Spearhead Q15s Installation and operation manual

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

and 15/18/21 Park

Standard Flail Mower

Operator’s manual

& parts list

Fourthedition

June2004

IMPORTANT - The information contained in this manual is correct

at the time of publication. However, in the course of constant

development, changes in specification are inevitable. Should you

find the information given in this book different to the machine it

relates to please contact the “After Sales Department” for advice.

Please ensure that this manual is handed to the operator before

using the machine for the first time. The operator must fully

understand the contents of this manual before using the machine.

(IfthemachineisresoldtheManualmustbegiventothenewowner.)

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Important

Thepurchasershould ensure thatthismanual is handedtothe operator

beforeusingthemachineforthefirsttimeandshould be satisfied thatthe

operator fully understands the contents of this manual before being al-

lowedtoproceed. IfthemachineisresoldtheOperators Manualmust be

givento the newowner.

Fill in the details below, you will find it useful to refer to when ordering

spareparts.

SpearheadMachineryLtd

GreenView,

SalfordPriors,

Evesham,Worcestershire

WR11 8SW

Tel: 01789491860Fax: 01789778683

e-mail: [email protected]

Vist our web site: www.spearhead.uk.com

SerialNo.

Dateof Delivery

Dealer’s address

TelephoneNo.

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Contents

Safety ..............................................................................................4

EC declaration.....................................................................................5

Introduction..........................................................................................6

Safety first ...........................................................................................6

Tractor requirements...........................................................................6

Attaching to the tractor ........................................................................7

Setting up and adjustment...................................................................8

Front linkage mounting ........................................................................9

Operation ..........................................................................................10

Rotor care ......................................................................................... 11

Servicing and maintenance

Gearbox .....................................................................................12

Flail Rotor (daily) ........................................................................12

Greasing ....................................................................................13

Regular ......................................................................................14

Skids..........................................................................................14

Storage ......................................................................................15

Servicing checklist .....................................................................15

Torque Settings..........................................................................16

Troubleshooting .........................................................................16

Servicing log ..............................................................................17

Warranty Conditions ..................................................................18

Extended warranty .....................................................................19

Parts List

Mainbody Assembly ..................................................................22

Rotor and Roller Assembly ........................................................24

Headstock - Pre May 2000.........................................................26

Headstock - Post May 2000 .......................................................28

P.T.O. Shaft Assembly ..............................................................30

Cross shaft Assembly ...............................................................32

Gearbox Assembly ....................................................................34

Stickers......................................................................................36

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

!Never operate the machine with other people present, as it is possible for debris,

including stones, to be discharged from the front and rear of the flail hood.

!Always ensure all cab safety guards are in place and all tractor windows closed.

!Never allow an inexperienced person to operate the machine without supervision.

!Never allow children to play on or around the machine at any time.

!Never attempt any maintenance or adjustment without first disengaging the PTO,

lowering to the ground, stopping the tractor engine and applying the tractor parking

brake.

!Before leaving the tractor cab always ensure that the machine is firmly on the ground,

and the rotor has stopped spinning.

!Never stop the engine with the PTO engaged.

!Always check that all guards are properly fitted, check there are no damaged or loose

parts. Particular attention should be given to the flails to ensure they are not

damaged, cracked or missing.

!Never operate with flails missing.

!Always operate PTO at recommended speed, 540 r.p.m.

!Always inspect work area for wire, steel posts, large stones and other dangerous

materials and remove before starting work.

!Never operate with wire around the rotor. Stop immediately.

!Never attempt to use the machine for any purpose other than that it was designed for.

!Ensure that all warning labels are always visible and that they are not damaged,

defaced or missing.

!Never transport with the PTO engaged.

!When parking up always lower to the ground.

Safety

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

EC declaration of conformity, conforming to EEC

directive 89/392/EEC

We, Spearhead Machinery Ltd, Greem View, Salford Priors, Evesham,

Worcestershire WR11 8SW declare under our sole responsibility that the

product

productcode

serial no. & date

type

.........................................................................

Manufactured by the above company complies with the required

provisions of the directive 89/392/EEC, andAMD 91/368/EEC,AMD 93/44/

EEC, AMD 93/68/EEC and conforms with European norm. BSEN 292;

Part 1: 1991 safety of machinery - Terminology, methodology; Part 2; 1991

Safety of machinery - Technical specifications and other national

standards associated with its design and constructions as listed in the

Technical File.

Signed

Status

Date

.........................................................................

onbehalf of Spearhead MachineryLtd

.........................................................................

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Introduction

The Spearhead Q15S, Q18S and Q21S are robust high capacity flail mowers that are

easy to operate and maintain, but to ensure trouble-free operation this manual should be

carefully studied.

Safety First

Do not start the machine until you fully understand operation and safety precaution

requirements.

Tractor requirements

!Spearhead strongly recommend using a 25 - 50hp tractor with CATEGORY 1 rear

linkage.

!Minimum tractor weight including ballast must be 2500kg.

!PTO must be independent live drive to enable continuous PTO drive even when

tractor clutch is pressed down.

!Before hitching, ensure position control is selected. Do not attempt to hitch in draft

control.

!Check chains and stabilisers must be in good working order to hold the machine

firmly. Do not operate with out checking that chains and stabilisers are tight.

!Spearhead particularly recommend ‘turn buckle’ type check chains.

!Set linkage lift rods to an equal length.

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Attaching to the tractor

Fit the machine to the tractor linkage in the standard way, ensuring the correct match of linkage

(CAT 1 pins). Check that the top link is in good order and threads are well lubricated, (as fine

adjustment to height of cut is regulated by the top link). Use stabilisers to take any free movement

out of lower link arms. Before fitting the machine to the tractor linkage you should ensure there is

sufficient front weight to ensure the front wheels are always in contact with the ground. This is

most important for safe transport and stability when turning on slopes.

Before fitting the PTO for the first time, it may be necessary to adjust the length. There should be

maximum engagement of the sliding tubes without bottoming at the shortest operation position. To

check, first connect the mower to the tractor. Pull the PTO shaft apart and connect to the tractor

PTO output shaft and the gearbox input shaft. Hold the half shafts next to each other in the shortest

workingposition.

If necessary, shorten the inner and outer guard tubes equally (Fig. 2). Shorten the inner and outer

sliding profiles by the same length as the guard tubes. File all sharp edges and remove burrs.

Grease sliding profiles.

To fit the PTO, first clean and grease. Press

pins on the yoke and simultaneously push

the PTO drive shaft on to PTO shaft of the

tractor until pins engage.

The PTO shaft is fitted with a non-rotating

safety guard. It should be secured to the

machine and tractor with the two retaining

chains provided.

Fig. 2

Warning

Fully tighten check chains and linkage stabilisers to hold the machine rigid. There

must be no side ways movement, it is dangerous

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Setting up and Adjustment

Height adjustment

To achieve major adjustment to height of cut; reposition the two side plates attached to the

rear roller. Afiner adjustment to cut can be achieved by lengthening or shortening the top

link of the tractor (Fig. 3).

Mechanical Offset - The linkage ‘A’ frame (Fig. 4) can be slid along the tube to

obtain numerous settings from central to fully offset by simply slackening the clamping

bolts, position the ‘A’ frame and re-tighten the bolts. Remember to regularly check that

these bolts are tight.

Adjustingheight of roller

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Front linkage mounting

Simply remove the clamping bolts and revolve the ‘A’ frame through 180 degrees so the

linkage mounting pins are facing the rear of the mower. It is recommended the slotted

hole in the top link bracket is used when mounting onto the front linkage, this allows the

front of the mower to float over obstacles more easily.

The tractor front PTO has no standard rotation so it may be necessary to rotate the

gearbox through 180 degrees, to compensate for this irregularity. For most conditions it

is important the rotor rotates as indicated in Fig. 5a.

540 or 1000 rpm

If the tractor has only 1000 rpm. PTO output speed, it is possible to compensate by

swapping the top drive pulley on to the rotor and rotor pulley to the top drive shaft i.e.

smaller pulley driving the larger pulley will act as a reducer (Fig. 5b). Never operate the

PTO at 1000 rpm with the larger pulley driving the smaller rotor pulley. This will

drive the rotor at higher speed and will result in severe damage to the machine.

Fig. 5a - position of pulleys for 540r.p.m.

Fig. 5b - position of pulleys for 1000r.p.m.

aRotationanti-clockwise

bShaftpulley 150mm

cShaftpulley 200mm

540r.p.m. 1000r.p.m.

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Operation

Engage the PTO only when the tractor engine is at low revs to prevent shock damage

to machine. Slowly increase the engine revs to achieve the standard 540 rpm PTO

speed. If at any time serious vibration occurs, stop the engine immediately and

check that no flails are missing, (following all safety precautions). The cause must

be found and rectified immediately or other components may be affected.

When in work, lower the machine to the ground carrying all its weight on the rear roller,

allowing the machine to follow the contours of the ground. Select a sensible forward

speed bearing in mind the density of growth, the terrain, and the available horsepower,

taking extra care when turning, particularly on slopes. When turning it is not necessary

to lift the

machine

off the ground but instead allow sufficient room to turn in a large

radius. The machine only needs to be raised when turning a tight corner, or reversing

over dense undergrowth.

Quality of finish is determined by the forward speed i.e. a slow speed will produce a

high quality of cut, whereas faster forward speeds are used when high output is first

priority.

When cutting in extreme conditions or when small stumps, stones and other such solid

objects are likely to be found it is recommended the operator reduces the engine revs

to allow the flails to pivot more easily when striking solid objects, and procede with

caution.

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Remember, the rotor is highly complex andexpensive to manufacture, please treat with

care and enjoy the benefits of the Spearhead Rotor.

Rotor Care

Always inspect the condition of flails and bolts on a very regular basis.

Always replace bolts and nuts when replacing flails.

Always use genuine flails, bolts and nuts. The flails and bolts are made to a very high

standard from a high tensile steel, being fully heat treated and subjected to

rigorous testing in very stringent conditions to comply with our rigid quality

control requirements.

Never operate with bolts loose or flails missing.

Never change to a different spec or type of flail, this will immediately put the rotor out of

balance.

Never engage rotor at high PTO speeds.

Warning

Rotor is balanced to be run at PTO speed, do notoperate above or below

this speed.

Warning

Never carry out any servicing or maintenance work without first

disengaging the PTO and stopping the tractor.

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Servicing and maintenance

Gearbox

!Before first use check gearbox oil level, thereafter check every 8hours.

!After the first 50 hours drain and replace the gearbox oil, thereafter

annually. Replace with EP90.

!Regularly inspect gearbox seals. If oil is leaking replace immediately.

This is your responsibility to maintain a long and reliable working life.

!Check that gearbox bolts are fully tightened.

Warning

Check that all gearbox bolts are tight. When the machine is new there will

be a ‘bedding in’ period when very frequent checking is important.

Warning

It is imperative the grubscrews are checked on the taper locks (once bed-

ded in, loctite glue may prove useful).

Warning

Never carry out any servicing or maintenance work without first disengag-

ing the PTO and stopping the tractor..

Flail Rotor (daily)

!Grease all bearings daily.

!Check there is no wrapping of string, plastic, grass or other debris on rotor shaft and rear

rollerbearing.

!Check the condition of flails and ensure all retaining bolts are tight. When flails are re

placed, care must be taken to maintain balance of the rotor shaft, do not change to a

differenttype.

!Check flail retaining bolt and nut for tightness

!Never operate with any flails missing. This will cause severe vibration and lead to rapid

bearing wear and quickly cause the hood to crack. Cont’d "

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

!Blunt flails leave an untidy finish and absorb excessive power, when re-sharpening

always wear protective clothing and goggles.

!When flails are showing severe wear, damage or cracking, they must be replaced

immediately. Never attempt to weld the flails as this will make them very brittle, thus

extremely dangerous. Do not take risks with the cutting flails, if in doubt replace.

!When replacing flails always replace bolts and nuts for new.

!Regularly check that all rotor bearing bolts are tight.

!It is imperative the grubscrews are checked on the taper locks (once bedded in loctite

glue may prove useful).

Greasing

Daily grease all points shown below.

Fig 7

PTO greasing points.

Warning

Grease rotor bearing and rear roller at least every 8 hours and especially

after washing.

Warning

Dismantle and clean PTO sliding surfaces and re-grease universal joints.

Fig. 6

Grease points for rotor, cross shaft and rear roller bearings.

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Regular

!Check the condition of drive belts, ensuring they are aligned and properly tensioned to

avoid any unnecessary belt wear.

!Remove both guards for access when tensioning belts, ensure belts are running in

line after adjustment.

!Check there is no wrapping of string, plastic, grass or other debris on rear roller.

N.B.

The pulleys are fitted with taper locks which have 7 screws to tighten, and 3 holes to aid

removal in the pulley centres.

Fig. 8

Tensioning drive belts

Skids

When operating on abrasive soils, particularly in stubbles and similar conditions with thin

ground cover, excessive skid wear may be expected. To provide extra protection and to

prolong life of the skids, special hard facing rods can be used.

SpearheadSpearhead

Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Storage

At the end of the season before storing, thoroughly wash the machine off, removing all traces of

grass and dirt. Great care must be taken when washing with high pressure hoses, do not hold the

water jet close to the paintwork. Use steam cleaners with caution and be sure to remove all

detergents to avoid any discolouring or damage to paint. Grease all grease points until fresh

grease shows. Store PTO shaft and drive belts in a dry place.

Servicing checklist(see relevant sections for full details)

Regularly Gearbox: Inspect seals, check bolts for tightness.

Flail rotor: check bolts for tightness, check condition of flails,

check retaining bolts for tightness, check rotor bearing bolts for

tightness.

Daily Maintain correct belt tension.

Check gearbox oil level.

Grease PTO shaft.

Grease all points as shown in diagram.

Every year Drain and replace gearbox oil with EP90.

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Problem Cause Solution

Oil level incorrect Check oil level

Oil grade incorrect Check oil grade

Implement overloaded Reduce forward speed

Wrong p.t.o. speed Ensure tractor p.t.o. speed

matches implement

Belt and Pulley condition Replace if necessary

Pulley Alignment Check Alignment

Incorrect Belt tension Tension belts to spec.

Overloading of Implement Reduce forward speed or

increase height of cut

Working angle too great Reduce offset of implement

Shaft incorrect length i.e.

bottoming out Resize p.t.o. shaft as

recommended

Lack of maintenance Grease p.t.o. shaft as

recommended

Flails worn Replace worn flails

Rotor speed/Direction Check tractor p.t.o. speed

Crop condition Look for suitable conditions

Rotor out of balance See rotor vibration

Wire/string in bearing Replace bearings

Lack of maintenance Re-balance/replace rotor

Water in bearing Remove debris

Rotor bearing failure

Gearbox Overheating

Excessive Belt Wear

P.t.o. wear UJ failure

Cut quality

Note:

When operating in arduous conditions with a tractor of more than 80hp, you can reduce the strain

on the drive line by:

a) Running with 1000 speed setup

b) Keeping the PTO shaft straight.

Troubleshooting

Size: Tensile strength: Description: Torque setting:

Nm.

M8 12.9 Pulley clamps 45

M10 8.8 General fasteners 65

M12 8.8 General fasteners 114

M16 8.8 Roller plate bolts 280

M14 10.9 Flail bolts 200

M24 8.8 Head stock bolts 950

Wheel nuts 270

Torque Settings

The torque figures given are recommended maximum settings only

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Spearhead

Q15S, Q18S & Q21S

Servicing Log