KUT-MOR FLAIL MOWERS – Installing & Shimming Cuttershaft into cutter housing

– Clean bored bearing hole in sides of the cutter housing. (Use a fine grit abrasive spiral band in a hand-held grinder)

– Clean out tapped holes 3/8-16 plug style 3 or 4 flute hand tap.

– Clean face of cutterhousing side where bearing housing flange bolts onto.

– Check fit of bearing housing to cutter housing – both sides.

– Anti-seize bearing housing bore (on pulley side only)

– Check cuttershaft journals so that bearing slides on each end. (Use fine grit emery cloth as needed)

– Install cuttershaft into cutter housing – pulley end first

– Anti-seize inner bearing race

– Install cylindrical bearing and housing onto pulley side journal.

– Install spherical bearing and housing onto non-pulley side journal. Do not fasten.

– Fasten bearing and housing to mower deck using (6) 3/8 -16 x 1-1/8 HHCS and 3/8 L.W. Tighten once installed.

– Anti-seize bore of cuttershaft pulley and slide onto cuttershaft journal.

– Install ¼ square x 1 ½ long key

– Assemble pulley and fasten to cuttershaft using thick flat washer, 5/8 L.W and 5/8

– 18 x 2 HHCS
(Bind cuttershaft with prybar on non-pulley side before tightening bolt)

– Tighten everything on the pulley side.

– Finish with ¼ turn using breaker bar on all fasteners

– Install 3/8 – 16 x 1-1/8 HHCS with 3/8 LW in every other hole of bearing housing.

– Tighten the 3 screws.

– Install & tighten 5/8 – 18 x 2 HHCS with 5/8 L.W and thick flat washer.

– Check to see if the cuttershaft spins freely.

– If not, equally loosen the 3- 3/8 HHCS on the bearing housing. Loosen ¼ turns on each of the 3 bolts.

– Once loose, loosen the 5/8 HHCS (this will allow the bearing housing to move back.) If the cuttershaft bearing housing backs out, you need external shims; if the bearing housing does not move out an internal shim may be required.

– Once the cuttershaft is properly shimmed, remove the bearing housing and anti-seize the bore of the bearing housing hole in the mower deck and anti-seize the inner race of the bearing. Reinstall the bearing into the mower deck and tighten (6) 3/8-16 x 1-1/8 HHCS & (6) 3/8 LW. Tighten the 5/8-18 x 2 HHCS with thick flat washer & 5/8 LW. (You may use red Loctite on all threads if so desired).

– CAREFULLY measure the amount of shims required. Finding the high side and the low side 180 degrees apart. Use a feeler gauge to figure high side and low side thickness.

– Subtract the difference between the high side thickness and low side thickness and divide by 2.

– Add that new thickness to the low side thickness and this is the number of shims needed to correctly shim out the cutter shaft bearing.

– At this point run up the mower to indicated PTO speed

– Put a coin on the deck (It should not move if correctly shimmed)

– If the coin moves off the deck repeat previous step by removing all 6 – 3/8 – 16 HHCS, Then remove the center 5/8 HHCS

– Remeasure clearance between bearing housing flange and the side of the cutter deck.

– Reassemble bearing and tighten 6 – 3/8 HHCS and tighten center 5/8 HHCS

– Retry the mower for vibration

– Finish with ¼ turn using breaker bar

– Make sure all bolts are tightened and grease fitting are greased and capped.