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frozen spout rotator


RickS

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I have a legacy with a 47 inch single stage blower on the front. The tractor and blower work fine, but I am having a problem with the spout rotator freezing.

I clean the blower off each time I use it. But most times when I need to use the blower the spout is frozen in place. Depending how I left the spout I can use the tractor or I have to wait until a heat lamp warms the area up enough for the spout to rotate. When trying to clear the driveway before work, this can be a problem.

My quick and dirty solution is to leave the spout pointed to the left so I can clear 90% of my driveway. The last 10% I use my walk behind.

Can anyone offer any suggestions to keep the snow / water out of motor? From what I can tell the motor has all of the shields in place to keep snow off the motor.

thanks

Rick........

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not sure how they work but maybe you could take the spout off and but a thin layer of grease between the spout and what it turns on. the grease should keep it from freezing. i use silicon spray on door seals when people complain about there doors freezing shut so i think it should work the same. but again im not sure how it rotes or what it rotates on.

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Chris,

From what I can tell the spout is not freezing. The spout while it won't turn still rocks and turns slightly, a quarter of an inch or so. So I don't think it is the spout, but something else that is freezing which in turn prevents the motor from turning the spout.

Last time I used it I did spray WD-40 on the gears and around the spout. I should find out tonight if the spout is frozen or not.

Rick....

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Oz, I am aware that WD-40 is not a lubricant, I was using it to try and dry out the area. That said I was not aware it would freeze. So I may have shot myself in the foot. I guess we will see tonight when I get home to clear the driveway from the rest of the snow we got.

Rick......

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Cut the body out of an empty cleaned bleach bottle an line it in between nozzle and spout so the spout turns on plastic not steel and see if that helps. I have heard that it helps. I have done it to mine and no problem.

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Rick,Your 47" blower is probably similar to my "new style" 42" blower with built in gear rotator. I had the same issue. Some pics of what I found.Looked good from the top after removing cover; I had lubed it well with a marine grade grease:

IMG_5335a.jpg

But underneath:

IMG_5339a.jpg

You can see where the water puddles in the motor housing cavities and then as it freezes and expands it rises up around the gear teeth. You can see the outline of the gear in the pic, most of the ice that was up in the gear came off when I pried the gear off. My solution was to completely fill the motor housing cavities with the same marine grease. I haven't had the problem since. However, I haven't had much snow/cold since the pic was taken in 2011, so no guarantee that this will solve your problem.PS - I don't think any amount of guarding will keep the water out of my setup because my Sovereign exhaust discharge is out the front under the axle partly into the snowblower tunnel. This (along with the warm "cooling" air from the engine also blowing out the front grill) keeps the top of the tunnel warm enough to melt snow and the water runs down into the rotator area.

 

Edited by PhanDad
removed extra pics
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Ok I stand corrected on the freezing of WD. I have sprayed it on door seals, and they froze shut. I have axcess to WD really cheap, and the only thing I use it for is to clean a part, or for drying a part or wire out. Just me. I do like the idea of the bleach bottle. That type of plastic is slippery.

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Bill,

Thanks for the pictures. That was a big help. Once the weather warms up I will take off the shields and try and add some waterproof grease. I am sure my motor is freezing in the same way your pictures show.

Rick....

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Save an empty bleach bottle just in case. But now you might not know until next season. As I write, I can feel heat from sun barely up coming thru the window and it's only 10 above. There is now light at the end of the tunnel.dOd

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I did the plastic bleach bottle and really helped. Did not heat the bottle but cut a "V" slip to fit over the blower tube. Left about an 1/8" gap. Spins easy by hand.

IMG_0315 (Medium).JPG

57e05ddfaa9a8_IMG_0315(Medium).JPG.a35cded48730ac3714e460cee109ad23.JPG

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