ri702bill 8,296 #1 Posted February 23, 2023 The old Gear Drive decks use a "special" washer to mount the blade, P/N 1336. Both decks I recently picked up had the same problem - the center dome of the washer was deformed by overtorquing the retaining bolts. This sunk the hex of the screws deep into the pocket, making removal almost impossible. There are 5 locking ears on the ID of the washer that compounded the removal issue. New NOS replacements are available, but I decided to repair mine in the press and come up with a solution that addresses the distortion issue. I am planning on cutting a pair of 1/8" thick discs of of meduim-hard urethane to act as soft compression limiters. Hard washers would stop the compression, but would probably hurt the blade retention. There is no mention of a torque value in the manual for installing the blades..... Pictured, the part on the left is as bought used, the one on the right went thru the press. Has anybody already addressed this with satisfactory results?? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,037 #2 Posted February 23, 2023 3/8"bolt? https://www.mcmaster.com/products/standard-washers/lock-washers-4/internal-tooth-lock-washers-for-soft-material/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,178 #3 Posted February 23, 2023 25 minutes ago, ri702bill said: The old Gear Drive decks use a "special" washer to mount the blade, P/N 1336. Both decks I recently picked up had the same problem - the center dome of the washer was deformed by overtorquing the retaining bolts. This sunk the hex of the screws deep into the pocket, making removal almost impossible. There are 5 locking ears on the ID of the washer that compounded the removal issue. New NOS replacements are available, but I decided to repair mine in the press and come up with a solution that addresses the distortion issue. I am planning on cutting a pair of 1/8" thick discs of of meduim-hard urethane to act as soft compression limiters. Hard washers would stop the compression, but would probably hurt the blade retention. There is no mention of a torque value in the manual for installing the blades..... Pictured, the part on the left is as bought used, the one on the right went thru the press. Has anybody already addressed this with satisfactory results?? I believe the reason for the notches in the washer is to have them lock into the protruding roll pins in the blade holder. In this image, the roll pins are flush with the top of the blade and under a flange in the washer. You may also need to replace the roll pins (an unenviable task, I expect). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #4 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) I thought so too, but they don't quite line up... Figured they were scallopcut to give individual feet to hold the blade. Coiled pins looked to be in great shape and are in blind holes..... not the easiest things to remove. Maybe with the Vise-Grip / Slidehammer combo??? Edited February 23, 2023 by ri702bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #5 Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) Update - I cut the washers and noticed that the end of the double D drive does not come up flush to the flat surface of the blade. Added a thin 3/8" flatwasher to keep the urethane from extruding downward - assembled with no visable distortion of the large washer... Edited February 23, 2023 by ri702bill 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #6 Posted February 23, 2023 1 hour ago, gwest_ca said: 3/8"bolt? https://www.mcmaster.com/products/standard-washers/lock-washers-4/internal-tooth-lock-washers-for-soft-material/ Garry - those are very similar, but have a smaller OD. Yes, a 3/8-16 hexbolt. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,037 #7 Posted February 24, 2023 They should work as long as the inside diameter of the cup is greater than 3/4". 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #8 Posted February 24, 2023 1 hour ago, gwest_ca said: They should work as long as the inside diameter of the cup is greater than 3/4". It says they are for soft materials - the blades are thru hardened.... I am going with what i said in post #5... just tpying to prevent the same thing happening again. Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
