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Road-Track

Lift bell crank snapped

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Road-Track

While snow blowing my driveway last week in -20º weather the lift bell crank on my C-145 Hydro split with a loud report like a gunshot. I finished by skidding the blower around, but could not lift it. :no:

 

:eusa-think: Is this common?

 

 I picked up a used one online (WH# 106218).

 

I am going to pull the bell crank and replace it this weekend if it warms up some and send a picture of the broken one. 

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baerpath

Negative  20 isn't normal for here.   

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Pollack Pete

Seems like a common problem this year with all the snow everyone has got.Someone else mentioned slamming the snow blower attachment into a frozen pile could break the bell crank.

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KC9KAS

Mine broke on my GT-14 this year. Fortunately it was early in the season and I got it fixed before the cold & snow.

I think I have the wrong plow frame, as it hits the bottom of the front axle. When this happens, it is hard to steer and it also puts stress on the bell crank/rock shaft.

Edited by KC9KAS

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Road-Track

I was lifting and backing up when it failed?

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Kelly

Last year was the same, more than normal breakage on that style rock shaft  

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boovuc

Hi RC,

 

I think on the blowers another cause this year besides the more frequent use of our machines during a particularly bad winter is the snow that accumulates on them. After I sheared my cotter pin on my lift tube while blowing snow on my neighbors driveway a few storms ago, I wanted to see just how much weight that snow on top of the blower housing added. The snow itself was pretty powdery but not after it cakes on the housing. I would venture to say I had an extra 25 lbs if not more of heavy melting snow on it. Is it a pain to get off the tractor and push the snow off multiple times? Yes, but after we lifted it dry verses lifting it with the snow on, it would definitely add a lot more stress to the whole lift mechanism. Add in the cold and something is bound to break besides our nerves!   

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Road-Track

It did have a pile of fine heavy snow on top when it let go. I had swept it off twice, but only takes a few minutes of blowing to pile back up. :eusa-think:

 

Probably need to use a shear pin in the future if it happens again.

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Road-Track

As you can see there was too much pressure and the lift arm snapped at the keyway slot in the cold.

 

post-3435-0-98626900-1425306288_thumb.jp

 

I replaced the arm and am ready for the next storm.

 

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rmaynard

Keyways are the thinnest part of the crank. I can see why it would go first. My guess is that there was a small defect in that area, and the stress did the rest. I don't think the cold had anything to do with it. "Good" steel can withstand stress far below -20 F. But the thinness of the steel at the bottom of the keyway is questionable.

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Pollack Pete

Hey,ya gotta remember......these tractors are 30 to 40 years old.Wheel Horse built these bell cranks to last waaaaay over their guarantee.

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Don1977

From what I can see in the picture, I think the weld on the short lift bar cause a crack at the keyway as that part is rusted. Look on the inside of the crack to see how far the rust goes.

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squonk

Just like last year. We had 4 or 5 guys snapping them lifting blowers

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WH nut

Been there done that

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Theroundhousernr

  I have been really taking it easy this year with the blower. I don't want to have to tear into something like that in these temperatures. :snooty:

 

  Makings sure to not try and ram hard piles and to back up before lifting in case the blower is snagged on something.

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608KEB

I don't know if it helps much. I set my snowthrower to lift about 3-4" off the ground on my B-100.

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