help! snowblower auger has stopped

[Rick Jay]

Now I'm home, and as suspected, the manual is not useful here at all. I went to look at my snowblower, but there is a plastic shield around the auger drive shaft that obscures the view.

I have to side with the folks that recommend contacting either your closest local Woods dealer or Woods directly.

Good Luck,

~Rick

 

[emery]

Good News. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The problem turned out to be a sheared key on the drive gear for the auger. Its fixed and I'm back in business (timing was good because it all happened between storms.
I want to pass on a few details incase they may help someone else in the future as they attempt a gearbox repair. I have a woods, but there maybe a lot of similarity among brands.
The gear that turns the auger is run off a gear that is on a straight thru shaft which spins the fan at one end and attaches to 3pt drive on the other. A snap ring holds the auger gear on the shaft and after removing the 4 BOLTS holding the fan shaft I could get at the snap ring and remove it to get at the auger gear. The shaft the auger gear is on sticks out of the transmission box about 6 inches and is splined and a drive shaft for the chain slips over the splines (no pins used). Its held by the bearing and collar at the chain drive end of the shaft.
I'm going to notch the shear bolt on the auger chain gear to make it weaker as it should shear before any damage ocurrs inside the tranmission itself.
Sorry I did not have a camera to get some photos /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Rick Jay]

emery,

Thanks for the update.

Just out of curiousity, have you checked your shear bolts? On my new Woods SS60, the auger shear bolt was a grade 5 and the PTO shear bolt was a grade 8. It would seem to me that grade 2 would be "safer" so the "spares" that I bought are grade 2. However, during it's first winter, I figured I'd use what was supplied by the factory. Now that you reminded me, I think I'll send an e-mail to Woods and inquire about this.

It's odd that the key would shear before the bolt.

Anyway, glad to hear the fix was relatively inexpensive. I have a feeling you're going to get a chance to test it out before this winter is over. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

~Rick

 

[emery]

Rick, thanks for you help and input. I did check the auger shear bolt and it must not be original because it is marked Toro on the head of it. the PTO drive shaft has a shear bolt at the tractor end and I use a very low grade there(no lines on head). I have had to replace that bolt once each season, but it is quick and easy to do and it acts as a nice insurance against more serious damage.
I am careful toslowly engage the pto power to prevent stress on the shear bolt.

 

[Rick Jay]

Follow-up: I sent an e-mail to Woods and inquired about the grade 5 shear bolt on the auger and a grade 8 on the PTO. Below is the response (within 24 hours, I think) that I received from Woods.

<font color="purple"> Thanks for bringing that error to our attention, the correct hardness for both bolts is Grade 5. </font>

Hmmm...I wonder if I should ask for a "free" grade 5 bolt to replace the grade 8 that is on the PTO? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Oh well, any of you that have the newer Woods SS series snowthrowers may wish to check into this. I don't know if this is just a Woods error because I believe the PTO shaft comes from a different company (I don't have their name handy at the moment.) They supply the PTO shaft and Woods just ships it with the blower.

It might be worthwhile for those of you with other brand snowblowers with PTO shear bolts to check the hardness of the bolt. If they use the same supplier for the PTO shaft you might have the same situation.

~Rick

 

[pennwalk]

The manual for my Yanmar snowblower calls for a 1/4 inch grade 5 bolt on the fan and 5/16 inch grade 2 on the auger.

I remember reading here about substituting aluminum bolts for a lighter shear.

Chris