Gregor 4,846 #76 Posted January 1, 2022 I said I had a plan and I did. I made one more modification. As I said earlier, this thing just keeps evolving. Maybe next week, it will be autonomous? Yeah, don't hold your breath I use to plow quite a lot of snow when I had my business. It was a relatively large parking lot. The things you are always doing is, putting the plow down, going forward, putting the plow up, shifting, backing up, putting the plow down, shifting, going forward, putting the plow up, shifting, backing up, putting the plow down, shifting, going forward, putting the plow up, shifting, backing up, rinse and repeat. All the while watching for parked cars, MOVING cars, (people sometimes can't see you plowing snow) light posts, and other obstacles. When you back up, your tractor knows your backing up, you know your backing up, your plow doesn't know. When you are are going forward, your tractor knows you are going forward, you know you are going forward, again, your plow doesn't know. I thought there has to be a way around this. and there is. I added just one more micro switch, and a SPDT switch. I can flip the SPDT switch and operate the lift with the PTO pedal as always, orrrrrrr, I can flip the SPDT switch the other way, and the snowblowers will go up any time I shift into reverse. In neutral or any other gear, they automatically go down. Shift to reverse, they come back up. Of course I managed to turn this 1 hour simple modification into a 3 hour, soldering iron burning, tap breaking, finger pinching, tool dropping ordeal as only I can, but it's done, and it works. On a high note, it's snowing You won't hear me say that often 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #77 Posted January 1, 2022 "HUSTON, WE HAVE LIFT OFF" Everything worked perfectly electrical wise anyway. Mechanically, we had a problem. At the end of the video you will see snow piling up in front of the blower on right. It sheared a pin in the auger, When it did that, the snow blowers rode up on the snow, and my lift cable came unhooked from my turnbuckle. I am going to have to remedy that. The one one the right is also turning at at higher RPM than the other. I haven't done much to the one on the left since bring it home and get it running. May have to do some carb work and tune up on it. While these snowblowers are not terribly rare, they are some what scarce. When you do find them, they seem to be in pretty good shape for something made in 1964. I always wondered if that was because they didn't work worth a and people just parked them. I think that may in fact be true. While this snow was heavier than I thought it would be, they didn't seem to blow it well at all. Then again, I am used to an 8 HP 26" 2 stage. These are single stage, and about 2 1/2 HP each. If this snow melts enough that I can get my C-125 up to the garage, I may have to start searching for another 8 HP 2 stage and see what I can conjure up. All in all I am happy with the first run. Had the shear pin not let go, I think I could have had a lot of fun. I can tell you this though, while operating this thing, a person does not need, NOR DO THEY WANT their hearing aids in . 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoopy11 5,714 #78 Posted January 1, 2022 On 12/31/2021 at 4:17 PM, Gregor said: Took Casper out for a spin I LOVE THAT TRACTOR!!! Don 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #79 Posted January 1, 2022 I am back in business. I thought it has sheared a pin. It wasn't that simple. It never is. It actually threw the chain. After digging in the snow and finding the chain, I saw there was no master link. I completely rebuilt this unit last year, so if there was a problem with the master link, I guess it fall on me. My bad. I had another. I also tightened the chain on that blower, which is no mean feat either. I ended up grinding one of my tappet wrenches down to the width of a dime, but I got it done. The turnbuckle and cable can no longer part ways. They are joined like french fries and ketchup, never to part again. I took it out for another trial. I asked Allan Funt if she would care to video, she declined, and no so politely I might add. These snow blowers would probably be OK for 2-3" of snow, 5" plus is too much. When I went out the second time I had both chutes facing the same direction. With the awesome power of these blowers, the right one was just dumping snow in front of the left one. You can imagine how well that turned out. I was hoping it would snow, well, as they say, "Be careful what you wish for.............." We have well over 5" and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In the end, I believe the theory is a good one, and it will work, with the proper equipment. Two 1964, 15", 2 1/2 HP, Lawn Boy snow blowers, aint it. I am on the look out for another 24", 8 HP, 2 stage walk behind snowblower, but I have to wonder, will it be possible to steer a tractor, with that much weight hanging on the front of it. I am going to have to winch mine up and weigh it. Maybe if I do like I have seen suggested here, and put roller chain on the front tires, it will. In the mean time, I have another modification in mind for Casper. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. The fun is in the trying. Anyone know where I can get a relatively small, but very strong torsion spring? 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoopy11 5,714 #80 Posted January 2, 2022 1 hour ago, Gregor said: Anyone know where I can get a relatively small, but very strong torsion spring? Grainger would be my best guess... Don Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,317 #81 Posted January 2, 2022 10 hours ago, Snoopy11 said: Grainger would be my best guess... Don Also possibly McMaster Carr? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #82 Posted January 2, 2022 Seems everything I find is something you can almost close with your thumb and forefinger, or it's for a garage door.. Not much in between. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,170 #83 Posted January 2, 2022 22 hours ago, Gregor said: They are joined like french fries and ketchup, never to part again 22 hours ago, Gregor said: will it be possible to steer a tractor, with that much weight hanging on the front of it Go completely over the top and link the steering so that it turns the snowblowers as you turn the steering wheel? As for lifting, I bet your winch could do it, but it'll make the steering quite tough. Do they have to come off the ground or can the blowers be tilted back onto their built-in wheels? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #84 Posted January 2, 2022 26 minutes ago, Handy Don said: Go completely over the top and link the steering so that it turns the snowblowers as you turn the steering wheel? That'll keep me awake tonight. As for lifting, I bet your winch could do it, but it'll make the steering quite tough. The winch could definitely lift the load. Do they have to come off the ground or can the blowers be tilted back onto their built-in wheels? They could stay on the ground, but that would bring back the trouble I had with this unit, before removing the built-in wheels. When trying to turn, they scrub on the pavement. I want to avoid that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #85 Posted January 3, 2022 I wanted to see how much weight was on the front tires of Casper. Snow blowers, winch and all and all. 398 # A 656 only weighs 388# total, as per tractor data. I finding that a little hard to believe. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,199 #86 Posted January 3, 2022 1 minute ago, Gregor said: 398 # Howdja maysure it Greg? Last time I borrowed the treasurers bathroom scale I broke it... accidentally dropped the plow blade on it! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #87 Posted January 3, 2022 My HF electric winch is only rated at 400# . Had to coax it just a little. FYI A 2 stage 8 HP, self propelled. walk behind weighs in at 140. That's less than I thought. 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoopy11 5,714 #88 Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said: Howdja maysure it Greg? Last time I borrowed the treasurers bathroom scale I broke it... accidentally dropped the plow blade on it! DID... the treasurer break your face...? Don Edited January 4, 2022 by Snoopy11 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,199 #89 Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said: DID... the treasurer break your face She said she wanted a new one anyway. That the old one was reading about 10 pounds high. She was sorry when she got the new one home. Turns out the old one was reading 4 pounds LOW ! ha ha ha ha ... I actually was able to repair and recalibrate the old one though. Edited January 4, 2022 by Jeff-C175 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #90 Posted January 4, 2022 I was using the bathroom scale for things, but it's glass. My treasurer was getting a bit nervous. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,170 #91 Posted January 4, 2022 21 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said: She was sorry when she got the new one home. Turns out the old one was reading 4 pounds LOW ! ha ha ha ha ... So you immediately re-calibrated it to be "correct", right? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,199 #92 Posted January 5, 2022 3 hours ago, Handy Don said: So you immediately re-calibrated it to be "correct", right? Them new fangled digital ones don't have a calibrate knob on them! (at least this one didn't...) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,170 #93 Posted January 5, 2022 2 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said: Them new fangled digital ones don't have a calibrate knob on them! (at least this one didn't...) You mean to say there isn't a smartphone app to connect to it? Heavens what is this world coming to?! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,199 #94 Posted January 5, 2022 8 minutes ago, Handy Don said: You mean to say there isn't a smartphone app to connect to it? Heavens what is this world coming to?! No... and what I thought was strange was that there was no 'memory', even though it's 'programmable' for up to four people. You can put in the height and weight, and if you use it barefooted it sends electrons up one leg and down the other and supposedly can tell you what your BMI, %FAT, %WATER, etc is from that... which I find dubious at best. I was going to put my resistance decade box across it and see what I could get it to say. But yeah, not even a dang memory! It was only $20 so what should I be expecting? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,317 #95 Posted January 5, 2022 5 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said: supposedly can tell you what your BMI, %FAT, %WATER, etc is from that... which I find dubious at best In all seriousness, any scale that claims it can do that should be thrown out immediately. It's just plain false. My entire body is just a bit off the scale in the high side of bone, joint size, and muscle mass in comparison to the status quo. I am - literally - "big boned". No way that scale can differentiate between my body type and a genetically thin person. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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