I just noticed that I did not get any email alert for postings since #83 so here goes briefly just for a few of your appreciated bits of insight:
#83 pmsmechanic
The direction of rotation is not a problem because making of just flipping a fan is no big deal. The toothed belt reduction can expensive, the two pulleys and the belt on the existing rig set me back well over a thousand but a used tranny with a tx-case is $300.
#84 redneckintraining
The only handling problem with the existing rig is weight, that is to say I should not increase it any or I may have to raise the hyd. pressure which I would rather not do. One of its nicest advantages is that I can attack a tall snow pile at any height and sculpt it down. This seldom happens but would be impossible with any other setup. I don't have a garage, won't either given my age and not being able to justify one anymore.
#85 franklin2
The small pulley between bearings is not the current arrangement but is close to it. I'm using a rubber flywheel adapter to whicj a shaft connects the other end of the shaft resting on a bearing, pulley in-between. This is a good and simple setup and could just as easily be used on a truck. The torque peaks at 1600 and yes I could devise a similar reduction on a truck but it does pose obstacles like where to find 2-3 feet necessary for the small and big pulleys with some room in between for a tensioner which is needed more to wrap more belt around the small pulley. A double system requiring less space would start costing a LOT.
#88 pmsmechanic
I upped an image earlier about a snow-blower made in the 60's using a gang of belts. The side-load there was way over a thousand lbs, mind you the engine was a big Cat, I don't have the details. I'm not too concerned since the toothed belts do not depend on any constant tension even if occasionally the transient load might become high. Shear pins do protect the auger where the torque is huge, if I encounter a large but otherwise undramatic load with the impeller then the engine simply stalls. This 6bt of course will start with double the torque. I do have a pacic button which trips a solenoid immediately releasing the power lever from the electrical actuating cylinder to the spring-loaded shutdown end.
#89 leonz
Thanks for the ref. When I looked at the po$$ibility of a clutch for the Deutz, it being an almost exclusively industrial engine, the only thing I found was new and at $2000 which of course ended right there. Since the 6bt is also automotive it's an entirely different story. But I will look into thosre Rockfords as well, if only for my own education
#92 aczlan
No need to run wide open when idle + 200 might do the job. The ideal as bigdeano also observed is to match the power to the demand. I'm still far from getting into this aspect but with hydraulics for example it should be doable: a fan that turns at the speed preset by the operator and consistent with snow conditions, and governed power that automatically follows the load, sortalike a governor sensor on the fan but commanding the engine lever.
#93 bigdeano
Yes, currently i use engine 1000 to redline 2500 which mean about 400 to 1000 at the fan. This would vary with fan sice, tip speed being the limiting figure. With dry snow I get reasonably good toss at 1800 engine rpm already. I vatry the vehicle speed to control the feed seeing that engine rpm starts to weaken with increasing load at a certain point. You could say I'm dosing the speed by ear.
#85 farmboy00
One of the neat features of a wide-range 6-speed with a tx-case is that it gives you so many speeds that you can really plan on changing the fan diameter every day and still find the one or two or three that you can use meaningfully. Much like the engine being (finally!) decided I will probably have many fewer gearing variables to cover once the fan diameter is fixed. A shear-pin even at the engine is something I should investigate because of the now more than doubled torque on tap. I would prefer an automatic but according to many opinions already expressed here they are not as capable as I had presumed.
I don't do facebook but the youtube link I've seen before. I once had a little 7hp honda and it would throw 70 feet butit's all a question of feed rate, tons/minute. My driveway is 2200+300 feet, 16 wide. Just yesterday I had an average of 8" on it, took me 1 hour prep 1 hour blow. This is where the new engine comes in ...hoopefully
#99 franklin2
I think it was with the best of intentions
This is why some snow-blowing national would go a long way to pumping new life into the industry's economy!
