Pellet heads!! What's up today?

Too bad you aren't closer. I'm selling my 6.5 foot Lucknow 2 stage blower. I've found it much easier and cheaper to call the guy down the road with his plow truck and have him plow out the drives (house and rentals) and pay him 20 bucks while I stay inside and watch. I can burn 20 bucks in diesel plowing and blowing easily. Selling the blower for sure and maybe the plow too. Plow is SSQA mount power angle (3rd function required), Blower has a hydraulic chute rotator and skid shoes on it. Not me anymore.....

 

You must have Prime then. I'm too cheap to have it and if I order something, I can 99% of the time wait a few days. If I need it that bad, I get it locally.

 

It's a handfull (plow). That tractor weighs about 7000 pounds and the plow still drives me if I'm not careful.

 

I never hated propane, always been convenient but, lately I'm beginning to dislike the price as it's climbing quickly.

 

I don't know as I'm not at all familiar with JD tractors but, you need a minimum of 50 pto horsepower to run it efficiently. MY cab tractor is rated at 83 pto and I can make it bark in heavy wet snow, no issue, by bark, I mean up on the turbo and blowing smoke. I'll stick with paying the guy down the road 20 bucks to plow the drives. Diesel is getting a might too expensive and being an old fart, I don't like the cold, even though the cab is war, I still have to go out in the cold and get it out of the barn to get in a warm cab.

 

Sn*wblower repair went kaputz

Yeah, final piece came in Friday. Tore into the tranny gear case job yesterday and had to remove the left side track assembly as its a tracked snowblower (Honda). Well the right side was already apart to get to the tranny gearcase and when I went to loosen the left side to remove that track, the threaded adjustment shaft snapped, and that threaded adjustment shaft is part of the rear wheel shaft assembly. Remember this is a 15 year old blower that has been used hard here in NH. Its still in good shape for its age and use but some parts are fatigued.

Jump on the parts site and of course that shaft is not in stock. Call the company who checks with Honda and told two weeks. Last part was told 3 days that ended up as 12 days so now what will two weeks mean?

Even if I could get the additional part I am now at about $400 plus a little over $100 in tools I didnt have and needed for the job as well as supplies and really starting to push the repair's worth. (All parts and tools are unused at this point and returnable)

Ready to call it quits when I talk with my neighbor who says he can take the shaft to his machine shop, (CNC machines everywhere there) dnll out the rod and thread in another for me.

Start back on the job and run into a bearing on the main drive shaft that wont budge and is too far down for my 6" puller to reach. Removing this bearing is needed to get the main driveshaft out of the gearbox case. Lube the bearing/shaft, heat it, take outside and start trying to get it moved enough for puller to reach-not moving. The repeated impact on my hands due to of not having the right tools and having to "find a way" when Mr Arthur-I-Tus sends searing pain in my left hand. Push through pain for a bit and still no movement.

I absolutely hate letting a machine get the better of me, but I also know that if I dont stop know I'll pay dearly for at least a week. Ignored a few weeks ago and could turn a doorknob with that hand for a few days. Sometimes the universe sends messages, and I am getting old enough to listen. Not the right tools and 59 years of "finding a way" is starting to take its toll on my joints.

New blower coming Tuesday

BUT I then decided to take the whole damm thing apart and try to sell the parts-Engine (Honda GX270 with tank, carb etc), Hydrostatic Transmission, Discharge chute, Augers, Auger gearbox. All this should be worth something.

Oh, went to town on this thing tearing it apart to sub-assemblies with the new 3/8 impact wrench. Wish I had that long time ago!

 

Nice.You got your money's worth.What will you replace it with?Another track drive?I like the Ariens track drives.

 

After reading about all my friends up north that are getting sn*w blowers, shovels, ice melter, sn*w tires, etc, etc, ready, I'm so happy to have left most of that crap behind. Woke up to hazy sunshine......60* right now and sunny.
The near future :

 

I did look into the Ariens but decided to stay with another Honda HSS928ATD track drive. Right shoulder doesnt like pull starts anymore so the 12V starter with onboard battery will be very welcomed.

Ariens are actually more $$ for similar options and I am not sold on the auto steering (as much as my hands may like that better too many conflicting user issues with the system). I do like the Ariens wheel/track system concept.

Leary of the electric cute control but recently saw on another site that they have been using the same system for 20 years on the Canadian versions. Also checked on chute parts-there are 2 motors for the chute-both the same and cost about 35 bucks so that makes me feel better too. I may buy one and have it on hand just in case. Even if it goes bad under warranty its not worth the hassle of taking the machine to the dealer and waiting for them to get around to it.

Most important-I actually found one as they are scarce. Dealer I am using is selling it under MSRP when others that actually have one are not. Rochester Motor Sports wants MSRP on the 28" I am getting and an additional $500 OVER MSRP for the 32" version-buttheads !

 

boo. I could go for some snow.

 

Unlike,unlike,unlike.It can stay in Hawaii.

 

It seems as there are always challenges. Sometimes they fall in clusters. Is hiring someone to dig you out after the storms an option? I am at the point of "can't do a thing outside for myself" My son has a plow truck and he has a plow for the ATV. I had a nice snow thrower. wide, heavy, self start and steering. Son wasn't using it and I'm not able to walk behind it or now to be out in the cold, so I gave it to my other son to keep his wrap around deck cleared off. More machine than he needs, but for free, the price was right. It seemed a shame for me to let it sit.

 

Not sure why people think (wrongly) that CNC machines are the holy grail. They are production machines not making a one off part machine, far from it. All you need is a competent machine shop and an engine lather and an experienced hand. No CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) machine is capable of making a one off part.

Never figured out what the CNC fantasy is. I have one for limited production runs but all the one off stuff is done on a very 'old fashioned' manual controlled machine. All the CNC machine does (Mazak vertical mill) does is spit out cookie cutter parts.

 

If it was mine, I think I'd cut my losses and go buy a new one and sell the old one on Facebook Marketplace or CL or Flea Bay as is and move on.

Don't have to be a Honda either. Lots of good ones out there today.