Class Combine Knife

[cb387]

Does anyone know if you can use a knife with bolted in sections on a 108. If so do the fingers / keep plates need to be changed as well. We need to replace the knife as the drive end snapped last year and the welding held to the end of the season, but don't like to trust it for this year. I'm sure i've read a thread about this somewhere but cannot find it.
Thanks in advance

 

[Boysground]

I am fairly sure you can. I think I first started using bolts on a 98 which would be the same. I would double check with a dealer before you take my word though.

Bg

 

[Cropper]

I think you might have to change the knife guides that fit over the top of the knife as the bolt/nuts are bigger than the rivets. We had to do it on a 108 a few years ago.

 

[Adeptandy]

Swapped to bolts on my old 108 and didn't have to alter anything, well worth doing imho, I've now swapped the MF we run to the Class bolts

 

[David.]

You will have to change the top clips, and will probably need to make some shims out of 4mm x 20mm flat to get them high enough.
How wide?
I've got a new one piece bolted section 15ft knife available here...

 

[cb387]

You will have to change the top clips, and will probably need to make some shims out of 4mm x 20mm flat to get them high enough.
How wide?
I've got a new one piece bolted section 15ft knife available here...

Its 17' but thankyou for the offer and also to the others giving advice. Good to have a bit of alternative option before heading to the dealers to be told 'if the computer says no, then it cant happen'

 

[Tonym]

I have welded several knives to get out of trouble over the years. You will find the nearly always break in the same place where the end of the drive head is. This is a weak spot as the knife flexes at this point as the recipricating drive tends to lift it on every stroke.
I used to put the head on the same end again and weld a bit of old knife backing strip on the far end where there is very little strain.
Make sure the join is in the centre of a section to spread the load and it will not give you any bother until metal fatigue sets in again from the flexing.