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
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