# Think there's a fix?



## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

I don't! But I lucked out, friend had a 726 he bought cheap, and the housing's show the same part # for 526/726/826 so will swap it. 

I got back into work from being out on a call, went to shovel, and thought can use the blower for this. I made it 20 feet and was like this is slick! Leaving it nice and clean, put it in 4th, went another 10 feet and CLANK, and it stopped the motor. Twisted it just like that. It's tweaked to the point the bolt for the drift cutter stopped the auger. 

I'll paint this one, and swap. I was going to order the bigger skids and put them on, but for what I all put into it and did I figured I'd try it without and add them if need be. I felt awful, as looking at the heave in the sidewalk it's huge, so the whole width took the hit, not just one side. 

If someone in SE MN, SW WI, or NE IA had a totally junk snowblower, I'd buy the front housing as the 726 still runs and works.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Do my eyes deceive me or is that drift cutter on the _inside_ of the bucket and are the retainer bolts going from the outside to the inside of the bucket?


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

badger08 said:


> I don't! But I lucked out, friend had a 726 he bought cheap, and the housing's show the same part # for 526/726/826 so will swap it.
> 
> I got back into work from being out on a call, went to shovel, and thought can use the blower for this. I made it 20 feet and was like this is slick! Leaving it nice and clean, put it in 4th, went another 10 feet and CLANK, and it stopped the motor. Twisted it just like that. It's tweaked to the point the bolt for the drift cutter stopped the auger.
> 
> ...


The auger is hitting your drift cutter bolts. Remove the drift cutters from the inside of the bucket and they bolt up on the outside of the bucket with the flat rounded part of the bolt facing the inside of the bucket and the threads of the bolt and the retaining nut on the out side of the bucket. You may be able to pull out the twist in the bucket and still use it. Hopefully you did not damage the augers gear case.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Wonder if the augers are seized. You would think this should have broken a shear bolt before it got that bad.


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

if it's still twisted once you free it up, you may be able to salvage the housing by grinding off the welds, correcting the twist and rewelding.

My 824 was twisted by a mere 3/16" which translated into nearly 1/2" at the skids and made the machine a PITA to control.

 

After:


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

It can be repaired. Just be thankful you didn't trash the auger, gears and etc. 
First thing you want to do is get that dang drift cutter out from inside the bucket. Never saw anything like it.


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

micah68kj said:


> Do my eyes deceive me or is that drift cutter on the _inside_ of the bucket and are the retainer bolts going from the outside to the inside of the bucket?


Your eyes do not deceive you. I thought the same thing, but per the deere part's manual, they show the bolt going through the drift cutter and the angle in the cutter, and with that angle to pull it up to the housing it'd go inside the auger housing to me at least. So that's how it was mounted.


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

The drift cutter wasn't the issue (it's maybe mounted wrong (sure??)) but it's the twist I'm after in my front blower housing. 

I was just going to take the one off the 726 I bought cheap, but that one runs and works as well but has an issue with the backing up/wheel's locked I haven't looked into yet, I just unloaded it from the truck is all. 

That does sound like the best plan, get it up and running for the mean time, then this summer maybe, take the one that is sprung to someone to correct it, put it back together and I can swap them back if I so choose. Never imagined that it'd happen that way, but I will be putting the bigger skids on after that episode. 

In a way I was glad it caught that bolt and stopped it rather then spring it like that then keep rotating at that angle. 

Thanks!!!


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

Are you guys thinking I hit the sidewalk chunk and it maybe did take the brunt of it, but when it did it shifted enough to catch that bolt and then the auger caught it and did the damage twisting it? As in if i wouldn't of had the drift cutter it woulda been just fine?! If so I'll feel awful for the damage I incurred to it!!! 

Thanks


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

badger08 said:


> Your eyes do not deceive you. I thought the same thing, but per the deere part's manual, they show the bolt going through the drift cutter and the angle in the cutter, and with that angle to pull it up to the housing it'd go inside the auger housing to me at least. So that's how it was mounted.


I'm willing to say that #12 in that schematic is incorrect. That bolt should go from the inside to the nut, on the outside. And if your drift cutter is on the inside it's mounted incorrectly. At least it the *only *inside mount I've ever seen. I don't know it all but I know it's the first one I've seen mounted inside the bucket.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

badger08 said:


> Are you guys thinking I hit the sidewalk chunk and it maybe did take the brunt of it, but when it did it shifted enough to catch that bolt and then the auger caught it and did the damage twisting it? As in if i wouldn't of had the drift cutter it woulda been just fine?! If so I'll feel awful for the damage I incurred to it!!!
> 
> Thanks


And this is exactly what happened. The auger caught the bolt.
That bucket can be repaired. It is sprung but honestly, I think it can be fixed. You're going to have to be a little creative but essentially you're going to have to perform the reverse action that caused it. That would involve a longer, stronger bar bolted to where the *incorrectly* mounted drift cutter bar is, and pull your bucket back to it's original position. You will probably have to rotate it a little beyond and let it de-stress back into it's original position or at least close. The minor adjustment hopefully can be taken care of with ajusting the scraper bar.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Shryp said:


> Wonder if the augers are seized. You would think this should have broken a shear bolt before it got that bad.


Maybe P.O broke the pins and replaced them w/something else. But of course, nobody's ever thought of doing that.


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

micah68kj said:


> Maybe P.O broke the pinsmand replaced them w/something else. But of course, nobody's ever thought of doing that.


Brand new shear pins Micah - I've went through it top to bottom (With a huge help thanks to this forum). 

http://http://www.snowblowerforum.c...41-1980-john-deere-826-general-questions.html

http://http://www.snowblowerforum.c...owblowers/34330-john-deere-826-completed.html


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## 404 (Feb 1, 2015)

This wouldn't be the first exploded parts view that was drawn wrong...But I see it as the drift cutter on the outside.


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

404 said:


> This wouldn't be the first exploded parts view that was drawn wrong...But I see it as the drift cutter on the outside.


I thought it should be on outside to, but the beveled side to me made more sense bolted up pulling into metal so it's more stable, but I guess the rounded side would butt up against the frame and then the beveled part would cut the snow. 

It will put it on the outside, I think I woulda still maybe did some damage to the snowblower but who knows, maybe it just woulda hit that hard and stopped and augers kept turning, one will never know. I will fix it up and all will be ok.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Put the drift cutter on the inside of the other side and run her down the other side of the driveway and see what happens.

Kidding of course, but wonder if that would work.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Shryp said:


> Put the drift cutter on the inside of the other side and run her down the other side of the driveway and see what happens.
> 
> Kidding of course, but wonder if that would work.


ROFL Good one SHRYP
Actually if he bolted a long bar, like 48" or so, and hauled back on it I really believe it'd straighten out. At least most of it. Just reverse the procedure that caused the original damage. I've used this method before on things that got bent.


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

Well I'm happy to say, you guys were right. I will be moving the drift cutter to the outside now! I got in there and really got after the impeller and got it moving backwards and got the auger rotated off the bolt, and sure enough it sprung back to it's original state. I will give it a good once over before using but as of now the 826 is back in business.

And I have a spare blower to boot, to tinker with!


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## badger08 (Nov 12, 2014)

Pin took a hard hit, I wish it woulda snapped as it was supposed to.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

All's well that ends well.


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