Nifty Bearing Protector

Nifty Bearing Protector FARM SHOP Parts 20-1-32 After years of replacing bearings damaged by plastic twine or weeds wrapped around the rotary cutting heads on his mower, Oklahoma farmer John Andrews finally found a simple solution to the problem. "The breakdowns always seemed to hap-pen during rush season when we were the most busy. But since I made this modification two seasons ago, I haven't had a single bearing or bearing seal failure," says Andrews, who operates a 7-ft. Vicon rotary mower. "Replacement bearings for the cutterheads on this mower cost $45 apiece, or as much as $750 for the entire mower." What he did was to weld short pieces of large diameter metal pipe to the cutterbar around each spindle. He cut each piece of pipe in half so that there are slots between the two halves of pipe to let dirt and other debris fall out while still protecting the bearings. Wire and twine wrap around the pipe, where it's easily removed with no stress caused to bearings. Andrews says it cost just $40 to protect the entire toolbar. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Andrews, Rt. 1 Box 33, Bennington, Okla. 74723 (ph 405 847-2502).

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