Snow GC2410 TLB / MF2360 Snowblower

[truenorth]

Over-tightening, I don't think so. They call for 9 foot pounds and that's about where I set them. Blizzard, I moved the skid shoes down as far as they would go, but that doesn't seem to make a difference, other than I pick up less gravel. I went to a local MF dealer and asked their service manager about my experience. They don't think the bolts should break very often, but that was all they offered up. They did give me a new key (1/4 x 1/4 x one inch) for free. I'll try and get that in sometime soon.

I did send an email to the manufacturer of this thing, Rad Technologies but that have so far ignored me. Maybe I'll send them a link to this page. They might not like the publicity.

Re steering, the chains make a huge difference. Don't go out there without them.


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[Venturabass]

Truenorth,
Sorry to hear of your struggles. I've eyed the Massey blowers in the past for adding to my older 1240 (compact class) but logistically it didn't work (mid PTO not installed, would have to remove backhoe subframe, etc). However I may have an idea. My dad has a Kubota GR2100. It's a heavy duty shaft driven diesel garden tractor, uses a 46" blower made by RAD. He was having the same problem with his fan shear bolts breaking almost everytime. Not so much with the auger bolts.

For my snow removal I use a John Deere X540 belt driven garden tractor with a Bercomac 48" snowblower. I've spoken to Berco many times on the phone. They're about 20 minutes down the road from RAD in Canada. Both companies were started by the same founder. They've had employees work at both companies. The blower design is extremely similar and to most would look identical, it was actually weird when I first got my Berco and compared it to my Dad's, until the company gave me that piece of info.

I don't have any issues with breaking shear bolts. So I compared my shear bolts to my fathers for the fan. On the fan both are grade 5 but his had 2 notches and mine only had 1. Same diameter, same same length. I gave him some of my fan shear bolts and so far he hasn't broken one. I didn't think 2 notches vs. 1 would matter, maybe it does? So my idea is trying a bolt with 1 notch. Figuring this would be a safer starting point than an un-notched bolt. What does yours have? I know Berco has made shaft driven blowers, and they make one for the newer John Deere 1025r which is similar in class to yours. If this info is helpful, you might want to contact Salem Power Equipment in Plymouth, MI at 734-649-1781. Bercomac is mostly non-existent at many dealers but they must be a larger dealer as I bought some supplies from them when I first set my Bercomac up, and it was all in stock. If you gave them your size/grade they might be able to match with a part off their shelf. The Berco owners manuals also show parts lists in the back too and they list the size of the shear bolts (at least for my model, Northeast 48", #700378-3.)

As for your second problem, I can't see your photos except for the last one. Am I correct that the drive shaft to the blower goes into the back of the blower, and there's roughly a 2:1 gear reduction through sprockets and a chain drive? The large sprocket is then on the end of the shaft that the fan is on? And the reduction has a bent steel plate that covers this for safety? This is how the Kubota unit is set up.

I'll say this, it's discouraging, and a pain in the ***** especially if you're getting a lot of snow right now. But if you can access the parts it shouldn't be all to difficult to fix. What I'm saying is don't feel too discouraged it could be much worse. Do you have the key still? If not you should be able to order one online if the dealer is far. Look into Loctite 680. It's a retaining compound. I used it for to fix a "push in" style zerk fitting on my Massey loader. My problem was when removing the grease gun it would always pull out the fitting or grease would just pump out the clearance between the hole and fitting. I had called Loctite for a solution and I believe they said this was also used for securing "keys" in a keyway on a shaft. If not the right product they have stuff that does just that. .95 cents a tube on Amazon. It sets up real fast. Not really an epoxy but it does it's job.

Lastly, you can always try calling RAD. I found their website confusing in the past, not sure if they post a number. I was surprised how easily I could get a real knowledgeable tech support guy at Berco, you may be surprised.

Good luck, let me know how it ends up.

 

[Pixguy]

Your issues are not typical.

I've used my blower for six winters now and break shear pins but it's always because I use the blower where it shouldn't be used.
I have 400' of paved driveway and about 1500' of gravel road that I maintain. I use the blower totally on the driveway without ever an issue. When I blow the gravel road, I keep the blower up an inch or two and use my rear 60" blade to scrape the remainder of snow. I haven't wasted a bolt when I stick to that plan. The reason I do break a bolt is when I try to help a neighbor clear a pile of plowed snow or push into a forgotten rock. I've only busted two gold bolts but a total of about 15 silver bolts that I now buy from Kubota.

Good luck.

 

[Northland]

I feel your pain as I had similar problems breaking pins on my Agrotrend 5 ft 3pt hitch mounted blower on my Kubota B7800. My problem turned out to be a worn out PTO shaft. After I replaced it I have no more problems and can blow even wet snow with the consistency of cement.

 

[plowhog]

I had a similar problem of breaking bolts where a motor/pump aligned. I did everything perfectly, proper torque, etc. and still broke bolts. I disassembled the unit and pressure washed everything and found the bolt holes on the flange were ever-so-slightly rounded. The slight rounding, maybe 1/64 inch or so, allowed just enough "slop" to wreak havoc. I installed a new flange and have still never yet broken a bolt. Might be something to look at?

 

[oildoc]

Folks, I've had this combination for more than six years now, and it's time the truth was told.

I'm happy with the tractor but pretty disappointed with the snowblower. Let's look at what I'm up against. I'm on the east side of one of the great lakes and we get a lot of lake effect snow. The dry air blows across the lake, picks up moisture and dumps it on shore. It can snow a foot an hour here, and we end up with snow piles that can be ten feet deep. Check this, you southerners. Any idea how miserable this is? It's zero F in the picture.

To combat this kind of stuff, I bought the MF2360 snowblower and tire chains. Here's a picture of my snow weapon this fall:

But here's my experience. This snowblower is way too fragile for what I'm up against. The augers are protected with two shear pins and the fan with one. Every single time I used this in snow I've broken one of the shear pins. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Mostly the fan pin but sometimes the auger pins too. When that happens, I have to dig the snow out, drive the broken pins out, align the holes and get a new one in. At zero F sometimes. I'm buying these pins by the bag full.

I would have thought that this tractor and a $4000 snowblower would be a bit more robust. I thought that I could almost stall the tractor with the blower, but that's not the case. If you have one of these, and you see the RPMs being dragged down even a tiny bit, ease off or you will be replacing pins.

This weekend something more severe happened. It seems the chain gear reduction sprocket is fastened to the drive shaft with a key and some set screws. The key has fallen out and the sprocket in the picture just spins on the drive shaft. Not sure what to do next. Anybody ever taken this apart.? I'm hours and hours from the nearest "dealer".

I have a Kubota Front mount blower on a B3030 Gravel Road + Snow Blower = Broken shear pins every time. All it takes is one rock lodged into the wrong spot to shear a bolt. Unless the rock is really big it usually falls out and mixes with the snow clog once the pin breaks and load is removed, so you could likely not even find it and just assume it's overloading with snow.

Using grade 8 bolts for shear is not a good idea, you are stressing the rest of your components way too much everything it locks up and asking for a failed gearbox, bent or broken auger, fan or housing.

 

[LuckyP62]

I've had similar issues with the upper sprocket. The set screws tended to loosen and the sprocket would shimmy back and forth on the shaft (i didn't lose the key but it had moved almost completely out). This was enough to blow shear bolts every half km or so in heavy snow (and I lost a few chains). The added strain pulling heavier or deeper show would cause just enough jumping (due to the sprocket moving) to blow mainly fan bolts). I've since realigned the sprockets and added loctite to the set screws. I double check the sprocks and set screws every couple uses (a use for me is typically 2hrs). I can now do the entire drive without breaking a bolt. I'm cautious in heavy and deep snow, go slower and don't let the revs drop more than about 20%. Since the driveway is gravel, i have the shoes all the way down and until the ground freezes, I don't float. I keep the blower an inch or so above the ground to minimize the rock pick up.

 

[JWR]

I would bet a 6 pack you are over tightening the shear bolts.

OR the shear bolts are not a tight fit in the holes and maybe metric instead of English or vice versa. AND many other possibilities ! See http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/.../372559-going-through-second-stage-bolts.html which is a Kubota thread where a guy has the same sort of constant shear pin breakage that you do. The front blower of his is a RAD too and I'd guess they are very much the same unit adapted to Massey in one case and Kubota in the other case. Quite a mystery as the more than 40 posts attest in the kubota case ! But for sure SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT. There is just no way you nor the other guy should be going thru shear pins like that. I have talked to the people at RAD in the past and they will not/do not help with service issues. They strictly supply the units OEM to Kubota dealers or to Massey and other dealers. They say "go talk to your dealer" and that is all they will say. I've been using a rear mount 5ft Agro-Trend blower made in Canada for more than 10 years (though FAR less often than your needs) and I have yet to break the first shear pin. One more time: SOMETHING AIN"T RIGHT! I like the suggestion that (if it's not practical to just go to some other set of equipment) get a slip clutch on it. Changing pins that much under those condx you'll pay for the slip clutch many times over in saved grief.

Say, now that I re-read Lucky(62's post above he may have the "key" so to speak, for both the Kubota guy and you. If that sprocket gets loose, starts to go back and forth on the shaft and jerks it will shear bolts all over the place. Maybe the issue starts with a loose set screw, then a loose sproket and Woodruff key, then a distraction of shearing pins (??)

 

[Dave M7040]

I've had similar issues with the upper sprocket. The set screws tended to loosen and the sprocket would shimmy back and forth on the shaft (i didn't lose the key but it had moved almost completely out). This was enough to blow shear bolts every half km or so in heavy snow (and I lost a few chains). The added strain pulling heavier or deeper show would cause just enough jumping (due to the sprocket moving) to blow mainly fan bolts). I've since realigned the sprockets and added loctite to the set screws. I double check the sprocks and set screws every couple uses (a use for me is typically 2hrs). I can now do the entire drive without breaking a bolt. I'm cautious in heavy and deep snow, go slower and don't let the revs drop more than about 20%. Since the driveway is gravel, i have the shoes all the way down and until the ground freezes, I don't float. I keep the blower an inch or so above the ground to minimize the rock pick up.

LuckyP62

Are you aware of Loctite stud and bearing mount.

It deals with any looseness of, in your case the sprocket on the shaft, so you are not completely relying on the set screw to keep things together.

I have had good luck with it.

Loctite 69 Bearing Mount (Green) Retaining Compound, 1ml - Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies

Dave M7040

 

[LuckyP62]

Dave M7040. Thanks for the advice. I'll look for that loctite.