Bent the fan

[dylan]

Well, in my snow blowing contract I have a nice little paragraph about how the customer must insure their driveway is free to obstacles like rocks, shovels, extension cord etc. This is because I'm tired of hitting stuff that should not be in the driveway in the first place especially because it destroys the equipment and can make me days late.

So we had the biggest storm we've seen in years the other day and I find a pile of firewood in a driveway. It got stuck right in the fan, bent one of the blades and the intake cover. About $500 plus the time to fix it. With it being Christmas and all, I might now get the part for weeks.

Then they want to know what took so long to get there!

Luckily I have the pusher as backup and another blade in the shop for emergencies.

 

[Spudgunner]

I dread this very same scenario. When I do a pre-removal "interview" I ask about obstacles but that's certainly not a guarantee. Plus, sometimes it's impossible to have a pre-removal interview. Had one like that this AM...fortunately there were no pieces of firewood, rocks, or kids' toys.

I've considered adding a clause to contracts that stipulates that the customer will pay for repairs should an undisclosed object be found that damages my equipment.

Good thing you have backup. Hope you get your parts soon. In case the readership might have a fan that you can buy, you might state what Make/Model of blower you have.

 

[dylan]

Good thinking thanks.
It is the bobcat sb200.

I do have the fan on order. If it gets airmailed in time it should be here tommorrow. Although Christmas is a busy time of year for delivery companies.

 

[Spudgunner]

Sounds like you are covered. Hopefully the fan will be a fairly easy part to replace. One would think/hope the fan and augers would be readily "changeout-able". I also have an sb200...do you have a service manual? If so, would you recommend it? I presently don't but was thinking about buying one.

 

[timm9]

Dylan,

The change out on the fan is easy & quick. I know because one of my drivers got a piece of firewood in one of the blowers last year! It took a O/A torch to get it bent back enough to get the fan off!

Once the old fan is off it will take 5 minutes to install the new one.

I now have an extra fan for just such occasions! Save the old fan and take it to a specialty shop to straighten it. It's much cheaper than new.

Have a great Christmas and be greatful for the snow. Some of us have not had a plowable event this season!

Tim

 

[dylan]

Thanks for the tip on fixing it. I will do that.

I have seasonal contracts so i get paid if it snows or not. Right now, I would prefer the "or not"

Thanks
Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

 

[dylan]

Tim
I forgot to ask ... did you have to remove the auger to get the fan out or will it just slide out over the auger?
Thanks dylan

 

[timm9]

Dylan,

You do not have to remove the Auger. Remove the two bolts/nuts holding the triangle shaped cover plate. Then remove the 6 or 8 nuts holding the fan and it can be "angled" and removed easily. Good luck and let me know if you have any trouble. If I remeber correctly, I had to heat and bend the cover plate back into shape.

Tim

 

[dylan]

Tim
Good that's what I was thinking. It would be little more time consuming to remove the auger because it it attached to my flip down back drag blade.
Should be a piece of cake (famous last words!) Can't wait till my new fan gets here. It's been a week now. We've had snow at least every second day for the last month.

 

[timm9]

Dylan,

One last thing. You only need to remove the outer nuts on the fan and not the large one in the center securing the shaft.

 

[dylan]

Great thanks. I'm going to get on that in the new year.

Happy NewYear everyone!
dylan

 

[GitchiGummi]

Does the fan have over-pressure relief? I was under the impression that the blower is protected by pressure relief rather than shear bolts? Maybe this only applies to the augers? is it just that the fan is moving so fast that when it hits something like a log it will bend regardless?

gg

 

[Spudgunner]

My Bobcat SB-200 does not have any shear bolts. Or maybe I should say it has no bolts that are specifically for that purpose...ouch...

I've managed to jam both the fan and the auger at one time or another and the pressure relief mechanism sure beats bolts!!

My neighbor has a QA blower...no shear bolts there according to him.

 

[GitchiGummi]

So how is it that the fan bent?

 

[timm9]

I can only speak from my own experiences. I have "ingested" many items (newspapers, a shoe, kids toys, etc) in my blowers. The only time any item did damage was the firewood. Typically the bypass/safety work very well and/or the item exits via the shute in pieces. I attribute the damage from the firewood to the "wood" being the perfect size, and in the perfect orientation to actually get past the auger and into the fan where it bent one of the fins/blades. It did not bend the backing plate. In addition, the only damage was to the fin/blade and it did not blow any lines or do any other damage.

I have a "clause" regarding objects left in driveways in my contracts as well. Unfortunately, people have good intentions but it still happens. I actually carry bolt cutters in the blowers. They are great for cutting out lost tire chains, etc.

 

[dylan]

I'm hit many items also with no effect. The bypass works well and stops the blower without any damage. This must have been just the perfect hit where the fan hit the wood at full speed and it bent before it had time to stop.

It will be hard to use a blower that uses shear bolts again after using a hydraulic blower. So much nicer than messing with frozen bolts in the dark.

My fan has still not come in. I did get the old one out and I almost have it straight. Just hoping it doesn't vibrate.

 

[timm9]

Dylan,

I had the same concerns about trying to "fix" the fan myself. I was concerned that if it was not perfect, it might destroy the motor.

I know what you mean about the shear pins. One of my friends has a Trackless MT. It's a fantastic machine, but he has to carry shear pins and tools on his route. What a pain!

 

[dylan]

I put two hours on today blowing back banks. It ran really smooth.
I did not reinstall the blocker plate on the opening as it is quite bent up. It actually seemed to handle the snow better. Anyone else try this?

 

[timm9]

Dylan,

I'm very interested in hearing more about leaving the diverting plate off. Do you feel you are able to increase the volume with the plate off? Are you seeing more "spillage" and the end of a "row" without the plate? I guess the last question would not apply to you as you installed an additional hydro plate that comes down over the front of the blower....

 

[dylan]

It does seem to blow better. Not by leaps and bounds mind you but better yes. It seemed steadier. Like the snow was feeding in evenly and blowing out smoothly. I chewed through some 7' deep piles that were 20' long. Just slow and steady.

When I get to the end of a row or a garage door, I drop my back drag and pull the remaining bit out to the start and then blow it as I start the next pass.

Does anyone know the purpose of the plate? None of my other blowers have one.

thanks dylan