BX2750 Snowblower Fan Problem

[Dusty]

I have been having a problem with breaking shear bolts in the fan assembly of my BX2750, and have been replacing them with the OEM shear bolts. Seems that the blower doesn't like chunks of ice. After the last time, it bent the tip of the fan assmebly, and I straightened it. The second time it bent the entire blade! Has this happened to anyone else? Were you able to straighten it, of is a replacement fan in my future? I have gotten the blade back to the point where it will clear the base lip, but it is still a lot closer on this one blade than the other two.

 

[kevinj]

I have been having a problem with breaking shear bolts in the fan assembly of my BX2750, and have been replacing them with the OEM shear bolts. Seems that the blower doesn't like chunks of ice. After the last time, it bent the tip of the fan assmebly, and I straightened it. The second time it bent the entire blade! Has this happened to anyone else? Were you able to straighten it, of is a replacement fan in my future? I have gotten the blade back to the point where it will clear the base lip, but it is still a lot closer on this one blade than the other two.

What kind of ice chunks are you hitting?????

 

[Dusty]

It broke another shear pin today, so I decided to take it apart to see what the problem is. What I found was that the locking collar on the shaft wasn't set at the proper place by the manufacturer, which allowed the shaft to move just enough that the fan would catch the front edge of the blower frame. I thought that it was ice chunks that was the cause, but now I realize that it was a manufacturing defect. I have ordered a new fan and a few other parts, and it should be good as new this week. Actually better than new, since the factory put it together incorrectly.
If anyone is interested in buying a BX snow blower, Pinnicleview Kubota in Walpole (Keene area) NH had one in stock on Thursday of this past week. It might still be available. (603) 756-3379... Was told that the selling price was approximately $1800 for the blower and the hitch was additional. If you are interested, give them a call for more details.. Good people to deal with.

 

[kevinj]

It broke another shear pin today, so I decided to take it apart to see what the problem is. What I found was that the locking collar on the shaft wasn't set at the proper place by the manufacturer, which allowed the shaft to move just enough that the fan would catch the front edge of the blower frame. I thought that it was ice chunks that was the cause, but now I realize that it was a manufacturing defect. I have ordered a new fan and a few other parts, and it should be good as new this week. Actually better than new, since the factory put it together incorrectly.
If anyone is interested in buying a BX snow blower, Pinnicleview Kubota in Walpole (Keene area) NH had one in stock on Thursday of this past week. It might still be available. (603) 756-3379... Was told that the selling price was approximately $1800 for the blower and the hitch was additional. If you are interested, give them a call for more details.. Good people to deal with.

I have had trouble with those locking collars on other equipment also. They all came loose on my 2750 blower also but I caught it before any damage was done. They have remained tight for the past 4 years.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Dusty,

Can you post a photo? I want to make sure I am OK not sure where to check.

Thanks

 

[kevinj]

Dusty,

Can you post a photo? I want to make sure I am OK not sure where to check.

Thanks

I think he is talking about the bearings behind the fan and upper chain sprocket that allows the shaft to move fore & aft if the locks are loose.

 

[Dyer retired]

It broke another shear pin today, so I decided to take it apart to see what the problem is. What I found was that the locking collar on the shaft wasn't set at the proper place by the manufacturer, which allowed the shaft to move just enough that the fan would catch the front edge of the blower frame. I thought that it was ice chunks that was the cause, but now I realize that it was a manufacturing defect. I have ordered a new fan and a few other parts, and it should be good as new this week. Actually better than new, since the factory put it together incorrectly.
If anyone is interested in buying a BX snow blower, Pinnicleview Kubota in Walpole (Keene area) NH had one in stock on Thursday of this past week. It might still be available. (603) 756-3379... Was told that the selling price was approximately $1800 for the blower and the hitch was additional. If you are interested, give them a call for more details.. Good people to deal with.

Are you talking about #12 in the diagram? I took my blower completely apart this Spring and found just about every allen set screw, nut and bolt loose. Even the set screws on the bearing collars were loose. I applied Loctite blue on all the loose threads and haven't had a problem since. I also found that the diagram shows two set screws (#17) for the sprocket (#12,) but there was only one that locked the square key in place and the second one is supposed to be pushing against the shaft. The hole for the second allen screw was not drilled through at the factory and no allen screw present, so I drilled and tapped it...put the second allen screw in. I've had my BX2750 for 5 years now and like it a lot. The wings are thinner than I would like and were spreading out when hitting the hard packed banks, making it difficult to change the shear pins when they broke....too much movement side to side in the auger shaft. I wonder if you're finding that too. I've made a temporary fix for that. Dyer, retired

 

[Dusty]

Dusty,

Can you post a photo? I want to make sure I am OK not sure where to check.

Thanks

Are you talking about #12 in the diagram? ....... Dyer, retired

This is not #12 on the parts list. #12 is the sprocket itself.

In the pictures below, you will see the bearing with the locking collar installed and removed. The locking collar goes between the sprocket and the carrier bearing. When I took this apart, I found that the locking collar was tight on the shaft, but was not pushed forward to the bearing, and was serving no useful purpose.
Upon examination of the chain, I found that it had a few broken links, and was severely distorted out of shape. I tried every industrial supplier around, and no one has the original "O" ring chain that was used by the manufacturer of the snow blower. A couple of the suppliers said that they could get me a 10' box of it, and it was $16 per foot, and not sold in a quantity less than 10'. I checked with the Kubota dealer, and the chain is $56 and $7 for the repair link. I opted for a 10' length of standard #40 chain for under $20 and 35 cents each for the repair links. With 10' of chain, I can replace it 6 times before I run out. The original chain is 19" long. The good news is that everything in the snow blower is all standard off the shelf parts, except for the gear box on the auger itself.
One thing that I also found is that the shaft was starting to rust, since the bronze oilite bushings are not good at keeping moisture away from the shaft. For this reason, I am going to install a grease fitting in the fan that will supply grease to these bushings, prolonging there life, and keeping the shaft from rusting. I can see that with use, the shaft will rust, and the fan bushings might just become rusted onto the shaft. I have seen this happen with other tractor mounted snowblowers, and a replacement shaft was required to fix the problem.
I have not had a problem with the sides of the snowblower pushing out, and I have had this blower for about 5 years also. This is the first time that I have had any maintenance issues at all. I also didn't find any loose lock nuts or any other loose parts. It has bee such a good snowblower, that I never did anything to it except to keep it clean and lubricated.

 

[kevinj]

Be sure and check the outboard bearings on the augers. I had them loosen too, and the whole gear box with augers just kind of floats around. As Dyer said, tear it all down and reassemble. I have not had a problem since I done that close to five years back.

 

[Dyer retired]

Dusty,

Thanks for the explanation and the pictures. The bottom drive shaft sprocket is stationary. Once you get the fan shaft locked in where it's supposed to be, the chain should stay lined up on the top sprocket and the new chain should last for another 5 years? As Kevinj said, my outboard auger bearing collars were also loose. When I had the blower apart this spring, I replaced all the bearings (cheap to do and good peace of mind.) I'm not much of a mechanic, but I found the 2750 pretty easy to work on. Can you send pictures when you get the grease fitting installed? Dyer, retired