Machine Builders Network+ Forums Machine Builders Network Skid Steer / Attachment Builds new blades for Mower King skid steer mower

Well I got a bit too pushy last week operating a skid steer mower, its a cheapie RB auction Mower King skid steer 'brush mower' hydraulic powered skid steer loader attachment,



So I broke a blade in half trying to cut down a 3"diameter tree near a fenceline..the blade fractured and went flying in to the woods, had to shut it down as unbalance and vibration was crazy with only one blade.
So I'll have to make some new blades for this mower. I got new 5/8" grade 8 hardened bolts to hold on the new blades.
Not pictured is I turned up some new heavy pattern washers on the lathe from some 4140 steel stock for the mounting bolts.


I needed to replace BOTH blades for this mower due to balance issues and wanted to upgrade from 1/4"thick originals to a heavier blade as well while I'm at it.
I went to the LWS steel shop but they wanted $80 for a section of 4"wide,1/2"thick steel flat to make new blades from, but I knew there was a cheaper way...
so I pulled a section of 1/2" thick plate from my plate stock, always good to have 'inventory' to draw upon.


Got out the track torch to cut the 1/2"steel plate, it's been a while since I ran this old beast from the 60's..good old unit that still gets results..smooth edges a lot nicer than trying to free hand burn plate.
When you get one of these running right you can make cuts with very little grinder cleanup necessary..it takes a bit of setup and seat time to run one but gives a great finish.
You can see the hand burned edge at the bottom of the plate vs. the smooth cut the track torch gives..
Anyway I got this without track sections, I had to make two sections of track, they bolt together for long cuts..here we are just using one 6ft.section.
They were a PITA to make with the groove machined in the top,I had a machinist do it at work 20yrs ago on an old 50's Gorton milling machine.


Got the plate section cleaned up and cut to length, 14" long sections..cleaned up with grinder.


Drilled the 1-1/4" hole for the anchor bolt, it was a close as I could get to the metric 30MM hole as the original blades had..I drilled
both together to keep the dimensions as close as possible..The original blades had a bend or offset bent into them, I left the new blades straight
so I could drop the mower flat on the ground and not have the new blades hit the ground..they clear by about 4" where the originals hit the ground.

The metal cylindrical thing in the foreground on the drill press is a magnetic chip grab,great for drilling,you pull the chips off the drill press and then pull
the handle back over the trash can, the knob moves the magnet inside the tube away from the metal chips and they drop into the trash..about 25yrs old still works great on steel


Then brought the blades back for a second pass thru the track torch to cut the cutting angles instead of grinding for HOURS on end to cut the edges.
It's trickier than you think to set this up twice for both edges with no guide blocks or jigs to hold the blades..all by eye..
they are bush hog blades after all but we always try for accuracy whenever we can


So I did do some cleanup work on the belt grinder and wheel, more to come as thats enough for a Saturday..time to drink some beer for now


more to come on this..broke the root rake as well, got some upgrades to do there too

got both blades finished and installed, drilled the 5/8" Grade 8 mounting bolts for cotter retention pins and installed them both..hopefully this will last the next brushy go-round..one of the original metric blade mounting bolts had stripped threads..great time to replace them with the Grade 8s. Somewhat complex but easy project completed in time for turkey day..Happy Thanksgiving

Thats exactly like the one my neighbor bought! Dont think he was going to beat up brush with his, --- just mow grass/weeds at the showgrounds.
Your new blades should work great!

they have replacements online for $200, had to make my own, have plate have torch lets burn some iron

Your homemade ones will be better than bought ones for sure!

the bought blades online are plasma cut from AR500 steel, it is 200,000psi yield-a whole lot better wearing than standard A36 plate with 40,000psi yield like I made mine from..with 1/2" thick plate now it'l take a while to wear 'em down,and I left extra steel around the attaching bolt area,thats where the stock blades failed..plus I didnt wanna spend 200

Not spend 200 more on a NEW mower!! --- This will test the rest of the mower and if it holds up you can always buy the new blades on down the road.

ohh, it got tested Sonny, i just pushed it wayyy beyond its cheap thin metal chimna build..wanted to see what it would do..well a 4-5in tree was too much, i tried easing into it and got halfway thru it, but moving forward with the machine the front end dipped down and pitched the mower hard into it which blew/broke the blade off. The blade was made with minimum steel around the mounting bolt hole..i guess to allow it to break off as a safety element. I think it will do now for brush and small stuff but not 4-5in trees..even witht he new bunkclimber brand turbo blades we'll take it easy on it..prolly blow the mower gearbox up next LOL

YA!---- gearbox would be my concern! LOL!

the gearbox looks like I could replace it with any standard bush-hog type 540pto box, maybe just with a little shim plate or height adjustment..

I kinda wonder if they do use common/standard stuff on some of the machines.

the brush mower hyd. drive motor looks to be Chinese origin copy of a Charlynn; I dont know if its splined or just a keyed shaft.. and the gearbox a copy of a old design mower gearbox..the hyd drive motor has a provision for a case drain,it wasnt plumbed, most aren't- just plugged off as this costs them money to plumb, and they cut costs by just plugging it off..between the hose and adapters+quick coupler plus shipping it was another $100 just to do that but it will save the motor in the long run. I put synthetic 80/90 in the gearbox but now methinks the seal got trashed due to a half mile of heavy poly film getting wrapped around the rotor when mowing a field, it got so hot it fused together,what a friggin mess..so now in the spring I'll flip it upside down and inspect the seal and shaft,have to mike it up and find a replacement double lip seal by size..

Hopfuly its standard seals and you can match them.

I usually hear "corn head grease" recommended for mower gearboxes. (aka 0 or 00 grade)

not sure on the corn head grease Glyford..it survived 4hrs of beating with the 80w90..Ill check it again in the spring Im done with it for now

They say that the cornhead grease stays in gearboxes better/longer! The IH combine had that I had ,--- had that stuff in it and I ran for 5 or 6 years without adding any to the head boxes on it.
I never used it in anything else so dont know!

the gearbox on the mower only has a 1/2" npt port for adding oil. the owners manual states add 'oil' thru the port..with no mention of what viscosity to use..typical chinma manual.
for now the synthetic 80w90 will do it,the seals just have a seep to them,class 1 leak. I'll reinvestigate it in the spring