cutter wheel Bearing

[Jimma]

I brought a Carlton SP5014 stump grinder several months ago. I only have 300 hours on it. But when the wheel is cutting and gets below the ground level, it gets jumpy and makes a banging sound. I thought it was the belts slapping against the cover but when I inspected it, I discovered the cutting wheel which seemed tight to the touch and spins freely and smoothly with no load on it, had a little play when you squeeze the belt together. (meaning, with the belt at normal tension is squeezed together creating more tension when the wheel is disengaged) I don't think there is suppose to be any play and am concerned it might be the bearing. The very edge of the poly chain belt seemed a bit worn making me think the pulleys may not be alligned properly, but then discovered the play in the cutting wheel so when there is a heavy load on the cutting wheel, it was pushing the lower bushing a bit higher. I just change the bearing myself, but the manual says you need to cut the drive shaft off to remove the bearing. Not sure I want to get into all that, but the closest dealer is in another state and it would put me out f business for a long time.

 

[gorman]

I brought a Carlton SP5014 stump grinder several months ago. I only have 300 hours on it. But when the wheel is cutting and gets below the ground level, it gets jumpy and makes a banging sound. I thought it was the belts slapping against the cover but when I inspected it, I discovered the cutting wheel which seemed tight to the touch and spins freely and smoothly with no load on it, had a little play when you squeeze the belt together. (meaning, with the belt at normal tension is squeezed together creating more tension when the wheel is disengaged) I don't think there is suppose to be any play and am concerned it might be the bearing. The very edge of the poly chain belt seemed a bit worn making me think the pulleys may not be alligned properly, but then discovered the play in the cutting wheel so when there is a heavy load on the cutting wheel, it was pushing the lower bushing a bit higher. I just change the bearing myself, but the manual says you need to cut the drive shaft off to remove the bearing. Not sure I want to get into all that, but the closest dealer is in another state and it would put me out f business for a long time.

I don’t think it’s the bearing. It would be doing that the whole time cutting. You might be taking a bite that’s too big with the wheel. How many hours on the machine?

 

[Eq Broker]

Hi Jim,

I hope you've been doing well.

Grab the cutter wheel and and see if there's any play in it. If so, there's a bad bearing. You'll need a cutoff wheel. Drop the cutter wheel on the ground and cut through the housing at the top and bottom of the pillow block. You don't need to cut through the entire housing. When you're getting close, hit it with a 3 lb. hammer and it'll come apart. Take the cutoff wheel and cut the guts out and now you'll be down to the bearing race. Cut parallel to the shaft on both the top and bottom but don't go all the way through. When you get close, put on some thick gloves and safety glasses as I've had some of the bearing race go through my jeans and into my skin. Take a wide chisel in the grooves you cut and hit it with the hammer and it should come apart. After removing, run your finger over the shaft where the race was. If you feel it step down, you'll need a new shaft or have it sprayed and re-lathed by a machine shop. If it is smooth, shine it up with emery paper and install your new bearings.

Hope this helps!

Dave
Global Equipment Exporters
770-420-6400

 

[Jimma]

Hi Ed, I'm doing great thanks. I have to try one more thing first. Seems that the last set of teeth that a got, from an aftermarket dealer, the carbide was not as carefully set as it normally is. Maybe set back a little further ad had a shallow voids in the seem between the braze and the hardened steel. Maybe the shank of the tooth is hitting the stump before the carbide as the carbide wears. This machine seems to dull the teeth much faster than every other machine I've had. I'll have to get some OEM teeth and see if it makes a difference. It seems to cut very smoothly at the top of the stump and as the cut gets below the grade, it starts make a banging sound and cuts much slower as the angle of cut changes.

 

[Stump Grinder52]

Morning Jim,hope all is well,Dave @ Global gave a very good description on R&R pillar bearings.If you squeeze the poly chain you'll get a little play out of the pillar bearings, can't believe the bearings are shot with only 300hrs.If I run all day I'll grease at noon, you must know you have to purge these bearings, that's the nature of the beast, kind of old fashion.The quality of the carbide is all move the place, had some re tipped last year not the same quality as the o e m. With Sanvik teeth have gotten as much as 50 hrs out of them, keeping an eye on them and rotating the teeth ,the lead teeth take the beaten. Also have good luck with Lucas Red and Tacky grease.

 

[Jimma]

Thanks grinder 52. Wasn't sure if there should be any play in the bearings and couldn't figure out what the problem is. Felt like I was losing RPMs or grinding with a broken tooth. and was chattering like crazy when I got below the surface and got progressively worse the lower I went. I thought maybe when the load on the wheel was on the teeth that were cutting on the very bottom of the wheel at that angle was pushing the wheel up causing an imbalance. There doesn't feel like there is any play in the bearing except when you squeeze the belts together causing a slight movement upward. But if that's normal, I'll keep trying other things. Yesterday, I noticed a couple of the bolts on the side teeth were worn a bit and the teeth holders were a little worn and weren't protecting the bolts as well as new ones. thought maybe the bolts were striking the stump as it cut. After I turned a couple around, it seemed to get better and cut a lot better. But I also replaced a dozen teeth so the teeth may be the problem, because it still didn't stop completely. I noticed that the main cutting teeth of this machine, a carlton 5014, seem to dull much faster than all my other machines. I'll replace all the teeth and try it again. I'll relieved that Dave said they should have a bit of play. This is going to be my last year. That's why I bought a new machine. Didn't want to spend my time repairing the machines and thought I could get thru a season without a mayor repair and walk away. Maybe there is hope yet.

 

[Jimma]

Hey Grinder 52, I think I might have misread your earlier post. I went back and read Dave's post and he goes right to the bad bearing with the little bit of play. I thought you were saying that it was normal. Guess that was wishful thinking. Wonder if I can corner the market on grinding shrubs?

 

[Stump Grinder52]

Evening Jim,don't want to get into a p*****g contest but if you squeeze the Poly Chain and get a little play that's not a big deal,'ve seen them with a quarter inch of play ,now that's worn!

 

[Jimma]

I was relieved to hear that. I just didn't know if a little play was normal. I couldn't figure any other reason the wheel was chattering and cutting so badly. I've forgotten all the mechanical knowledge I ever had and now I just to to figure it out by all the symptoms and how everything comes together, very rarely works, but it is what it is. I appreciate anything anyone says, if it helps.

 

[Jimma]

I noticed the the pulleys on the engine side were a little off using a straight edge and the pulleys on the cutting wheel side was also a little off. So I loosened the bolts and realigned the pulleys on the engine side and came as close as I could on the cutting wheel side (still a tiny bit off). Then I adjusted the belts and it seemed to run much smoother. Used it this morning and it ran excellent. Don't know how they got out of alignment and don't really care now but it looks like that problem is solved.Thanks guys.

 

[iowagold]

well some times they pull out of position when under heavy load...

use blue 242 locktite on the bolts and torque down to proper...
oh yea make sure the dust and grease is out of under the bearing feet!
we use green can brake clean to prep clean before setting bearings on a plate...

yea get them as close as you can to perfect on the alignment..
it is worth the effort!

you can make an L foot with a bolt to help with setting the angle
they sure help!

 

[Jimma]

Thanks Paul, appreciate the advice.

 

[Stump Grinder52]

Iowagold, could you explain the the L foot with a bolt does on the alinement.What length and what diameter bolt ? Maybe a picture? Thanks

 

[Jimma]

Hi Jim,

I hope you've been doing well.

Grab the cutter wheel and and see if there's any play in it. If so, there's a bad bearing. You'll need a cutoff wheel. Drop the cutter wheel on the ground and cut through the housing at the top and bottom of the pillow block. You don't need to cut through the entire housing. When you're getting close, hit it with a 3 lb. hammer and it'll come apart. Take the cutoff wheel and cut the guts out and now you'll be down to the bearing race. Cut parallel to the shaft on both the top and bottom but don't go all the way through. When you get close, put on some thick gloves and safety glasses as I've had some of the bearing race go through my jeans and into my skin. Take a wide chisel in the grooves you cut and hit it with the hammer and it should come apart. After removing, run your finger over the shaft where the race was. If you feel it step down, you'll need a new shaft or have it sprayed and re-lathed by a machine shop. If it is smooth, shine it up with emery paper and install your new bearings.

Hope this helps!

Dave
Global Equipment Exporters
770-420-6400

Hey Dave, sent you an email yesterday. Trying to see if you have the lower bearings for the carlton SP5014. I noticed you had several carlton models listed but the SP5014 was not listed. The bearing finally went and I'm going to replace them. I think that either the bearings or the jack shaft may have been aligned wrong or damaged somehow so I'm going to just cur the shaft and replace that also. I made an appointment with the dealer to do it, but it will take too long and cost a whole bunch. And if I am going to cut the shaft anyway, guess I can't do too much damage. If Global doesn't have the parts, maybe you can steer me in the right direction. Thanks my friend. Thanks for the advice on the removal. I may just try cutting the bearings off just to test it out since I don't have to worry about the shaft in case I have to do it again later, like I would remember anyway.