# Jacobsen PGM 22 Reel Relacement



## boots4321 (Apr 3, 2019)

After taking so much from this forum, i feel it's time for me to give back. I have a ~2003 Jacobsen PGM that i've owned for ~1yr that i'm in the process of replacing the reel and would like to document a bit for the forum in hopes that others can benefit in some way. Also, there is a small part of me that thinks that the Jakes don't get as much love as they deserve, so i hope that we can boost them up with more of these efforts. I saw a bunch of jakes there at the Weeks auction, so it's possible more on this forum will become owners over time They really are cool machines. Having no real experience with this machine, i'm excited to see how it develops. Seems like these fixed head units are a bit more cumbersome to work on than the E-Flex's, but i'm sure it can be done with some effort. The following efforts are only meant to replace the reel, bedknife, and a couple of other consumables; this is not a full detail restoration as with others. I'd like to do that some day, but time if of the essence right now in life.

More than happy to answer any questions, but understand i'm not a mechanical expert :thumbup: estimated cost of project ~$300.

Day one: ~3 hours. 
Drop out bedknife shoe.
Removed hubs and pulled drive cover on left side. A TON of grease in there, not much gear oil. Chains look decent. Looks like case hasn't been opened in 15 years. PGM seal was in bad shape and basically melted to the case and frame cover. 
Isolate drive shaft to remove drive shaft nut. This can be tricky, but just manhandle it. 
Remove chains. 
Fresh metal from R&R!
nite nite lawn mower, until next time.


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## boots4321 (Apr 3, 2019)

Day two: ~2 hours

Remove hub on right side and drop of left side by removing bolts. Drop off right side of frame. Remove grass shield. Remove reel. Inspect bearing cups that are pressed into the frame. I've chosen to replace them, but the ones that were pressed into the frame were not in bad shape. You will need a bit of heat from a hand torch and a nice screwdriver edge to tap them out. I pressed in the new cups with the following set from Harbor Freight.

The manual calls to remove the engine... i did NOT want to do that.. just seems like a pain in the butt. I can confirm that i was able to remove and install the sides without removing the engine.

fresh bearings!!

Pack bearings with new grease and slide onto reel with spacers and spring.

tap out old seals and install new ones. These were really easy to tap in and fit really well.

Install right side

Starting to look like a lawn mower again!


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## Beerbrewer (Apr 27, 2018)

Looking good Boots..I also have a Jacobsen pgm, but a much older machine than yours.Not sure of the model since two numbers are scratched off.First 3 numbers are 622, then 5831..I'm thinking early 80's?These are well built machines!!

I'm doing a complete "frame off restoration".New seals,chains,paint, ect. except for a new reel.Looks like there is plenty of life left on mine.Measured circumference and it's right at 5".Going to take my chances on backlapping with 80grit to start.If that fails it's in to the shop for a grind.Will post some pics when I get a chance.Good luck with yours


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## boots4321 (Apr 3, 2019)

Would love to see that @Beerbrewer . I love those restoration threads. Those always turn out great.

Got some more time with the PGM today. 
Day 3 ~4-5 hrs


Worked on bedknife a bit. Used impact screwdriver to remove old bedknife screws. Applied anti seize and torqued to 80 inch lbs per manual for new bedknife screws. I went with the thick bedknife bar due to my typical cut height of ~.75. While reinstalling the bedknife shoe, I did run into some issues due to the fit in the frame being too "tight". I believe when i reinstalled the right side without the bidknife shoe, the torque and clearances made the frame "tight". I loosened up the right side bolts a bit and was able to get it into the frame a bit easier.

Scraped on the left drive side seal for a while where the old PGM seal was fused to the case and frame. I really needed a dremel tool, but was just scraping with a razor. Got 95% of the material off and called it good. Got my seal in from R&R. Cleaned and screwed the right side back on and loaded the gear oil until it weeps through the leak hole.

Gave the reel and bedknife a light backlap with 120 grit. Cut paper across entire length of reel. Worth noting that the backlapping bolts on these reels are 24 threads per inch and not a standard 16 threads per inch. Do not force a standard 16TPI bolt into the reel or you will destroy all of your hard work :thumbup: . I was able to find this bolt at my local hardware store in the specialty bolt area.

Applied grease to all fittings.

Took PGM for a spin on the PRG @.75"

A couple of things to note from this project. 

If you can get the mower elevated and off the ground, it's easier on your body. Working for this long on a garage floor is not ideal. My body hurt and i'm 33 :lol:

The only torque values on the bolts i really cared about were on the bedknife screws. Everything else was by feel (time will tell if that was a bad call). I did use thread protector while reinstalling most items.

If you're working on a old mower, just understand it's and old mower. Bolts might break. I had bolts that were in pretty bad shape. You'll need to be prepared to either replace or reuse.

Be conservative on your time estimate for completion. If you total up my research time and trips to the hardware store, i'm probably more at 15-20 hours.

I didn't reinstall the parking break cables on the hubs. The end of the wire's were super frayed and i found it quite difficult to reinstall. I live in Oklahoma... so parking breaks aren't too big of an issue for me. :thumbup:

Have your tech manual printed off and handy. It helps. Here's mine. http://products.jacobsen.com/img/manuals/4157082.pdf?m=1354824690

Be prepared for a greasy mess if you're working with chain and case driven machines. Have a 50 pack of gloves and bunch of towels available.

Enjoy the process. You're going to learn a lot about your machine.


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## Biggylawns (Jul 8, 2019)

Nice thread!


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## Adrian82 (Jun 5, 2017)

boots4321 said:


>


@boots4321

I am in the process of performing some overdue maintenance including a reel replacement. I am being cautious have a few questions. I am at the part where I need to remove the PTO to reel "as a unit" and right side frame

Question 1
I am not getting any play from the reel sprockets. I am thinking of using a puller. How did you get that/those piece(s)off?

_*Update: I held the reel in place using one hand and slowing rotated the lower reel sprocket off. The chain had a master link so I removed it. The upper reel sprocket is still attached.*_

Question 2
What tool did you use to remove the recessed nut?


Thanks for the assitance


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## boots4321 (Apr 3, 2019)

@Adrian82 
Q1. I believe there were some small keys on the bottom that i tapped out with a screwdriver if i remember correctly. i removed them from the shaft then the bottom gear slid off easily by hand. For the upper sprocket, you'll have to isolate the drive shaft (in my pics above) and remove the nut. it will then slide off easily (or should).





Q2. i used a regular wrench and got it off, but i do remember that nut being a pain and took a while. They make special recessed wrenches that help quite a bit for that, but i was able to do it with a regular wrench. I've seen these recess wrenches before in hardware stores. Not quite sure what they're called.



Best of luck! let me know if you have any more questions


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## Adrian82 (Jun 5, 2017)

boots4321 said:


> @Adrian82
> Q2. i used a regular wrench and got it off, but i do remember that nut being a pain and took a while. They make special recessed wrenches that help quite a bit for that, but i was able to do it with a regular wrench. I've seen these recess wrenches before in hardware stores. Not quite sure what they're called.
> 
> 
> ...


Good call on the offset wrench. I had to order a 1 1/8 offset wrench to get the nut off (major p.i.a). Diagrams suggest the nut should be 3/4. I got the reel-off, albeit, attached to the right-side frame. The bearing looks fused to the reel. I have a new reel so I will figure a way to get it off something soon.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

Holy crap all that work to swap the reel? I was thinking about going from my still ok 7 blade to a 9 blade on the 526 but this is a hard pass lol. I imagined they made these things super easy to swap. I can get the engine and trans out of and back in my race car in less work &#128518;


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## boots4321 (Apr 3, 2019)

@Jimefam You're right, this is commercial grade equipment and meant to stand up to the toughest of conditions. I believe my machine cut 9 teeboxes a day for 150 days out of the year for 10 straight years and still had original motor and reel. These machines are not easy to work with and require a bit more effort for the homeowner to service. I would not recommend a reel replacement unless you absolutely must and have the time to do so. The Swardman system is much easier but the costs can be prohibitive on those machines.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

boots4321 said:


> @Jimefam You're right, this is commercial grade equipment and meant to stand up to the toughest of conditions. I believe my machine cut 9 teeboxes a day for 150 days out of the year for 10 straight years and still had original motor and reel. These machines are not easy to work with and require a bit more effort for the homeowner to service. I would not recommend a reel replacement unless you absolutely must and have the time to do so. The Swardman system is much easier but the costs can be prohibitive on those machines.


Knowing nothing about those machines my thinking was because they are a commercial model they would make the reels super easy to remove. Then again I also would have never guessed they lasted anywhere near that long in commercial use. Figured at least a couple times a season the reel would come off.


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