jd 1025 w/54" snow blower

[JAMES KELLEY]

My 54" snow blower is starting to vibrate when blowing snow. It just does it when on the ground blowing snow moving forward but does not do it when blower is off ground. I have tried raising the shoes, tightened the chain, check the scraper blade, and greasing again but nothing has helped (also called the dealer). Has anyone experienced anything similar?

 

[Kish318420]

Have you check for anything bent (ie augurs, blower fan, drive shaft loose in down position)

 

[JAMES KELLEY]

Yes, I did. There is some "end play" where the blower pto collar slides onto the pto drive shaft from the tractor in the quick hitch mounting bracket.
thanks for your suggestion.

 

[beenthere]

Are you familiar with the eccentric locking collars that need to keep the PTO drive shaft locked in?

Check your manual for their correct adjustment. Sounds like the "end play" you speak of is related to these collars.

Shown as key 6 in attached schematic

 

[zzvyb6]

Have you ever had the 2 piece prop shaft apart (separated with the c-clip removed or gone) ? If so and the yokes are now misaligned (mis-phased) you will have a vibration at operating angles. The inner shaft yokes must be parallel to each other. Also, the tractor pto stub shaft and the blower pto input shaft must be co-linear in the operating position. Otherwise, you will get a vibration. It could also just be a failed U-joint. Post pics of the top view and side view shaft area. That will tell all.

 

[jgayman]

The odd thing is you say it only vibrates when actually blowing snow. Most vibrations with these blowers are felt when the blower is raised off the ground. How severe is the vibration? I mean, these blowers have a tendency to vibrate and wobble a bit. My 54" blower wobbles and vibrates when run at full PTO RPM. It has done it since new.

Most of the suggestions mentioned above should also cause the blower to vibrate when raised off the ground... not just when blowing snow.

 

[JAMES KELLEY]

My 54" snow blower is starting to vibrate when blowing snow. It just does it when on the ground blowing snow moving forward but does not do it when blower is off ground. I have tried raising the shoes, tightened the chain, check the scraper blade, and greasing again but nothing has helped (also called the dealer). Has anyone experienced anything similar?

Thanks to all who replied to me. When the weather warms up up I will try some of your suggestions/comments in hopes of finding the cause. I may have mistakenly used the term vibration when I should have used the term "nosier" (since I can tell the difference even without my hearing aids). The rattling noise happens (and not all the time) only when the blower is on the ground and moving forward and blowing snow.

I did see another post on another site that had a similar problem (with JD 1026) which said it was the rod on the quick hitch mounting bracket as the cause of the noise (due to the slight tolerance in the holes on the tractor frame which the rod passes thru)