The Craftmans Shop > New from Old
Rebirth of a 6 Foot Flail Mower
awemawson:
This mornings job was to make a start on fabricating the replacement roller. This will be a piece of heavy walled tube, with stub axles welded on disks on the end, and to give a bit more strength each end will have two disks about 6" apart, one buried inside the tube, the other at the extreme end.
First thing - make the stub axles. These are 1.375" stock with the last 2" turned down to 1.25" to fit the flanged bearings. Having cut the stock I did a dummy run on the offcut as I wanted a nice push fit into the bearing inner. This let me accurately calibrate my DRO to the particular tool that I was using, ensuring the the two 'real ones' came out spot on, which they did :thumbup:
I've centre drilled both ends, so that I can turn the disks down to the right size between centres when they are welded onto the stub axles.
Then the Postman arrived with the replacement taper lock bush and drive belts for the jackshaft, so I will fit those before boring the disks ready for welding.
awemawson:
So a brief interlude from machining to fit the new taperlock bush and belts. Glad to say that my guess that they should be SPB1600's and that the originals had worn 'narrow' was correct - lucky really as those belts weren't cheap.
Set the taper lock into the four sheave pulley, and gently tightened it up while keeping an eye on the pulley alignment by the old expedient of a straight edge down the side of the pulleys (held on by magnets in picture :ddb: )
I then had to fully compress the tensioner spring to get the four belts into place, then unscrew the tensioner nut fully to transfer the spring tension to the belts. No doubt that washer I'd put under the squashing nut , which is now just sitting there, will rattle and drive me mad.
Happily the new belts sit at the correct ride height in the Vee's of the pulleys, and the swinging pivot that mounts the jackshaft is dead on the middle of it's travel - so all in looking good :clap:
awemawson:
So take four disks, centre drill them, wack a big hole through the middle, then bore them to size. A quick trial assembly then now it's time to crack out the welder. Sorry didn't photograph the boring, but it was boring :ddb:
We've got electricity board men in yellow coats just descended on us so I'm loath to start welding just yet as they'll be knocking on the door - they've decided to change some electricity poles in the field which they did yesterday, and have come back to dismantle the metal work from the top of the old ones - yes I've nabbed the poles themselves, I can see another field shelter coming on :lol:
Once they are tack welded up I'll mount them between centres and check that they run reasonably square, adjust as necessary before final weld up. Then they'll get turned down to the bore size of the tube. I'll need to grind a notch in the disks to clear the tubes electric resistance welded seam which is inside the tube.
awemawson:
Meanwhile I re-made the pivot bar that all those floppy plates hang on - just 6 foot of 14 mm bar radially drilled at both ends to take split pins so nothing high tech. Just a bit straighter than the old one that's lying beside it :lol:
It did however get the obligatory spray of zinc rich primer and black gloss paint. Waste of time really as it'll all be rubbed off as they swing, but it goes against the grain to leave bare steel. It'll get slathered in Shell Ensis as will the plates, when they go back together again.
AdeV:
I don't know, when are you going to repair something complicated :smart:, enough of this easy peasy stuff already! :palm:
Heyyyyy, I've got an idea.... how'd you fancy some Mazak skills? :dremel: :lol:
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