Drill and tap auger for grease fittings

[Panther416-8 341]

All, I see some snowblower have zerk fittings on each auger half so the the auger shaft can be greased for corrosion protection ( 79361 dual stage snowblower does not). Has anyone drilled/tapped their augers for grease fittings? Any reason not to? I would think that having grease inside the cavity of the auger and around the drive shaft would be a good corrosion preventative. 

[peter lena 8,589]

@Panther416-8  I  would agree with that , red aerosol  spray grease , extension tube , personally found that blowers really respond to detail lubrication , all the related linkage areas and drive chain lubrication also . did not drill and tap auger but did use , xtra hd grease from lucas , makes bearing  issues go away , 560 deg rated  stands up to stress  drag. verify every stem for ease of function , one I had was rusty , stiff, when done it spun with ease , pete 

[ri702bill 8,296]

My old Ariens 24" Sno Thro has 2 pressed in zerk fittings on each rake. Their primary purpose is to allow the rake to remain stationary and the shaft to continue to spin inside it when you break a shear pin. It is metal on metal, there are no bushings inside the rake. A secondary benefit is it allows removal of the rake to service the gearbox.

If the wall thickness is sufficient, you could drill and tap 1/4-28 UNF for screw in fittings, but, to do so you must disassemble the unit for the drilling and tapping - then clean the chips out...

[Jayzauto 89]

The Rakes on many snow blowers are too thin to effectively drill and tap for a grease fitting, I've found...... and Lord knows, I've tried it multiple times.  What I do now, is to remove the rakes form each side, as they can't effectively be drilled in place... or should I say Cleanly drilled....meaning without drilling into the main shaft.   Once drilled, I weld a 1/4" fine nut, centered over the freshly drilled hole.  Then a grease Zerk will thread rite in, firmly.  And if I've welded it thoroughly, it won't leak grease when I load upthe Rakes.  First time took a bit of 'Engineering', but I've done many since and it goes quickly..... as long as the rakes aren't frozen to begin with.

 

 

GLuck, Jay

[Panther416-8 341]

I removed the augers and drilled a single hole in about the middle of each and found the the thickness to be suitable enough to tap. I added a zerk to each and they seemed to tighten up nicely.