B2782B front mount blower noise

[Kanook]

I took delivery last Christmas a B2650HSDC with a front mounted Kubota B2782B snow blower. The blower currently has about 60 hours of usage on it and works great. Since day 1 it has generated a loud grating sound that I would describe as what a cement mixer filled with small stones might sound like. I pointed it out to the dealers mobile mechanic while he was performing some warrenty service and after hearing it he said that it was normal for that model blower. I have removed the cover over the chain and cannot see any indication of what could be causing the noise and the chain is well lubricated per the manual (every 4 hours of operation). The noise is Not coming from the auger or impeller area but is coming from the chain driven area.

I would like to find out if any of you members who have a B2782B snow blower have a similar grinding noise. The noise is very noticable and appears to be coming from the chain drive reduction.
Perhaps as the mechanic says, this could be normal...but if others with this model are not hearing this noise, I would appreciate hearing.

 

[sandyc]

I have the 81"a" front blower and from the get go it has growled. After 2 years it is running great so I am guessing the noise is normal. Might have to use noise reduction as an excuse to get a cab!!

 

[Jay4200]

I took delivery last Christmas a B2650HSDC with a front mounted Kubota B2782B snow blower. The blower currently has about 60 hours of usage on it and works great. Since day 1 it has generated a loud grating sound that I would describe as what a cement mixer filled with small stones might sound like. I pointed it out to the dealers mobile mechanic while he was performing some warrenty service and after hearing it he said that it was normal for that model blower. I have removed the cover over the chain and cannot see any indication of what could be causing the noise and the chain is well lubricated per the manual (every 4 hours of operation). The noise is Not coming from the auger or impeller area but is coming from the chain driven area.

I would like to find out if any of you members who have a B2782B snow blower have a similar grinding noise. The noise is very noticable and appears to be coming from the chain drive reduction.
Perhaps as the mechanic says, this could be normal...but if others with this model are not hearing this noise, I would appreciate hearing.

Grinding is never normal, IMHO - a snowblower should be virtually silent when spinning. I'm in the middle of a complete restoration/rebuild of a BX2750 snowblower, which is of a similar mechanical design, and there is nothing that makes me think it should make any 'normal' nasty noises. You will hear the chain run, so I guess it is a matter of how loud the "grating" sound is.

There are two shafts in the reduction box - the top one is the transmission shaft w/ big chain sprocket and fan on it. There is a single bearing that supports that shaft. There is a second small shaft where the drive shaft is connected - it has the little chain sprocket on it, and is supported by two bearings on either end of the box. It is possible that one of those 3 bearings is bad and is making noise. Disconnect the drive shaft from the blower and spin the fan by hand - you should be able to track down the noise that way.

 

[ericher69]

I took delivery last Christmas a B2650HSDC with a front mounted Kubota B2782B snow blower. The blower currently has about 60 hours of usage on it and works great. Since day 1 it has generated a loud grating sound that I would describe as what a cement mixer filled with small stones might sound like. I pointed it out to the dealers mobile mechanic while he was performing some warrenty service and after hearing it he said that it was normal for that model blower. I have removed the cover over the chain and cannot see any indication of what could be causing the noise and the chain is well lubricated per the manual (every 4 hours of operation). The noise is Not coming from the auger or impeller area but is coming from the chain driven area. I would like to find out if any of you members who have a B2782B snow blower have a similar grinding noise. The noise is very noticable and appears to be coming from the chain drive reduction. Perhaps as the mechanic says, this could be normal...but if others with this model are not hearing this noise, I would appreciate hearing.

Kanook;

Is this sound always present or only when the blower is up or down?

I know that the U-joint will make a very loud noticeable racket when the blower is lifted all the way up almost like the joint is being used beyond the 15 degree Max a U joint should run.

If you can clear this up it may help pinpoint the problem.

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[Jeff F.]

Is there gear lube in it?

 

[rswyan]

FWIW, I have a front mount Simplicity commercial mower (CFC 18) which uses an open double chain reduction as the final drive on each of the two driven wheels ... it is (always) rather noisy ....

 

[Kanook]

Thank you all for the replies....The noise is not a drive shaft u-joint and the noise is there regardless of the up/down position of the blower. I'm quite sure it is chain 'rattle'. I have backed off on the tension adjustment for the chain with no discernable difference. If I spin the impeller with the driveshaft detached there is a definite Purr but obviously I cannot spin it manually at the speed of the pto. SANDYC....any idea what the diff is between an "A" and a "B"?..A growl is a pretty good description of the sound it makes. JAY4200...my chain reduction is similar but not exactly the same as your thumbnail attachement, probably because the blower I have has the driveshaft from the tractor attached offset to the left.

Again...thanks one and all for the responses and hopefully it is chain rattle....interestingly the manual calls for chainsaw bar oil to be used to lubricate the chain, probably due to its stickyness.

 

[TMB1320]

I bought a hardly used NH 836GS I adapted to a NH1320. On thing I noticed when I first got it going was the chain grinding noise also. After close inspection I found the sprockets were badly mis-aligned by half the sprocket thickness. Removed the two set screws on one of the sprocket hubs, aligned, blue locktite the set screws.
Silent running now. And don't be shy squirting oil on the hidden shaft bearing behind the lower sprocket.

 

[Kanook]

I will investigate the alignment of the 2 sprockets in the daylight tomorrow. Thanks TMB1320.

 

[Kanook]

Well she's all greased and slathered up with oil. Still makes quite a racket but I guess it's just the nature of the beast. Adjusted the chain deflection and checked that the two gears are properly aligned. Did find that the set screw for the smaller gear was not there, it was sitting on the frame (almost as though it was placed there by the assembler before going on coffee break). I inserted, torqued and loktited it. All else looks good. I guess that little reduction gear spinning at 2500 RPM directly off the mid PTO just makes a lot of noise driving that chain.

Thanks for the advice and input everyone.

 

[TMB1320]

Not sure I agree with how the set screw managed to locate, like it's been worked on. You're sure all the parts original, or at least right? Anyway, I had night mares about that chain come loose and pile up, locking the shaft, and doing bad stuff up stream. So since I had to add 7" worth of driveshaft, a chain coupler I built from three x 3 common chain links. On its third season, with original links, and passed
Visual inspection in September. BTW the in was shafted on the propellor drive for a 5 litre hydroplane.
Stainless even.
Keep an eye on that growler, lest ye pile up.

 

[sandyc]

One other thing to consider that makes noise is the chain cover. Mine is only fastened from the bottom which allows the top to vibrate against the blower back. Just got through blowing/plowing a foot of wet snow and also noticed that the noise really increases when I pick up the blower to maximum height. No shear bolts broken for two years now.

 

[Chad450r]

Kanook, I ended up buying a b2650 and the 64" blower mine makes the same growl.. All I can stress from seeing my buddy's deere blower same set up basically is over lube it and keep it tight. It seems to be more noisy when lose. Hope this helps

 

[Kanook]

Kanook, I ended up buying a b2650 and the 64" blower mine makes the same growl.. All I can stress from seeing my buddy's deere blower same set up basically is over lube it and keep it tight. It seems to be more noisy when lose. Hope this helps

Thanks for the info...Good to hear that it is (as the Kubota tech said) normal...for this model...I've spent 2 afternoons tweeking and adjusting and Lubeing but the growl is still there....maybe a little more subdued, but still makes its presence known.

 

[bumperm]

I have a B2782 on my B3350. I agree it makes some noise, though I wouldn't describe it as grinding. Do go through it and make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight - I found several that weren't. Also, according to the manual, the chain is adjusted fairly tight compared to other drive chains, 'course spacing it tight so that's part of the reason for the small deflection. I made a chain luber to get the bar oil onto the chain without taking the cover off. Using a length of thin stainless steel tubing on a squeeze bottle.

 

[Kanook]

I have a B2782 on my B3350. I agree it makes some noise, though I wouldn't describe it as grinding. Do go through it and make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight - I found several that weren't. Also, according to the manual, the chain is adjusted fairly tight compared to other drive chains, 'course spacing it tight so that's part of the reason for the small deflection. I made a chain luber to get the bar oil onto the chain without taking the cover off. Using a length of thin stainless steel tubing on a squeeze bottle.

Thanks for the feedback...Made me a chain luber similar to you. Been thinking about drilling a hole in the chain cover to oil the chain thru.

Kanook

 

[bumperm]

Thanks for the feedback...Made me a chain luber similar to you. Been thinking about drilling a hole in the chain cover to oil the chain thru.

Kanook

That's a good idea. I considered making a cup type automatic drip oiler, but quickly discarded the notion as it would get bonked (guess you could weld on a guard). However, drilling a hole for a flange with a bendable copper tube on the inside to allow for proper "aiming", then just an oil can squirt of bar oil with the blower turning at idle would "simplicate" things - - best done just before shut down I guess.

 

[sandyc]

I struggled to oil the chain and finally used a step drill to make a large hole in the top of the chain guard. Now I squirt bar oil in the opening every 8 to 10 hours.

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[bumperm]

Well she's all greased and slathered up with oil. Still makes quite a racket but I guess it's just the nature of the beast. Adjusted the chain deflection and checked that the two gears are properly aligned. Did find that the set screw for the smaller gear was not there, it was sitting on the frame (almost as though it was placed there by the assembler before going on coffee break). I inserted, torqued and loktited it. All else looks good. I guess that little reduction gear spinning at 2500 RPM directly off the mid PTO just makes a lot of noise driving that chain.

Thanks for the advice and input everyone.

Note that there should be two (2) of those set screws attaching the small sprocket to the shaft. As you know they locate the sprocket laterally on the shaft, but sprocket rotation, relative to the shaft, is prevented with a Woodruff key. My two set screws were both out of the sprocket and neatly placed in a 1/2" blind hole on the mount frame. I know it wasn't worked on, so when the departed the sprocket they found their way there. They are locktited now.

I've made some improvements on my blower, lining the chute with 1/8" thick UHMW PE to improve throw distance and help reduce chute clogging with slushy snow. That works well. I wanted to line the impeller housing too, but since that requires a longer piece of UHMW, I'm thinking a better way may be to line the paddles with the same material. But my paddle to chute clearance varies, with the widest gap at the top, just past the chute opening of about 1/2 inch, then decreasing to only 1/8" as the paddle reaches the bottom of the chute at about the 270 degree point (when the snow would start departing the paddle). In other words, my impeller is not centered in the housing - - is this the same as others?

One fix would be to mount each paddle liner with a slot so it could slide out to meet the larger gap, then be pushed back in as it rides around the impeller housing. It would thus act as a seal around the whole housing, increasing efficiency and throw distance while preventing build up on the impeller blades. I'm convinced that this would not bind or freeze up with snow, as the UHMW is slick and snow tends not to stick on it. It is also **** for stout and abrassion resistant (my skid liners are made from it), so while the paddle liners would be slung out through centrifugal force, they will be forced back in as the clearance in the housing decreases (I hope).

Bad news, is I can't figure out any way to accurately drill the 1/4" mounting holes near the inboard part of the paddle without removing the impeller. Not a major task I guess, but I'd prefer to avoid it.

Thoughts?

 

[Kanook]

Interesting that you decided to add to this thread today..I was just thinking about adding my experiences today with this blower...I can only say that I am not impressed with the reliability and assembly of this snow blower.While out clearing snow at 4am today , the drive shaft separated from the blower at the blower end. It thrashed about and created quite a light show of sparks in the dark of that time of day. The 1/4"NC x 2 1/2" hex bolt either fell out or was never there and the set screw holding the 1/4 x 1/4 x 1 1/4 key had come loose and the key fell out (never found it). Fortunately there does not appear to be any damage at the tractor end of things and I was able to McGuiver a short term fix to complete clearing the driveways I keep cleared of snow.

I would strongly suggest that anybody with this blower (B2782B) check the driveshaft connection to the blower and make sure that the 1/4 inch hex bolt item 19 on page 28 of owners manual is secure and tight and also that the allen socket screw item 17 is snug and is securing the key item 7 or it could fall out as mine did. Needless to say, I feel extremely fortunate that that 2500 RPM shaft coming detached as it did did not damage anything at the tractor end as far as I can determine. I intend to have a serious talk with my dealer when I visit there tomorrow.

As Bumperm mentioned, the set screws securing the small gear (item 5) needs to be inspected as well...mine were not there (see previous post).

Not impressed with this new blower...