Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Greasing the auger shaft assembly
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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Boyzfan
Joined: Nov 15, 2005
Points: 9
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Greasing the auger shaft assembly
Original Message Dec 18, 2005 12:26 am |
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In the owners manual for my Simplicity 1170 blower it calls for the auger shaft assembly to be greased every 10 hours. You also have to take the shear pins out and turn the auger shaft. It can be a real pain in the neck. It was 20 degrees here, but I did get it done. How many of you do this in the winter? Sometimes getting the pins out is a real battle. If anyone knows any secrets Im open to suggestions.
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Majorxlr8n
Location: Freehold NJ
Joined: Aug 6, 2003
Points: 1092
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Re: Greasing the auger shaft assembly
Reply #11 Dec 22, 2005 11:29 pm |
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You shouldn't have to weld a nut to the auger, as zerk fittings are usually self tapping. I would drill the hole, just past (clear of) the inner shaft, and fill the whole auger up with grease. I was going to do this on my Honda, but I discovered that if you remove the end bolts, the holes go all the way through, and you can just pump the grease in from there....
Welding the nut onto the rake tube raises the grease fitting upwards, away from the auger axle shaft & allows grease to flow MORE EASILLY throughout the tube. Rake tubes are usually pretty thin (would you only screw the zerk fitting in 1/2 way?), so welding the nut onto them provides a better seal and a thicker base to screw onto. When I first tried to add zerks on a snowblower auger tube, I tried it exactly as you have suggested, only to have the zerk fall out or strip out. If it happens to stay put, then when grease was added, it leaked from the zerk base since its not fully seated.
Marty
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PCPC
Honda 1132 snow thrower, Simplicity 1060 snow thrower, RedMax EBZ8000 leaf blower, older Snapper self propelled mower, Echo weed wacker, 20 + year old 16" McCulloch Chain Saw, wheel barrel with a flat tire, and a rusty shovel!
Joined: Nov 26, 2005
Points: 26
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Re: Greasing the auger shaft assembly
Reply #12 Dec 22, 2005 11:58 pm |
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You're right, that it's a more secure way of doing it, but I think the thickness is plenty, if you're drilling away from the axle shaft, so the fitting can stick into the tube, if necessary. As long as the hole is the correct size, you should be able to get it secure enough. You do have to be careful though, because like you said, if the metal is not that thick (and you're tapping it into a curved surface), and if the hole is just a little too big, it won't tighten correctly. The auger shaft in the pictures look pretty darn thick though, and most augers that have zerk fitting in them, have the fittings screwed right in. Most people don't have welding equipment, and would have to bring it somewhere. I guess you can even solder them in, if you really want to secure them. A lot of people have a propane torch for doing basic plumbing... If you want the fitting directly over the inner shaft (I guess that's called the axle shaft?), which is a better idea, then you would have to weld something for the fitting to screw into. Are any machines made like that, or do they all have the fittings located past the inner shafts?
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