"I broke the bearing (Link Bellt) on my cutter wheel last week. RG50
Hit a big chunk of hidden concrete inside an old tree... Broke a green tooth and then the cast iron case on the Link Belt.
So! I get a new bearing shipped to me ($300) and get it all installed good.
Go grind stumps from last weeks job... Breaks again at 2 pm. Green Tooth grabbed into some Birch and broke - hit the same spot.
I don't know if I am just real un-lucky or if something bigger is wrong. Bent shaft? I also worry that the tooth loosened up from the wheel. The bolt holes are a little wormed out from breaking last week. Only 400 hrs on machine but wheel shows some wear. Don't want to buy a new wheel....
Worried that I will spend $500 on TWO new bearings (going to do both this time!) and just have them break again...
ANY ADVICE from the stumps masters?"
Bearings should always be changed in a set. 2 bearings broken in that short a period something is wrong. Birch wood is not that hard to snap a cast iron bearing. If there was some hidden rebar or other iron in the concrete could wreak havoc on the machine. Bent shaft pretty easy to detect just look at the wheel while spinning and see if it has some wobble. Check with the dealer on your tooth setup, my RG 50 has all straights on the outer ring. If the wheel is that worn it can be built back up at a welding shop, had that done on a carlton machine, but that had a few thousand hours on it before it was needed. Have you always run green teeth? I am not a fan of them, very aggressive cutters. They take a big bite and when you hit something it is usually too late to stop. Good luck.
