Earlier in the year, I acquired a sickle bar. Today I decided to see about fitting it. I only have the bar. No mule drives or any parts needed to mount it. I be doing some research in the very near future.
It's rather heavy, so I decided to remove the mounting bracket for ease of handling.
Popped it under the C-81 and mounted it at the rear. I now need to find out how it mounts at the front and if it is connected to the lift arm.
Getting carried away, I stripped off the skid plate then the cutter itself. Removing an accumulation of very black, oily grass, of unknown vintage in the process. Finally being left with only the gearbox on the bench.
This is where the fun started. The lift lever on the bar is mounted on a threaded stud screwed into the gearbox. This could be screwed in or out, which I found rather puzzling. Fiddling with it, as you do, I heard something drop inside the box.
So off with the cover plate. Three screws loosened nice and easy. Two were tight and took a bit, read a lot, of persuasion. One snapped off.
Cover off and I could see why the oily, black grass was oily and black. No oil in the box. No water or other detritus either. Looked in very good condition in fact. Found what had dropped was a locking nut off the aforementioned stud. This was replaced and tightened up.
So oily grass under the box and no oil in the box was pointing to a leaking seal. OK I'll strip it out and get a new seal.
Simple procedure. Remove a plug from the side opposite the cover plate. Circlip from the now visible pivot shaft and tap shaft out. The main shaft should now be able to be removed.
Only it can't, as someone in their wisdom has welded the cutter bar actuating arm to the shaft.
So shaft will have to come out, bringing seal and bearing with it. Only one small problem. There'll be a circlip holding the bearing in.