Snowblower Help with Snowblower!!!

[generalbegg]

Hey all, I need some help. I recently purchased a 48" 3 pt. blower. I picked it up from a guy on cragslist for $750. It is red and has an electric shute adjustment which works great. We have it hooked up to our Case 235 and got it adjusted but when we tried it out for the first time, we were breaking shear pins like crazy. It just won't throw any snow at all. Even if we lift it up and just shovel snow into it, it won't throw it out. The seller told us it was a 540 RPM blower, but I am thinking it isn't and might be turning too slowly to blow the snow. I don't have a picture of it and don't really know the make of it. It has a white sticker that says Model 150, and a metal tag that reads.

OLATHE MANUFACTURING, INC.
150 150105 4/87

Can anyone shed any light on what might be the problem?? We just had a major snow storm and would really like to get this baby up and running.

Thanks for anyone that has any ideas!

 

[Dead Horse]

Does it look like the fan is spinning quickly, is it a blur or can you actually see the fan blades moving?

 

[generalbegg]

Does it look like the fan is spinning quickly, is it a blur or can you actually see the fan blades moving?

Definatly, not a blur. I can seen them moving around.

 

[MEhorseFarm]

I am not sure how your unit is made but I would check to see if there is a driveline shear bolt. My Blizzard B54 has 2 shear bolts, one in the drive shaft near where it slides on to the tractor PTO and one in the driveline between the gear box and chain sprocket. If those are both good, look at the Fan shaft. It may have a keyway. If it does, make sure the key is in place and the setscrew is in place and tight. If the auger is turning but not the fan, then that would be a likely suspect. Good luck and let us know if you find the problem.

 

[kevinj]

I do not know anything about your tractor or the blower in question, but is it turning the right direction??

Does the impeller have a speed increaser??

Some pictures of the drive system and the auger/blower side are in order here.

 

[generalbegg]

I do not know anything about your tractor or the blower in question, but is it turning the right direction??

Does the impeller have a speed increaser??

Some pictures of the drive system and the auger/blower side are in order here.

Pics coming soon!!

 

[Steve_Miller]

Try some trouble shooting. With the snowblower connected to the tractor, shut off the engine and then engage the pto, you may have to wiggle it back and forth with the tractor off to engage it. Now try to turn the shaft at the blower end, this maybe tricky if the shield is in place, if so try turning the fan, if the fan turns then check to see if the PTO shaft is turning, if not then something is broke between these two (fan and PTO output shaft). Some PTO shafts have shear pins in them. If the shear pin is broke it may turn a half rotation then fetch up again at the broken shear pin so it may take a little leverage to prove it is broken at a shear pin if not a shear pin then maybe the gearbox is faulty. Anyhow, if you determine nothing is broke thus far, try turning the output shaft (usually a shaft at 90 degrees to the input shaft) of the gearbox (i'm assuming there's a gearbox) with a pipe wrench or channel locks and see if something is broken between these two places, if not move on to the auger shaft although from your description something is wrong before you reach this stage.

Good luck
Steve

We're all on here dying to help someone out in these holidays pickles.

 

[generalbegg]

OK, I think I did a poor job of explaining. Everything seems to be moving ok when hooked up. The auger turns and the blades (impeller) spin. It's when we put any snow at all in there, even with a shovel, it just spins around where the blades are until it just plugs up and we lose another shear pin. In the picture looking in the blower, the impeller spins counter-clockwise which seems to make sense because there are curved edges that would throw the now up and out of the shute. Let me know what you guys think. Also, what is the other shaft on the back of the blower for? It was obvious that the one we are hooked up to because it was the only one with any signs of use. We did hook up to that one but it didn't seem to make a differance.

Thanks all!

 

[SPYDERLK]

It's when we put any snow at all in there, even with a shovel, it just spins around where the blades are until it just plugs up and we lose another shear pin. In the picture looking in the blower, the impeller spins counter-clockwise which seems to make sense because there are curved edges that would throw the now up and out of the shute. Let me know what you guys think. Also, what is the other shaft on the back of the blower for? It was obvious that the one we are hooked up to because it was the only one with any signs of use. We did hook up to that one but it didn't seem to make a differance.

Thanks all!

It sounds like its turning the wrong way, but your description has it turning the right way. My interpetation of the pics is the shaft youre driving is geared to the actual blower spindle [that other shaft], turning it the opposite direction that your pto turns. According to the pics and your description that is the right way and it should work...but it doesnt.
larry

 

[BeezFun]

The picture of the impeller looks unusual, it almost looks like the impeller blades are curved surfaces rather than the normal fins I've seen on every other impeller. Maybe it's just an optical illusion. Is it possible the fins are bent backwards, which would explain why they no longer throw snow out of the chute?

I also don't understand what the second shaft connection is for. If you disconnect the PTO shaft and turn the auger by hand, do both of those shafts turn? Is it possible there's a gear reduction that allows connecting to different speed PTOs depending on which shaft you connect to?

I don't suppose you can call the guy you bought it from and see if he has any ideas...

 

[JDGreenGrass]

I have never run a pto shaft so I know very little other than what I have read.

Looking at your shaft it looks like the angles are wrong. I believe that shaft should be hooked up as straight as you can get it. It looks cock-eyed to me. And it looks like the connecting point at the blower is very low.

Take this with a grain of salt...I am no expert. Let others chime in to comment on your pictures.

Hope you get some help.

 

[generalbegg]

The picture of the impeller looks unusual, it almost looks like the impeller blades are curved surfaces rather than the normal fins I've seen on every other impeller. Maybe it's just an optical illusion. Is it possible the fins are bent backwards, which would explain why they no longer throw snow out of the chute?

I also don't understand what the second shaft connection is for. If you disconnect the PTO shaft and turn the auger by hand, do both of those shafts turn? Is it possible there's a gear reduction that allows connecting to different speed PTOs depending on which shaft you connect to?

I don't suppose you can call the guy you bought it from and see if he has any ideas...

You are correct, the fins are bent. If you are looking right at the impeller, they would be bent to make kind of an "L" shape to the right. To kind of scoop the snow up the shute.

It appears that the other shaft makes the impeller turn the other direction. I guess you could hook this up to a PTO that spins in either direction.

So, is it just a RPM thing?? How fast should this thing spin?? If is is not spinning fast enough how could we speed it up?

 

[kevinj]

That impeller has to turn counteclockwise in picture 2 or clockwise looking from the tractor. So which way does it turn???

Is that gear box a 1:1 or is it an increaser???

 

[Willl]

Definatly, not a blur. I can seen them moving around.

At 540 RPM, I would expect it to look more like a blur.

Rotation would be counter clockwise.

 

[JohninCT]

Several recent snowblower threads here on TBN have mentioned a marked improvement in snow blowing performance when the impeller and chute are clean and slick. Trying spraying the impeller, impeller housing, and chute with silicone spray and try it again. Also, you are running the tractor at full PTO speed right? If you see improvement you may need to repaint and slick up the snow path. One of the other TBN'ers posted a link to this paint that looks to be a good choice for this use.

EZ-Slide Alkyd Based Graphite Lubricating Paint

The two different input stub shafts seems odd. I don't know if its a picture illusion, but the shaft that your hooked up to seems to put the drive shaft at an angle. The other input shaft looks to be more in line with the top link which would seem to make the driveshaft connection straighter. If so, I would probably connect to that one.

 

[generalbegg]

That impeller has to turn counteclockwise in picture 2 or clockwise looking from the tractor. So which way does it turn???

Is that gear box a 1:1 or is it an increaser???

Those are both correct. Looking at it, it turns counter clockwise. From the tractor, it would be clockwise. I don't know anything about the gear box. I do know that the PTO, looks like it is spinning a heck of a lot faster than the impeller.

 

[generalbegg]

Several recent snowblower threads here on TBN have mentioned a marked improvement in snow blowing performance when the impeller and chute are clean and slick. Trying spraying the impeller, impeller housing, and chute with silicone spray and try it again. Also, you are running the tractor at full PTO speed right? If you see improvement you may need to repaint and slick up the snow path. One of the other TBN'ers posted a link to this paint that looks to be a good choice for this use.

EZ-Slide Alkyd Based Graphite Lubricating Paint

Thanks for the link, I will look into this. As far as PTO speed, my manual says 2200 rpm for 540 at the rear PTO. This is also marked right on the Tach, as well as a mark for the mid PTO. Even at 2650 RPM which is the mark for the mid pto, I can still see the individual fins on the impeller. Not what I would call a blurr.

 

[SARG]

Just an observation from looking at the pictures ...... isn't the angle of the pto driveshaft extreme ?

The left side view which shows the chute motor looks a little radical.

 

[JohninCT]

Those are both correct. Looking at it, it turns counter clockwise. From the tractor, it would be clockwise. I don't know anything about the gear box. I do know that the PTO, looks like it is spinning a heck of a lot faster than the impeller.

One of the other snowblower threads said that a 540 RPM snowblower impeller should turn at 540 RPM. Rotate your driveshaft 1 turn and check if the impeller rotates 1 turn.

Hooking up to other input shaft makes impeller turn the opposite way? I would say THAT is a big difference. The impeller is turning the correct way (CCW looking into blower) hooked up the way you have it.

 

[Steve C]

OK, I think I did a poor job of explaining. Everything seems to be moving ok when hooked up. The auger turns and the blades (impeller) spin. It's when we put any snow at all in there, even with a shovel, it just spins around where the blades are until it just plugs up and we lose another shear pin. In the picture looking in the blower, the impeller spins counter-clockwise which seems to make sense because there are curved edges that would throw the now up and out of the shute. Let me know what you guys think. Also, what is the other shaft on the back of the blower for? It was obvious that the one we are hooked up to because it was the only one with any signs of use. We did hook up to that one but it didn't seem to make a differance.

Thanks all!

The other shaft is probably there just in case the one you are using is turning it backwards. It looks like there is a gear set under the cover and the shaft that you are connected to is probably supposed to be used when the blower is front mounted to get it the turn the correct way. As it is now the impeller is probably turning the oposite direction of your pto shaft.