Things I've Learn about worn QA5 reels adjustments/updates 2019-07-28

We have 2 of the 2500 E mowers . Great light weight greens mowers I find . The offset wheels and cutting units work great to help with triplex ring if your not walk mowing clean up cuts as we do here at The Links at Brunello .

Recently had a HOC adjuster spring not keeping tension on bed bar to reel adjustment . After asking around and getting some feed back from some of the techs on Twitter I measured my reels for wear . Using a seamstress  measuring tape and divide  by PI  I was just over the minimum recommended spec for flipping bedknife pivot points . 

You can also buy a PI tape but I'm showing options.

  

14.86 diveded by  3.14 = 4.73 . Recommend to flip at 4.8"

pretty easy process just remove here and clean up then flip them to other side . 

Notch facing up on reel in mow position . 

Recommend loosening grass shield and turn about 45 quarter turns on adjusters to get you close to new setting . 

The operators manual states to drop front roller setting one notch but if your at 2 and #1 is not recommended in manual for HOC then stay at #2. I found out the hard way . 

   

These next steps are for Higher HOC . Cutting at greens height at .1000 is NOT recommended to go to #1 setting  

But if you have to it's also an easy process . Loosen pinch bolt and front roller mounting bolts .

Marks are on the side 

You might need to give them a tap here

I'll also recommend at change over going with a new bedknife . 

  

Bolts almost lined up at 45 quarter turns

Set up cut 

Readjust HOC

I use a regular drill till get it close 

Resquaring reel with front roller

HOC is really low . My only option was setting bedknife on bar a squaring front edges on it . Only one reel was a hair off 

these are for squaring reels . Makes quick work of it .

 I remove the bar for final adjustments . do each side independently . 

Post the ugly . Yes I do mess things up once in a while . This is what happened after following instructions for bedknife bolt pivots . Reel to far into canopy before bedknife . 

After corrections this is the QOC I was chasing for . 

UPDATES 

 

This week I had a customer bring in these 18" reels . 

first one I noticed was a little of and had to bench set it and it set up ok . 

This second unit was also rocking on my floor so decided to do the same .

The main reason I'm blogging this info is that I've DM or PM a few times with this issue .

  I've seen a few times that on side will just spin off instead of adjusting cut . In the past it was a worn done reel that needed the bedknife bar pivot flipped over . In this case the reels are a new install and new bed knives and coming from this customer didn't think of why I was having this issue . 

First I checked the bedbar pivot and it was in the right setting . ?????? I decided to cut my research time  by posting my issue on social media ( my go to twitter) had a few well respect techs tell me frame was out of square and One teck DM the proper set up that I didn't have in my PDF files . 

Thank you to the great techs out there helping each other out reducing down time !

Instructions  above to solve the squaring problem you may be facing 

This set of reels have all the bells and whistles and were rebuilt from the non hardware side . so this is the side I'm loosening off . You may have to do both in extreme cases . Started by loosening front roller pinch bolt 

Then the rear 

Then both side case bolts that hold it together 

This was well rounded I did manage to punch front enough to grab allan head socket . but was fused in there good . I could have heated with the torch and freed it but decided to try this way and see if it would still set up . 

Now set reel land to contact as much of the bedbar surface as possible. In this case both ends landed on the ends .  

Now move adjusters as if your tighten bedbar to reel a half turn at a time when you see the mount loosed off then continue till both are loose 

it will square up fine on its own but I gave mine a little tap here 

and here

tighten up side and torque to spec . I started on middle one then then one to the rear . Hold it down as you snug them up before torqueing  

 Now adjust both adjusters clockwise till reel is free 1/2 turn at a time . Then retighten roller pinch bolts 

 

re square front roller to bedknive then adjust HOC

I'm using a .001 feeler gauge . should not slide under roller . Adjust with eccentric bolts one side or the other . If there isn't enough adjustment you will have to loosen both side and start from there . 

Ready to grind !!!

Hope this answers and solves your cut adjuster issues .