coastlogger
Well-Known Member
Have a Ford 918h 92 inch flail mower that I have adapted to an excavator. Use it about 50 hours a year for brush cutting. Have had no issues in 5 years other than changing cutters,about 1 or 2 cutters per hour of cutting which is ok.This year everything has gone to hell. It vibrates,in truth I can't notice it's much worse from sitting in cab,but there's a definite problem.bolts coming loose,welds cracking,cracks in body. Basically if I use it for a couple of hours I have a few hours welding to do. If I put hand on it while it's spinning there's a vibration there.
I figured out how to check the drum for true and it's out 100 thou ie seems to be bent by 50 thou so one side is 100 higher than opposite side .Hump seems to be midpoint on the 92 inch drum.
I wonder if that's enough to set up a destructive vibration like I have.i think I could straighten it in place with a jack and some heat but maybe its within spec .Other possibility I guess is that the cutters are seriously out of balance which I doubt.i religiously change them whenever I see one or two broken.So there's a mix of old worn ones and new ones but I don't think they're biased to one side or anything . Guess I could remove all cutters and see if I still have a vibration.
I figured out how to check the drum for true and it's out 100 thou ie seems to be bent by 50 thou so one side is 100 higher than opposite side .Hump seems to be midpoint on the 92 inch drum.
I wonder if that's enough to set up a destructive vibration like I have.i think I could straighten it in place with a jack and some heat but maybe its within spec .Other possibility I guess is that the cutters are seriously out of balance which I doubt.i religiously change them whenever I see one or two broken.So there's a mix of old worn ones and new ones but I don't think they're biased to one side or anything . Guess I could remove all cutters and see if I still have a vibration.