Lorenz 730 Blower repaint

[George2615]

Bought my used Lorenz 84" a few weeks ago. Cleaned it up, greased the bearings and joints, Freed up PTO shaft, fixed skid shoes, installed flow restrictors, sanded and primed scratches, Welded stop bars on the chute rotator gear, welded on an extension for the upper link so it fits my quick attach, changed gearbox oil, replaced all shear bolts and restocked holders for extra shear bolts.

I was going to wait till spring to disassemble and repaint but we've had 3 days of 60* F temps so I spent the last 3 days masking up the decals and repainting. Painted it Caterpillar yellow but think Case yellow would have been a closer match to original. Weighs in at 719 lbs. I don't expect any more severe snowfall that my plow won't handle so the thrower is ready for next year.

 

[Rustyiron]

Nice job:thumbsup:
They do seem to get chipped up very fast.

 

[PILOON]

Some years back, like about 7-8, I bought a used blower and totally tore it down to replace all bearings and do a repaint.
I did a total sandblast and primed it within hours followed next day with color coat.
I used TREMCLAD primer and enamel and to this day that primer still protects all but the inner chute and blades.
What I do every spring is simply use a 'rattle can' to spray the bare metal spots simply to prevent rust from pitting the bare metal.
Naturally the first snow of the season strips that 'rattle can' paint but there is never any pitting and the metal is always nice and shiney so snow does not stick.

I notice nice newer blowers that are powder coated generally have large chunks of paint that flake off with nice rust underneath.

 

[joe04785]

Wow, looks really good George! Is that just single stage paint? It surely doesn't look like rattle can.

 

[George2615]

Wow, looks really good George! Is that just single stage paint? It surely doesn't look like rattle can.

Thanks Joe,
The primer I used was Rustoleum rattle can. I bought a gallon of Caterpillar yellow and some hardener at local TSC store and thinned it down then sprayed 4 light coats with my cheapie HF spray gun at 60 PSI. It was 60*F outside but I heated the garage up to 80* with a torpedo heater prior to painting. Chute and motor were removed before paint. Left garage at 70* overnight for a better cure. I was pleased with the outcome. By the way, a gallon was not needed, Probably could have done it with 2 quarts but now I have enough left for other implements. I used my electric winch to hoist it in the air to rotate it around to paint all the lower parts without bending over.

 

[devildog1]

Looks Great, I had a Lorenz snow blower with the same paddles, great strong blower, never broke a shear pin and always preformed well. Best of luck for next years snows, Lol.
Devildog

 

[George2615]

Not sure of the year of mine. The oldest manual I could find online was for 2006. Everything is the same except the augers. The manual shows augers have right and left side part numbers. Mine are one piece and do not have paddles in the middle that help push snow into the fan so it may be an older model. I just emailed Lorenz with my info hopefully they will get back to me.
Glad to see all shear bolts are standard grade 5, 1/4-20 which I replaced to be safe.
I do believe that the best way to end our winter season is to purchase something that will handle the snow.
2013-14 season - Feb. 2014 - purchased tractor and had very little snow after.
2014-15 season - Oct 2014 built QA snow plow for loader arms and had very little snowfall that season.
2015-16 season - Bought chains for tractor but had a fairly light season.
2016-17 season - Feb 2017 bought Lorenz and seems like this season is winding down and won't get to use it.

 

[joe04785]

George, what ratio did you use to thin down the paint? How much hardener was needed? The reason I'm curious is that I need to do mine in the spring. If mine comes out half as nice as yours, I'll be very pleased.

 

[George2615]

George, what ratio did you use to thin down the paint? How much hardener was needed? The reason I'm curious is that I need to do mine in the spring. If mine comes out half as nice as yours, I'll be very pleased.

Joe,
I started by mixing the full gallon with a cordless drill with a stirring stick. Then pour some paint into a clean mixing cup thinning the paint approx. 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner. I stir with a stick and watch how the paint runs off the stick when I lift the stick. Not exact science but I go by look and feel. For hardener I went by instructions on the can. I put in about 1 1/2 cap full of hardener per quart (maybe an ounce). I only mixed about a quart at a time. Then test sprayed on scrap metal. Too thin and paint will run, added a little more paint, mixed and test spray again. Too thick and sprays out dry and spits out of gun, add more thinner, mix and test spray again.
If I were going to paint a car I'd be more exact on the measurements.

 

[Pillager]

Wow, looks nice.

You're going to like that Lorenz blower, I've had an 834 for more than 20 years that was used when I bought it, they perform well in all snow conditions and can take some abuse.

Depending on your area to be cleared you may want to consider adding a hydraulic deflector, or possibly electric if you have no scv available. I added a longer deflector and hyd cylinder to mine and it's really a useful feature. Really opens up some tight areas for blowing when don't need 50-75 feet of open area for the snow stream. Set up right you can put it from 10-70 feet from the blower and anywhere in between. Very helpful when the wind isn't in your favor too, pointing the tip down some really helps reduce blow back.