Snowblower advise

[zippy1]

Originally Posted by ol'George

It will fit in a suv,
and if you pull the bottom pin and 2 top links, the mule & gearbox will separate from the thrower, making it even easier to lift.

[DewDrop]

Thanks everyone for the help. I ended up getting the snowblower. Came with a new set of chains and a very heavy home made weight attachment. I did end up separating the mule/ gearbox from the blower because I had to cram it all into my Subaru . I did check the gears out before I left the shop, they look BRAND NEW. I’m not sure what kind of lubricant the gearbox wants ( I’m going to review the manual tonight ) but it looked like solid yellow play-doh. Does anyone know the max tongue weight of the little attachment bracket on the rear end of these tractors? This weight box thing is HEAVY and I couldn’t imagine adding even more weight in the box ( looks like cinder block size ) I don’t want to break anything.

[Jeff in Pa]

Go to a John Deere tractor dealer and get "corn head grease" for the gearbox. ( other folks will chime in with other good suggestions too )
John Deere Special-Purpose Corn Head Gun Grease - AN102562
Part Number: AN102562v

As long as the bolts in the rear cover are full depth WITHOUT BOTTOMING OUT, it can handle the weight without problem.

[Vrobert]

Originally Posted by DewDrop

. I did check the gears out before I left the shop, they look BRAND NEW. I’m not sure what kind of lubricant the gearbox wants ( I’m going to review the manual tonight ) but it looked like solid yellow play-doh. .

Finally, a question I can answer. You want John Deer Corn Head grease. It's runny to coat the gears but thick enough that it won't leak out. Costs about $4 at the JD dealer. This is mine before I replaced the grease. I could see metal flakes in the grease so I'm glad I checked it.

[ol'George]

FWIW, it is really a snow thrower.
A snow blower is a 2 stage thingy :>)
----just so you know.

And corn head grease is good stuff, but in a pinch, an equal mix of chassis lube and 80W90 will work.---- light enough to lube, but heavy enough it won't drip.
All this talk of frozen sunshine had me shivering. BBUUURRRR.
Read the manual for the thrower and note to slip the drive shaft back together so the universal joints are in sync if you didn't know.

[DewDrop]

Ok, so I got the snowThrower, it’s all hooked up, freshly greased. I was so excited when we got our first snowfall to try it out! As soon as it touched the snow, it pooped it out the chute like it was soft serve. It barley cleared the main housing... needless to say I was pretty bummed out. I checked the belt tension, even added some new rubber pads on the auger, which did help only slightly. There is no way this is normal. The snow is fairly wet and heavy, but it could be worse.. the inside is pretty rusted and not very smooth, does it need a fresh coat of slick paint? The tractor is wot, the auger spins very fast, it just will. Not. Throw. I’m at a loss here. Maybe a combination of peeling, rusty paint and heavy snow? Any suggestions would be great. Maybe I am missing something.

[Jeff in Pa]

Originally Posted by DewDrop

............ Maybe a combination of peeling, rusty paint and heavy snow? Any suggestions would be great. Maybe I am missing something.

Clean and smooth works better but sloppy,wet snow just doesn't throw well.

I'm happy with wet snow if I can get it off the driveway.

[cooperino]

How fast do you think the auger is turning? Are you running tractor at full throttle? Is there any possibility someone changes pulleys at some point making it run slower?

[ol'George]

Coop is 100% correct.
Possibly you are @ full throttle but it is not 3600 rpm's?? check it.
and like he said, check your pulley diameters.
Wet slop don't throw well,--- so just like a combine, it eats better and is efficient if you keep it's mouth full.
Prolly you approached it gentle and slow.
Nope, keep the auger full and the engine governor wide open.

Soon, you will get the right combo of fast enough for it to throw effectively, yet
not so fast that the engine governor will not keep it to speed.
The light snow will throw well at a slower feed speed, but is still more efficient
when the auger is kept full.
As far as the rust, it will wear off and polish up helping things, but the main thing is a full auger.
Fellows sometimes use "pam" baking stuff or others use slip plate
graphite paint for farm applications.
But it wears off quickly if you use your thrower a lot.
Also fellows sometimes use a smaller drive pulley on the gear box, or a bigger drive sprocket on the auger jackshaft.
but it does require a bigger engine.
When my M-18 is wide open on the governor, and the belt is just short of smoking/slipping it will throw snow! ( I'm 1 tooth larger on the auger drive sprocket)
but if that stuff is sloppy/ slushy, it takes a different technique.
push it a bit then back up and go forward again and it will "gulp" it and throw it.
Other times i just shut it off and use as a push blade if it is more water than snow.
Now I have to go stand by the fire with all this talk of snow, and warm up.

[DewDrop]

When I look at the auger spinning, it looks like it’s spinning extremely fast. I have no way of really telling how fast, or what is normal, since this is my first time dealing with one of these. It seems like it should be sufficient anyway... it does a very good job at collecting the snow, pulling it to the center and sending it, but only about <1foot. That is a very good point in checking the pulley size, I never thought of that. I do have the tractor at full throttle, although I never checked to see what RPM full throttle was, I just checked it when adjusting low idle. It seems like the concept is simple enough, there isn’t a WHOLE lot to to go wrong. I will have to zero in on both auger and engine RPM Monday morning. Does anyone know the correct pulley size for the qa42a off the of your head? Save me a trip to the library And thank you for the response! I would really like to get this setup home so I can start using it.