Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

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.

If you're having difficulty in getting the shear bolts/pins out, then you are ingesting debris into the machine that is causing the auger rakes to jam, which in turn is partially shearing the bolts/pins. They should come right out! Its worth going thru the effort to lube those auger shafts periodically - I'm going on SIX HOURS to attempt to free up the auger rakes on a John Deere 10/32 that someone neglected for a LOT of years. If I let this go, then when something gets caught in the auger it will almost guarantee a gearbox failure (EXPENSIVE $$$). I know its a pain to tend to during the winter, but trust me - spending six hours in an unheated shed trying to free these rakes in 20 degree weather is NOT fun...

Marty

Isn't it possible to put some zerk ( grease ) fittings on the auger shaft housing ?  Then you can just pump the grease gun and force out the old grease with the new . 

Boyzfan

Yes!

But wait till your warranty runs out!

                                                   Fred

YES! - You can add zerks. First, drill a hole in the center of auger rake tube. Then find a nut that has the same thread as the zerk fitting you will be using. Weld the nut to the rake tube, centering it over the new hole you just drilled. Screw in the zerk fitting.

Marty

Majorxlr8n wrote:
Here's what I had to do to get two off. Slice it with a Dremel tool down to the shaft, then heat it in a 40 ton hydraulic press!

Ariens come with Zerks on the rakes, but if you don't use them, or if you squirt grease in there but don't rotate them on the shaft.......

I noticed the new Arien's machines have redesigned the auger rake assembly. On the older snowthros, the 2 auger rake shaft bearings used to be exposed on the outside of the chute housing. The 2 auger drive rake shafts could be seen rotating on the outside of the intake chute when in operation. 

The newer SnoThros have 3 bolts exposed on the outside of the chute housing with the entire bearing assembly and shafts on the inside, like Simplicity currently has.

Does this make for an easier assembly/disassembling process especially on a frozen rake?

Did this change  lower manufacturing costs or is this an improvement?

Garandman wrote:

Garandman,

I don't get the part with "HEAT IN A 40 TON HYDRAULIC PRESS" .Can you please explain?  Thanx Allan

The shaft was split per above (you can remove the image when quoting by clicking it and hitting Delete).
Then put vertically in a 40 ton press.
Then the Rake was heated, so it expanded.
Then the press was able to push it off the shaft.

Got Ya  THANKS

PCPC wrote:

 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

The ones I've had the most trouble with adding auger zerks are MTD & its "clone" units. The auger rake tubes are almost paper thin! Trying to keep a zerk snug on one of these units is impossible without welding on a nut. The Ariens tubes are INDEED beefy, but they already have grease fittings (although some never see a grease gun!). I guess that if you drilled a hole thru the rake tube and deep enough into the "axle" shaft, you could add a zerk (without welding a nut) IF the rake tube is thick. For those without welding equipment - JB Weld could be used to secure a nut instead, and would provide a nice, leakproof seal!

Marty