Harder 750a discs

[Fuzzy]

The Spaldings ones look good value to me and are 53-54 HRC also a 1/3 cheaper, the original ones have done 2400 acres and are totally shot, may give them a go, i have two original JD spare discs to run with them if i decide

regards

In my experience of Spaldings, wearing parts are cheaper because the quality of the metal is lower than OEM parts. Sometime there is not much in it, mostly they last 2/3 or less of OEM, but i am yet to find any spaldings (like for like) wearing parts that last longer than OEM !

 

[Louis Mc]

Spaldings kv plough points are far superior to genuine ones. Last longer and are cheaper

 

[iaasr]

Which discs are these? The harder ones?

53-54 HRC, whatever that means

 

[Tractor Boy]

Ok. So I've just re disced my 4m for the first time after around 1000acres. I would pay over double for a set of discs that would do around 2000 acres but I wouldn't bother buying a set that only did 500 acres even for £15 each.
Reason: I'm a one man band and changing those b####y discs is bloody hard work on your own and my back is killing me. Anyone who says it's not that bad to do is either sadistic or gets their minions to do the work and hasn't tried it on their own.

 

[Feldspar]

Ok. So I've just re disced my 4m for the first time after around 1000acres. I would pay over double for a set of discs that would do around 2000 acres but I wouldn't bother buying a set that only did 500 acres even for £15 each.
Reason: I'm a one man band and changing those b####y discs is bloody hard work on your own and my back is killing me. Anyone who says it's not that bad to do is either sadistic or gets their minions to do the work and hasn't tried it on their own.

How long did it take you? How long will it take you to do next time? Would it be much easier if you had two people doing it?

 

[Tractor Boy]

How long did it take you? How long will it take you to do next time? Would it be much easier if you had two people doing it?

7 hours on my own. Loads of ways to trap your fingers and knuckles. No room to use air gun. Probably could knock an hour off as I'm more used to it. Trouble is even with the frame lifted on the link arms and the coulters down in work you have to sit with a bent back and risk banging your head. You can't fold all the guttler wheels up out of the way because of parts of the drill frame and it's awkward to hold the press wheel arm and firming wheel arm out of the way whilst fiddling the disc onto the cam arm.
If you have help i'd use it. I reckon it's a 6/7 hr for one man but probably only 2/3 hr for two.

 

[Feldspar]

7 hours on my own. Loads of ways to trap your fingers and knuckles. No room to use air gun. Probably could knock an hour off as I'm more used to it. Trouble is even with the frame lifted on the link arms and the coulters down in work you have to sit with a bent back and risk banging your head. You can't fold all the guttler wheels up out of the way because of parts of the drill frame and it's awkward to hold the press wheel arm and firming wheel arm out of the way whilst fiddling the disc onto the cam arm.
If you have help i'd use it. I reckon it's a 6/7 hr for one man but probably only 2/3 hr for two.

Are there any tools (like battery operated ratchet spanners, inspection pit etc) that would make it a lot easier?

 

[Clive]

my 2 can do a set on a 6m in 2-3hrs - a 90deg air racket helps a lot

 

[Feldspar]

my 2 can do a set on a 6m in 2-3hrs - a 90deg air racket helps a lot

Like this?

https://www.ingersollrandproducts.com/en-us/power-tools/products/impactools/2025max.html

 

[Tractor Boy]

Are there any tools (like battery operated ratchet spanners, inspection pit etc) that would make it a lot easier?

I did think an inspection pit might help but you could end up with a disc on your head. Hand held ratchet spanners are what I used as I haven't got a side on ratchet air gun. There might be enough space to use a side on cordless or air ratchet but nothing like enough room for a conventional front on air/cordless gun.

 

[Clive]

Like this?

https://www.ingersollrandproducts.com/en-us/power-tools/products/impactools/2025max.html

yes thats like the one they use

 

[Feldspar]

yes thats like the one they use

So small enough to fit in the available space?

 

[Clive]

So small enough to fit in the available space?

yes, you cant get a regular rattle gun in but a 90deg air ratchet fits and speeds things up a bit

 

[Simon Chiles]

So small enough to fit in the available space?

I'd be cautious about using an air gun to tighten the disc bolts, they stretch quite easily if over tightened and you run the risk of them snapping in work, been there and got the tee shirt many moons ago. The job is much easier with two people and a systematic work method. The other art to the job is just to crack on with it, if you keep stopping for cups of tea or ringing your mate it could take days!!!

 

[Simon Chiles]

PS I also always use new bolts each time for the same reason about stretching. Has the benefit of being able to spin the nuts up with your fingers and then just nip them up with a torque wrench.

 

[Clive]

I'd be cautious about using an air gun to tighten the disc bolts, they stretch quite easily if over tightened and you run the risk of them snapping in work, been there and got the tee shirt many moons ago. The job is much easier with two people and a systematic work method. The other art to the job is just to crack on with it, if you keep stopping for cups of tea or ringing your mate it could take days!!!

Mart just uses it to wiz them up on a low torque setting then uses a torque wrench to set them properly - this is what happens when a precision engineer decides he want to drive tractors instead of work in a factory any more

 

[Feldspar]

How long does a stock order take again for bolts?

 

[dontknowanything]

APM have got a trial set of 55RC discs in, we are getting a few to try out.

Really regretting the bulk buy of OEM discs now, it saved me about 42p and looks like it may be for an inferior product.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

Not sure if you guys have enough demand for it over there yet, but setting up a drill rebuilding service could be a good business.

http://www.paspratt.com/airseeder.htm

http://www.airseederguys.com/

Farmers over here really have very little interest in rebuilding a 40ft+ air seeder. With your smaller equipment it may be different though.

 

[Feldspar]

So I tried a few of the APM discs alongside the normal JD ones. APM ones did not have such a sharp bevel on them and so consequently started out blunter than the JD ones.

We drilled about 1700ac with these discs this autumn. Throughout the life of the discs so far the JD discs remained sharper for longer. The difference in the sharpness of the cutting edge was easily noticeable and I do think will have made a difference. Having used the same discs through autumn and spring last year we had quite blunt discs (down to 16" diameter) and you forget how much sharper the new ones are until you put them on.

We have taken off two discs from the drill, one APM one and one JD one. Now the JD disc is 16 15/16 inches diameter and the APM one is 17 1/2 inches. So a fair difference on diameter, but really that doesn't concern me too much. It's more the sharpness of the discs that I'm worried about.

This picture shows the JD disc in front of the APM one. There is still some of the bevel on the JD disc whereas the APM is pretty blunt.

Picture from the top showing the difference. APM disc on the left.

Firstly I am not quite sure whether we need new discs yet as they are all the JD ones (except for two APM ones). We have some cultivated ground to drill into in the spring which I'm not worried about, but also some zero till which I think would benefit from even sharper discs. What do people think?

If I'm getting new discs, I don't really see much argument for getting the APM ones. Yes, they may be a larger diameter, but they spent their entire life being blunter than than the JD ones. I would definitely swap the discs now if they were all like the APM ones, but wouldn't definitely swap the JD ones. I think @dontknowanything said that APM might be changing the bevel, but will this make enough of a difference to choose APM over JD?