Breakdown

So 5:00pm this Sunday afternoon the combine stopped moving, the thrasher spun down, warning lights all over on the Gleaner M3. Engine was running, but nothing else had power.....

Oh, that can't be good. Belt I suppose?

Nope, belt looks good. Everything looks pretty good. Need to look some more.....

Finally found it. The plate bolted to the engine flywheel, and drives the spring hub that drives the belt that drives the whole machine. All busted apart in the middle.

Well, not going anywhere, needs to be fixed where it is.

Figured get my small tool kit out of the cab and start tearing apart what I could with what I had for tools. Took air compressor off, pulley hub loose, managed to get the shaft pulled out, took the plate off the flywheel, pretty impressive for the few tools I had with.

Walk home, thinking on which dealer to call first in the morning, see if they have it in stock....

Then recall I bought a plate for my F3 couple years ago because it was looking tough, and a few days later I bought the M3, never did put the plate in the F3. What are the odds they are the same, but dig out the new plate in the shed, and dang if it doesn't match right up, same size hub, same holes in the plate! Wow.

So, a few more tools, and back out to the field, get it all bolted together - with a few more busted knuckles - at dark at 7:30.

Real hard to get that shaft into the new hub; ended up getting different length bolts from home and pulled the shaft in an inch at a time, ever shorter bolts......

Pretty darn impressed with myself.

Not often one has such an unusual piece sitting in the shed.

I'm a little sore from standing on the ladder so long hunched over/ under/ around all the brackets and wrestling that heavy shaft and pulley in and out, but pretty happy I could tackle a new repair out in the field and get it all done in a late afternoon.

See what happens tomorrow.

Paul

I had that happen on my "M" many years ago, not as lucky as you had to go to Allis to get a new 1. IIRC it s'posed to be very close to centered or you'll take it out again right away. They told me they needed to come out and fix it, I used a square and it ran until I sold the machine.

I put one in my M about 20 years ago. On the M i had to take the cast iron hogs head off. That was eliminated on the M2

Was there a pilot bearing in the flywheel? IIRC I had a similar problem with the M2 a few years ago, and a machine shop in Paynesville machined and installed one to bring it up to current specs. Had an issue with the plate too.

There is a dimple in the flywheel, and the shaft kinda guides into the dimple - I presume to hold it if the hub falls all a Apart?

Don't really know where a bearing would go or what ot would accomplish.

Everything bolts up I to holes, there doesn't seem to be any adjustment for it to line up on the parts I took off. It just lines up. I suppose the cast shaft holder could adjust; but I didn't move its frame at all.

Paul

That was a stroke of luck...

My brother and I always tried to have a supply of bearings and some other parts when harvest started. Taking time to chase after parts was risky if it started to rain and didn't stop, as it did some years. Much better feeling to go to the shop, pick up the part and/or bearing, repair the combine and be back threshing in a very short time.

We've had the main clutch shaft apart on my R6 twice this year already and ready to be a third time once I can get a header clutch magnet field assembly quick. First time was to replace hydro drive belt before harvest began. Second time was header clutch went out, third time getting ready to be apart is because the used field assembly from Worthington went 500 yards before head quit working and it was smoking. That's what I get for trying to save some money, although the rotor and drive plate that I got from them are good and will save me some money over getting everything new. Fun times part time farming. Thank God the previous owner lives a mile from me and is a retired mechanic who deep down wants to stay sharp with his lifetime of knowledge and a special interest in seeing this machine stay running.