# HS828 wheels spin when the machine if raised off the ground



## luvmyhonda (Feb 15, 2014)

The wheels on my HS828 spin when the machine if raised off the ground, but when the machine is flat on the ground in normal operating posistion it will not move forward or reverse. I have checked the hydo fluid and it is at the proper level and looks good. I checked the belts and they look good and not broken. When the machine is raised off the ground and the drive lever is engaged the wheels start to spin, but if I put my foot on the wheels they stop with little resistance. I noticed that I can move the machine freely wether the engage/release transmission foot lever is enagaed or not. It does not make that whirling noise that it use to when the engine is off and the transmission foot lever is dis-engaged when I move the machine forward or backward. I am hopefully that because the wheels do spin when there is no resistance that this is a minor problem and not a major one. I should note that this issue occurred when I was using the machine in very heavy wet snow.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

I think those Hondas have some type of shear pins in the drive system somewhere. Maybe lift it up and try turning the wheels to try and determine where the link between the transmission and the wheels is broken and look for a broken bolt or key or something.


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## TomB985 (Dec 21, 2013)

Shear pin is my first thought. You can take the plate on the back of the frame off fairly easily and gain access to the drivetrain. I'd start by removing that and seeing where things stop moving when you hold the wheel still.


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## luvmyhonda (Feb 15, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. I agree it seems like a shear pin may be broken, but the only thing that puzzels me is why would the wheels spin like they do when raised off the ground and under power. When I jack the back of the machine with a cfloor jack and then start it with the hydro lever in the engaged posistion and then engage the drive with the handle bar lever and then move the drive stick forward and reverse and the wheels respond (spin forward direction and then reverse) they just don't spin as fast as they should. I haven't found it yet in any of the Honda Forums here, but did read on some other sites that the shear pin on these Hondas is inside the transmission and isn't really meant to be serviced easily.

Thanks again for your input and I really appreciate the replies.


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## TomB985 (Dec 21, 2013)

luvmyhonda said:


> Thanks for the replies. I agree it seems like a shear pin may be broken, but the only thing that puzzels me is why would the wheels spin like they do when raised off the ground and under power. When I jack the back of the machine with a cfloor jack and then start it with the hydro lever in the engaged posistion and then engage the drive with the handle bar lever and then move the drive stick forward and reverse and the wheels respond (spin forward direction and then reverse) they just don't spin as fast as they should. I haven't found it yet in any of the Honda Forums here, but did read on some other sites that the shear pin on these Hondas is inside the transmission and isn't really meant to be serviced easily.
> 
> Thanks again for your input and I really appreciate the replies.


I've had shear pin issues with one of my augers. It fell out, and as a field expedient repair I threw a cheap machine screw and nut in to get me going. But they don't last long. When one fails the auger stops turning as soon as it meets resistance. But friction between the auger drive shaft and the auger causes it to turn when there is no resistance. 

I watched the exact same thing you've experienced happen with my auger...it spins like it should under no load but the second it meets snow it comes to a halt. Sounds an awful lot like what's happening with your drive.


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## luvmyhonda (Feb 15, 2014)

The shear pin/dowel for the drive axel/transmission is documented pretty well at this link:

honda snowblower problem - Tool Shed Forum - GardenWeb

Once the weather warms up a bit here in MA I will tackle trying to replace ithe dowel/shear pin. Until then it is back to the good old fashion shovel.

Thanks again for the replies!


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## chrisoppie (Dec 12, 2013)

Not sure about a sheer pin for the drive system. There is an axel rod with a press fit pin I have seen broken. Axel must be replaced if that is in deed the issue.


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## luvmyhonda (Feb 15, 2014)

Here is the conclusion to my issue: It wound up being the right transmission gear case issue (broken pin on the drive axle) described in another posts on this site (http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/honda-snowblowers/30257-failure-right-gearcase.html). The reason my wheels would still spin even though the pin broke was because there was enough light rust on the axle that it allowed the drive grear to catch just enough. To get the gear off the axle I had to file the rust off the axle to give the gear enough clearance to remove it from the axle. Since I had it all apart I replaced the bearings in the right transmission case and the left carrier bearing at the same time. Here is a tip that I didn't see in the other post for the right transmission case issue. To remove the bearing from the aluminum transmission case heat the area around the transmission case where the bearing are. This will allow the bearing to be removed easier. I used a heat gun set on high, but in searching on how to remove bearings from an aluminum cases others used boiling water and others used a propane torch. When I bought the new axel from the Honda dealer he mentioned the main reason for the broken pin is either shifting from forward to reverse quicly causing a jerking motion and also over inflating the tires on wheeled models. Tire pressure should be 8.5 PSI and no higher.


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