lae51967 14 #1 Posted January 25, 2014 (edited) Last season the blower auger of my single stage blower wedged on a large rock which stopped it dead. The drive belt from the tractor snapped, luckily it didn't hurt the tractor but bent the pulley and shaft on the blower. I went ahead and disassembled the blower, replaced all the shafts, bearings, sprockets, drive chain, pulley and will be adding skids to raise it up so I won't scoop up rocks. Before I put it back into service (a bit behind the curve for this season) I was wondering if anyone has successfully incorporated a centrifugal clutch pulley or other device to protect the drive system if a lock-up does occur. I know shear pins are common on other units but wasn't sure how to incorporate one or what type pin to use. Thanks for any insight, much appreciated Edited January 25, 2014 by TT Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hydro 130 #2 Posted January 25, 2014 I have to say I wondered why there was no shear pins on my single stage and then after thinking about it, the belt is tensioned by a spring loaded idler so I have to believe that is what Wheel Horse had in mind at least for my model. The belt will slip. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lae51967 14 #3 Posted January 25, 2014 Yeah, this one has the spring idler also, I guess I may have had too short of a belt installed on it because it sure didn't slip when it jammed. Snapped the band new belt like it was a shoe string, I was lucky it didn't damage the PTO on the engine. I just checked the manual for my unit (which I tracked down and downloaded from this site..) and traced the part number to a 5/8" x 69" belt, so I'll be sure to get that size when I get it spinning again. Larry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shorts 182 #4 Posted February 2, 2014 You might try loosening up the clutch adjustment on the pto so that it slips before the belt breaks or something gets damaged Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 991 #5 Posted February 3, 2014 one thing ive learned is how important it is to keep the area to be cleaned has to be kept free of foreign objects or bad things happen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
56flatbed 29 #6 Posted February 6, 2014 So far this winter the chain on mine has been acting as the sacrificial part on the blower. Have a problem with the area where the idler pulley mounts. It took a really hard hit and bent the side, twisting a link in the chain and jamming the whole works. I used a 2"x 3" piece of 1/4" bar and backed up the mounting area after doing some body work. New chain and everything was working until it broke the hydro belt. Had about 5-6 " from the storm that finished up this morning, van stuck in the driveway, Waiting on UPS. Got a text from UPS. "Attempted delivery, unsuccessful, will try again tomorrow." I SAW YOU DRIVE BY! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RJMcEachern 18 #7 Posted February 6, 2014 I'll be watching this, as this is the same model I have.... RJMcEachern Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
56flatbed 29 #8 Posted February 6, 2014 lae51967, one thing I have learned from this forum about snowblowers is you have to make a choice. If you are going to use it on gravel, you have to keep it up a couple of inches or be repairing the blower more than you are using it. One of the solutions I have seen on here is for skids that mount on the sides of the blower. If one of you reading knows of a link for those skids please list it. I have been using a plow for most of this season and have more success with that. However, like everybody else, the snow has now gotten to the point I need to get it up and out of the way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hydro 130 #9 Posted February 6, 2014 Craig, AMC Rules has photos of wider shoes welded onto his skids. If he sees this post I'm sure he will chip in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 36,940 #10 Posted February 6, 2014 These are the skid shoes on mine now, PO fabbed 'em up. I can get you better picts...or dimensions if necessary. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lae51967 14 #11 Posted February 15, 2014 I found some skids online (http://www.snowblowerskids.com/) I decided to just buy the longer ones and save some fabrication time (plus I'm not the best at building from scratch). I'll try to get some pics posted of them and how I chose to mount them. I'll look into the clutch adjustment, thanks for the suggestion. I figured it was worth leaving snow on the paved areas to save damage from the gravel areas. Hopefully I'll get my Massey 14 (not a wheel horse but it is red) going good and use it with a blade to trim up what the blower leaves behind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
608KEB 794 #12 Posted February 16, 2014 U tube the horsefixers snow throwing videos. I took worn out skid shoes and bought some flat steel 2" wide and about 14" long. Welded it to the old shoes. I heated and hammered the tips on some round pipe in a vice. I got the idea when I saw the skis he had on a snowthrower powered by his C-120. I have a gravel driveway at the farm. The snowthrower works great now. I have it set maybe 3/4 of a inch above the ground Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 38,843 #13 Posted February 20, 2014 Wheels from TSC work great! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites