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Thread: G0453 Spiral Cutterhead Installation. Things to be aware of!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Western NY
    Posts
    323

    G0453 Spiral Cutterhead Installation. Things to be aware of!

    I just finished uninstalling the factory cutterhead and installing a new Grizzly Indexable Spiral Cutterhead, Model H7655. I thought for those people thinking about doing this that I would post this so they would know what they are getting in to and what to expect during the process.

    I would recommend downloading the manual from the Grizzly website and printing it because the pictures come out clearer than the ones with the instructions that come with the new cutterhead.

    The instructions on how to take out the factory cutterhead were easy to understand and pretty straightforward. I ran into an unforeseen issue which I’ll explain as I describe the process.

    Taking apart the planer to expose the guts is something everyone does when replacing blades or adjusting the chip breaker so that was easy.

    Then came the actual removal of the factory cutterhead. Easy to follow instructions made this fairly simple too but make sure you have a supply of rags with you as you will get greasy!

    After removing the cutterhead from the planer, it will still be attached to the gearbox. I opted to drain the gearbox once the cutterhead was off the machine because it was easier than trying to do it while it was still attached.

    After the gearbox is drained and opened, The instructions say “While supporting the gearbox, remove the cutterhead by tapping on the screw or bolt with a hammer, It may also be necessary to tap on the back of the gearbox with a rubber or wooden mallet.” All this accomplished was the screw bent. I removed the screw and went at it with a steel rod and a 5LB sledge and hit it several times as hard as I could. The cutterhead still wouldn’t dislodge from the gearbox. This process wasted a good hour of my time. I finally took the cutterhead and gearbox to a machine shop where they were able to get them apart using their machinery but in the process the bearing was ruined and so was the seal that goes around the outside of the bearing preventing gear oil from leaking out. I had to order a new bearing and seal before I could proceed. While I was waiting for the new bearing and seal to arrive, I took off the bearing from the other side of the cutterhead using a pulley puller which prevented me from having to buy another bearing. Fortunately I knew someone that had a pulley puller so I didn’t need to buy one. I also used this to remove the pulley a few steps earlier. After everything was uninstalled, it was time to install the new cutterhead.

    Installing the new cutterhead went smooth without any issues. I put the gearbox back together with the new cutterhead installed in it and filled the gearbox with new 90W gear oil per manufacturer specs. You will know how everything is supposed to go from your experience removing it. At this point, the instructions say to install the bearing for the other end of the cutterhead by first putting the bearing on and then put the cutterhead back into the planer. I chose to put the cutterhead in and rest it in the housing exposing the end of the cutterhead through the hole and then I put the bolts back on loosely that attach the gearbox to the machine and then went to work on the bearing on the other side. I put the bearing on from the outside of the machine and tapping it into place. Either way I’m sure works fine. I chose to do it this way because I didn’t want to fight trying to get the bearing into the hole with all of those sharp cutters nipping at my gloves as I pushed.

    After the cutterhead was installed, I tightened all the bolts and adjusted the infeed roller, chip breaker, outfeed roller, belts and bed rollers to specs. In the process, two of the little adjustment screws for the infeed and outfeed rollers stripped out of the plates they were in so be careful doing this. I was able to find different screws to use but will be ordering new plates and screws from Grizzly. You would think those plates would be made of a harder steel than they are!

    Once everything was back together, I raised the bed up close to the cutterhead (about one inch away). I was a bit nervous and figured that if I forgot something or something wasn’t installed correctly, or the chain on the sprockets weren’t lined up right, parts wouldn’t be able to fly out to hurt me. I turned on the planer and it sounded fantastic! Much quieter than with straight knives as many have said. I lowered the bed and put on my safety goggles and looked underneath the headstock to make sure the cutterhead was running smooth. I did this in both speeds. Everything was fine and I was good to go!

    In the end, the whole process wasn’t that difficult and even if you aren’t very mechanically inclined, the job is doable.

    Now that I’ve done this I would make the following recommendations. When ordering the cutterhead, save yourself some aggravation and buy two new bearings and a gearbox seal at the same time. Also buy new gearbox oil if you don’t have any. I got mine at a local auto parts store. I would also take your time. There are many details and a method to the madness so there’s no reason to be in a hurry. Do it right the first time as I always say!

    I hope this post is of some help to those that are thinking about a new spiral cutterhead and what is involved and feel free to message me if you have any questions that I didn’t cover here.

    Rob

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Cache Valley, Utah
    Posts
    1,722
    Excellent write up, Rob. I'm glad you got the gearbox issue taken care of without too much trouble.

    One thing I did when I changed mine was to wrap the cutterhead with cardboard and tape to make it easier and safer to handle and to hopefully prevent any damage should I bump it into anything.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Mission, Texas
    Posts
    976
    I think you covered the process quite well.
    If you don't mind, I'll save a copy of this.
    Mick

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Western NY
    Posts
    323
    Dave, That's a good idea. I left the cellophane wrap on that was on the cutterhead, cutting away only the cellophane that was around the shafts but I could still feel the cutters. The cardboard would have done the trick!

    Mickey, Feel free to save a copy. The one thing I forgot to put in my post was to be aware of how the gears fit into the gearbox and how the sprockets are situated. When I took the gearbox apart, the gears came came out of their proper location and it took a couple of minutes to figure out which way they went back in. Same with the Sprockets. Knowing which way they go back on is important. The instructions say to use correction fluid to mark them. I didn't have any so I just payed close attention to their location before taking them off. There are three of them and when it's time to put them back on, you can't put them back on one at a time. They all have to go on at the same time. There's not enough play with the chain on to do it any other way.

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