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

Hello folks,
Very happy to have found a great site full of experienced OPE people.

I've recently purchased a 20 or so year old Craftsman 24" snowblower, never having owned one before and not knowing much about them. It was on the cheaper side of what was out there, it started, and ran, so I said "I'll take it!" To not make a short story long, I started bouncing around the internets, learning about snowblowers, and checking the basics.

The one thing I've been stuck on is the left side auger rake being completely rusted onto it's shaft. The shear bolt was completely rusted in as well, so I had to drill it out on both sides.

So-far I've tried lots or penetrating lubricant, hammering, heat as well as two types of gear pullers against the shaft end. No go, will not budge. Not even a bit.


http://curious0george.smugmug.com/Machines/Craftsman-824/10387892_JWKgi#719377758_g5EhW


The right side shear bolt came right out, and the auger spins perfectly fine on the shaft. There are no grease fittings on this model.

Anyone out there have any ideas as to what I can try to get this auger off the shaft? Any tips or tricks that I can try? I suppose I can just leave it as is, but from what I am reading it could cause big issues, if the auger decided to eat something different than snow.


Thanks all, looking forward to your replies, keep up the great work!

Y      ou may want to drill some small holes along the shaft of the auger housing...   Very small holes, just big enough to put the straw from a can of penatrating oil in. use these holes to inject oil into other parts of the shaft.   If you can put pressure on the outer shaft with a puller as you heat the auger it may come off...  

       If you get the shaft off,   polish it with emery cloth or scotch bright..  Put anti -seize  grease on the shaft before putting it back together ...  seal the small holes with jb weld or silicone to seal out moisture.  you may want to drill into the shaft and install a grease fitting...

Good Luck,

Friiy

I had that happen once. I pulled the shear pins out and ran the machine quickly in heavy wet snow. That freed them.

friiy wrote:
Thanks friiy, great tip, however I've decided to put this unit back together and use it as is, as it has been eating up too much time. I'll try it in the spring for sure!

JohnnyBoyUpNorth wrote:
Thanks for the reply JohnnyBoyUpNorth, I wish it were that simple, I've tried 3 different kinds of gear pullers, damaging one with a 3 foot extension bar, so this sucker ain't giving up that easily!!!

On the other hand, maybe running the auger without a shear bolt (as I had to drill it out on both sides), temperature variations and material stress might loosen things up...

Cheers!

There's a product called Deep Creep, made by Seafoam. If you're in Canada it can be purchased at NAPA stores. It's amazing. If any penetrant will break it loose, it's that stuff. I would try that stuff. Google "seafoam" and you'll find plenty of info on it.

I've been in similar situations where I've wanted something to happen. That something might be a frozen nut that I've wanted removed, a tire off a wheel or something of seemingly profound importance at the time. I've been known to grab torches, sledgehammers and angle grinders and react with speed and violence where a little common sense would have done it. Sometimes my time in the military isn't an asset...

That said, can you find an old junked snowblower that you can use for parts? If I spent a quarter of my cage time with these fool machines using my head, a solution would easily present itself elsewhere. 20 year old Craftsman snowblowers can't be a rarity yet.

Just a thought.