# AMF Dynamark Craftsman Polar Bears coming out of woodwork



## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

suddenly there's a lot of these old AMF's coming up for sale, I mean in waves.....

yesterday I bought another Polar Bear 7/26 complete and get-running condition for 50 bucks....figured the hard to find wheel pawl/pawl spring parts alone are worth that much. 

the guy had another AMF Craftsman 7/24 w/14" impeller and full cable controls behind the woodpile, that he was scrapping- he just pulled the engine off it. told me I could have the rolling machine minus engine for free, or with engine for 30 bucks.

another guy has a Dynamark 5/22 gear drive Craftsman for 100 obo, and an 8/26 Dynamark frction drive for 150. those are a little high in price for my liking but I'm thinking, an 8/22 Tecumseh powered gear drive would be one kick arse machine, if I cross bred them

so I'm sitting here tired from the day of work, and the phone rings- it's a guy only a few miles away, he has a Craftsman Drift Breaker, the newer kind with the single headlight, for sale. it runs and it's an 8 or 10 HP Tec. engine, has big tires and chains.

we're overwhelmed by old AMF's for sale. these machines were perceived as high quality and people hung on to them all this time and used them... I've seen this phenom before. well built machines last 40 years, then they get worn or rusty to the point everyone puts them on the market at the same time to get something with less miles on it. so there they are.

that is a testament to how well built those AMF's were. all of these are 40 year old machines. one of them I bought is a 1968 making it 46 years old. I was at the local power equipment shop buying some small parts and when I told the guy they are for an old AMF, his face and eyes lit up with a smile. He told me he used to be an AMF dealer and was glad I was fixing one up. Now he sells Cub Cadet, Toro, Honda.

I may take that free roller w/out engine, the 14" impeller, shafts, and auger box on it are in perfect condition, and it has all the pulley linkage for the idlers in place. that stuff can be hard to find if it breaks.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Drift Breakers*

If you can get a chassis with a good drive control cable, grab it. That's one item that though not available, there is an option but it costs a bit. You can get a cable for remote chute control but you have to rig your own connection to the handle control as both ends have loops instead of a loop and S hook end.

I still have one of the Murray built units with a replaced auger assembly (32" down to 26") so it fits through the garage door. The other problem is if you get one with the plastic bushings on the auger or drive axel. They're no longer available (from what I"ve found) and though they can be converted to the bronze bushings, the clamshells that fit around them is no long available either.

One other thing, if you get one that needs a friction disc on those that's worn out, there is an option. Toro had a disc that was the same dimensions but the holes were wrong. You need to open up the center hole on a lathe and redrill the mounting holes but it does work.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

thanks much for the helpful information. I was just looking at that rolling chassis thinking wow, this is a cornucopia of parts for my 2 Dynamark/Craftsman machines that have the headlights on them. those dual pulley/cable idler parts with springs look hard to find. the front auger box would fit the Craftsman 10/32-14", so would the impeller. the parts roller has plastic bushings but they are in perfect condition.

IIRC Sears still sells the friction disc but they are around $20-$25 shipped.

intuition is telling me to grab the free roller. it will cost me gas money and time. I could always strip it and scrap it later.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

I can tell you that this is exactly what happened with Gilson model 55012 and all of the subsequent 3 speed gear drives. I had taken in well over 50 Gilsons and had yet to snag one of these. I wanted to believe that they were going the distance and folks weren't parting with them but I had to wonder if some fatal flaw had taken them out of commission. Eventually they did start to emerge, 55012 and the latter models of the 8-28, 3 speed gear drive into the mid 80's. I even have 3 of the 10/11 HP 32 inch versions waiting to be refurbished.

It is a real phenomenon and one that as a 55012 owner I now you can relate to.

Pete


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

you nailed it. they all come out on the salvage market at the same time, 40+ years later...as a testament to how long they last, and the "generational" traits of these old USA-made machines. they are so well built that they are passed on to sons and grandsons. 

the Polar Bear I got yesterday was an estate sale machine the guy got from a neighbor, who's grandfather bought it new. 

The Craftsman 7/24-14" machine frame in the scrap pile was his OWN grandfather's machine, that he was given for free when his grandpa was still alive, and he used it for about 10 years.

and in the garage is a newer Ariens, big machine, that he got from his own grandfather's estate, that his grandpa had bought to replace the Craftsman machine at one time, he inherited it after his grandfather passed away

the USA-made coal and wood stoves have the same traits, so do the old cars made from 1950-72. the basic framework is so well built, the rest can always be restored or rebuilt. I talked to the coal delivery man last week, he's 70 years old, and all his buildings and homes have coal stokers in them, original from the peak coal era, and still running and burning just fine heating buildings.

I'm going to get that Craftsman frame, it has a better impeller than my Drift Breaker, and today I was getting the cable free on the idler pulley control and split the black rubber sheath, so I need the cable. I noticed the Drift Breaker has one or two less return springs on the idler pulleys setup than the 7/24-32" had.


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