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

The Ariens Platinum and Professional models, high end John Deere models use the Hillard AutoLok differential. This allows a wheel to rotate faster than the drivetrain. In practice, it is as if the snowblower automatically freewheels the OUTSIDE wheel in a turn.

Some other snowblowers have levers to free wheel either the left wheel or right wheel. Some have two to free wheel either wheel at the operators choice.

Intuitively, if the inside wheel is free wheeled, the snow blower will power its way around the turn. If the inside wheel is free wheeled, it should try to fight the turn. If that is the case, the automatic differentials would always be fighting the turn. Additionally, if the turn had snow or other resistance, the operator would have to provide the effort to push the outside wheel along its longer arc.

In practice, is that how it works? If you have a snowblower with the Hillard differential and have used it in snow, how well does it work. How does this compare to your experience with a free wheel capable snowblower? The differential should be better than a locked axle snowblower; however, is it better than an operator controlled free wheel?

Here is a demo of the Hilliard AutoLok Differential.  Shown that it's used on an Ariens and a Deere snow thrower.  If you need a woman to do your driveway then perhaps the dual-trigger design might still be the easiest but this looks like it's pretty easy.  No, it's not shown on snow and of course a hands-on demo would be the ultimate test...

 http://productsearch.machinedesign.com/FeaturedProducts/Detail/Hilliard/Hilliard_AutoLok_Differential/108436/0

slinger wrote:

Thanks! That was a great video. http://productsearch.machinedesign.com/FeaturedProducts/Detail/Hilliard/Hilliard_AutoLok_Differential/108436/0

It pointed out another advantage: no maintenance of the remote cables for operator controlled free wheeling. The integration of manufacturing cost, product features, and marketing advantages for the manufacturer integrated the product seems to show Hillard is a company that has its act together and understands its customers. There are many products where either the marketing, manufacturing, or engineering departments dominate not concerned about the underlying substance of the other. My favorite example lately is Emerson's Copeland Ultra Scroll 2-stage compressor used in many residential and light commercial HVAC compressors. While it provides 2-stages in one compressor, ti does so by making it very inefficient on the low stage. Sort like making someone run slower by cutting off their feet.

The demo, doing a slalom on an uphill ramp, is probably not a common snow blower problem. A lot of the video concentrated on the advantages for lawn equipment that would normally have an open differential, such as a yard tractor. In those cases it had a huge advantage with no disadvantage. Snow blowers nominally have locked axles, so the advantage is more limited.

My wife went to try the Deere with AutoLok (a very nice dealer about 20 miles away) followed by an Ariens Deluxe. Unfortunately the handlebar geometry, discussed in another thread, became the big issue masking the AutoLok. For me, I thought i was ok.

Thanks.  I'll take that as a compliment as I am a test engineering manager for an Emerson division that uses the scroll compressors and provides feedback to our sister division to make changes and improvements to the product.  Good luck in you search for that 30" machine!  

slinger wrote:

Your welcome, it was.