tractors. I recently inherited a farm that came with Kubota MX5100. I just heard about slip clutches (I know all about shear pins and until recently thought of them as a necessary evil)…does anyone have recommendations for make, model or what I need to specify to get one that fits.

Having once been a fan of slip clutches, I have learned through extensive experience that they are often/usually more trouble than they are worth.

If you decide to go the slip clutch route, you should properly adjust it to the lower of tractor PTO HP or mower gearbox HP rating. Who does this?

You should also loosen it and slip it annually to avoid corrosion lock. Again, who does this?

 

[Elliott in GA]

For a different perspective, I have a slip clutch on my rotary cutter (LP RCR1860), and it has been great. In over 4 years of periodically reclaiming several fields, I have never had to stop work after hitting some hidden obstruction, and I have hit a few things (buried deep in briar patches and walls of multiflora rose).

I slip the clutch every spring per the manufacturer's manual. It takes about 20 minutes, and I always do it on a clear cool day. I much prefer this small task to having to stop work to replace a shear pin on a hot, humid summer day or a windy, cold winter day (I mostly try to reclaim areas in the winter; I have cleared about 12 acres of overgrown fields).

You simply need to buy an appropriate PTO shaft with a slip clutch for your implement. It should come preset or you will have to set the nuts on the springs per the manufacturer's manual. The slip clutch tension is set to emulate the resistance of a shear pin. Any deviation from that setting might be applying too little (the clutch might slip often or all of the time causing the friction plates to wear prematurely) or too much (not allowing the clutch to slip as needed when hitting an obstruction, and this could damage the implement gear box and/or the tractor). Like a shear pin, the slip clutch is set to a value well below what would cause damage to compensate for the pulse of a sudden strike.

Look at manuals and youtubes to decide for yourself. Your dealer should also be able to provide some good advice and the appropriate product.

 

[Russell King]

And you will have to ensure that the PTO shaft length is correct for the tractor and the implement whichever way you choose.

 

[lmpres]

Having once been a fan of slip clutches, I have learned through extensive experience that they are often/usually more trouble than they are worth.

If you decide to go the slip clutch route, you should properly adjust it to the lower of tractor PTO HP or mower gearbox HP rating. Who does this?

You should also loosen it and slip it annually to avoid corrosion lock. Again, who does this?

I do.

 

[JasonW]

What implements do you have with it? Slip clutch goes on the implement. I would just run what they came with unless you have extra money burning a hole in your pocket.

Or use money you would spend adding a slip clutch add to upgrading the equipment as a whole.