Blower chute rotator

[JJZ 109]

I know this has been touched upon elsewhere but I couldn't seem to find it. Been thinking about rigging up a cheap electric winch to rotate the chute on a Buhler Farm King 60" blower on back of a Kubota B3030 cab.
Been thinking about using This winch and fabricating some type of mount to put it right onto the blower, then have the remote control inside of the cab. Or possibly a winch with wireless remote. Still in the inkling of an idea stage.
The chute is the type with the cable wound around the bottom of it, no topside gears like on a Pronovost blower.
Anyone done this?

 

[WayneB]

Hope this takes you to the right place?
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/134850-diy-electric-chute-rotator.html

I took a look at the winch you have posted and think you really have to take a close look as to how you wish to use the winch. I was lucky when I got the winch I am using as it had a hallow end that I could machine down a section of pipe to slide into and then bolt to the winch. No modification was required at the winch itself excluding the one hole I drilled into it.

As for the snowblower the Woods blower has a knuckle joint that was easy to connect to.

As for the control switch the one shown with the winch you are looking at is the same as the one I am using. It makes it pretty nice for changing the direction. You could also take a look at this switch that might work depending upon the current draw of the winch you use. I use this switch for controling the chute deflector. It drives the linear actuator.

eBay Motors: ATV Mini Rocker Winch Switch / Handlebar Remote Control (item 220356447846 end time Mar-06-09 16:17:05 PST)

 

[JJZ 109]

OK, I'm not out in the barn looking at my tractor/snow blower right now. But basically the current chute rotation is a cable wound around the bottom of the chute and the other end is wound around a piece of round steel stock with a bend on the other end for a handle.
It seems to me that this round steel rod with a bend in it could be replaced be a remote control winch for not a whole lot of money. Am I over simplifying? Am I not seeing a part of the big picture? Entirely possible.
As I said, very early stages of kicking this idea around. I have an old Reese hitch that bolted on to a step bumper. I may try to weld that to the top of the blower and then fabricate a winch mount to slide it in and out of the Reese in case I have another use for the winch. I may just leave the winch fastened to the blower because it's stored indoors all year. It's all very preliminary at this point.
There must be someone on TBN that has done this to a non gear driven chute.

 

[PILOON]

OK, I'm not out in the barn looking at my tractor/snow blower right now. But basically the current chute rotation is a cable wound around the bottom of the chute and the other end is wound around a piece of round steel stock with a bend on the other end for a handle.
It seems to me that this round steel rod with a bend in it could be replaced be a remote control winch for not a whole lot of money. Am I over simplifying? Am I not seeing a part of the big picture? Entirely possible.
As I said, very early stages of kicking this idea around. I have an old Reese hitch that bolted on to a step bumper. I may try to weld that to the top of the blower and then fabricate a winch mount to slide it in and out of the Reese in case I have another use for the winch. I may just leave the winch fastened to the blower because it's stored indoors all year. It's all very preliminary at this point.
There must be someone on TBN that has done this to a non gear driven chute.

Should work well.
Winch motor has all the torque and low speed requirements.
Position the winch to replace the crank winder and wrap the shortened winch cable to replicate the crank winding.
Use as many or a few more windings than the crank has on the drum.
Mine is set up similarily except I used chain and sprocket but suggest the cable would be better as the chain freezes up in the gaps while cable would not.
Also no chain/sprockets to purchase.


Good luck!

 

[JJZ 109]

Should work well.
Position the winch to replace the crank winder and wrap the shortened winch cable to replicate the crank winding.
Good luck!

That's pretty much what I was thinking, but you know how sometimes things look better on paper or seem better when they're still an idea rattling around in your head.
Thanks for your insights!

 

[bostonrats]

I did it. Got the idea right here. I bought a dpdt momentary switch at Grainger to control it, you need to reverse BOTH leads to change directions. The also have nice waterproof boots to screw on the switch after it's mounted.

Here's the issue I ran into, when I pulled off the cable drum I found the output was a planetary gear...but made out of aluminum or some other non ferrous metal....so I couldn't weld to it as planned. I bolted some flat stock to it and then welded to the flat stock.

The other issue is I used a 1/2" tool socket universal for the drive...but the pins BOTH fell out, just bad luck or crappy universial....I bought it at TSC.

The plan works great, hope you get lucky and get a steel output.

Good luck!!

 

[JJZ 109]

Well, this winch was ordered today. Looking at the blower, I don't think it's going to be super difficult to fabricate a mount and replace the hand crank with the winch.
The radio remote control will eliminate a wire. I have a source or two for power that I can tap into. I have a cigarette lighter wired that I use to power a magnetic mount rear work light. Thinking that this same lighter or maybe adding a second one will work just fine. Would like to go with a coiled power wire if I can find one.
Looking at the winch manual online, I notice that you have to disengage the freewheel knob and press the "power out" button and pull the cable to unspool it. The knob is engaged when pulling an object back into the winch.
Under the troubleshooting section, it says that if the wires are reversed, so will the motion of the drum be. So will a DPDT switch allow me to reverse polarity in one position and have polarity correct in another position and get the drum to pull in both directions?
I'm no electrician, so I hope that the question isn't too simplistic.

 

[PILOON]

Under the troubleshooting section, it says that if the wires are reversed, so will the motion of the drum be. So will a DPDT switch allow me to reverse polarity in one position and have polarity correct in another position and get the drum to pull in both directions?
I'm no electrician, so I hope that the question isn't too simplistic.

The answer is YES!

But be sure to get that DPDT with spring loaded center off.

 

[bowhunter543]

It looks to me that it has power in and power out by looking at the remote. Loosening the knob is for free spooling only which you shouldn't have to do.

 

[JJZ 109]

It looks to me that it has power in and power out by looking at the remote. Loosening the knob is for free spooling only which you shouldn't have to do.

So do you think that if the freewheel knob is left engaged, the drum will spool both inward and outward with the remote? Probably the freewheeling is to speed up getting the cable out when hooking onto an object.
If not, I'll take PILOON's advice and get the spring loaded DPDT switch, which I believe they call a momentary switch.
Maybe instead of being impatient and putting the cart ahead of the horse, I'll just wait until the winch gets here and find out what the thing does or does not do.