23
Maintenance
(continued on next page)
Warning!
Use only blades and blade bolts supplied by Brown Manufacturing Corporation.
Warning! If the blades must be sharpened, follow the proper safety procedures listed on page 22
of this manual for working under the cutter deck.
Tightening Blade Bolts and Blade Bar
Tighten blade bolts each hour for the first eight hours of use; tighten daily thereafter.
Repeat hourly
inspections each time the blades are removed/replaced.
Warning! Blade bolts will stretch with use and must be tightened.
1. Disengage PTO; be certain that all rotation has stopped.
2. Lift cutter high enough to place suitable supports under the cutter deck.
3. Turn tractor engine off; remove key; lock transmission and brakes; chock rear wheels.
4. Disconnect driveline.
5. Tighten blade bolts:
Use an air impact wrench with a 2 3/4” socket with an output of at least 1600
ft/lbs of torque in a right hand direction, all air impacts have two torque measurements, do not use
the maximum torque value, this is in left hand rotation, (counterclockwise), use the normal torque
value (clockwise). Use the blade bolt access door in the top of the deck. It can be accomplished by
hand however it requires at least a 10 foot cheater bar with a minimum force of 160 pounds on the
end to develop 1600 ft/lbs. If the bolt turns you will have to hold the head of the bolt with a wrench
having a 4” opening. Our bolt wrench part number: TC-165B Wrench.
6. Tightening Blade Bar:
Remove blade bar cotter pin and tighten nut with a 2-9/16” socket. Torque
nut to 2200 ft./lbs.; continue to torque until cotter pin hole aligns with nut. Install a new cotter pin.
Never loosen nut to align cotter pin hole.
Use the disconnected driveline to “foul” the blade bar,
by moving the free end of the driveline to the side of the cutter at 90 degrees to rotation. Use an air
wrench or torque multiplier to torque the blade bar to the correct value. As you approach 2200 ft/
lbs make sure that you align the cotter pin hole up with the castle nut, do not back off on the nut to
align the hole. Note: Foot Pounds (ft/lbs) of torque is a means of measuring tightness. 1 pound of
force 1 foot from the turn element is 1 foot/lb of torque, any extension use multiplies the force, a
10 foot arm multiplies 10 times the force exerted. Arm * Force = Ft/Lbs.
Arm
(In Feet)
Force
(In Pounds)
Torque
(In Ft/Lbs.)
1
1
1
8
200
1600
10
220
2200
