How to change oil in Agro Trend snowblower gearbox

[whiskywizard]

I've got an Agro Trend snowblower. The gearbox is captured between two plates on the blower's frame, so there's no way to drain the oil. There is an accessible plug on the side of the gearbox. I've loosened it; the oil level is higher than the hole so they must have filled the gearbox before the blower was assembled. What are you guys doing? Just sucking the oil out with a vac pump? That seems to be the only way, short of disconnecting the blower and rotating the entire unit so the drain hole faces downwards.

I'll post a few pics to give some perspective.

Blower overview


Side view of gearbox, with PTO input and auger output.


Drain plug on left side.


Looking up at underside of blower frame.

 

[davesl708]

Looks like pumping it out may be the best and quickest way to drain it.
Could one of the bottom mount bolts be a drain plug as well?

 

[firemech]

Also curious to know the answer as I purchased a new 72" Agrotrend unit about two weeks ago and noticed the same problem. My previous 60" Agrotrend unit (about 15 years old) had fill, oil level and drain plugs in the gearbox. I see the new unit still has holes in the metal plates for these plugs but none are in the gearbox. The owners manual for my new blower tells me to check the oil annually and change it with SAE 75W90 every 50 hours; but it doesn't show me where the plugs are or how to do it!

 

[whiskywizard]

Looks like pumping it out may be the best and quickest way to drain it.
Could one of the bottom mount bolts be a drain plug as well?

I'm thinking you're right. I'm hoping I missed some less-obvious solution. The 4 mounting bolts pass right through the top plate, the gearbox and the lower plate, so I don't think they're drains. To be certain I will have to loosen them.

 

[whiskywizard]

The owners manual for my new blower tells me to check the oil annually and change it with SAE 75W90 every 50 hours; but it doesn't show me where the plugs are or how to do it!

My manual is the same. Rather shabby. I tried to find contact info for Agro Trend and found that they've been bought by a US c ompany called Art's Way or something similar.

I'm thinking more and more about uncoupling the blower and picking it up, rotating the entire unit to drain the gearbox and then rotating it fully 180º to refill the gearbox. I'd love to get any metal fines out of there with the old oil.

 

[Stonehaller]

I have the same issue with my Harley rake. I ended removing the gear box from the rake to drain and change the oil. I had bought the rake used and had much of it disassembled anyway to replace seals and bearings. This spring I will be going through problem again of removing the gear box to change the oil. It is sad to see such poor engineering in products.

 

[nch209]

Sounds like you guys will be vac'in the oil out. Bummer of a design... But I have stuff like that too.

Side note... How do you guys like the agro trend blowers? Dealer has leftovers from like 8 years ago that I've been working a deal on... But I may let them sit another year... HHAHAHA. How do they work?

 

[whiskywizard]

Sounds like you guys will be vac'in the oil out. Bummer of a design... But I have stuff like that too.

Side note... How do you guys like the agro trend blowers? Dealer has leftovers from like 8 years ago that I've been working a deal on... But I may let them sit another year... HHAHAHA. How do they work?

Great! I have no complaints at all. They're strong, and cut easily through hard snow. Mine throws gravel just as far as snow! ;-)

I've just picked up an ATV winch and a linear actuator to automate the blower chute. A little project for my boys and I before Christmas dinner.

 

[lungdoc]

Interesting - I used mine for 6 years and never changed the oil. I think it will last a long time in homeowner use. Sold it now so not my worry. I would disconnect and lift the entire blower i think if you have equipment to do so safely. Can drain it with a pump but how do you refill and get cap back on? Was a solid blower.

 

[Clipse3GT]

Remove the 4 bolts holding the pump. Remove it from the blower assembly. Find the drain plug and just gravity drain it. Add proper volume of gear oil and reinstall pump. Finally reinstall on the snow blower.