On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:45:03 -0500, RoyJ
wrote:

1" shaft seems a bit wimply when throwing around a 44" blade in rough
terrain. If it is not heat treated, I'd be looking at something bigger
say 1-1/4" What is the hub/shaft size on the Swisher? The hole in the
blade is a good place to start.

Id go at least 2-3" actually



The farm stores sell the weld together assemblies that let you pick a
shaft diameter and sprocket and pulley size, weld it up. Should be able
to make a blade holder for minimal $$

If you are looking for a bearing hub assembly, take a look at any front
wheel drive vehicle. The hub and bearings are heavy duty, fully sealed
bearings, clear mounting hole through the middle. You might just get a
wrecking yard unit with the half shaft still installed. Use the big nut
to mount the blade, weld your pulley to the back half of the half shaft
outer. I probably have one off an S-10 Blazer sitting out in the garage
somewhere to take some measurements off of but other than that, no
thoughts of which brand to use.

wrote:
I'm considering building a brush hog; the kind you pull behind an
ATV. It would be modelled after the Swisher Trail Cutter, which has a
single blade/rotor, 44" cutting width, and 14.5 HP engine. According
to Swisher's parts diagram, the engine has a 4" pulley and the blade
driver has a 10" pulley (give or take a fraction).

I'm looking for a used 15 - 18 HP engine for my home built machine.
They pop up on craigslist often enough. I'll buy Swisher's blades.

One area I'm not sure how to construct is the blade drive shaft, hub,
bearings, and pully assembly. I'm thinking of using a 1 inch keyed
shaft with two flange-mounted bearings, one above and one below the
deck.

So one question is: Does a 1 inch drive shaft seem strong enough?

I would also appreciate a tip on where to get a hub that will attach
the blade to the shaft, or some other means of doing that. I am not a
machinist, don't have a mill, so I can't fabricate my own hub. I do
have a drill press, angle grinder, welder.

Thanks.