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Section 3: Operating Instructions
5/08/13
RCF2784 Rotary Cutters 326-364M
Table of Contents
!
WARNING
Never allow riders including children on the tractor or cutter.
They can fall and be ran over causing serious injury or death.
!
WARNING
Do not use deck as a working platform. The deck is not
properly designed or guarded for this use. Using deck as a
working platform could cause serious injury or death.
!
WARNING
Do not operate cutter with loose hardware. Loose hardware
can result in a breakdown causing bodily injury or death.
!
WARNING
Do not use cutter to lift or carry objects; to pull fence posts,
stumps or other objects; or to tow other equipment. Doing so
can damage the cutter, cause serious bodily injury or death.
!
CAUTION
Do not exceed rated cutting capacity of your cutter. See
Specifications & Capacities for specified cutting capacity.
Using this cutter for any other work can damage drive
components, cutter blades, and deck components.
!
CAUTION
Do not over speed PTO or machine damage may result. This
cutter is designed to operate at 540 RPM rear PTO.
Pre-inspection of Tractor & Cutter
Make the following inspections with cutter attached to a
tractor, PTO disengaged and completely stopped:
1.
Park tractor and cutter on a level surface.
2.
Disengage PTO, place gear selector in park, set park
brake, shut tractor off, and remove switch key. Make
sure cutter blades have come to a complete stop
before dismounting from tractor.
3.
Inspect tractor safety equipment to make sure it is
installed and in good working condition.
4.
Inspect cutter safety equipment to make sure it is
installed and in good working condition.
5.
Check driveline to make certain it is securely
connected to the tractor PTO shaft and cutter
gearbox shaft. Also, make certain that the guards are
in good working condition and in place.
6.
With cutter resting on solid supports, PTO
disengaged, and blade rotation completely stopped:
•
Check for and remove foreign objects wrapped
around blade spindles.
•
Check for nicked, bent, broken, and worn cutting
blades. Replace or sharpen blades as required.
Refer to “Cutter Blade Maintenance” on page 28.
7.
Remove solid supports from under the deck.
8.
Carefully raise and lower implement to ensure that
the drawbar, tires, and other equipment on the tractor
do not contact cutter frame or driveline.
9.
Verify cutter is set at the correct cutting height. For
3-Point cutters, see “Cutting Height Adjustment”
on page 20 and for Pull-Type cutters, see “Cutting
Height Adjustment” on page 23.
The remaining inspections are made by engaging the
PTO to check for vibrations.
!
WARNING
Stop PTO immediately if vibration continues after a few
revolutions during start-up and anytime thereafter. Wait for
PTO to come to a complete stop before dismounting from
tractor to check for probable causes. Make necessary repairs
and adjustments before continuing.
10. Start tractor, set throttle to idle or slightly above idle,
and slowly engage PTO. Initial start-up vibration is
normal and should stop after a few revolutions. Stop
PTO rotation immediately if vibration continues.
11. Once cutter is running smoothly, increase tractor
PTO speed to 540 RPM. Stop PTO rotation
immediately if vibration occurs.
12. Investigate cause of vibration and make repairs
before putting cutter back into service.
Transporting
!
WARNING
When traveling on public roads, use accessory lights, SMV
sign, clean reflectors, and other adequate devices to warn
operators in other vehicles of your presence. Always comply
with all federal, state, and local laws.
1.
Make sure driveline does not contact tractor or cutter
when raising cutter to transport position.
2.
Reduce tractor ground speed when turning and
leave enough clearance so cutter does not contact
obstacles such as buildings, trees, or fences.
3.
Limit transport speed to 20 mph. Transport only with
a tractor of sufficient size and horse power.
4.
When traveling on roadways, transport in such a way
that faster moving vehicles may pass you safely.
5.
Shift tractor to a lower gear when traveling over
rough or hilly terrain.
IMPORTANT: Do not exceed rated cutter PTO
speed. Excessive engine speed will cause damage
to power train components.
IMPORTANT: Always disengage tractor PTO before
raising cutter to transport position.
