# Snowbird functionality 2nd to none



## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Been looking at some pictures of my S263 and really miss the heavy duty beast tucked in the corner as I have been using the Simplicity of late. Hard pack chomping exposed augers, ground edge scraper bar, the two auger reels alone weigh more than a bucket-auger on models of late.


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## vmax29 (Oct 19, 2017)

I had one of those, a late 60s or early 70s model. It was a beast for sure. The chain drive auger was a great design. The chute rotated to either side with a cable that wrapped around the base. I remember taking it apart to replace a snapped cable and it took me a few times before I got it to turn properly.


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## thefixer (Nov 19, 2017)

That thing is a beast!! How much horsepower? It looks like is has an adjustable volute? Nice machine. Any videos of this thing in action?


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

vmax29 said:


> I had one of those, a late 60s or early 70s model. It was a beast for sure. The chain drive auger was a great design. The chute rotated to either side with a cable that wrapped around the base. I remember taking it apart to replace a snapped cable and it took me a few times before I got it to turn properly.


Oh yeah on the aircraft cable for the chute rotation it is a learning experience to get it right:smile2: 

What is great about augers in front of bucket is that the snow is being pulled inward prior to the leading edge of bucket and leaves no windrows leaving a clean trail which no machine today can match.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

The steel of the bucket/auger housing was .090 and was invincible on this machine, by 1968 the corporate guys to maximize profits thinned it to .080 when the Yardman name was put on.


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

That's a beaut, very nice. ccasion14:


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Yanmar Ronin said:


> That's a beaut, very nice. ccasion14:


It is and the sad part is machines have steadily cheapened since then, that was before corporatism where only a select few can produce now due to over regulation.


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## vmax29 (Oct 19, 2017)

I found this picture of one that was for sale locally on CL. It was the same one I had. I remember the metal was very heavy gauge. The augers were great on icy eod piles.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Because I do have a micrometer I might be the only person on the planet besides the long dead engineers that knows the true history.:grin:


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

DriverRider said:


> It is and the sad part is machines have steadily cheapened since then, that was before corporatism where only a select few can produce now due to over regulation.


The other side of that coin is that many (most?) people just simply refuse to pay for quality anymore... this has come up in a few other discussions on new machines here.

Sad indeed.

They're still building Monsters over here, I'd be happy to see some on their way across the Pacific.


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## aldfam4 (Dec 25, 2016)

vmax29 said:


> I found this picture of one that was for sale locally on CL. It was the same one I had. I remember the metal was very heavy gauge. The augers were great on icy eod piles.


My brother had this version of the OP's snow blower. He moved into a home and previous owner left it in the garage. It wouldn't start and I was able to get it going. It was well built - tank like - I really like the chute and its ability to easily move side to side and rotate. Eventually my brother moved and sold it, it was nice for me to see and use it..., they don't make them like that anymore!


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

That is a serious machine! Can it throw to the right as well, or is it primarily effective at throwing to the left? It looks kind of biased to the left. 

It doesn't address steel thickness. But I think most machines today could be "modified" to have exposed augers, after some time spent with a cutoff wheel. It would be interesting to see someone take a sacrificial machine (or one with a spare bucket) and cut the front of the bucket off, in front of the augers, to make them exposed. You could probably leave the top of the bucket, to help keep the intake tall. 

It seems like that would help a lot for chewing into dense snowbanks. Maybe there are downsides that aren't apparent. But it seems like exposing the augers is at least something that could be implemented on most blowers, if the user wanted to.


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## Blackstar (Dec 27, 2010)

thefixer said:


> That thing is a beast!! How much horsepower? It looks like is has an adjustable volute? Nice machine. Any videos of this thing in action?


https://www.google.ca/search?q=simplicity+snowbird+s263&ie=&oe=


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

The metal piece outboard of the right tire is a chain guard as the reels are chain driven off the axle. If you look closely at the first picture one can see that the impeller/fan shaft extends into an oilite bronze bushing on the auger shaft making ridged the entire design for Snowbirds. The Yardmans cut the shaft length as a cost cutting move terminating the shaft just in front of the impeller. As a result of the shortened impeller shaft the impeller to housing clearance was made greater on the Yardman to compensate for shaft flexing/wobbling and throwing distance suffered. The Yardmans were poor throwers compared to the original design and was the beginning of the end.

The Snowbird does have that art deco industrial function look of the era.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Are there no auger shear pins?


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Are there no auger shear pins?


I see no shear pins on mine a 1963 Snowbird, S-226 model.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Maybe that's because it's auger chain driven and there's no auger gear box to break?

It's there a drive transmission underneath?


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Are there no auger shear pins?


Outside the chain guard is a NLA shear bolt which gets pinned to the drive sprocket for the auger reels.

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...-snowbird-functionality-2nd-none-dsc_6744.jpg


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

DriverRider said:


> Outside the chain guard is a NLA shear bolt which gets pinned to the drive sprocket for the auger reels.
> 
> http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...-snowbird-functionality-2nd-none-dsc_6744.jpg


I was just going to say that if you look at the first picture where the chain (guard) is on the wheel I was thinking that is a shear bolt for the chain drive.
That is what you are saying DriverRider? That bolt?

Edit, I failed to see your picture link.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

While I've never seen a snowbird in real life, my favorite feature is the way the chute rolls left or right.


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

My dad bought a big Snowbird in 1960, a year before I was born. We then I ran that machine for 35 years or so. It was an awesome machine. My older brother rebuilt the engine once maybe when it was 10 years old.


It was completely worn out when I gave it to my brother in law. He ditched it because it was too far gone.

My complaints of it were it was slow. When you have 3" or 18" the cleaning chore was the same time. 1 1/2 hours before work or after.
Also it didn't have a light so doing the long sidewalks by the road was hard to do. 
The third issue was it liked to snap belts. It would pop a shear pin, but it would snap belts too if the ice by the road was just right. Later a few years before I gave it away, it snapped the 8" pulley. The belt worn the sheet metal groove right off the pulley. Napa and my lathe got it up and running by the next snow storm.


I thought of buying one like it for a conversation piece. But I don't have the storage space. I currently have a pair of Ariens machines now for the same 15+ car driveway. I like the Ariens machines better for my application. They have higher ground speed. The chute is better for sidewalks and I don't break down for belts or shear pins! The light is an added bonus.


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

Big Ed said:


> I see no shear pins on mine a 1963 Snowbird, S-226 model.


The shear pin is on the right had wheel axle. (if it's like dads 1960)


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

JLawrence08648 said:


> It's there a drive transmission underneath?


It sure does. The short shaft faces the rear and is where the forward V pulley and flat reverse pulley are mounted. The 20mm shaft has a worm and the 1" axle shaft has the bronze worm wheel before extending out front where the fan gets mounted. This differential was off a parts machine that I went on to rebuild nearly new condition which will last another fifty years.:wink2:


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Another advantage of a machine with a differential is that they stop with no uncontrolled rolling and will even stay put on an incline when power is removed.


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## barney (Nov 21, 2017)

DriverRider said:


> The steel of the bucket/auger housing was .090 and was invincible on this machine, by 1968 the corporate guys to maximize profits thinned it to .080 when the Yardman name was put on.


Kind of makes you wonder, ... if a small US operation made and offered a similar machine for a reasonable price, how they'd make out.

* It was determined by a forum member using a micrometer that the steel on the buckets of new Ariens and Toros were ".078 to .085".

Another garage guy in a video, using two measuring devices claimed "approx. .090" on his new HD Toro Powermax.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

The hardness of the steel used back then was high which is how they have been able to survive all these years with most having their original paint more or less still intact. Retirement was due to economic considerations from lack of parts availability with the bulk of the machine still intact.

To manufacture this one well built component would be in the hundreds of dollars today.lain:


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## bigredmf (Jan 16, 2018)

My old Gravely MA-210 and I believe the entire snow cannon series had the dual rotation chute that operates similar to the snow bird.

I reluctantly sold the blower attachment last year as it takes up a ton of space but have been looking for a 34" for years.

Red


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## barney (Nov 21, 2017)

DriverRider said:


> The *hardness of the steel used back then was high* which is how they have been able to survive all these years with most having their original paint more or less still intact. Retirement was due to economic considerations from lack of parts availability with the bulk of the machine still intact.
> 
> To manufacture this one well built component would be in the hundreds of dollars today.lain:


I suspect metallurgy may have less to do with it and more to do with the use of great oil based, thick paints back then.


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## MassSnowblower (Oct 14, 2014)

I currently own 7 Snowbird Snowblowers that I have gone through and are all ready to use. My earliest model is the FB which is a 1958. The newest one I own is a 1964 model 263. I only collect what is known as the "first generation' models. The quality of these machines is excellent, the only things that are not made of steel are the tires, and the control knobs. You definitely don't have to worry about the 263 riding up on the snow or having trouble with the EOD. I am currently looking for a 1959 Model S and a Model 224 which would be a 1961 model. I think it would be neat to have all the first generation models displayed.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

barney said:


> I suspect metallurgy may have less to do with it and more to do with the use of great oil based, thick paints back then.


Don't bet your life savings on that.:grin: I recently had to drill some holes through my .090 Simplicity steel and it took 30 seconds to make a hole. Last time I had to enlarge a hole on the old Snowbird took closer to 2 minutes. Everything is cheaper today and will be cheaper (maybe plastic) in the future brother.:wink2:

Paint can only do so much, my brand new machine has gouging in the impeller housing that is deeper than the fifty-five year old machine.:sad2:


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