# 1972 Gilson 8HP Model 55012 gear drive challenge



## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

ok I could not resist...found a Gilson mod. 55012 gear drive snowblower on Craigslist for $75, rusty and not running, and bought it to once again salvage and bring back from the dead. This one is cosmetically even worse than my Cadet 268 was. It is a 1972 8HP machine with a Peerless ? 4 speed trans and 2 drive chains. 

the blower must have sat outside for at least 5 years. I found 5 separate hornet nest honeycombs in the machine, inside the engine sheetmetal covers and underneath by the trans. Usually a bee nest per year is a good rule of thumb.  the gas tank is rusted badly with visible pinholes and no gas cap. The pull start rope was broken, and this one had NO SPARK. The auger chute is heavily pitted underneath and cracked in the lower corners at the mouth, from heavy use. this caused the bottom front edge of the auger chute to curl up just a bit, enough to scrape on the augers when they turn, that needs to be welded up and repaired and straightened.

the seller was kind enough to give me the pull rope with handle with the machine, I put it back on the recoil assembly and guess what it worked, but no spark. so day 2 today I pulled the flywheel and guess what, there was NO WIRE to the points. The points and condenser were a little rusty and crudded up. someone either removed the points wire, or changed the coil and forgot to put the wire on. yet it had the coil ground shutoff connected to the carb bracket still ?

installed a Nova II electronic ignition kit for $12, (really easy to do, 2 wires and one small screw and it's done, you don't even have to pull the flywheel if you don't want to) removed the points/condenser, reassembled it, gapped the coil, cleaned the existing rusty old plug, and presto it had spark. Sprayed the carb with starter fluid, closed the choke, pulled the rope ONE TIME and it fired right up. Kept it running with starting fluid for about 20 seconds. awesome Houston we have ignition.

there was a small roll pin missing/broken on the auger drive engagement rod linkage, that engages the drive belt to the auger. that turned out to be the hardest job part so far, as the machine had to be broken in half, tractor separated from auger chute, to replace that 24 cent, 1/8" pin- got one at hardware store.

tomorrow time allowing I'm going to soak the gas tank and carb and clean them out, then try to repair the tank with JB weld. It'll need fuel line, filter, petcock, gas cap, filter. pics to follow. when it's done look forward to a shootout against the Cadet 268.

the Gilson is a simpler machine and so far it's easier to work on too. The auger gear box is bigger and beefier and appears to be ok, that will get new oil. Engine will get Amsoil like the Cadet did too. My fingers are crossed that the driven gear isn't toast in the auger drive box. No blown head gasket is a relief. Someone had the head off as the long bolts were in the wrong holes on the head. It's got 2 working belts and everything turns, the tires look NEW, so stay tuned, pics i.e. more grisly photo details to follow !


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

Congratulation! As you might guess I'm fond of that model.

Unless it was run without oil (SAE 30) it's highly unlikely you will have a problem with the worm drive.

The Peerless transmission is a 3 speed.

Pete


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

Spectrum said:


> Congratulation! As you might guess I'm fond of that model.
> 
> Unless it was run without oil (SAE 30) it's highly unlikely you will have a problem with the worm drive.
> 
> ...


3 forward gears and reverse i.e. 4 speed, that's what I meant

I went on a quest to find a gear drive based on my own sound mechanical experience of the past 35 years, common sense, and your great informative website info !

the Ariens hobbyist site is also quite good, but Ariens only made one gear drive, the first year 1960, and it's a lower powered machine. IMHO 8HP is the entry level for an old heavy blower like this, and preferably 10HP or more. the new late models get away with 7HP by lightening the augers and impeller up so there's less parasitic drag and power loss inside the machine, to increase performance.

just by luck of the draw it turned out to be a 55012. I had looked at some earlier and later models but they were either too far away, too expensive, or seller did not want to palletize/ship them.

the auger drive is beefier than the Cadet/Ariens, it does appear to be a more durable machine, albeit a bit heavier and more clumsy to operate. it certainly is a bit easier to work on. not having a splined shaft into a clutch like the Ariens/Cadet design, makes it a LOT easier to break apart and re-assemble.

it would be nice if it was a 10 HP model, or had 2 reverse speeds, but those seem to go for more money and get sold fast. there's still quite a few 55012's out there being used every year and being sold. that is a testament to the sturdiness of the design.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Misc*

Congrats on your find.

I'd be interested in the Nova II electronic ignition kit and if that works on a Tecumseh. I've seen kits for B&S but nothing for Tecumseh.

On your Peerless tranny, aren't they nice! the Craftsman labeled Murray's that were sold for years had the Tecumseh Peerless transmissions in them. About the only to kill them was to lose the step bolt out of the intermediate shaft the tranny mounted to and break a mounting lug off. Even that's repairable, done it twice.

I've bought a bunch of blowers with that tranny to rebuild and sell, plus my two keepers ahve them. In fact, I think I have 4 or 5 in the shed right now with that tranny in them. In fact, based on info I found a while back, looks like the same tranny that was used in a 5 hp blower was used in a 15-20 Gravley.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

yeh that trans is a clean setup, a LOT simpler than a friction drive, stronger, and overall it may even be lighter ? here is the setup on this one. It looks like it's good for 30HP at least, it's as big as most motorcycle transmissions of days gone by. talk about being overbuilt, this defines the term


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

here was the machine with handles removed, palletized, with box holding gas tank, straps, at seller's location


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

shipped Friday, arrived here Monday, yesterday I broke it apart and started taking a look at what it needed, unloaded it down onto the patio slab last night

here is the 2 halves separated


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

I would not have even broken it apart, had it not been for this tiny 1/8" roll pin that was broken off in the auger clutch rod linkage. It was the only way I could get the little broken piece out of the rod, and drive in a new one. There simply was not enough room to work and see from underneath, without taking the machine apart. This shows the new pin already installed.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

now I know what Pete meant by "don't worry about the drive auger box". It's practically as big as some import car drive axle differentials... definitely stronger than the Cadet 268 box- but in its defense, the Cadet has a stronger 4 dog clutch setup. What I like about this Gilson is, there are no splines to twist and cause a clutch to stick open...simpler and overall more reliable. The downside is it's a belt clutch instead, but half a dozen of one, 6 of another...we'll see.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

low-key cold test start with ether and Nova II ignition. module will be moved to the side of cover later for permanent location


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

great features- pin on hubs, wheel/axle bearings with grease fittings. they don't build 'em like this anymore, especially not in CHINA.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

general overall condition of tractor traction section. rusty but it's all there- one handlebar mount has to be straightened, that may have happened in shipping. I removed and have the heater box.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*Grisly photos*

now the grisly photos... on this machine, the bottom auger CHUTE is the problem area, from sitting outside on the ground all year around- it saw a lot of tough winters, and from constantly scraping the surface of the road, the bottom is heavily pitted and rusted, in some places a few holes are right through, and the corners have to be welded up and repaired. But it's not a major problem, they started off with so much metal to begin with, after 42 years there's still enough left to just weld and fix. 

I'm going to take this entire auger chute assembly to the welder to have it fixed, and leave it at his shop.

in this case, the seller should have informed me about this. I would have knocked down my offer to $50 from $75. But he did agree to palletize the machine, and borrowed a loader to load it on the truck. He also agreed to ship it from his business address- that saved me money on a lift gate truck ($100 more) and discount for a business pickup (residential pickups cost more). So we'll call it a wash.

you won't see a Chinese made machine last this long and stand up to this heavy use and abuse, and still be rebuildable and serviceable like this one is.

that's why there's no substitute for traditional made in USA stuff. Back then energy was cheap so everything could be overbuilt affordably. The 1940's and 50's stuff is even more beefy. Everything made in the 1940's in USA is built like a battleship.

finding equipment made in USA during the boom years 1945-1985, will someday be like finding a relic from the Roman Empire or Ancient Egypt- because with the current monetary policy and inflation, this kind of quality is unaffordable to build here anymore.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

more GRISLY DETAILS- the good, bad, ugly gas tank. Take a look inside.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

I put about pints of HCl acid in the tank, and it's doing it's job, eating away at the rust. With the tank laying on its side, it's filled to just below the gas cap level, and soaking in a plastic pan. I'm going to add more HCl later today. This tank may look really bad but it's actually not quite as bad as the Cadet 268 tank was. There is only 2 visible pinholes in this tank with daylight shining through them. Someone soldered or brazed on a small patch on the bottom already. The Cadet tank looked like a sieve or swiss cheese, I had to wipe the entire bottom of that tank with JB Weld.

that's it for now, next is carb teardown and cleaning.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

The Nova II ignition. No need to pull flywheel with this setup. Just pull the wire that goes down to the points, connect that wire to the positive + side of the Nova II module. Attach the other short ground wire to the negative - side of Nova II, and ground that wire to the Nova II mounting screw. Bolt it anywhere on the engine. Splice in the kill switch wire to the coil wire as well, with a wire nut. Done.

No need to change points, condenser, no need to pull flywheel/starter cover- unless you want to set the coil gap, which I did on this. I removed all the points/condenser stuff and sealed the points cover with permatex, where the coil wire went into the points. But you COULD just pull the wire off the coil, and let the points languish there unused. Perhaps that's what they did with this, and before they sold it to me, they pulled the Nova II off it, and just sold me what was left- because there was no points wire installed. Just a coil, kill switch wire, and no primary hot wire.

also no need to go Magnetron and have any old flywheel repolarized. With the Nova II, if an old engine has opposite polarized flywheel magnets, all you have to do is switch the wiring around. Ground the positive and run the hot wire to the negative- done.

It doesnt' get any easier or better than this for old small engines. The spark you get with the Nova II is hotter, more reliable, faster starting, more power, more rpm- no points bounce from high rpm. It will rev to the moon (be careful cuz it will also over-rev and toss the rod through the side of the block ). 

These modules are sealed from the weather, the first one I put on my Gilson 16HP Hydrostat tractor. It has been sitting outside for 10 years now, in the worst northeastern Pa. weather, all seasons, gets filled with acorns, spiders, leaves, rain, snow, sleet, and has never failed to start. I changed the plug- once. That's how hot the spark is, and how much more reliable than points it is. If it had points, I'd have that apart every year trying to get it started and regapping it. This module allows you a lot of leeway in storage abuse outside, and the machines still start.

Now the kicker, the really meaty information you only get from hands on experience- not only is the Nova II better, it's CHEAPER. It only costs $13 shipped. That's LESS than buying points/condenser, and less labor, no gapping, no flywheel pull. It's a win-win-win.

If God made a better electronic ignition conversion for small engines, He kept it for himself...


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## Geno (Nov 29, 2011)

hey GWB.. I've used those small igniters before- they do work great. I've used them on old Stihl chainsaws since the old electronic ignitions were NLA. One of those made my old Stihl 075 saw really purr. You are right- them Gilson's are built like tanks! I can see why Pete is so into them. I had a couple smaller ones years ago and they were far robust to compatible size of other brands. I like the older machines for that reason. Enjoy your new project.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

geno- I have 3 old David Bradley chainsaws and was wondering how those ignitors would work on them, thanks for the tips, I'm going to try one on the big 8HP DB saw.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*update*

it's been about a week since I started this thread, anyway a local kid had a 1972 New Holland branded, 8HP Briggs, i.e. Gilson made Unitrol machine with friction drive for sale for $50. It had no spark but was mostly complete down to the original fuel tank clamps, the engine turned. I bought it because it was close and shared many parts with the 55012, and also had an electric starter that worked.

The 55012 gas tank was very badly pitted and the bottom and sides were like a cheese grate or screen, I could see lots of small pinholes of light when holding it up to the sun or a flashlight. I repaired it anyway, but it took several careful coatings of JB weld to seal up all the holes, and using standard JB weld had to wait long drying times between coatings.

wanting to really test out the 55012 engine, I simply pulled the New Holland i.e. Unitrol starter and gas tank, which were in perfect working condition, and bolted them on the 55012.

much to my delight it roared to life on the electric starter instantly, without using starting fluid, on its own with the choke. here's some videos- first off the electric start greatly saves my aching old back injury from using the pull cord last week





 

and it rpm's up ok, later I found the main jet locknut was loose and backing off while revving it, so I tuned it more and set the lock nut securely, it runs a little smoother NOW than this video but here is the first rpm up 




 
those vids were with the old original oil- yesterday I changed it and put in Amsoil 10-30, now it's running really sweet. The Briggs 8HP runs like a bear.

after I paint the 55012 gas tank, and get a new gas cap (it was missing, hence the rust from sitting outside filling up with water) I will probably swap the original parts back to the New Holland and get that running too. The New Holland is in decent condition, but it has moderately bent up deformed auger blades from hitting something, or perhaps dropping it when someone moved it- but those can be straightened.

here's some pictures of the New Holland temporary parts donor $50 machine


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## WestminsterFJR (Dec 30, 2013)

nice score! solid machine.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

the Gilson 55012 gear drive is back together and running. It has all its forward/reverse gears, neutral. The deadmans hand engagement lever works, i.e. it moves the wheel drive idler into position when it's squeezed. The chute direction hand crank works like a champ, much smoother than the Cadet 268. The auger drive clutch rod engages/disengages the auger drive belt.

HAVING SAID THAT putting it all back together and firing it up revealed a few more pesky problems.

1. the auger driven pulley on the auger drive shaft itself, is wobbling. Either the mid-bearing is shot, or the shaft and/or pulley are bent.

2. someone changed the belts to smaller OAL belt size, so that when the auger drive and tire tractor drive is disengaged, it just keeps on going. The belts are too tight in the "idling" position. This is not a good situation, as the machine cannot be stopped from moving forward/rearward without quickly shifting it to NEUTRAL. And if it ever sucked up a rock, stick, newspaper, whatever into the augers, there is no way to stop the augers other than shutting the engine off.

so now I need the correct new set of BELTS for this machine, and the pulley and/or auger driveshaft. Does anyone know what other models may interchange with a 55012 ?

Having said THAT, now I need some parts and/or advice from the Gilson expert, Pete. I'm posting all this so everyone knows if you delve into these old machines, we all know what to look for. I never owned a snowblower until now, and while my hands on mechanical skills are very sharp from 30 years of wrenching on cars/trucks, I'm still on a learning curve as to what goes wrong with old snowblowers.

but we are learning...we'll get it fixed... eventually

video of the machine running to follow. they really are a tank on wheels.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*back together running*

the 55012 is back together running with the gas tank from the New Holland. The tank from the 55012 is patched but needs to be painted yet.

vids





 





 

I'm thinking maybe all this needs is the mid-plate bearing on the auger drive shaft, hopefully...the shaft and impeller move a lot side to side while running, even the front gear box moves side to side, to that bearing HAS to be worn out. What I think happened here was someone installed belts on the machines that were too short, put excess side loading on the bearing, and it wore out.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

that bearings probably been on its way out for the last 20 years, dont use generic chinese bearings on ebays and make sure you get bearings sealed to protect against water and moisture or the balls will rust. take care of it and it will last forever, usually on older snowblowers like my toro 1986 38080 824 will have the frame outlive the engine, especially if the engines a tecumseh, the opposite of mowers, i would never buy anything else and im hoping the frame will outlive me, im only 17, we will see ow that goes.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

I was tricked into buying Chinese bearings on Ebay last month for another project repair. The seller had them listed for just a dollar or so under the cost of vintage NOS USA made bearings. When I received them they said right on them made in China. I emailed him complaining, saying had I known that, I would have bought the other NOS bearings for only a buck or two more. He refunded my money and let me keep the bearings and apologized, and said from then on he will state in his auctions they are made in China. I never went back to see if he really did change his ad description. But you have a very good point there. We are being infiltrated with poor quality parts for all our cars, trucks, power equipment, household fixtures, etc. that are made in China, and it's got to stop already. I know a guy who restored 6 old American musclecars and a few of them have Chinese hoods, grills, window/door handles, chrome, etc. 
That is freakin' criminal and if I was in the market to buy a car like that (he has $60,000 in each one to restore them) I sure as heck would not want CHINESE parts on it. I'd rather have an American part even if it has to be grit blasted, acid dipped, and rechromed or repainted, and even if it shows a few pits afterwards. He put Chinese door handles on one of his cars and they broke in 1 week. So he put the old original tarnished GM door handles back on from 44 years ago, that the car came with.

It's pathetic how they have outsourced our entire economy and culture to China, and bastardized it, all to save a few paper dollars printed by this foreign owned banking cartel Federal Reserve Bank. We are cheapening our heritage to support this paper dollar, and it's not even our dollar. Most of the Federal Reserve is owned by European banking elites and royalty.

see there's a lot more to that made in China picture than most realize. These companies have to go to China to escape bankruptcy, because that banking system demands it by their monetary policy. They are returning the USA to colonial status, little by little. They want to reduce us to what Europe is today. The average person over there could not afford to buy a $75 old snowblower and restore it, they could nto even afford to put the gas in it, because fuel costs $8-$9 a gallon over there.

They are using China for cheap labor, to undermine the USA economy and the American way of life. They want us to constantly scrimp and experience perpetual austerity, like we did during the Great Depression of the 1930's. When we have a depression, the banks and wealthy elites make out big, they get to buy everything for a fraction of its price, for pennies on the dollar.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Tranny*

Here's the thing that can happen to your transmission if the mounting bolts can come loose.

They can twist in some chassis and the case is aluminum so the mounting points can break. I've make a repair plate for a couple of them I've had and works well. They're otherwise pretty much indestructable.

Good work on the blower, be sure to show it when it's done.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

those broken mounts can be welded if they are aluminum, pretty easily, aluminum is easy to weld with a MIG and proper attachment and correct wire. Then drill and d/t the threaded holes again, or install a helicoil insert.

bracing will also work. Being these are relatively low horsepower and torque applications i.e. only in the 5HP to 15HP range, there's not a lot of stress there.

bolts coming loose can wreak havoc. I'm going to check the bolt tightness on this transmission


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

got the pesky gas tank patched with JB Weld and painted. this repair could have been done to a much smoother finish if a bodymans bondo spreader had been used, and the filler sanded. but I was in a hurry and just wanted to get it plugged up so it works. the bare metal remaining was already starting to surface rust, so it was lightly sanded with a sanding board, then painted with 2 coats of high heat stove enamel that is fuel resistant, using a simple paint brush. no high end spray gun job. (I could have, used to paint cars and still have all the paint and body equipment).




























and the finished product, good enough for a quick fix and something that is going to be run hard in the slush and salt and ice, and stored outside, not a garage queen show machine


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## GMH (Dec 31, 2013)

Hey, nice job GWB. Do you treat the inside of the tank with anything after the acid? I have the same tank on my Bobcat. It has no holes in it, but the inside is rusty. I am going to try the electrolysis method of rust removal with a washing soda solution and battery charger.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

no treatment, just soaked in HCl solution diluted with water, then washed out repeatedly with soap/water. I did buy a little wire brush at the store that gets inside the tank through the gas filler cap hole, and scrub the sides a bit to get any rust particles and film off after the acid soaking, and between rinsing with soap/water. Then install with a new filter and fill up with gas and run. The filter will catch any particles.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

*welded chute bottom corners*

moving right along, today a friend MIG welded the lower corners of the blower chute, where it had broken free of the bottom welds. We removed the scraper bar, all the bolts were seized on it, had to heat those cherry red with a torch- then straightened the bottom edge with a hammer, then held the chute down against the floor to push up on the loose sheetmetal edge, and tack welded it both sides.

then he ran a bead on the inside and outside where it was separated. 

we're getting there. When the auger gear box/axle assembly arrives, this should be back together and running.

this machine needed a lot more time and repair work than the Cadet. But this one was stored outside and appears to have had a harder service life.

here are the inside edge chute repair welds


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

then the chute was turned over and welded on the outside as well, for a sturdy long lasting repair.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Broken mounts*



greatwhitebuffalo said:


> those broken mounts can be welded if they are aluminum, pretty easily, aluminum is easy to weld with a MIG and proper attachment and correct wire. Then drill and d/t the threaded holes again, or install a helicoil insert.
> 
> bracing will also work. Being these are relatively low horsepower and torque applications i.e. only in the 5HP to 15HP range, there's not a lot of stress there.
> 
> bolts coming loose can wreak havoc. I'm going to check the bolt tightness on this transmission


When the broken off pieces are missing, makes it alot harder to attempt a weld. I designed a plate that takes the place of the missing mounts and fits the tranny back where it was originally mounted. Uses the 4 lower holes and I've done it to a few machines with broken mounts and it's worked out just fine. Biggest one I've done it to so far is 10 HP and it's holding up this winter without a wimper. Plus it's alot cheaper than farming out the welding or buying another gearcase.


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

yeh if you have all the pieces you can puzzle piece it back together and weld it up pretty easily, but if there are pieces missing that makes it more difficult. you have a neat fix with that mounting place you jigged up.

I'm going through this with an antique coal stove reassembly project right now. I've been having the pieces welded back together a few at a time while I'm doing this snowblower. The stove was made in the late 1890's and has several cracked castings, but I had most of the pieces. It was missing one piece on the top, one piece of the door frame on the front, and a few pieces of the base the stove rests on. So we're going to have to MAKE those and carefully grind/shape them to fix, then weld them up.

very time consuming


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## greatwhitebuffalo (Feb 11, 2014)

this 55012 Gilson chute and auger assembly is repaired and back together, and running on the machine, see details in other thread. here's the video I took today


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