Morbark Thndr 13 busted drum shaft

[TreeAbuser]

Heya,

Busted the drum shaft on our model 13... dealer wants 6K to fix it... any alternatives you gents can suggest or places where I can get parts for it aside from Morbark?

Thanks!

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Is the shaft a separate part from the drum? If so, a good machine shop should be able to fabricate a shaft cheaper than that.

 

[treeclimber101]

I had a shaft break and total the exact same machine . A 2005 model 13 or tornado or monsoon whatever the stupid weather names they give them an basically it wiped the entire drum box drum and a portion of the chute . Mine was not fixable however you got lucky

 

[TreeAbuser]

Thanks gents... its been hella cold so I havent taken a good look inside. Will have to hoist up the drum with bucket boom and take a look.

Im surprised to see there is virtually no parts available for that morbark other than dealers.

Fingers crossed that damage is minimal... although I doubt it considerimg how many times random areas had to be welded. Ohh well such is business.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Will have to hoist up the drum with bucket boom and take a look.

What is the weight of the drum?
Jeff

 

[TreeAbuser]

Not sure exactly... but its pretty heavy and come out through the top.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Not sure exactly... but its pretty heavy and come out through the top.

Only asking because your bucket is rated, Maybe too heavy.
Jeff

 

[TreeAbuser]

I appreciate you looking out. I can get the bucket close enough so I think it will be ok, but I will definitely not push its limits. Enough broken down equipment as is

Thanks

 

[broken branch tree]

We had same thing happen in one of our model 15s. From what I hear big problem with them. We had ours completely rebuilt with new shaft and balanced at a shop here in Norwalk Ohio for 900.00. Not sure how far it is or how much for shipping, but if you want their info, pm me. Have to look it up, can't remember name offhand.

 

[no tree to big]

We had a shaft break on a 15" morbark we bought a shaft n swapped it out in house n had it balanced not sure on the process but it was a pain in the ass and took a lot of heating with torches n bashing with sledge hammers and 3 guys...

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[CalTreeEquip]

Common problem on those. A new shaft and drum should be $6k. Just the shaft should be $1000.

 

[TreeAbuser]

Got it thanks for input gents. I have not had a chance to take a closer look. Had some work to do.
Broken Branch im in CT so thats a ways out there. Glad you had your machine fixed.
If this is a common problem / engineerimg issue did anyone came up with a way to resolve it on their own... I.e. bigger bearings different steel hardness for shaft etc etc. I know thats a long shot question but will not hurt to ask.

Im still amazed on how little aftermarket parts there are for these machines.

Thanks guys, best of luck and be safe.

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Aftermarket parts is a numbers game. It cost money to re engineer a part. Then it takes money to set up production of the parts. Critical parts like a drum will also have substantial liability insurance costs attached. The more of them you make, the cheaper each one becomes to make. So the question is.... can we sell enough drums, at a price that allows us to make a profit, to make it worth the risk of trying?

To put it another way......
"Why do you charge so much for tree work?"
" After all, all it takes is a chainsaw and a bit of rope!"
" and those pointy things you wear on your feet".

 

[gorman]

Hey treeabuser, how many hours on that machine? What year is it?

 

[Knobby57]

I fixed one that broke a shaft it was a 15'. Lifted the drum out with a backhoe . Installed the new shaft and had it balanced . Used a chain hoist to drop it back in much easier . On a side note we had to do a lot of welding on the drum and the carriage it got pretty messed up when it came apart . Looked like a bomb went off in there . Lots of torching and big hammers !! Was not a fun job. It had 2500 hours when it let go and it was a well maintained unit that never saw anything over 6" from new . Last I saw it it had 4300 hours and we installed a new clutch and belt the drum still looked good . Don't let them tell you that you can't weld a pocket back in and you need a new 5k drum . My thinking was if someone welded this thing together once it could be cut apart bent back and rewelded . I'll bet we had at lease 80 hours into that thing overall . May have been cost effective to get a new drum but if you have the tools and the time , comes down to what's your time worth ? We also made our own new anvil when we did that ,cost half of a new one and was easy to make


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