Farm and Garden

[sgtsandman]

I'll say that even an underpowered snowblower beats the hell out of shovel work.

You also have just pushed every other component past its design limits.

I think you have a 50/50 chance you pushed the rest of the machine past its limits.

That’s what extra sheer bolts are for. Both the impeller and the auger should have them.

 

[Blmpkn]

I'll say that even an underpowered snowblower beats the hell out of shovel work.

You also have just pushed every other component past its design limits.

I think you have a 50/50 chance you pushed the rest of the machine past its limits.

I had thought about this, the blower itself was free though so it's a chance I was willing to take especially for a "fun" project.

That’s what extra sheer bolts are for. Both the impeller and the auger should have them.

My only real concern, and what I think he's referring to, is the extra stress on belts/bearings/and the right angle gearbox for the auger. Belts are cheap enough and easy to replace, as are the bearings... it's really just the gearbox I'm questioning.

That being said, I'm not entirely sure how much extra detrimental stress is actually being put on things. The auger and it's gearbox have a very low stress job compared to the impeller.. and they DO have that sacrificial link with the shear pins.

Now, If I were to over-drive the auger/impeller a meaningful amount (like I very much want to ) my worries about the gearbox would increase lol. I feel as if messing with its input speed is more of a gamble than messing with input power. Time will tell. I SHOULD probably see if I can get myself a spare gearbox just in case though gotta find a model number somewhere.. havnt seen one yet.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Eh.

If it was made for 5hp and you still do things the 5hp engine could do then nothing will see really see any more stress.

You you start using all them extra ponies and you will be more likely to tear stuff up.

 

[Blmpkn]

W

Eh.

If it was made for 5hp and you still do things the 5hp engine could do then nothing will see really see any more stress.

You you start using all them extra ponies and you will be more likely to tear stuff up.

At some point I'm gonna try to find some model/part numbers on things and see what's up. From a quick Google, i see craftsman actually offered a 24" blower that had a 9.5hp motor on it.. it wouldn't surprise me if the gearbox was the same.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

W


At some point I'm gonna try to find some model/part numbers on things and see what's up. From a quick Google, i see craftsman actually offered a 24" blower that had a 9.5hp motor on it.. it wouldn't surprise me if the gearbox was the same.

It’s certainly possible, I’ve seen some odd things with Craftsman stuff. I just wish I had another of the Craftsman chainsaw I have. Dad bought it on sale and used it till it needed another bar and chain, then stuck it in the shed and bought a different one. Poulan supposedly built them for Craftsman. This saw though will easily out work any Poulan I’ve ever used and even out works my little Stihl. Thing is straight beast mode and would probably benefit from having a better chain than the super low kickback one. Never seen another for sale though. Has the bucking teeth and you just about can’t feed it through a log fast enough to bog it with a 20” bar.

 

[Blmpkn]

It’s certainly possible, I’ve seen some odd things with Craftsman stuff. I just wish I had another of the Craftsman chainsaw I have. Dad bought it on sale and used it till it needed another bar and chain, then stuck it in the shed and bought a different one. Poulan supposedly built them for Craftsman. This saw though will easily out work any Poulan I’ve ever used and even out works my little Stihl. Thing is straight beast mode and would probably benefit from having a better chain than the super low kickback one. Never seen another for sale though. Has the bucking teeth and you just about can’t feed it through a log fast enough to bog it with a 20” bar.

I have an 18" poulan pro and even right out of the box it's never really run right I feel like. Can't just pull the trigger on the thing to get it up to cutting RPM.. needs to be feathered.. super annoying.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I have an 18" poulan pro and even right out of the box it's never really run right I feel like. Can't just pull the trigger on the thing to get it up to cutting RPM.. needs to be feathered.. super annoying.

Invest in some specialized screwdrivers, go online and learn how to tune the carb. I have 2 Poulane pro 20", one keeps a tune, the other doesn't...

 

[Blmpkn]

Invest in some specialized screwdrivers, go online and learn how to tune the carb. I have 2 Poulane pro 20", one keeps a tune, the other doesn't...

I can tune up a little carb like that pretty good... started out with nitro RC cars when i was 16. Admittedly I havnt even looked at the carb to see if it's adjustable or not.. but I had considered just buying it a nice adjustable one anyways. I don't generally do a whole hell of a lot of wood cutting though so it's probably one of those things I'm just gonna deal with lol.

 

[scotts90ranger]

You have to find just the right vintage of Poulan saw to get a good one, even then they're kinda hit and miss, most of the newer ones have an odd system with two throttles and different porting that are pretty finicky. One with the teeth is probably at least the older 46cc version, the smaller 30-40cc saws didn't have provisions I don't think... A Poulan will have a Walbro or Zama carb without any odd backwards stuff like Stihl and some of the others do, if they have two needles (the single needle carbs are less fun and responsive to adjustments) pull the stupid limiters off and go in until they stop then back off a turn and a half for a good starting point. If it won't run right pull the carb apart and on the side cover with 2-4 screws (depending on carb model, Walbro is almost always 4 screws, Zama is odd) and see if that diaphragm is stiff, it should be floppy, that diaphragm is the one I see bad the most, it's the fuel pressure regulator... I buy them in the 10 pack on Amazon...

 

[scotts90ranger]

Pulled the disc out of the shop and put it on the tractor, trouble was it rained yesterday so it didn't work very good yet... especially how aggressive it was in the pic below, too much moisture in the dirt, would have been good yesterday afternoon possibly... It works, I made some lines in the dirt, since I've used my stupid little tractor with that 8' pull disc I had I know this 5' disc will work fine once the dirt is better... 3 point will be WAY nicer than the ratcheting no lift thing...

 

[sgtsandman]

Wet ground and frozen ground has slowed me down quite a bit in the work in the garden as well. When it's warm enough to work, the dirt is too wet or it's still frozen since the sun is low and the house is shielding the ground from the sun.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Wet ground and frozen ground has slowed me down quite a bit in the work in the garden as well. When it's warm enough to work, the dirt is too wet or it's still frozen since the sun is low and the house is shielding the ground from the sun.

You could have come up and helped on the ranger, lol

 

[racsan]

The chickens usually love to get out of their kennel for a bit, Thought Id let them check out the snow. They weren’t interested and didnt even try it out. Cant say I blame them.

 

[Josh B]

Alright, my headache of a hot rod snow blower build is DONE!* (*apart from trimming belt cover a bit)


I swear.... manufacturers put too small of motors on too many inches of bucket width for an ideal experience.

24" blowers get 5hp, 28-30" models will have 8hp, and the 32"+ models will have 12hp... not enough in my experience/opinion. Increase those figures by 3hp and it's a MUCH more user friendly rig. While snowblowing is infinitely easier than shoveling.. it's super aggravating when the blower can't keep up without bogging.. requiring you to back off the drive lever every few feet for it to catch up.. go forward a few feet.. stop.. forward a few feet.. stop.... GAAAHHHHHHH!!

Snowblowers need enough power to be able to EAT a full bucket without backing off the drive when it's in low gear. I THINK my new power/width ratio will do the trick... well see! It's starting to snow now, but it's warming up and will be rain by morning.. making a huge mess.

Hopefully we get a good 20+" storm of packable snow before the end of the year so I can really get a good feel of how she does.

It's a sales game. They didn't sell you a 5 horse motor, they sold you a 24" blower! Why should they cry because you got too small a motor

You won't go home and say, "I got an 8HP motor!" Nope! You got a 32" blower!


A solution? Sorry, I'm all out of those

 

[rumblecloud]

prolly gonna need some help over the next couple of weeks. I'm looking at buying a backhoe. I know nothing about backhoes other than the basic stuff. Been looking for a long time and have found one locally -- as in drive home locally ....3 miles away.

Don't know much about it at this point but am going to look at it tomorrow.

Is there anything I should be aware of? It is a 1998 New holland 555 $18,000.

Here is the link:
backhoe

Thanks for your help.