Agmate Estate Mower??

[Brent 41 9N]

I aquired a 5" finishing mower with the 9N I purchased this winter. It is an Agmate Estate Mower Mod: EM5. I attached it to the tractor to load it and noticed the previous owner did not know what grease was. I filled her up, but she continued to make an awfull roaring noise. The bearings are all shot, so trying to look up parts today, was unable to find much info.
My question is, Does anyone out there own one? And do the bearings come out of the pully shafts, or is that something that can be purchased new as a complete package like a regular lawn mower?
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks

 

[Ultradog MN]

Most ag machinery is made using standard
off-the-shelf componants. At least as far as bearings, seals, gears etc. go
I would take the gearbox apart and take out the offending bearings. Bring them to your local bearing house and have them match them up. Rarely can you Not find replacement parts for a simple gear box like that.
Post back with your results. I and I'm sure others here enjoy search and repair missions like that.

 

[Bob Harvey]

You lucky guy !! Get your pencils ready class. Here is the assignment for today...... ;~)

 

[Brent 41 9N]

Will do Ultradog,
Wife is working in the morning, so I guess my 19month old daughter and I will be tearing things apart. Thats when a 30 minute job turns to 3 hour job. She does like to get greasy.

 

[Dennisinponca]

Brent,

Long long, ago, I was a junior mechanic and got stuck with gear box repairs. I still do them today when I can get a mower really cheap. Mowers and rust go together. It is a simple but frustrating dirty and hateful job.

When you find a mower for sale (at an auction or FSBO), it usually needs seals and a lot of time it will also need a bearings or two or three.

The job can be extremely frustrating if the bearing and seals do not come off easily, which they never do.

That said, repairing them is a simple process and is cost effective as a new heavy duty gear box can start at $600.

Anyway, to answer your questions.

I have found that a lot of small companies used the major manufacturer's gear boxes on their mowers.

Look at the gear box for a maker and / model number / casting number. You might do an internet search on the information, or call the information into the local tractor dealers. You can also take the unit to the local bearing dealer(s) for a match up. This is my favorite as the local bearing dealer will measure the bearings and seals and can usually get the identical items in just a couple days.

A lot of times, the gear box will look like a total piece of rust on the bottom, don't give up on it until you have removed the seal, they clean up pretty good.... well most of the time.

There are usually 3 bearings, a support bearing on the back of the input shaft, an input shaft bearing, and an output shaft bearing.

There are usually 2 seals, input and output. Sometimes a seal has a snap ring holding it in.

In general,you take the blades off, unbolt the gear box, take it to the bench, take off the cover plates on the seals and top / sides and inspect.

Hint: An impact wrench, liquid wrench, and the proper size socket can do wonders. You can also grind off a rounded off bolt head or nut to fit a smaller size socket.

If the bearings are good, just replace seals and reinstall.

If the bearings are bad, inside the box, you should find a snap ring holding the top gear in place on the input shaft. Slide the ring back to the rear and slide the shaft out.

This sounds easier than it is. Bearings usually have inner races pressed to the shaft and can be a real bear to get off. Especially when you can not get a bearing puller on the end of the input shaft.

There is usually a key in a groove in the shaft and gear to keep them rotating together, don't lose the key. Sometimes the key will bind up and will take a lot of effort to loosen.



It is better to pry and press than bang. Use soft brass to protect the metal you press or pry or gently tap on. Use the proper bearing pullers, perhaps even a wedge or two or a very small screw jack inside / outside the gear box if needed.

Do not bang on the end of the shafts, they are soft an will mushroom. It will be difficult if not impossible to put new bearings on them or to get them to fit properly if you bang them up.

A good rule of thumb is: You can hammer as hard as you want to on the end of a shaft if you put your thumb between the shaft and the hammer.

Good luck, sorry I rambled so much.
Dennis

 

[Brent 41 9N]

Thanks Dennis,

I apreciate the advice. I am a scale technician, so I have the brass hammers and such to do the job. I also consider myself somewhat of a mechanic. Have rebuilt several motors before. This should be a simple job, since the mower is not very old. I will keep her going until I get the rocks chewed up on my property like I want them. Then will probably buy a small "Woods" mower to keep things up. We have began to recover from loosing my buisinees several years ago, bought a small 11 acre peice of property, and settling down. No more "life savings" financial risk in the near future. This little tractor will earn its keep before getting restored.

Sorry, now I"m rambling.
Anyway, Thanks again for your input. The suggestions WILL be kept in mind.