Need help identifying and adjusting slip clutch for Deere 609 rotary cutter.

[wackyrig]

I recently purchased a used John Deere 609 rotary cutter to maintain my hunting spot. This property hasnt been cut in ten years and has some pretty thick brush and saplings. With that being said, i want to make sure the slip clutch is functioning properly so I dont destroy my 67 ford 4000. The problem is, this clutch does not appear to be the factory unit original to the 609 hog and I cant identify it or wrap my head around how it comes apart. Looking for help identifying or instructions on how to test it and adjust accordingly for my situation.

 

[Keith Williams]

I recently purchased a used John Deere 609 rotary cutter to maintain my hunting spot. This property hasnt been cut in ten years and has some pretty thick brush and saplings. With that being said, i want to make sure the slip clutch is functioning properly so I dont destroy my 67 ford 4000. The problem is, this clutch does not appear to be the factory unit original to the 609 hog and I cant identify it or wrap my head around how it comes apart. Looking for help identifying or instructions on how to test it and adjust accordingly for my situation.

View attachment 166376

My slip clutch is nothing like that one, but in general, you want to loosen the clutch yearly and spin it to make sure the plates are not frozen.

So, mine has 6 bolts on the outside edge to adjust the tension on the friction plates. I loosen those bolts in the spring and make it slip. I then retighten the 6 bolts. The exposed springs on mine are to be compressed to a specified length to apply pressure to the friction plates.

With yours, I see 6 bolts on the outside rim. Can those be loosened? Make sure you count the number of threads showing so you can return it to the previous setting.

HTH
Keith

 

[Sean in PA]

You shouldn't need to take it apart to adjust it. The adjustments are done with those 6 nuts around the perimeter as seen in your third picture. They look like ny-lock nuts, which have nylon inserts in the threaded area to lock the nut in place wherever you turn it to. If any of those nuts seem loose, replace them with new ny-lock nuts, as the nylon insert is worn. As Keith said, you should loosen the nuts to where the slip clutch slips freely once a year, and then tighten them up to your desired tension. I'm not familiar with that particular model or with what you plan to use it for (tall grass, small branches, tree saplings, etc.), so I can't tell you how many turns to tighten them, but I never had that information on the slip clutch that my tractor and rotary cutter came with, so I tightened them as many turns as I loosened to testing the slip it each spring. One year I was cutting particularly heavy brush and it started slipping before I thought that it should, so I tightened them each another half turn and it seemed good after that.

 

[wackyrig]

Appreciate the help guys. This slip clutch is different than most of the ones i see but i found this video

showing a rebuild which instructed me on how to take it apart. The tension is set by which way the locking ring is installed and which slots its installed into. It basically give you 4 preset tensions the 2nd of which is for a tamohawk which i assume is a rotary cutter and since it was already setup on that tension i reassembled the same. I am however glad i took it apart though because the clutches were stuck to the steels pretty good. Made some passes in heavy brush today and it cut well and slipped when necessary.

 

[Keith Williams]

Appreciate the help guys. This slip clutch is different than most of the ones i see but i found this video

showing a rebuild which instructed me on how to take it apart. The tension is set by which way the locking ring is installed and which slots its installed into. It basically give you 4 preset tensions the 2nd of which is for a tamohawk which i assume is a rotary cutter and since it was already setup on that tension i reassembled the same. I am however glad i took it apart though because the clutches were stuck to the steels pretty good. Made some passes in heavy brush today and it cut well and slipped when necessary.

That is totally reversed from how mine is adjusted. On yours, you tighten the bolts to pull the tension off the friction disks.
Youtube comes to your aid again.

That Tomahawk looks like a machine to chop straw in a dairy barn for bedding.

Keith