Gyramor 307 slipping

Got a pull type 307, side wheels. Very well used! I bought it ~15 years ago for 350.00 and used it a few time to mow my ~20 acres that doesn't get hayed. I haven't used it in 4 or 5 years as it was getting to a point where if I got in to some thick stuff it'd start slipping and I was pretty much done being able to use it for awhile.

From what I've research, there's a large but on the gear box side of the clutch pack that sets the tension on the clutches/springs. There's a cotter pin that runs through it.

The front housing of clutch pack has fingers that engage the finger's of the metal disk plates. I can rotate front house back and forth about an 1/8", mostly due to the engaging side of housing fingers having slight groves worn in them from the clutch plates.

I'm not sure what attached the clutch pack to the gearbox input shaft, but I know there's a little slop between input shaft and clutch pack, i.e. I can rock the clutch pack with that big tension nut, back n forth, and see a little movement between clutch pack and input shaft.

Do I disassemble the clutch pack and see what's what, or just try to tight that tension nut(and if so, how is this best done to keep shaft from rotating while trying to tighten the nut.
 

Remove cotter key & tighten big nut. If after big nut has been tightened the clutch still slips new disk plates will be required. JD offers a wrench to tighten nut.
GY2256W 2-1/2 IN. OPEN END WRENCH ADD 66.71

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Disk plates being #5 in your diagram?

From the exterior, they look pretty thick to me still.

I was thinking I'd read where that nut is 2.5", gonna measure, I've probably got a wrench that'll fit it at the shop.
 
Couldn't move that adjustment but either way, so removed clutch pack assembly off input shaft.

I'll see about separating clutches tomorrow, I'm curious if it has the lined plates or non lined plates.

If I need to replace the plates and clutch discs(if I have lined plates), are the non lined plates to available? Looks like I coulda added them to the cart and don't see NLA by them.

Mines looks to have good thickness to them, hoping I can disassemble and clean everything up and be back in business.

Bearings feel good, I think it leaks out the bottom gear box seal. Would like to put new blades on if I can get it working good, but those big old bolts that hold the blades on, the heads are pretty rounded on them. Felt like they used to have a hex head on them at one time.
 
A little heat did the trick.

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Has the lined plates(linings look ok to me?)
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Clutch plates appear to have patches of clutch lining on them. The clutch linings themselves aren't missing any 'chunks'. Are these clutch plates supposed to have a lining on them, or a smooth metal surface like a pressure plate? Perhaps the 'patches' of clutch lining material is actually called grease?



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I have no idea how 'tight' to assemble this once I get it cleaned up. If no one gives me an idea, I'll probably just assemble attempt to use and tighten a bit if it's slipping.

It'll be hooked to my 3020 diesel and I'd rather destroy the mower before my PTO on the tractor.
 
Parts cleaned up pretty good. Resurfaced the plates, a little putting left but not bad. Scuffed the friction disks clean, free of the grease contamination. Cleaned the tension nut and post threads, have full travel of threads by hand(when not assembled).

Fully degreased the cage, I believe that's where most of the cakes on grease came from on the plates. Appears to be grease able to get to input shaft and out to thrust washer inside clutch basket. I probably over greased it early on. I'll pre grease during assembly and not worry about using a grease gun on it. As it sits, it's probably a half revolution tighter on the tension nut than it was prior to disassembly. Tension nut threads have anti seize grease on them now.

If it seems to mow ok, probably pull off the blade bar and put new blades on and seals on gear box.

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i have the same exact set up on my 127 gyramore cutter, i have never had mine apart, no need to , but my seals were leaking on my gearbox and all i did was fill it completely with john deere corn head grease , i think its better with the grease than the oil
 

CRracer712
Thanks for update. The important part is to have clutch tight enough to hold but not too tight so it can't slip if an obstruction is hit. It appears you did an excellent repair job.
Jim
 
(quoted from post at 02:07:12 09/24/19) i have the same exact set up on my 127 gyramore cutter, i have never had mine apart, no need to , but my seals were leaking on my gearbox and all i did was fill it completely with john deere corn head grease , i think its better with the grease than the oil

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that after I'm out of gear oil. When empty, 1 quart seem to put it at the full mark.

I'm assuming you put more grease in it than you would oil since the grease probably doesn't splash lube the input shaft bearing?
 
Get about 4-5 of those corn head grease tubes from John Deere and fill it all the way up , the grease thins out a little when warmed up , and thickens when it s cool, it gets into all the internal parts of the gear box , I have it in my 127 mower for three years now and there s no problems. John Deere should have used that from the start
 
Went to put clutch pack back on mower and about finished it up. As I was putting on castle nut I got to thinking it shouldn't be tight. Anyone got any suggestions?

Clutch assembly slips on shaft with a keystock Bar, then a thrust washer, the clutch cage, fixed washer and castle nut.

I'm thinking it shouldn't be tight so if clutch slips, it doesn't melt thrust washer to clutch pack or cage.
 
(quoted from post at 15:54:26 09/24/19) I have it in my 127 mower for three years now and there s no problems. John Deere should have used that from the start

It would surprise me if Corn head lube was in existence when your model 127 was built.
 
Bought a manual off eBay, it's probably a newer manual than what mine woulda came with but hoping it's close enough. My mower is the first one made!(yeah, I know...)

I've seen a few other mowers online and compared to most I see, my clutch housing(cage?) Has little to no wear compared to what I've seen. My blades are probably only an 1" wide at the tip though, bolt head practically rounded.

Cleaned up the drive line, installed new grease zerks in the u-joints which are smooth and tight feeling, couldn't tell the difference from new actually. Painted all that and reassembled. With the information provided by gmcdeadhead, I'd head the clutch pack installation nut installed just right.

Hooked it up to tractor and headed out to the pasture. Started like gang Buster's, then first heavy patch brought out the slippage. Shut down mower and adjusted tension nut 3 castellation notches. Took off again. That seemed to be just about perfect. Heavy pig weed was no match, neither was really thick briar patches. Tested it out over a 2-3" locust tree, got a little slippage but not stoppage and it picked right back up once through the tree. Spent about an hour mowing before dark. Worked better than it ever has!

It's a pretty rough looking mower, rust hole just right of center on top deck like I've seen in several others(seems odd, don't see anything underneath that would hold anything against the metal to cause it to rust?). Got two new tires coming off Amazon. Pulled the wheels tonight to take to work and clean up and repaint, tires will be here Monday.

After I finish mowing my ~40 acres, thinking I'll take it to the shop, patch that rust and repaint it. Might see about new blades. New blades appear to be 1/2", these look to be 3/8". I'm not about to buy John deere's new bolts/nuts to accommodate thicker blades, I checked price and for 2 bolts/nuts it ~180.00.
 
I had a 127 mower, the deck was badly rusted out. I completely disassembled it and got new sheet stock from the local metal supplier. Cut it to fit and bolted it together at the outside frame. Painted up, it looked fantastic. I think I got a blade/bolt kit from A&I or somewhere far cheaper than JDParts. Much easier to replace with the deck removed!

I also used the corn head grease, without putting in new case seals- worked better than I could have imagined. If my new Woods BrushBull wasn't non-leaking, I'd refill that with the corn head grease, as well.
 
this is my 127 mower , i just trailered it home so i can work on it over the winter , gonna put new 1/2 " blades on it and new wear guards . i got the mower from an older lady who only used it to groom a horse trail . been kept in the barn all its life, its in really good shape, i found a guy who had some NOS john deere parts for my mower, got the blades, bolt and nuts, wear guards and the wrench all for $200, not bad considering john deere wants $80 alone for just the bolts. i already put new bearings and tires on it.

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Nice find GMC!

Why is it every one of these mowers I see are missing the rear guard?

I wish mine had the axle at the rear instead of the side, but on my 3020 it doesn't really matter since my tractor axles stick out past the wheels on this 6' mower.

When I bought the tractor, they put new rear tires on and I had them set the wheels all the way in. Wish I hadn't since 1: it makes my operator station more cramped and 2: the axles stick out 10-12" beyond outside edge of tires(16.9*34)
 
maybe those rear guards were an option when you bought the mower, and people did not want to spend the extra money, i no mine did not have them on at all ,and also the front wear guards, im putting the wear guards on only because i have found a set
 
New tires will be here Monday. It was kinda wheel prep day today. Last time I used this thing before parking it, I ran a tire off the rim and the other flat(hedge thorns and locust thorns).

Sitting in one spot the past 5/6 years put some good mud on the rims

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Lots of grinding with 5" air grinder, scotch Brite wheel and wire brush wheel on drills.

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Exterior coated with self etching primer. Will be painted with some of the John Deere yellow enamel paint I picked up at the dealer, sprayed. Inner rim will be coated with Por 15, brushed(black).

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Two coats of Por 15 applied. Probably won't be able to paint rims until Monday. This stuff won't come off and stops rust. Will allow me to use tire slim 8n new tires with continuing to rust the rims.

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It'll dry to a semi gloss finish and won't be painted over, except for whatever overspray gets on it.
 
Por 15 dried a lot faster since it's humid, was able to paint my rims this morning.

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Used JD TY25645 ag & turdf yellow, reduced with TY25650. Says mix 10:1, but went 8:2(probably coulda reduced more) since I'm using gravity feed. 10 oz was more than enough, that gave 3 coats, I was aiming for 2 coats. Excellent coverage.

That probably would have been a spray can per wheel at 10 bucks and change each. A qt cost 20 and change plus another 21 for gallon of reducer(which will past forever...). Qt of yellow paint is going to go a long ways.
 

Keys 7 & 10 are a transport lock to keep cutter up if cyl/hose fails during transporting. When cutter is raised to correct height put pin(key 9A or 9B) in hole in both parts.
 
(quoted from post at 05:04:37 10/02/19)
Keys 7 & 10 are a transport lock to keep cutter up if cyl/hose fails during transporting. When cutter is raised to correct height put pin(key 9A or 9B) in hole in both parts.

So the pin goes in the Rod/Yoke hole for travel, otherwise pin goes in middle hole on that rear three hole bracket?

Mine has a screw adjustment instead of a hydraulic cylinder. The 'Rod' part of the Rod/Yoke is bent down pretty good(I pulled it off to straighten, if my hydraulic shaft straightener will straighten it).

If I wanted to get a hydraulic cylinder for it, what would I get? I have no clue about this. Manual(just received off eBay) says to use one with an 8" stroke. but I see cylinders listed like 2x8, 3x8, 4x8 etc. Then Im not real sure what length, collapsed, I'd need.
 
If no one's knows what I need in way of a hydraulic cylinder, does anyone know where I could get this info?(honestly)
 
(quoted from post at 13:34:10 10/05/19) If no one's knows what I need in way of a hydraulic cylinder, does anyone know where I could get this info?(honestly)

Hyd cylinder info you desire should be in operators manual. I'm confident a 2-1/2 or 3 X 8 cylinder is what fits a JD 307 Gyramor/
 
(quoted from post at 14:09:29 10/05/19)
(quoted from post at 13:34:10 10/05/19) If no one's knows what I need in way of a hydraulic cylinder, does anyone know where I could get this info?(honestly)

Hyd cylinder info you desire should be in operators manual. I'm confident a 2-1/2 or 3 X 8 cylinder is what fits a JD 307 Gyramor/

It only mentioned an 8" stroke. I was at TSC and saw 2x8, 2.5x8 and 3x8. Do they all use two hoses? I've seen pictures of equipment with only one hose going to cylinder.
 
You can use a double acting (two hose) cylinder as a single acting (one hose). Just put a filtered vent cap/plug in the port of the cylinder that does not need a hose.

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Is there an advantage to using two or one hose? I'm assuming two hoses gives pressure up and down, using one line uses weight of implement to lower it?

How do I prep a new cylinder(getting fluid in it and the hoses and air out)?
 
(quoted from post at 21:56:43 10/05/19) Is there an advantage to using two or one hose? I'm assuming two hoses gives pressure up and down, using one line uses weight of implement to lower it?

How do I prep a new cylinder(getting fluid in it and the hoses and air out)?

Do you need power in both directions? My pull behind cutter only powers to lift (one hose), gravity lowers it, no need to power it down.

The cylinder and hoses will fill and self bleed. Just hook it up and cycle it a few times, than check the oil level in your reservoir. No need to pre-fill them.
 
(quoted from post at 21:26:08 10/05/19)
(quoted from post at 21:56:43 10/05/19) Is there an advantage to using two or one hose? I'm assuming two hoses gives pressure up and down, using one line uses weight of implement to lower it?

How do I prep a new cylinder(getting fluid in it and the hoses and air out)?

Do you need power in both directions? My pull behind cutter only powers to lift (one hose), gravity lowers it, no need to power it down.

The cylinder and hoses will fill and self bleed. Just hook it up and cycle it a few times, than check the oil level in your reservoir. No need to pre-fill them.

Lol, I'm not sure if I need pressure down or not. I guess I could start with one hose and a vent and see how it works. I suppose I've got to have a hose made, or do places sell premade hoses?
 

As others stated a single(lift) hose will be fine on a rotary cutter. Most places that sell hyd cylinders also sell complete hose assemblies. JD sells pre-made hoses that are probably cheaper than custom built hoses.

TY26913 HOSE,HYD.,1/2"X88",1-WIRENPT ADD 29.65 USD

Pictured below are complete hyd hoses from "Surplus Center"

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Sorry I wasn't clear. You do not need down pressure on a rotary cutter. You use the lift pressure in the cylinder to lift and hold the deck elevation where you want it. Gravity will bring the deck down to the ground when the lift pressure on the cylinder is released, the wheels will stay on the ground. Once the deck is on the ground, the only thing it might do if pressure is applied on the down side of the cylinder is lift the wheels off the ground.

You can get a double acting cylinder and use a vent for single action operation and if a different need (like a transport harrow where the wheels get lifted) comes up later where you need a double action cylinder, that same size and stroke, you could use that cylinder by removing the vent and hooking a hose to it.

Tx Jim gave you good advice on finding hoses. TSC is another place that has premade hoses. Using premade hoses you may need a couple to get the length you need (have a little slack in the working length). Use true hydraulic fittings to join and connect them, not hardware store bulk bin fittings. Don't forget the right coupler end to match your tractor's remote.
 
We've had about 5" of rain in the last week, but none since yesterday morning so I got the 3020/307 out to do some ditch cleaning of some saplings and mow a hay meadow that was starting to grow again. Mower worked great! Hay meadow looks pretty good

Turned around in one of my pastures that's pretty thick grass and could see a use for a hydraulic lift. I was cutting pretty short, and while it cut that thick stuff fine, it was pretty wet and had to do a little zig zag as I'd hit a spot that the tractor started to sink in. Woulda been nice to be able to lift the mower off the grass so I woulda had less drag.
 
Mower seems to be working good. Mowed ~15 acres of mostly weeds, some small trees. Most were 2 to 3", but I ended up getting a hedge the was close to 5". I eased in to all of them.

Oddly enough, when I pulled this mower out of the weeds to see about making it work, the gear box was empty. One quart of gear oil filled it. Figured I'd be using some of the corn head grease mentioned, but so far it's still right on the full mark.

New tires are holding up great, haven't had to add any slime yet. Yet...
 

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