Adjustment question on snowblower

[Jman6 1]

I have a 1990 or 91 312-8 with snow blower attachment.

TT, I got the snow blower flag in the correct lifting hole, it was on the middle one not the top. On my owners manual it did not show the 3 holes and so I had thought that the top one was the middle one. Explains why the pins kept breaking, oh and my arm was sore from lifting it. It is now in the top hole and talk about easy to lift! for the diagram you posted!

I know this next one is a stupid question, but I can not figure out how to get it raised higher in the lift position. I currently have about 2-3 inches of clearance when the snow blower is raised. I need about six or seven.

After reading the owners manual it says there is a adjustment on the left side of the panel, next to the stick shift that you can turn. My knob does not turn...Might be rusted tight ro just something that I need to spend some serious time messing with. I tried to lift it then turn, tried to turn when down, tried it with the blower lowered and raised. Just can not figure out how to do it. My quesiton is if someone can tell me how the proper way to adjust this I can put some pressure on it and hopefully not break it when trying to turn it.

here is a pic of the blower lowered.

here is a side view with it lowered.

Is the blower supposed to be angled like that?

Thanks, Jman

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Glad to hear you got it to lift easier, Jman, but I will tell you right now - these blowers will not lift very high. Two to three inches clearance for transporting is about all I have ever seen on any of them except for the early 60's models - which are a totally different design:

I have had my same thrower on a 1973 12 8 speed, a 1986 312A, a 1990 416H, and a 1992 416-8 and they all lifted to about the same height. The less time you can run around with these "weight-monsters" in the air, the more your front spindles will like you - especially the long ones for the 6 inch front wheels like are on your 312.

The dial-a-height adjuster knob is a travel limiter for downward movement of the implement lift. It is used more with ground-engaging attachments on a rear hitch (like a moldboard plow or rototiller) to limit the depth they travel in to the ground. It has nothing to do with using your thrower unless it is not allowing the lift lever shaft to lower completely. (it will keep the thrower from fully lowering to the ground) The knob has a threaded brass insert and will "freeze up" on the steel rod. Liberal doses of a good penetrating oil may loosen it eventually, but I have already had to break the "plastic" of the knob off of the brass insert and use a cut-off wheel to split the brass to get it off the rod. (knobs are still available from Toro )

Anyhow.....

I can't figure out why your thrower isn't sitting flat on the ground like it should. Even though your tractor has smaller front tires than some models, it has the longer spindles to make up the difference. The mounting frame doesn't look bent and everything else looks fine. I suggest that you investigate the dial-a-height knob and make sure it is not holding the implement lift assembly from fully lowering. Once you have verified that the dial-a-height adjuster isn't limiting travel, check the lift tube-to-lift flag connection. When the thrower is resting on the ground on a level surface there should not be any pressure on the end of the tube. (You should actually have a small gap between the end of the tube and the flag.) Make sure the "pin" under the back of the thrower isn't bent back. (where the lift tube attaches) If everything checks out there, you might need to shorten the lift tube a little.

Here are some pictures of my 416-8 / thrower combo so you can see the correct position of the thrower when lowered and raised, and also a view from behind showing the attachment point of the lift tube and the clearance between it and the ground.

Note: My thrower is mainly used on a gravel driveway, so the skids are down more than if I used it on pavement.

Fully raised:

Fully lowered: (bottom of extension wings should be close to parallel with the ground)

Lift tube connection:

Mounting frame orientation & drive belt:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

BTW - here's a diagram (ignore the red colored stuff - I used this in another post) showing the dial-a-height adjuster and lift lever assembly.

The end of the rod is bent @ 90 degrees and protrudes through the slot at the bottom of the lift lever weldment. As the knob is turned clockwise, it moves the end up the rod up the slot in the lever and limits downward travel.

If you remove the 4 or 5 fasteners in the left side cover, you can slide the cover up off of the lift lever and have a look at all of this stuff in person. :hide:

[Jman6 1]

Thanks for the info TT! You are the man!

I am not sure why the blower is up like that either, am sure it is not that the lift attachment knob is keeping it from going down...

Well, I will check it out some more...

Thanks again!

Jman

[Teddy da Bear 11]

:D Jman was not kidding when he said he had to blow uphill....

He meant really a MOUNTAIN!!!! Look how far down it is to

the road!! That is one hell of a horse if it has to blow snow over

that distance and uphill to boot!!

I believe like TT said......larger tires on the front might allow

your blower to sit flat on the ground instead of what looks like

the back edge of the blower.

I also read on another forum that there are spacers, normally in

between the flag and the lift tube. Maybe he has too many or

could take out the ones that might be there. That would also let

the blower down more.

One more notion.......do you think the drive belt is too short and

is not allowing the blower to lower all the way?

[Irv 115]

My manual says to put washers on the flag rod to adjust the lift. I have 2 on mine (314-8) and it lifts it 4-5 inches off the ground. (the washers will be between the flag and lift pipe making it longer when you lift)

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

But a manual doesn't take in to consideration the fact that not everyone has a level area to clear.

I have several places that drop down enough that if I try to shim the lift tube with washers to gain the extra lift height, the thrower skips over the top and doesn't catch all of the snow.

But then again, I have no need to lift the thrower any higher than what you see in my pictures. :hide:

[Jman6 1]

Thanks for all the ideas guys! I really apprecite the info!

Teddy, yeah we have some hills where I live.

Here is a pic out my back yard in the summer, not too long after I got the WH running. (bought it for 295 with 3 attachments, but it was not running, cleaned out the fuel pump, changed the oil and put a new air filter on it and it has ran great ever since!!)

I did put some spacers on it, it did not have any that came with it. But tried to take them off it still sits tilted up. So I am thinking that is not it.

Course with the weather it may be done for the year. We are currently at 45 degrees and supposed to get from 5 - 10 inches of rain in the next 24 hours!

I am sure we will get more snow, just not for a week or two. If the weather keeps going like this I may need that generator I saw one of the members had for his WH!

Thanks again for the ideas, Jman

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Wow.....Jman.....looks like Utopia to me!!

I know there were a couple of styles of flags. Very similar

to one another, but I do not know if the geometry on them

was the same or different.

The only other simple fix I can think of (after other thoughts

are exhausted) is to shorten the lift tube at the top where it

meets the flag. First.....(dumb question) Does the blower sit

flat on the ground if the lift tube is detached at the top?

If it does....then likely you can cut it off some at the top

after measuring it up to see what length is needed.

If this sounds too drastic.....why not try to make a second

lift tube? They are fairly simple and straight forward as

weldments go. You might be able to use the heavy "black pipe"

that is normally used for piping gas and propane into a home.

It is readily available at home improvement stores like Lowe's

or Menards. Just make sure you get the size that the flag would

slide into snug.

Looks like you have fruit trees too.

Where is this garden of eden?

Is that Eve driving your horse? :hide:

[Jman6 1]

Teddy, yeah we have pear trees, we live in the middle of a 10 acre orchard. The wife ( that is her on the tractor, I made her get on it and mow so she would see how much fun it was ) her family owns the orchard.

We are in Cashmere, WA. 30 minutes from me is a 4100 foot pass. so those hills you see are just the little ones leading up to the big ones.

I like the idea about making another lift tube! I think I will do that! I have never welded, but have buddies I work with that can weld and a brother-in-law that can as well if I get in a pinch.

Teddy, where are you located?

[Rollerman 290]

Jman...TDB called it pretty good there.

With the tractor on a flat/level surface with the blower down...does the lift rod feel tight...or have some slack?

It has been already sugested to that your belt may be to short holding up that side of the blower some.

Worse case scenero....pull the blower & double check the mount to see if it is square with everything else....not twisted.

Good luck with it. :hide:

[catman81056 3]

Just a shot in the dark here, are those the stock sized front tires? They look smaller(not as tall) as the ones on TT's tractor.

[Duff 206]

Just a shot in the dark here, are those the stock sized front tires? They look smaller(not as tall) as the ones on TT's tractor.

If i were just guessing, Tim, I'd say Jman has the stock 6" fronts on his 312-8 (like I have on mine), and TT has the 8" that came stock on his 416?

Duff :hide:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Guys - my 416-8 does have the 16 X 6.50 - 8 front tires, but I also had the same thrower mounted on my old 1986 312A and the 416H (before I converted it to 8" fronts) with 15 X 6.00 - 6 tires and it was fine on those tractors too.

The 300/400 series tractors with the 6" front rims use a longer front spindle to make up the height difference, but the smaller overall diameter allowed the use of the two blade 37" deck.

The only possible explanation would be if a previous owner had incorrectly replaced both spindles on this 312 with the shorter version used with the 8" front wheels.

Oh, and TDB... I never said anything about Jman's tractor needing bigger front tires.

I already recommended checking for slack and shortening the lift tube if necessary, but since this was bought as a package and it looks like the correct thrower for the 312 I don't think that's the problem. :D

[kpinnc 15,721]

The 300/400 series tractors with the 6" front rims use a longer front spindle to make up the height difference, but the smaller overall diameter allowed the use of the two blade 37" deck.

Not trying to hijack a thread here, but this just goes to show that you can't depend on the advertised tire sizes being anywhere close to one another even when they claim to be the same.

300 series fronts: 16x6.50x6

400 series fronts: 16x6.50x8

In theory, the OD on both of these should be the same. Of course, they are nowhere close. I have 8 inch wheels on my 310, and they DO cause some issues on a sharp left turn. Those tires are 16 inch OD as well.

Now if we were talking about the tires on the 520, those are 18x8.50x8...

Oh well, just a rant of mine.

Kevin

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Are sure about that, Gator?

My 312A & 416H both had 15 X 6.00 - 6 tires, which are the same size as my B-115 had. (also listed in the 1986 brochure)

My 520-8 had (has) 16 X 7.50 - 8 front tires.

[Jman6 1]

TT, forgot about the spindles you mentioned earlier

Sorry am kind of new to this.

Thanks again for all the ideas :D

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Jman, can you do me a favor and measure the distance between the floor and the centerline of the rod that fastens in the front hitch on the end of the tractor frame?

I'm going to go get a measurement off both of my 416's so we can do a comparison. :hide:

[kpinnc 15,721]

Are sure about that, Gator?

I'm sure about my tires on the 6 inch rims....

The 520, well.... You got me wondering about that one now.

Kevin

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Sorry I missread your first post TT.

I am in Michigan Jman... About 90 miles west of

Chicago Illinois.

With you busting all those pins I wonder if the lift

tube on your tractor wasn't previously broken and

when the repair was made......it ended up a little bit

longer. You would maybe never know except to

compare it to another unaltered lift tube.

Great.....sounds good to make another lift tube.

If the spare works...you can always alter the original

to match the spare.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Here's "living proof" of the OEM tire size on some 310/312/416 models, and a lot of the other lawn tractors:

I don't know how yours got to be that size, Kevin, but they aren't what was on it from the factory. :hide:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Jman....

My unaltered 416-8 measures 13.5 inches to the center of the rod in the front hitch, and my 416H with 8 inch front wheels on long spindles measures 14.25 inches.

[kpinnc 15,721]

I don't know how yours got to be that size, Kevin, but they aren't what was on it from the factory.

No, these aren't the original tires and wheels. They were the factory replacements though. But, that wasn't my point. Sorry if it seemed that way.

I was just saying that there are sometimes significant differences in the advertised size of a tire as opposed to what the actual measurement is.

I think tire companies are like shoe companies. They all have a different way of measuring their products.

Kevin

[Rollerman 290]

I think tire companies are like shoe companies. They all have a different way of measuring their products.

Yep...I wear a size 13 Brama boot...but size 14 in Red Wing?

I know I have several 23" turfs here all on the same size rear rims but differant heighths.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

I won't argue on the "same size" tires being different heights and widths depending on the manufacturer.

What I thought Gator was saying was that his 310 originally had 16 X 6.50 - 6 front tires, which I don't ever recall of seeing. :hide: