1640 Rotor Cage Replacement

[MilkincowsDrivintractors]

Im looking at buying a 1990 1640 at a local dealer. It has 2900 hrs on it and everything looks good except the rotor cage is bent up. Wondering how big of project is it to replace the cage and wat suprises i might expect to find while doing this project myself?

Thanks in advance

[alanks]

We always used a cherry picker to remove feederhouse and then same for rotor removal. Forklift will work good also, lower concaves remove and block rear of rotor, cage replacement will take time, lots of bolts. Would be good opportunity to view cone area, vanes, front of rotor ect. Replace rotor drive bushings and bolts on rear of rotor while out.....just a few things I remember from those days.

[okpanhandle]

We put a new left-hand cage in the 2388 a couple years ago. It was by no means a fun job, but it wasn't that hard - mostly just uncomfortable. You have to take the transition cone out. Put a piece of plywood over the auger bed to have something to lay on.

I would plan on spending a little more money than you first expect. Having the rotor out is a great time to check on all those things that might get overlooked otherwise, like the back end of the feederhouse, auger bed, the rotor itself, and so on.

[farmerboy3]

ya always expect the un expected its a lot of work and with 2900hrs ur gonna find another thing or 2 in there that may need to be replaced

[doorknob]

Safety is most important. If by yourself, you mean at home, but your wife or someone can be in the area to check on you, you might be fine. I certainly suggest making sure someone knows where you are and what you are doing for safety reasons as there can be some sharp edges and awkward handling of the parts.

As far as the cage only, its just bolts and time. Usually making sure the area around the cage is clean and free of easily burned chaff etc. is a good idea so you can use an angle grinder with a cutting disk on it. The heads of the T bolts, especially when worn, are not wrench friendly. Simply grinding them off is usually the best way to go about removal.

If your 40 is similar to my 80 where the cone mates to the tin work above the conveyor augers, you will see a couple strip shims fall out when you remove the cone. Make sure you re-install them when you put the cone back in. Often, when installing a new cone, the installer will find the new cone does not fit the same as the old one that took a set shape in the machine. They often figure those shims were for making up a gap from manufacturing tolerance. They are not. They are required to be there for engineering design and assemby of the multiple pieces of tin that connect to the cone.

I strongly suggest using all new T bolts and nuts.

What surprises might come up? That is an individual machine call. Once the rotor is out, it will be easy to make a list of parts that are hidden from view and get them on order before you start removal of the cage.

I dont have any pics that are of any actual help with cage removal and install, because that is difficult to show in pictures. But I do have these few of my 1680 with the cage removed so you can see how the cage is fastened to the structure. On the right side of the machine, (passenger side) you can see a couple of brackets that support the cage in the grate area. Getting the nuts on the bolts and tightening them will be likely your greatest challenge of the install. A ratcheting box end wrench and a lot of patients will certainly help.

Here I have the drivers side half removed.


Everything removed. Dont mid the concave hanger. That is my own creation and of no consequence regarding the cage change out.


Here you can see the two stand alone brackets and rear support where the hardware install will be your worst enemy.


And just for reference, a pic looking forward from the back of the machine.


I hope that helps a bit.

Just for giggles and some further reference, here is a link to a picture thread of what I did when installing the new parts. Inside this linked thread, is a link to a previous picture thread that has pictures of the bent cage parts and components.
Link to the thread with pictures.

[MilkincowsDrivintractors]

Thanks for the tips guys. I appreciate it. Wish me luck

[2388h]

The biggest problem with the 40-60 size cage is the room you have to work compaired to an 80 size cage. I have done one of each and besides the cramped working space it is pretty straight forward. The piece the cone bolts to on the bottom where the front concave merries to the cone was wore out on both machines and needed to be replaced. You can order a complete cage kit from case that comes with all the parts, bolts, veins and other hardware needed for the install. It also comes with directions for the install procedure.