Winter work 2014 Continued Toro 5410 One done ( reel replacement )

It's is a fairly lengthy process when you have brush and groomer kits . First reel took about 6 hours and by the last one I'm down to about 5 hours . 

The reels in the box have no directions . It does list in the service manual that the line seen on the shaft means LEFT HAND thread and goes on the left side of reel head facing in the mowing position . If not installed properly the the cogs will most likely unwind from reel shaft . 

Could use a bigger table . LOTS of parts to take off . You could get away with out removing everything but I'm cleaning and checking for worn parts . 

 The shaft with spray foam ( another experiment ) It will be a good backer for the grease and will seal out any moisture . Put some grease on a pile of hardened foam to see if it has any negative reaction .

Last reel ( the old ones on the floor in the back-round ) Take the extended cog out of the old reel for groomer set up .

and install it on the new one . When replacing reels also replace seals and bearings . It's a fairly big job and a big expense so don't cheap out it might bite you back later at a bad time . Great paint job on the reels . Had to touch them up on the grinder to expose the edge .

This was the easiest way to remove the nut on the end of groomer shaft . 

While  having everything apart flip the groomer blades around so the sharp side digs in again . It's a good idea to flip them after the first year. Then you will have to grind them flat again if possible . Some guys are setting them up on their grinders to touch them up . For us we will have to replace them because we use them at the more aggressive setting . 

Lay them all out and then I just flipped the piles over and put them back on checking for broken ones and replacing them as needed .

Out of the first 5. reels and groomers. I found 1 belt had the ribs worn out in one area ( Most likely a stick was stuck in it and wore it out )In the above  picture the idler was seized and had to be freed up . We ran these groomers for 2 seasons now on this machine . 10-12 weeks .