Snow Attachments Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen.

   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #1  

Green Acres Homestead

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Joined
Dec 11, 2010
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1,134
Location
NewBrunswick & Nova Scotia www.lostcaper.com
Tractor
Kubota L4740 sold now have a new L2502 as off Jan 2023
I have a 6 foot snow blower hooked to a Kubota L4740. After not using it for several days and it is left in the cold it freezes solid. I cannot move the blower by hand. I turned on the the tractors PTO and that actual got it moving but not without tremendous strain. Once moving it works perfect until i leave it 3 or 4 days in the cold then it freezes up again. The blower is free from any snow, ice or debris so that is not the problem.
What can freeze solid on a snowblower? Would it be water in the gear box?

I do not believe it is my PTO on the tractor end because when I turn on the PTO i see the snowblower twitch under the strain then with great strain it frees itself and works perfect thereafter. Just to make sure it is the blower, the next time it is frozen I will disconnect the pto shaft then see if I can turn the blower by hand. If I can turn the blower by hand then it is the PTO on the tractor freezing. If I cannot turn the blower by hand then it is something that freezes up on the blower. At this point I am inclined to think it is the blower.

Does anyone have any experience with this or can give me some insight as to what may be the problem? Please help!
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #2  
I think there is water in the gearbox oil. If the oil is a milky colour then likely there is water in it.
I make sure everything on my blower is well greased and oiled after EVERY use.
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #3  
Sounds a bit like ice in the gearbox. I would check very carefully for a ice in the bottom or back of the drum and if the auger drive chain has frozen. I have seen some blowers with a enclosed chain shield around the auger sprocket that have had wet slush get in there and freeze.
If it is water in the gearbox get it all melted and out and look for how it got in in the first place.
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #4  
When something freezes up like that we have thawed it by putting a hose on the truck exhaust and aiming it at the frozen area
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen.
  • Thread Starter
#5  
When something freezes up like that we have thawed it by putting a hose on the truck exhaust and aiming it at the frozen area

I was thinking of using a propane torch.
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen.
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks for the advice guys. I greased it well and there seemed to be watery grease that came out out the bearings for the auger. It did not freeze last night but maybe it wasn't cold enough. I will check the gear oil etc.

Thanks for the advice.
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #7  
I have a 6 foot snow blower hooked to a Kubota L4740. After not using it for several days and it is left in the cold it freezes solid. I cannot move the blower by hand. I turned on the the tractors PTO and that actual got it moving but not without tremendous strain. Once moving it works perfect until i leave it 3 or 4 days in the cold then it freezes up again. The blower is free from any snow, ice or debris so that is not the problem.
What can freeze solid on a snowblower? Would it be water in the gear box?

I do not believe it is my PTO on the tractor end because when I turn on the PTO i see the snowblower twitch under the strain then with great strain it frees itself and works perfect thereafter. Just to make sure it is the blower, the next time it is frozen I will disconnect the pto shaft then see if I can turn the blower by hand. If I can turn the blower by hand then it is the PTO on the tractor freezing. If I cannot turn the blower by hand then it is something that freezes up on the blower. At this point I am inclined to think it is the blower.

Does anyone have any experience with this or can give me some insight as to what may be the problem? Please help!

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If you have water in the gearbox it will make the oil much heavier and it will be harder to move.



If you have a torpedo heater/salamander/kerosene fired space heater or can borrow one
please use it on your snow caster and tractor. It will melt everything, heat up the transmission
and the engine and free it of ice so you can drain the old gear oil and add fresh gear oil that has
no water in it.

if you can borrow a space heater or rent one today be sure to point it at the side of the tractor
about 4 feet away from the engine cradle at about a 45 degree angle.

by doing it this way you will heat up the snow caster and melt the ice in it, the engine and the transmission will be heated all at once in about 2 hours.
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #8  
After blowing snow, I always splash windshield washer fluid on the fan and down the chute. You don't need to use the good -40, just the cheap stuff -30.
Chain spray grease is your best friend for the chain and grease those bearings.
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #9  
You have frozen water somewhere, either in second stage bottom of fan or in your gearbox. Drain gearbox and put new synthetic oil back in.
DevilDog
 
   / Help..snowblower frozen solid in the morning. Cannot turn by hand. Seems frozen. #10  
A weed burner hooked to a propane tank will work good.
 
 
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