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

I've repainted my blower housing, impeller, auger and chute (pictures to come) and replaced the impeller bearing and got the engine purring like a kitten.  I've got the whole thing back together...almost, when I notice that there is some play in the axle where it penetrates the tractor housing.  I was going to address the tractor in the off-season but with no snow in the foreseeable future and backup equipment available just in case, I'm thinking of replacing the bearings and any related h/w.

My problem is twofold.  How to disassemble the drive axle and how to identify what needs replacing.  I can't tell if the wear is in the housing or the washer that fills the opening or the bearing or the bearing retainer or all of the above.  When I put the blower on the housing and remove the bottom plate, I wiggle the axle and see some movement in the space between the housing and the washer and possibly between the axle and the bearing.

Looks like I'm going to have to disassemble it to know for sure.  Anyone who has been down this road, feel free to share your experiences.

The parts I was looking to replace, according to the parts manual:

(2)  05417700 Bearing-Ball 1.45 x 2.19 x 0.63
(2)  06417000 Washer-Flat-Steel 1.140 x 1.718 x 0.134

Here's the starboard side:


Here's the port side but the bearing area is not visible:

manjestic wrote:
Please continue to take it apart, I heard there might be some snow heading for us too.

I agree, continue to dismantle that snowblower.  A big storm is coming this way.  Nobody buy another snowblower!

Good thing I have backup machines.  I'm storing my brother-in-law's 6.5hp Craftsman and I have a Toro CCR 1000.  My neighbor comes by occasionally with his Bobcat with a poly blade, too. 

I was wondering why you were so brave to open up the snowblower in January.  Yeah, I got a back up snowblower too, and that one has its back up.  :)

Ordered new axle bearings.  I now am checking other wear items in the reduction gear drive.  New concern...when I disassembled the differential, I didn't notice parts 36 or 39 as shown below.  I'm wondering if they are missing or perhaps I have the wrong parts manual.  Anyone?  Bueller?

36 and 39 and pressed into the small axle hub.  They have to be hammered out.  They are bronze bushings.

When I opened mine, I noticed 39 (the little one). I think it stayed on the small end of shaft 32. I did not notice 36. I looked later, and it was still stuck down inside the hollow part of shaft 38, buried in grease. Despite how it appears in the picture, bushing 36 slips inside of 38 (it's between the outside of 32, and the inside of 38).

When you manually slip the two shafts together, even if not in the machine, they should kind of be snug together, if the bushings are present. The bushings keep them aligned (parallel) and concentric. If the bushings are not present, the two shafts will probably be able to tilt and move around relative to each other.

Those bushings look as if they are part of the axle.  Even with the axle perfectly clean a person wouldn't know they were in there.  As long as the short axle doesn't have any side to side
 play when it's on the axle.  The bushings are fine.

Thanks, I do see them now.  There is no play when the two axles are put together, so no need to replace the bushings.  On another note, the differential assembly, 43 in the diagram...how does that get lubricated internally?  Or is it sealed?  I imagine that the pumping grease via the grease fitting on the short axle feeds grease along, up to the splined end and perhaps to the internal gears of the differential assembly.

I need to check for play with bushings 34 and 22.  Bearing 14 looks good on my machine.

manjestic wrote:
The diff. is fairly well sealed on the outside.  And once the axles are in place there really isn't much of a chance of dirt or water getting in through the center hole.  I would assume they are lubed at the factory
and that is that.   It's usually the teeth that get worn that causes problems.  There may be some grease that works it's way in from using the short axle grease fitting.  But that fitting is primarily to keep the inner and outer axle lubed.  After everything is back together.  I usually take a stiff bristle brush and dab stiff grease into the diff teeth all the way around.  Not a whole lot, just enough to put a coating on all the teeth after you've spun it a few
revolutions.
Of the two pairs of bushings.  You really want to make sure that they 34s are good.  They really wear because of the load that is on them.
If they are worn you will know after you clean it up and slide it on the shaft.  Sometimes the flange will wear off the end of the bushing as well.  You didn't appear to have a lot of dirty grease build up in the housing so the flanges are probably ok.  I believe that is what causes them to wear.  Dirty grease is like valve grinding compound.  As long as your in there, if they aren't nice and snug I would replace them.
The 22 bushings don't wear as quickly.  But are worth checking.