Snowblower plans?

[Jim_in_Omaha]

Now that you've had a few of years to work with your snowblower..
Hows it been working? The old Putfile video link must have expired.
This last snow fall really hurt us. It was 2 1/2 feet deep for two hundred feet on one part of the driveway. I either need to find a used unit or build one...
thx

 

[jimgerken]

Its working just great. This winter I used it just three times, but it ate everything thrown at it. The road-grader goes by the house on our gravel road and puts a 18 inch deep windrow of extremely heavy snow and gravel mixture right in my driveway. Anything that can blow that is working well. Each time I dealt with this load of "snirt" I stretched the drivechain. I could tell because it then became noisy untill I re-adjusted the idler/tensioner. I built it using #50 chain. I believe that the motorcycle 520 chain will fit the 50 sprockets, and 520 is much heavier and stronger, and so should not stretch under load. Other than that minor glitch, the blower is working great. All features still work as built. It throws the snow 20-40 feet depending on moisture. The chute rotator still works mint. So far so good.

 

[Pks]

Regarding the stretching chain...if you start with a new chain, heat it up to 150 degrees F in the wife's oven for 20 minutes and then soak it in 80w gear oil or 10w40 motor oil if gear oil isn't available. The oil will be pulled into the bearing spaces and help prevent stretching.

That's a trick dirt bikers have used.

Do not do this if you are using a motorcycle chain that contains O-rings.

 

[jimgerken]

Do you mean to heat the chain dry, then plunge into oil? I have ridden off-road many years, and used to rotate chains, one on the bike (quad), one in oil in a coffee can. Same process I use on my chainsaw chains. Never applied heat. Also always used Oring chains for off-road. I am just trying to clarify your suggestion. Why would getting the lube inside the chain stop the stretch? Maybe it isnt stretch, maybe it is wear your method helps. That's the only thing I can think of that the oil might slow, is wear from the extreme pressure event. I always assumed the chain went slightly slack 'cause it was overloaded and each link had actually stretched a bit, but maybe you are telling me it is wear, not stretch.

 

[Pks]

Yes, heat the chain dry then quench in the oil. The heat draws the oil into the bearing spaces and protects them better. The chain simply doesn't wear out as fast.

I don't think this would work on an Oring chain because the Orings are already holding lubricant in the bearings and keeping the dirt out. Also, oiling the Oring rubber might make it swell and fall apart.

The stretch from overloading the tensile strength of the chain won't be helped by the oil. That stretch is due to the load exceeding the plastic limit of the steel.

All the oil can do is slow the stretch component that is due to internal bearing wear. I've done this with chains that were getting ready to die. Those chains had nearly twice the life span. I think the elongation of the chain is due in large part to the bearing wear. I've never measured the distance between the pins before and after heavy usage.

 

[jimgerken]

OK. thanks. I may try that. Or if I find an oring chain just toss that on. If memory serves, the 520 has a much higher tensile strength than 50.

 

[Jim_in_Omaha]

Modern motorcycle o-ring chains are very durable. I've seen guys get well over 20000 miles on them with maintenence.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I was not around when this thread was active - but what a great project. If I get inspired, I will built something similar for my Kubota.

From your profile it looks like you upgraded your tractor since - I suppose there are no problems running it with more power, are there?

 

[jimgerken]

MORE POWER !!! The snowblower works better than ever with more power. This year I AGAIN re-adapted the blower, this time to a 3720 JD with 35 pto hp. It works way better now, because there is enough power to run the engine at 2100 rpm or so and get great throwing distance (~30 feet, depends on snow density). So even if attacking a really dense drift or re-blown snow from the side of the roadway, I don't have to speed up the engine to get through it, 2100 pulls it fine. When I had the small Hp tractor and would speed up the rpms to get through something nasty, the blower would come out the other side of the drift and kinda overspeed running in light snow again, which worried me about damage. So that part is better now.
Also, I haven't really figured it all out yet, but as you read in earlier reports, the drive chain would stretch after attacking a very heavy snow pile, when the chain was new. But it seems to have gotten over that symptom. I did not change out the chain, its the same one, but it does not stretch anymore. I just checked it a few days ago. And it has seen more work this winter than ever before, since we have gotten 50+ inches of snow, and I have been relentless in "testing" it. We had a party in late Jan, so I needed extra parking in the yard. Blew some stuff that was three feet tall, and was piled in the road ditch by the road grader over half a dozen snowfalls and was as much as two months old, packed and frozen. The blower chewed right through it and pulled the tractor right down to its knees if I kept on the hydro pedal. I noticed afterwards that I had been blending in a nice skim-cut of sod with the blown snow too, with an inch or so of soil. I could've filled a dump truck in a few minutes of this much snow flow thru the spout. Got done with that nasty stretch and checked the temp of the gearbox, seemed slightly warm, but not enough to warm up your hands on, so maybe 100 degrees.
So, yes once again, MORE POWER IS A GREAT THING.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I went through the thread one more time and could not find anything about bearings. What does the assembly spin in, please? I found one picture where bearing flange was apparently bolted to the end cap but that's all. I would think oil soaked bronze would be enough but fully enclosed ball bearings would be better.