Hello everyone, I'm looking for advice on how to resolve a persistent vibration issue with a Bradco MM60 Series II Forestry Mulcher attachment. While clearing land, the mulcher hit a thick metal cable, which caused one of the tooth mounts (the bracket holding the tooth) to break off. We welded the bracket back into place, but since then, the mulcher has been experiencing significant vibrations during operation. I’ve received several quotes for balancing services, and the total cost to repair this issue will exceed $2000. I'm considering purchasing a dynamic balancer (like the FMB-100 or FMB-200) to perform the balancing myself, but the balancer costs up to $3000. Could the problem involve more than just an unbalanced rotor—perhaps damaged bearings, a bent shaft, or something else? Where else can I get this issue fixed without spending a fortune? Is purchasing a dynamic balancer a good idea, or is it better to leave this to professionals? I’d greatly appreciate any advice, recommendations, or shared experiences on how to resolve this issue effectively and affordably. Thank you in advance for your help!
I would think you could check the rotor for a bend with a dial indicator, and a magnetic base. That's how I found the bend in my flail's rotor. That said a forestry mulcher has got a huge diameter rotor that I doubt would bend just from a crash taking off a single tooth. Wrecked bearings could cause a vibration too. I would think you'd be able to hear or feel that when rotating things by hand.
Appreciate your advice!
This would be my guess
When welding the base back on, if you put the ground clamp where it could go through the bearings, it may have arced through the bearings and while it sounds crazy, I have seen and had it happen to me and others. You should always put the ground on the drum itself and not let it arc through the rotor bearings. I find it hard to believe you damaged the rotor or the bearings just hitting a cable, no matter how thick. I have welded thousands of bases in a road grinder and while you try and get them perfect in placement, being off a little bit, will not affect the balance. If that were the case, just throwing a tooth, would cause a vibration.