ri702bill 8,326 #1 Posted June 20, 2022 All: I know how we all are fond of our Wheel Horses, but it is hard to beat the workmanship and quality built into the old 1970's Ariens Sno-Thro's. This one has been in my sister's husbands family since new in 1976. I got it in 1994, and have used it every winter since then. I rebuilt the gearbox about 6 to 8 years ago - it needed the input ball bearing replaced, so I tore the box apart, new bushings & seals. I have noticed the box leaking oil onto the floor over the two summers, so it was time to check it out. Gear oil was leaking past the threads of the fill plug, so I decided to remove the plug & seal the threads with non-hardening Permatex #2. I unscrewed the plug - SURPRIZE - the gearbox was pressureized!! Decided instead to add a PSA backed vent patch to the top of the casting. I have used these before on one of our automotive switch products and they do work. I bought a 4 pack of 20 mm diameter vents - primarily used to vent headlight assemblies of moisture. Air can pass freely thru either way, but fluids cannot. Cobbled up an airline of what I had kicking around and replaced the fill plug with a line connected to my 5 gallon airtank. I found a picture online of the inside of the box to decide where to drill, and I marked the area to drill, then using a #2 centerdrill, pressurized the gearbox with 20 PSI of air and drilled lightly just until the air inside escaped to blow the chips away. Cleaned the area with mineral spirits, let it dry, and applied the patch. Is it the final solution?? I intend to drain and refill the gearbox before next winter - I should know by Christmas. If not, I can drill & tap it for a setscrew and jam nut. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,631 #2 Posted June 20, 2022 @ri702bill interesting situation , if nothing else would use a polyurea based lubricant so it would stay with and return to the contact area for best protection , still looks to be in pretty good shape , for its age, use , kind of like us , pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,326 #3 Posted June 20, 2022 (edited) 9 minutes ago, peter lena said: good shape , for its age, use , kind of like us This one was always garaged in the off seasons and well maintained. I replaced the original H60 with a cast iron HH70 that I got for "free", as the old one was starting to use a bit of oil. The H60 is still with us, now on the Gard-N-Way chipper that had an underpowered 5HP Tecumseh. I also have the Sno-Thro's sister and a parts machine nearby... Bill Edited June 20, 2022 by ri702bill 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Achto 27,580 #4 Posted June 20, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, ri702bill said: pressurized the gearbox with 20 PSI of air and drilled lightly just until the air inside escaped to blow the chips away. Great idea. One other trick that works well for this type of application is to pack your drill bit full of grease before drilling. The drill shavings will stick to the grease on the drill bit instead of falling into the case. Packing a tap with grease will do the same when tapping a hole. Edited June 20, 2022 by Achto 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,326 #5 Posted June 20, 2022 49 minutes ago, Achto said: pressurized the gearbox with 20 PSI of air and drilled lightly just until the air inside escaped to blow the chips away. The fine cast iron drill dust blew out sideways in all directions. A side benefit of using a centerdrill. The small tip is about .078 diameter, and the 60 degree included angle gave the perfect place for the chips to go - and allows any oil to drain back in under the vent. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
