Hi Mike. Recently found your UA-cam channel and have enjoyed and learned a few things. I worked for a John Deere dealership for 22 years as a shop and field service technician And it shows that you can always learn something new if you just take the time and listen. Thank y'all for sharing your knowledge. Keep the lessons coming. Guy W
It seems that the slip clutch is usually located on the implements.. wouldn't it be more cost-effective to have a single slip clutch on the tractor pto so you could use it with any implements
I think that different types of implements - rotary cutter; tiller; stump grinder, etc. each have their own specific torque to slip at. One would need to adjust the clutch spring bolts for each implement change. I may be wrong, but that’s my way of thinking on it. 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for all of the great videos. I would love to see a video on slip clutches that talks about setting/adjusting a Belleville spring type vs. a coil spring type. Thanks!
Thanks, Mike! I've always preferred shear bolts because I consider "burning in" too fiddly. I just like to jump on the tractor and go! But I do have one mower in our inventory that has a slip clutch, so I'll follow your advice annually. As others have noted, there is NADA in the owner's manual about how to do this.
+Joe Essid I used to think I wanted a slip clutch until I found out they had to be maintained annually. We had a brush hog my entire life on the farm and to my knowledge, never once did dad ever slip the clutches. So he probably had no protection. I'm now with you, that little bolt is always there ready to do it's job and it doesn't require me to ever adjust it. I like it...
+Tractor Mike My slip clutch looks different than what you showed. It has springs and you are supposed to tighten until there is a certain space. The reality is that measurement was not enough slip, and it's bad to find that out. What I do is the start of every season is drop my cutter over top of stump that is cut off low to the ground, hence keeping the blades from spinning. I then idle the tractor and slowly engage the PTO clutch (this still works on the on/off kind, but you can kill the engine real quick if the clutch doesn't slip). I can tell by how much pull on the engine if it is going to slip, and if you mess up, it kills the engine. If it slips and spins a couple times, great, ready to go for the season. Without doing this, there is no way to test the slip, you are just guessing on those measurements, which I have found out to be inadequate perhaps just due to equipment differences. If it doesn't slip using this method, the discs are locked and I have to go through your routine to get them slipping again, which is a super pain on my cutter since the plastic guard over where the PTO shaft connects does not move.
Just bought a pack of 3 shear bolts at Tractor Supply for about $3 including sales tax. Before watching your video I knew nothing about slip clutches, so thanks for sharing the knowledge. I'm glad my cutter uses shear bolts instead of a slip clutch.
Enjoy your videos! I have a frontier 2072 shredder with slip clutch. I recently hit an immovable object and ruined both blades. The clutch got very hot but held on and continues to work greatly. I’ve had the shredder for 10 years and have never adjusted the clutch or changed a bolt. I highly recommend Frontier shredder 2072.
Hey mike my slip clutch doesn’t have the space your speaking of. The 4 mm one. What to do Could send a picture if I can figure out how. Fantastic video too!!
I have a John Deere Brush Cutter which came with my tractor and it have a sheer bolt on it, and I learned the hard way that you can't use just any company's replacement bolt on the trimmer because some break as soon as the trimmer is turned on. That is one item I learned to get from the John Deere dealer to be on the safe side and save time and money.
All these years I have been operating my MX6 without knowing about the slip clutch and it's operating characteristics with no problems. When I finally became "woke" :>) I attempted to adjust the clutch using the manual which gave .1567" as the required gap for the MX6 cutter. The cutter worked fine in 12" coastal but when I started on some waist-high dense weeds, the clutch started smoking heavily. In retrospect, I don't think I did anything wrong but what do you think happened, and will I need to buy a new slip clutch assembly because it got so hot? Thanks again for your time and effort.
At 4:25 to 4:40 or so, you reference setting the gap at 4mm. Is that specific to this particular implement, or is 4mm kind of a universal standard for this type of slip clutch? Just curious as to where the 4mm setting comes from.
Mike, tried your website, wouldn't let me in. I have the slip clutch with 8 spring loaded bolts. Cannot find a torque spec. for retightening these bolts. FRUSTRATING! Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the only way to properly set them after "spinning" the clutch plates? I set them to 15 ft# so they are at least all the same. However just a guess. ANY suggestions?
@@TractorMikethanks Mike for the reply. I am working on my JD 647 tiller. Finally got some specs from my second call to a JD dealer. However, they list the spec as a measurement, not a torque spec. Seems to me to be "the old way" method. Seems open to error and inconsistency. I will tighten to the middle of their +/- measurement, check the torque and make that consistent for all 8 bolts. Looks like the best I can do with what I have to work with! Thanks again for your interest and your willingness to share your knowledge.
Hi Mike I have a frontier 2072 that attaches the driveline with a snap ring. Do you have to remove the driveline to test the slip clutch or can you just loosen the bolts with driveline attached? Thanks for the videos they are great!
Mike I have a John Deere LX5 brush hog with a slip clutch, I bought it used and loosened the clutch like you did in this video and it was frozen fast. I commenced to brush hog and I still shear off the shear bolts ? Should the shear bolts be replaced with a harder bolt so it don’t shear or what am I doing wrong ?
Don’t replace any shear bolt w a hardened bolt. Shear bolts are the designated weak link. If you replace them something else, you just transfer the force to other more costly components. Shear bolt failure is a sign of something that needs adjusting. Also - if you have a slip clutch you wouldn’t have shear bolts. They perform the same function.
Hi, Mike. I bought an LS (New Holland) 3135 with a rotary mower last year and it's working great. I did have to get on the salesman a bit, because the mower came with shear pins, instead of the slip clutch I had ordered. I finally got the proper PTO shaft with the slip clutch and I noticed a difference between the clip clutch I have and the one you show in this video. The bolts holding my clutch together are secured with springs between the nuts on the bolts and the outside clutch disc. This being the case, do I still follow the same procedure you show here? Or do the springs on the bolts ensure the proper gap between the discs? The owner's manual says nothing about slipping the clutch plates as being a part of regular maintenance. All it says for maintenance, other than to check/maintain proper oil levels and lubricating the u-joints is to inspect the ceramic plate between the two clutch discs for wear and to replace before it wears out completely (I'm assuming because the friction of metal to metal could "weld" the clutch faces together). Have you ever heard of such a set-up? I've only got about 40 hours on the unit so far, and brush hogging will be it's main function.
+Lawrence Black Lawrence, I probably need to do another video on how to slip the spring-style clutch. I'm really disturbed they have nothing in the owner's manual about how to slip that clutch because it does need to be done from time-to-time. If you'll e-mail me at mike@asktractormike.com the brand and model of the brush hog I'll try to look into it. That type usually has a measurement on the spring or a spacer inside of it to let you get proper pressure on the spring. You don't want tighten it so much that you collapse the spring cause then there is no "give" and thus, no protection. The rule of thumb with the spring system is loosen everything up and "burn" the clutches (like I did in the video), then tighten it down all the way. Then back the nut off 2 complete turns. Then check spring coils to make sure they are not collapsed. That will get you in the ballpark.
Thanks. I'm on the road right now using my phone. I'll email you the details when I get a chance to fire up the laptop. I had assumed the reason for the springs was to ensure proper constant tension between the clutch faces and the ceramic buffer.
I never in a million years as a new tractor guy imagined a brush hog being like a science project to get going. I've been working on this thing for 3 days. Already swapped on cutter for another because the other didn't have a clutch, and this one is now smoking a lot no matter how I adjust my bolts and I can't even see the darn thing because of this giant plastic hood over the clutch itself. Imagining disassembling this thing all over again is not something I am looking forward to. I don't even have that big of a field to cut, maybe 1.5 acres.
Some of my early videos were only on one channel. Took me a while to figure out and correct the problem. I've vowed to go back and re-record them at some point but haven't got it done yet.
Hi Mike. Recently found your UA-cam channel and have enjoyed and learned a few things. I worked for a John Deere dealership for 22 years as a shop and field service technician And it shows that you can always learn something new if you just take the time and listen. Thank y'all for sharing your knowledge. Keep the lessons coming. Guy W
It seems that the slip clutch is usually located on the implements.. wouldn't it be more cost-effective to have a single slip clutch on the tractor pto so you could use it with any implements
I think that different types of implements - rotary cutter; tiller; stump grinder, etc. each have their own specific torque to slip at. One would need to adjust the clutch spring bolts for each implement change. I may be wrong, but that’s my way of thinking on it. 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for all of the great videos. I would love to see a video on slip clutches that talks about setting/adjusting a Belleville spring type vs. a coil spring type. Thanks!
Thanks, Mike! I've always preferred shear bolts because I consider "burning in" too fiddly. I just like to jump on the tractor and go! But I do have one mower in our inventory that has a slip clutch, so I'll follow your advice annually. As others have noted, there is NADA in the owner's manual about how to do this.
+Joe Essid I used to think I wanted a slip clutch until I found out they had to be maintained annually. We had a brush hog my entire life on the farm and to my knowledge, never once did dad ever slip the clutches. So he probably had no protection. I'm now with you, that little bolt is always there ready to do it's job and it doesn't require me to ever adjust it. I like it...
+Tractor Mike My slip clutch looks different than what you showed. It has springs and you are supposed to tighten until there is a certain space. The reality is that measurement was not enough slip, and it's bad to find that out. What I do is the start of every season is drop my cutter over top of stump that is cut off low to the ground, hence keeping the blades from spinning. I then idle the tractor and slowly engage the PTO clutch (this still works on the on/off kind, but you can kill the engine real quick if the clutch doesn't slip). I can tell by how much pull on the engine if it is going to slip, and if you mess up, it kills the engine. If it slips and spins a couple times, great, ready to go for the season. Without doing this, there is no way to test the slip, you are just guessing on those measurements, which I have found out to be inadequate perhaps just due to equipment differences. If it doesn't slip using this method, the discs are locked and I have to go through your routine to get them slipping again, which is a super pain on my cutter since the plastic guard over where the PTO shaft connects does not move.
Just bought a pack of 3 shear bolts at Tractor Supply for about $3 including sales tax. Before watching your video I knew nothing about slip clutches, so thanks for sharing the knowledge. I'm glad my cutter uses shear bolts instead of a slip clutch.
As a new Kobota 6040 owner, I appreciate all your video's. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Gary W. Stegall Thanks for watching!
Enjoy your videos!
I have a frontier 2072 shredder with slip clutch. I recently hit an immovable object and ruined both blades. The clutch got very hot but held on and continues to work greatly. I’ve had the shredder for 10 years and have never adjusted the clutch or changed a bolt. I highly recommend Frontier shredder 2072.
Hey mike my slip clutch doesn’t have the space your speaking of. The 4 mm one. What to do Could send a picture if I can figure out how. Fantastic video too!!
Will a slip clutch affect your cutting performance! Mine cuts like shit with new blades
When you tighten the bolts after "slipping" the clutch, do you tighten them in a star pattern like tightening lug nuts?
I have a John Deere Brush Cutter which came with my tractor and it have a sheer bolt on it, and I learned the hard way that you can't use just any company's replacement bolt on the trimmer because some break as soon as the trimmer is turned on. That is one item I learned to get from the John Deere dealer to be on the safe side and save time and money.
This is GREAT, really helps me to understand my Woods cutter. Thanks!
Is it possible to change from a slip clutch to a shear bolt?
I have never seen a rotary cutter with a sheer bolt. It seems like the way to go! Sooo simple.
can you use a silicone spray on the clutch to make it slip or not recommended
All these years I have been operating my MX6 without knowing about the slip clutch and it's operating characteristics with no problems. When I finally became "woke" :>) I attempted to adjust the clutch using the manual which gave .1567" as the required gap for the MX6 cutter. The cutter worked fine in 12" coastal but when I started on some waist-high dense weeds, the clutch started smoking heavily. In retrospect, I don't think I did anything wrong but what do you think happened, and will I need to buy a new slip clutch assembly because it got so hot? Thanks again for your time and effort.
At 4:25 to 4:40 or so, you reference setting the gap at 4mm. Is that specific to this particular implement, or is 4mm kind of a universal standard for this type of slip clutch? Just curious as to where the 4mm setting comes from.
I was wondering if he meant .004. But I suspect it came from the manual he was using.
Mike, tried your website, wouldn't let me in. I have the slip clutch with 8 spring loaded bolts. Cannot find a torque spec. for retightening these bolts. FRUSTRATING! Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the only way to properly set them after "spinning" the clutch plates? I set them to 15 ft# so they are at least all the same. However just a guess. ANY suggestions?
What brand and model?
@@TractorMikethanks Mike for the reply. I am working on my JD 647 tiller. Finally got some specs from my second call to a JD dealer. However, they list the spec as a measurement, not a torque spec. Seems to me to be "the old way" method. Seems open to error and inconsistency. I will tighten to the middle of their +/- measurement, check the torque and make that consistent for all 8 bolts. Looks like the best I can do with what I have to work with! Thanks again for your interest and your willingness to share your knowledge.
Hi Mike
I have a frontier 2072 that attaches the driveline with a snap ring. Do you have to remove the driveline to test the slip clutch or can you just loosen the bolts with driveline attached?
Thanks for the videos they are great!
Great video with clear and easy to follow information. Thanks!
Mike
I have a John Deere LX5 brush hog with a slip clutch, I bought it used and loosened the clutch like you did in this video and it was frozen fast. I commenced to brush hog and I still shear off the shear bolts ? Should the shear bolts be replaced with a harder bolt so it don’t shear or what am I doing wrong ?
Don’t replace any shear bolt w a hardened bolt. Shear bolts are the designated weak link. If you replace them something else, you just transfer the force to other more costly components. Shear bolt failure is a sign of something that needs adjusting. Also - if you have a slip clutch you wouldn’t have shear bolts. They perform the same function.
Didn't have a clue slip clutch needed this maintenance.
Hi, Mike. I bought an LS (New Holland) 3135 with a rotary mower last year and it's working great. I did have to get on the salesman a bit, because the mower came with shear pins, instead of the slip clutch I had ordered. I finally got the proper PTO shaft with the slip clutch and I noticed a difference between the clip clutch I have and the one you show in this video.
The bolts holding my clutch together are secured with springs between the nuts on the bolts and the outside clutch disc. This being the case, do I still follow the same procedure you show here? Or do the springs on the bolts ensure the proper gap between the discs? The owner's manual says nothing about slipping the clutch plates as being a part of regular maintenance. All it says for maintenance, other than to check/maintain proper oil levels and lubricating the u-joints is to inspect the ceramic plate between the two clutch discs for wear and to replace before it wears out completely (I'm assuming because the friction of metal to metal could "weld" the clutch faces together). Have you ever heard of such a set-up? I've only got about 40 hours on the unit so far, and brush hogging will be it's main function.
+Lawrence Black Lawrence, I probably need to do another video on how to slip the spring-style clutch. I'm really disturbed they have nothing in the owner's manual about how to slip that clutch because it does need to be done from time-to-time. If you'll e-mail me at mike@asktractormike.com the brand and model of the brush hog I'll try to look into it.
That type usually has a measurement on the spring or a spacer inside of it to let you get proper pressure on the spring. You don't want tighten it so much that you collapse the spring cause then there is no "give" and thus, no protection. The rule of thumb with the spring system is loosen everything up and "burn" the clutches (like I did in the video), then tighten it down all the way. Then back the nut off 2 complete turns. Then check spring coils to make sure they are not collapsed. That will get you in the ballpark.
Thanks. I'm on the road right now using my phone. I'll email you the details when I get a chance to fire up the laptop. I had assumed the reason for the springs was to ensure proper constant tension between the clutch faces and the ceramic buffer.
My new tiller doesn't say anything about burning a slip clutch. The tech that supposedly set up.mybtiller, had no clue as to what I was talking about.
I never in a million years as a new tractor guy imagined a brush hog being like a science project to get going. I've been working on this thing for 3 days. Already swapped on cutter for another because the other didn't have a clutch, and this one is now smoking a lot no matter how I adjust my bolts and I can't even see the darn thing because of this giant plastic hood over the clutch itself. Imagining disassembling this thing all over again is not something I am looking forward to. I don't even have that big of a field to cut, maybe 1.5 acres.
Be careful that clutch could be smoking HOT.
I think this is the 2nd one that was hard to hear. There was no problem hearing your commercial.
Some of my early videos were only on one channel. Took me a while to figure out and correct the problem. I've vowed to go back and re-record them at some point but haven't got it done yet.
The sound is bad.
When you tighten the bolts after "slipping" the clutch, do you tighten them in a star pattern like tightening lug nuts?
I always do that on anything. To try to get it to come back together evenly.