Snow Blower ReEngine - Harbor Freight 6.5 - PICS!
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I wish I could get my hands on a blower that needs to be repowered!
Great work, but a degrease, prime, and paint would make it special
Great work, but a degrease, prime, and paint would make it special
Looks GREAT!Ready for a few more decades of good service.Nice job!
I'm curious about the drive system on this old beast. I see a chain & sprocket in there from the pics. Does this have a rubber friction disc for changing ground speeds?
Joel
Joel
Here's the drive system. I tried it out today a little bit; I'm still breaking it in gently. It doesn't throw it very far, especially in light snow piles. So, it definitely could use the Clarence paddle kit. On the plus side it doesn't seem to bog-down much at all. More testing to come....
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you should do a YouTube video of it running!
I just did a "real" test in the backyard, not just dropping some shovel fulls on the driveway. We had 20" of snow last week and it has settled to about 12" of light-moderate weight snow. It did excellent! It throws reasonably far with no bogging at all. I will definitely post a YouTube video in the next few days.
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That drive system is confusing the heck out of me, particularly the 2nd photo. It looks like those 2 shafts are connected on both ends with 2 completely different gear ratios on either end, which would never work. Am I looking at it wrong or...?
I have to agree with exranger, that does look confusing.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
That drive system is confusing the heck out of me...
You too? I was kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I stared at that pic and finally gave up on figuring it out.
I know on newer ones like mine, the shaft the friction wheel is on has a large gear that meshes with a small gear on the axle shaft. Much simpler.
Joel
That drive system is confusing the heck out of me...
You too? I was kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I stared at that pic and finally gave up on figuring it out.
I know on newer ones like mine, the shaft the friction wheel is on has a large gear that meshes with a small gear on the axle shaft. Much simpler.
Joel
I'll get some better pics up tomorrow of the drive system. I too noticed that each of those gear/chain sets on the far left and right have different sized cogs. Didnt really look too close yet.
It's weird that those gear/chain sets are even there. You'd think a single set in the middle is all that it would need?
It's weird that those gear/chain sets are even there. You'd think a single set in the middle is all that it would need?
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Maybe you can select one of those gears to freewheel so it's a primitive 2-speed transmission?
Very similar to the Ariens system.
The roller in the middle with the black rubber moves left to right on either side of the large horizontal pulley wheel in front.
This pulley can tilt to disengage it from the rubber clutch roller.
When a slow speed is selected the roller moves on its shaft close to right of center and moves outward as a faster speeds are selected.
For reverse the roller moves past center to the left side of the horizontal pulley wheel to provide reverse speeds.
It may not be 100% identical to Ariens but thats the basic operating principal of this type.
Extreme care must be taken to make sure no lube of any kind gets on either of these as slippage will occur.
A very simple and reliable system,very inexpensive to repair.
The roller in the middle with the black rubber moves left to right on either side of the large horizontal pulley wheel in front.
This pulley can tilt to disengage it from the rubber clutch roller.
When a slow speed is selected the roller moves on its shaft close to right of center and moves outward as a faster speeds are selected.
For reverse the roller moves past center to the left side of the horizontal pulley wheel to provide reverse speeds.
It may not be 100% identical to Ariens but thats the basic operating principal of this type.
Extreme care must be taken to make sure no lube of any kind gets on either of these as slippage will occur.
A very simple and reliable system,very inexpensive to repair.
Yep i'm looking closer at it also.There seems to be a smaller pulley in front of the larger one.
It looks like that is only moving left or right in a fixed position.Left for rev,center for neutral and right for forward.
Look at the lower left gear on the axle near the case,does that shaft seem to have a smaller diameter to you,like it goes inside the axle larger tube?
I am guessing that idles some how,probably high and low gear,he did say 2sp right?
It looks like that is only moving left or right in a fixed position.Left for rev,center for neutral and right for forward.
Look at the lower left gear on the axle near the case,does that shaft seem to have a smaller diameter to you,like it goes inside the axle larger tube?
I am guessing that idles some how,probably high and low gear,he did say 2sp right?
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Originally Posted By: Trav
I am guessing that idles some how,probably high and low gear,he did say 2sp right?
That would be totally redundant given that's the purpose of the friction wheel drive; To give you different ground speeds and reverse.
Could that 3-chain setup give that axle some type of differential action?
Here's what they all look like today (all but hydrostatic Hondas that is):
Joel
I am guessing that idles some how,probably high and low gear,he did say 2sp right?
That would be totally redundant given that's the purpose of the friction wheel drive; To give you different ground speeds and reverse.
Could that 3-chain setup give that axle some type of differential action?
Here's what they all look like today (all but hydrostatic Hondas that is):
Joel
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Here's some better pics. The larger sprocket (right side) on the drive axle is not even attached to the drive axle. It spins freely on the shaft inside that drive axle, the one that is actually connnected to the wheels. When the machine is rolling you can see this outer drive axle spinning much faster than the large, right-side sprocket (as it should be). That again makes me wonder what the point of it is.
Also, by the way the metal looks, it almost seems like that large pulley was welded to the outer drive axle at some point. You see how the end of that outer drive shaft is flared slightly, and the face of the large pully is not flat where it contacts that outer drive shaft? What looks like remains of a weld. But it they were attached, they would not be even close to spinning at the same speed and that would bind the whole system.
It's defintitely welded to the outer drive axle on the back side of the large pulley (pic #2).
Right side sprocket
Also, by the way the metal looks, it almost seems like that large pulley was welded to the outer drive axle at some point. You see how the end of that outer drive shaft is flared slightly, and the face of the large pully is not flat where it contacts that outer drive shaft? What looks like remains of a weld. But it they were attached, they would not be even close to spinning at the same speed and that would bind the whole system.
Right side sprocket
Alright, I finally got a chance to tip this thing up and really look at it. I figured it out.
Power comes off the friction disc (like most snow blowers) and turns the "outer drive axle" through that middle sprocket set. The power transmits to the left sprocket assembly which turns the upper, "secondary shaft". The secondary shaft turns the sprocket set on the right. The large sprocket on the right is the only thing connected to the "inner drive axle" which turns the wheels. The inner and outer drive axles both turn, but they spin at different speeds. It seems like this system is designed just to lower the gearing. I don't have anything to compare it to, but this thing just creeps in 1st geat. Even 5th is a very slow walk.
YouTube video of the system spinning. It is HD straight from my iPhone4, but I can't get it play smoothly on my old computer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK8vwrtucSU&feature=player_embedded
Power comes off the friction disc (like most snow blowers) and turns the "outer drive axle" through that middle sprocket set. The power transmits to the left sprocket assembly which turns the upper, "secondary shaft". The secondary shaft turns the sprocket set on the right. The large sprocket on the right is the only thing connected to the "inner drive axle" which turns the wheels. The inner and outer drive axles both turn, but they spin at different speeds. It seems like this system is designed just to lower the gearing. I don't have anything to compare it to, but this thing just creeps in 1st geat. Even 5th is a very slow walk.
YouTube video of the system spinning. It is HD straight from my iPhone4, but I can't get it play smoothly on my old computer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK8vwrtucSU&feature=player_embedded
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Video from the first run. Idle power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY21BFFTRCU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY21BFFTRCU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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