I was hoping someone could answer a few questions. I have a LS XG3135H, I recently picked up a snowblower, older but great shape except no manual chute rotator device. Planning on adding a hydraulic motor with chain and sprockets to rotate the chute. Question: what concerns should I have on selecting a Hydro motor, like psi, rpm and flow? Tractor Supply has a motor by Chief. Motor specs - 23.6 CID, SAE 10 ports, 150 RPM, 3,850 torque and operating PSI is 1450.
Would appreciate some advice and education. I know it won't take hardly any torque, but I was hoping to rotate it fairly slow. Thanks
OK, we can design that. I suggest that we start by deciding what you want that chute rotation to do - does it go all the way around or just part way? - and then we can decide on components to make it happen.
Just to give you a peek at where you are going, most any hydraulic motor is going to have more than enough speed and torque for this project. So most of what you will do is limit the speed and torque to something useful for the job. That's nice. It makes everything easier and cheaper.
Just ot start out, imagine that there is a nut welded on top of that chute so you can turn it with a torque wrench. It wouldn't take much force to turn it on a summer day...I'm guessing maybe 20 or 30 foot*lbs if the chute was clean and lubed. But on a frozen day with ice build up it could take quite a bit more force to rotate. How much? I don't know...but maybe 150 ft*lbs? More? Probably not 300 ft*lbs of torque, because that's how much torque our big tractor lug nuts take. I doubt you want to put that much force on the chute. It might crumple or twist apart.
So right away, we have a range of torque we need. Well, roughly...but close enough. We want to be able to torque that chute to a couple hundred foot lbs, but probably not twice that.
Rotation speed you can vary with either a fluid restriction or a valve - just like a water faucet does. The type of valving or restriction used can also determine if you want the chute to rotate all the way around or just back and forth.
You can regulate the maximum torque by regulating hydraulic pressure. To do that, first think about how much torque that rotation system can stand. We did that, and we also need to know how much pressure the tractor can put out - you'd better check on that.
If the tractor can put out more than the motor can handle, we definitely want to limit that pressure. To do so, there needs to be a relief valve. That's not a problem; most speed limiting valves or restrictors have a relief valve built into them, and most of them are adjustable.
Probably the chain and sprockets can handle the force they will see, but that should be checked as well. And just how strong is whatever pivot there is to hold the chute to the top of the snow thrower? You want to turn the chute, but not rip it off if it is frozen.....
These aren't show stoppers, just seat of the pants engineering. Most of these things we can guess at close enough to make it work. By now you probably have questions, so I'll be quiet.
Remember, there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. If you handle the one, I can handle the other.
rScotty
