I think you are right that most of my shearing is caused by the gravel that is stirred up from the back blading. My concern is this gravel is only a little amount of 2b stone. I would think the blower should pass this with ease. My dealer picked up the unit today to see if he can find anything wrong with it. If he doesnt find out anything I dont know what my next move will be but I can not keep the blower the way it performs currently.
shear bolt madness
- Thread starter Drtumolo
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sandyc
Veteran Member
Just a thought and not sure if it was mentioned....the augers have to be set up properly after shearing pins. I don't have my manual in the house (at barn) but if memory serves they have to be positioned so that they are coordinated when they rotate.
I have yet (knock on wood) to break a pin on my 300 foot gravel drive in over two years! I have thrown sticks, ice, gravel and etc.
I have yet (knock on wood) to break a pin on my 300 foot gravel drive in over two years! I have thrown sticks, ice, gravel and etc.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ....the augers have to be set up properly after shearing pins...)</font>
Hey that's a great point; I hadn't thought of that. I doubt it, but that could be the issue. The augurs ought to be set up so that they'are "out of phase"--not symmetric. It's tempting to set them up so that they come together in the middle; but you want to do it so that it looks like one continuous ribbon (one is rotated 180 degrees to the other). It's hard to explain in words. But if you don't do it this way, and you're dealing with large amounts of snow (as you are if you're blading it first) it'll try to shove too much snow into the thrower all at once. You could break a shear pin. Here's a schematic of how it ought to be set up:
\/\/\/ /\/\/\
and NOT like this:
\/\/\/ \/\/\/
See what I mean?
Jim
Hey that's a great point; I hadn't thought of that. I doubt it, but that could be the issue. The augurs ought to be set up so that they'are "out of phase"--not symmetric. It's tempting to set them up so that they come together in the middle; but you want to do it so that it looks like one continuous ribbon (one is rotated 180 degrees to the other). It's hard to explain in words. But if you don't do it this way, and you're dealing with large amounts of snow (as you are if you're blading it first) it'll try to shove too much snow into the thrower all at once. You could break a shear pin. Here's a schematic of how it ought to be set up:
\/\/\/ /\/\/\
and NOT like this:
\/\/\/ \/\/\/
See what I mean?
Jim
Junkman
Super Member
Ask him if they will cover any damage that is done to the gear box as a result. The shear bolts are there to protect the gears from damage. If you put in a harder bolt, then the possible damage is transfered to the next weakest point, which is the brass gears in the gear box. I was at a friends last week and he showed me the results of a snowblower hitting a rolled up newspaper. The wet paper wasn't enough to break the shear bolt, but it put enough drag on the augers to chew up the brass gear that drove the auger by the end of the driveway clearing procedure. The gear was $75 for the part, plus the labor to replace it. Since your machine is new and has a problem, why doesn't the selling dealer just replace it with another and let Kubota deal with the defective unit? If I had a machine that had a problem from day one, I would want it replaced if they couldn't figure out the problem the first time without resorting to using stronger bolts. If the grade 5 bolt doesn't break, then the gears will be taking the brunt and the damage might not show up for 20, 30, or even 50 hours later, when the machine is out of warranty. Then who is going to eat the cost of repairs??? Something to think about now, rather than later....
I thought about the issue of grade 5 bolts in place of shear pins and agree with you the gearbox would be damaged. Unfortunily I jumped the gun and modified (drilled mounting holes) the blower by mounting 10" casters on the back edge to keep it from digging into my gravel driveway. I dont think they would exchange it for a diffrent blower since I did this.
Junkman
Super Member
Then have them switch the mechanicals from one to the other and they will have a new looking unit to return to Kubota and your problem should be resolved. You have a right to have a unit that works the way it is intended to work, your modifications withstanding. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I would continue to push the dealer for a satisfactory repair or replacement, not a modification that will ultimately lead to further problems down the road, and Kubota will not want to hear about it then. Now is the time to be pushing them. If they can't fix it, then it will probably wind up as parts or scrap. They can't pass it off to another customer with the present problems. Be courteous, reasonable, but firm in your determination of wanting a unit that works using the factory supplied shear bolts, not some grade 5 in its place. This is not an unreasonable request. Would you accept a car that kept blowing fuses that the dealer put a larger fuse in its place to remedy the problem????? Push this as a safety related issue also......
junkman, thanks for the idea of switching the mechanicals over to my housing. I never gave that a thought. Both the dealer and I spoke with Kubota corp. engineers today and they are sending some new (diffrent lot#) shear bolts to try. If that doesnt solve the problem I will try to push for the mechanical swap idea. Kubota also agreed with me that the grade 5 bolt idea the dealer suggested was a BAD one. They also felt that it probably was not due to my stone driveway because it is breaking the bolts so often.
It appears that the snowblower is returning to my house today. The dealer was told by Kubota to use a grade 2-5/16. Kubota also told me the same thing when I called them to question it. The dealer said that when they tryed the grade 2 bolts they didnt have anymore breakage. I guess I will have to wait til I get home to try it myself.
Junkman
Super Member
Order a gasket for the gear box and this spring when you no longer need the snowblower, disassemble the gear box and examine it for wear. If you find that the brass gear shows signs of wear, take it to you Kubota dealer and ask for a new snowblower. You can be certain that if it breaks out of warranty, they won't do a thing for you. My philosophy is it should work properly like all the rest of the machines without using a stronger part, like they have instructed. There stronger bolt method is band-aid repairs, and I wouldn't accept it, but that is me....
Junkman
Super Member
Your attachment appears to be a zipped file that I am unwilling to open.... Is that what you posted????? Thanks .....
Finally had a snow fall to try out the blower shear bolts. I am sorry to report that I still have a problem with breaking bolts. The grade 2 bolts held longer than the grade 5 shear bolt did but they are still breaking at a high rate. I have about had it with this ordeal. Any new ideas on what I may try.
Av8r3400
Platinum Member
Call your dealer and tell them it's time to replace the driveline on your blower housing (because of the drilling). Maybe you can work out paying for part of the labor or something. You have a gearbox/driveline problem.
With your "pipe" trick and the caster wheels, you are doing everything possible to keep the gravel out of the blower. It has a mechanical fault somewhere.
I hope you can get some satifaction. These are good blowers.
With your "pipe" trick and the caster wheels, you are doing everything possible to keep the gravel out of the blower. It has a mechanical fault somewhere.
I hope you can get some satifaction. These are good blowers.
