Snowblower clogging

[jcndtown 10]

I bought my 520-8 about two winters ago to specifically use it only to clear my 300' paved driveway.  Motor is still strong as it only has 120 hours on it.  I Have a 2 stage Toro blower that I use.  My problem is that out of the half dozen times I have had to use it in the last two years I would say it has almost immediately clogged up five out of six times where the only time it did not was when it was dry powder which then it worked great.  Very disappointing after I have read/watched many a video of how I see other 520's performing.  When it clogs the auger shuts down, stops the belt and the engagement lever kicks off.  I have used Sno-Jet and also installed an impeller kit on the blades but nothing seems to have helped.  I am not talking about running this through 12 plus inches of snow as the last storm this week was about 8 inches with some wetness.  After unclogging it a few times in the first 5 minutes I started my walk behind 12hp Ariens and cleared the driveway.  When I am using my WH I am in Low 1rst gear so I am not forcing the snow into the chute with any velocity.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated in resolving my issue as when I bought the combo I thought it would easily be able to take care of my driveway yet it has only turned into frustration.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

J~ 

[Adams94 1,068]

Wondering if the chute isn't "slick" enough or maybe clutch issues?  Use that mower for anything else?

[jcndtown 10]

Thanks for your response.  I have sprayed both the inside and down the chute with Sno-Jet, WD-40, etc but nothing seems so far to have helped.  No, combo was purchased to be used exclusively for removal of snow from my driveway.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,032]

If the pto clutch engagement lever kicks off the clutch is slipping. Shorten up the link between the lever and the clutch a few turns. The lever should snap down with some authority when you apply it. If you still hear a squeal when under load it is still slipping. Give it another turn.

 

Garry

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

Have you checked BOTH gearboxes for gear oil level? And ever changed the gear oil out? When I bought mine 2 years ago I had to rebuild it as the PO "wrecked" it ,impeller bent, drive chain rusted stiff, auger end bushings worn through to the holders ect ect ect, also the auger gearbox was nearly dry because of the seals were shot and leaking, the jackshaft gearbox oil was thick and nasty, all drained out and refilled with full synthetic 75/90, and the auger gearbox was torn down and replaced bushings, seals and gasket, and refilled same lube, Jeff.

[Ed Kennell 38,021]

 If the impeller stops due to a snow clog,  you should see the engine load up and  lose RPM.   Something is not right in the drive line. ie PTO clutch slipping,  belt slipping,  key or pin sheared in a shaft/pulley.

Like Garry says, the PTO should not trip if the clutch is adjusted correctly with adequate pressure on the plate.

[cod 120]

Wet snow seems to always be a problem and sometimes no matter what you try, the results are poor.  I live in Maryland and usually the snow is "less than powdery" and at some point I may have to get a plow for when it's too wet.  What really helped me was when I replaced the sprockets, pulleys and bearings, I had total access to the housing without the auger.  I sanded the blazes out of it and then put on multiple coats of paint in both the housing and the chute.  Once all that dried, I wet sanded everything and buffed the blazes out of it.  The finished surface was as close to a mirror as I could get it and than I put on a heavy coat of wax and polished that as well.  It might have been overkill and I'm not trying to recommend that you do the same but for me it made a huge difference.  I haven't had a clogged chute in 2 years and last Tuesday we got about 5 inches of snow and freezing rain, and I didn't get out till it was starting to melt.  The beast sailed right through it with no problems and I clean 4 driveways, so I've lucked out for now.

Good luck!

Cod

Edited March 19, 2017 by cod

[SylvanLakeWH 25,490]

Check shear pins...just broke one today so one auger side was still spinning but the other wasn't - clog waiting to happen...

Edited March 19, 2017 by SylvanLakeWH

[wallfish 16,983]

My 2 stage seems to do OK in wet snow too. Like others wrote, seems like the PTO could be the issue. Since the belt is stopping that tells me the gearboxes and chain aren't slipping but as always it's a good idea to check them over. The lever kicking off may be because it's adjusted too far tight. That thing should kind of snap into a locked position so that should definitely be inspected. The spring tension on the belt is another area to look at and a properly routed belt.

Another thing I'd suggest is removing the PTO pulley housing and have a good look at the clutch plate lining material and the flat mating surface of the clutch housing. If you see they are not making contact over the entire surface, it's probably slipping there too. No Clutch material or badly worn will cause a slipping problem.  I used a belt sander to flatten the metal surface of the housing and a sanding block on the material. With the surfaces making full contact and lever properly adjusted, noticed a HUGE difference in the performance of the blower right away.

You should not need to go at a snails pace in low 1st so there's something slipping is my guess.

Please post some pics of your setup, maybe we can see something that causing the problem

Edited March 19, 2017 by wallfish

[jcndtown 10]

Thank you all for such quick responses.  I will check a lot of what you have mentioned and post pictures as soon as I can.  When engaging the PTO lever I never hear anything that i would consider a squeal.  Though I do know when I push the lever forward to engage the PTO it does not feel like I have to put much pressure to lock it into place. When going into reverse should the lever release as I do know that also does happen.  At times the lever does pop back into its starting position even when it has not gotten to the point of clogging. Shear pins are definitely all there with both sides spinning.  I will have to see if I can find any numbers on the blower to match it up with hopefully a manual off of here to be able to check a lot of what was mentioned. 

 

Thanks again,

 

Jeff

[wallfish 16,983]

Sounds like it needs adjusting.

Below is the PTO assembly drawing so take a look and compare it to your tractor's parts. Make sure the spring is connected too

 

[Ed Kennell 38,021]

I just realized the PTOs on my 520 and 312 do not have a spring at the front like the C -160.

The 312 and 520 have a spring at the rear near the engagement lever.

 

       C-160  spring in front near the PTO

 

     312 and 520 spring is under the battery.

 

[HorseFixer 2,012]

 

I used to have that problem too!    I tried all that spray on crap silicone, teflon, even WHALE SPERM    all that stuff never worked for long, then I solved the problem  I did the Rubber Paddel Fan Modification back in 2010. Haven't plugged up once in 7 years of operation. This Vid was on my first chucker a C-120 and now is on a highly Modified 520-H  Here are some links to a few of my Vids 

 

BLOWIN SLUSH

 

 

CHUTE MODIFICATION 

 

 

 MODIFIED 520

 

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,021]

WOW   

[jcndtown 10]

Well I can honestly say I did not try Whale Sperm to try to resolve my issue!   If you are referring to the blower impeller rubber modification i added it last year.  As mentioned in dry powder it through the snow about a good 50' but anything else I have had the issues I am referring to.  Thank you sir for your response.  Unbelievable machine you have built for yourself!

[Ed Kennell 38,021]

There will never be a snow chucker equal to the Dukes,  I can't believe he hasn't added a panoramic rear view camera though.

 

jc,, your two stage will chuck any snow  once we figure out what the problem is with the drive train.

 

My single stage was throwing 8" of the wettest, heaviest snow I have ever seen this week.   It does have the rubber impeller pads and a smaller drive pulley to increase the auger RPM.

I had two clogs in an hour and they both happened when I backed up and the snow in the chute had time to freeze.

[jcndtown 10]

Well guys thank you once more for the advice.  I went out this afternoon and tried to engage the PTO after replacing the gear box with new oil.  As soon as I put the lever down it sprung back up.  Per what some of you advised I adjusted the trunnion a couple of turns and now the lever is staying engaged when running.  Most of the snow is now melted but I had a spot next to my garage which I had to shovel by hand and hence a mound still of about two feet with some wetness to it.  I put it in low and raised and moved into it with the housing lifted to get to the top portion and it did not clog and for the most part through the snow pretty good.  Dropped the housing to normal and the belt did stop once but the PTO lever did not kick back.  Put in reverse to back out of the snow pile and the snow cleared without my help.

 

So not sure if it is correctly adjusted but is certainly working in this test far better then what it had been.  Will still work on lubricating the rest of the tractor but for now it looks a whole lot better!

 

Thank you all who responded once again.

 

Jeff

[HorseFixer 2,012]

7 hours ago, jcndtown said:

Well I can honestly say I did not try Whale Sperm to try to resolve my issue!  .  Thank you sir for your response.  Unbelievable machine you have built for yourself!

 

6 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

There will never be a snow chucker equal to the Dukes,  I can't believe he hasn't added a panoramic rear view camera though.

 

 

Thanks Guys!     Ed, I do have a backup camera and monitor that has been laying in the top tray of my Crapman Tool Box just haven't got around to putting it on yet  

Edited March 20, 2017 by HorseFixer

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,032]

The fact the belt did stop once indicates the pto is not adjusted tight enough if the pto pulley also stopped. When everything stops the clutch is slipping and wearing the friction surface real fast and that surface is not very thick. My guess is it will need at least 2 more turns of the trunnion. One turn to stop the slipping and a second turn to make sure it does not slip.

 

Garry

[jcndtown 10]

Thanks for the advice.  I did turn it two more times however when I released the PTO lever the auger along with the belt was still spinning but at a much lower speed.  I then tried one turn only with the same results happening.  After I put it back to where I had it the belt and auger stopped when the lever was released.  There is no doubt that the auger/blades are spinning at a much faster rate since i backed it up at the recommendations off of here.

 

Thanks,

 

J~

[Ed Kennell 38,021]

  First you should get the pressure correct on the PTO clutch so the clutch does not slip. Then if you want the PTO to stop, you must adjust the brake.

You can see it here above the PTO bell. It is a small padded brake that stops the PTO from turning when it is disengaged.

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,032]

This is done with the engine not running. A business card is a suitable gauge.

 

Garry

[jcndtown 10]

Thanks again for the advice and instructions.  I adjusted the PTO again and found that the brake was about 1/8" away when the the lever was disengaged.  Adjusted it according to the directions above and now all seems to be working a whole lot better.  Confident now that I do not have to look for an alternative for snow clearing and will add accessories to the tractor as I find them.  

 

Jeff~

[Ed Kennell 38,021]

Super... ....for letting us know all is well.