# Ariens ST824 - Re-drill the auger flanges?



## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

Ariens ST824 1987 model year (924050). When reinstalling the blower/gear box/rakes into the blower housing, I have to really try hard to get the rake flanges installed. It seems like the blower/gear box/rake assembly is about 1/4" too long - it bottoms out on the input shaft bearing in the back of the blower housing before the rake flanges line up on the sides of the blower housing! 

I want to drill new mounting holes in the rake flanges to move them forward about 1/4" to remove the preload on the back bearing. Anybody run into this situation before, and if so, what'd you do about it?

Some images of the back of the blower housing bearing:


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Is it possible someone dented the back of the scoop in while trying to pry the auger pulley off? Could also be the bearing didn't fully seat back behind the impeller or the clamshell was installed backwards.


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

Something isn't right. You just shouldn't have to do that. I'd have a look at Shryp's suggestions.


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

Shryp said:


> Is it possible someone dented the back of the scoop in while trying to pry the auger pulley off? Could also be the bearing didn't fully seat back behind the impeller or the clamshell was installed backwards.


I don't detect that anything is bent or assembled incorrectly in the blower housing. As you see in the images, the whole thing seems to be in really nice shape. 

Maybe the question here really is: Should the blower rake side bushings just fall into place, or should they require some force to get them into place over the rake shaft? It seems to me that the bearing in the back of the blower housing isn't designed to have any preload against it, it should only support the blower shaft. Same for the rake shaft bushings - they shouldn't carry any preload on them...

The one thing about drilling alternate mounting holes in the flanges - if I discover something thats causing the preloading condition later on, I can reinstall the flanges into the factory mounting holes - no harm no foul except for the additional holes in each flange.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Just saw your pictures. Yes, it does seem to be in good shape and I agree that their should be no load there and just support the weight of the assembly.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Is the back of your impeller actually pushing on the impeller bearing?
I took a total swag at the diagram below. If it has roll pins like this I cant imaging it being assembled wrong. Why is it not fitting?


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

What is limiting it from going deep enough? The impeller hitting the bearing? Or is the shaft not making it through the bearing far enough? Maybe the impeller is lined up too far back on the shaft with only 1 roll pin?


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Impeller hub against blower housing bearing*



nt40lanman said:


> What is limiting it from going deep enough? The impeller hitting the bearing? Or is the shaft not making it through the bearing far enough? Maybe the impeller is lined up too far back on the shaft with only 1 roll pin?


Ah, good thinking! Alas, not the case. The impeller is indeed attached to the shaft with two roll pins. But I like your thinking where one could install the impeller on the shaft with a single roll pin through the wrong hole in the shaft causing the impeller to locate either too far forward or too far aft.

On the bearing (aft) side of the impeller is a hub about the size of a fender washer. This hub is about 1/8" thick and it contacts the bearing in the housing. This hub is made onto the impeller and cannot be removed.

So, it sounds as if the relationship between the blower housing and impeller/ gear box/rakes is normally NOT a source of dimensional incompatibility - normally these parts fall together without any force fitting required. I know the gear in the gear box was replaced at one point, is there any way that the gear case could be assembled incorrectly which would change the overall length of the assembly to cause it to become too long to line up with the rake flanges? I took it apart, and it looks as though theres only one way it goes together - either it fits together or it doesn't. But maybe there's more going on there that I'm missing?


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

I think there are some washers / shims on the end of that impeller shaft inside the gear box. It could be possible someone put it back together wrong.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I don't remember from when I took mine apart but I'd bet they maywant a little preload in that direction so the pulley doesn't shift. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Jackmels swaps in gearboxes all the time and may chime in here.


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## Snowmann (Dec 24, 2012)

Can I ask why the machine is apart? Are you installing a replacement gear case? I ask because there are different length wormshafts (input shafts) for various machines.


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Wormshaft!*



Snowmann said:


> Can I ask why the machine is apart? Are you installing a replacement gear case? I ask because there are different length wormshafts (input shafts) for various machines.


Sure. This is a new-to-me machine, the previous owner became fed up with the gear box leaking (and lack of heated hand grips). So my first order of business upon taking ownership of this thing was to investigate and (hopefully) repair the leak. 

If I have a wormshaft (thats a new word for me) that is NOT for my machine, and is too long, it would certainly cause this condition. However, _*COULD*_ I have a wormshaft that's incompatible? The wormshaft would seem to be a highly specific component - the diameter, the holes for the impeller, the worm gear and its bushings... all those aspects appear to be correct for my setup.

The wormshaft thats in there *could* have been changed in the 25 years this thing has been around the block... but I have no knowledge of it being changed. I can tell you that when I separated the impeller from the wormshaft, it separated perfectly - no rust whatsoever. I was expecting a fight and there was none. Also, the pulley adapter came right off - no rust there either. Are these clues that I'm ignoring?

*** *UPDATE:* New information! ***
The worm shaft WAS replaced! The previous owner found a invoice that shows p/n "52402600 Worm Shaft and Gear Assembly, Ariens"

But... (always a but, right) according to the 1983, 1988 and 1989 parts books for the 924050, this is the _correct_ part, right?


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*More data*

*More Data:*

With the impeller/gear case/ rakes installed into the housing with only the rake flanges and their bushing installed and *without* the rear blower support bearing and its clamshell installed, I can measure the distance between the impeller hub and the rear (tractor side) of the blower housing.

0.20" from the impeller hub to the tractor side of the housing using my digital caliper

The blower support bearing measures 0.50" thick

So what I end up with is the bearing standing proud of the back of the blower housing by 0.30". The clamshell that clamps the bearing into place into the housing has about 0.20" of backspacing for the bearing to ride proud of the housing. So what I'm left with (theoretically) is about 0.10" that the clamshell smashes the blower/gear case/rake together. Although by my eye it looks more like 3/16". 

IS THIS NORMAL?















Should I just smash this thing together?

Should there be a gap between the blower housing bearing and the impeller hub so there is zero preload on things? It seems to me there should be a gap so there isn't any preload on anything here. The flanges on the sides of the blower housing should control the fore/aft placement of the rakes and the clamshell in the back of the housing should secure the impeller bearing without any preloading... right?


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

For a temporary fix, you could pack the clamshell with marine grade grease, and shim it out with washers. It's not a perfect solution, but it might get you through this season.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I would absolutely mash it together and run it.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Red, Are we sure that auger bearing is the correct one dimensionally both hole size and thickness?????
Mine sandwiches into the clamshell..... out, and away from the machine just fine. 
Just a thought.

My point being, the bearing may be after market and support the dimensions of the inner hole, the outer hole, but may be too thick. Not much, and a close fit, but not correct. Make sense?


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## Ray 1962 10ML60 (Oct 14, 2011)

jtclays said:


> Red, Are we sure that auger bearing is the correct one dimensionally both hole size and thickness?????
> Mine sandwiches into the clamshell..... out, and away from the machine just fine.
> Just a thought.
> 
> My point being, the bearing may be after market and support the dimensions of the inner hole, the outer hole, but may be too thick. Not much, and a close fit, but not correct. Make sense?


I agree with jt, seems like the bearing is too wide?


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

I dont know. It looks like the front and back sides of the impeller bearing protrude just the right amount to clear the clam shell /bolts. I think it's something else. 
0.30 inches is a lot in something only a few inches long to begin with.


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Chop, Cut, Rebuild*



nt40lanman said:


> I would absolutely mash it together and run it.


I gotta say I LOVE this post. Brute force... its big fat metal parts, not a piano for cryin' out loud! 

And the fact that I suspect you know your own IP address based on your handle! Lets talk double NATing and port forwarding sometime.... brain and brawn.

Is the bearing too wide? Great question. Here's why I think not:
Each side of the clamshell probably has 0.180" of backspacing by my measurements. The blower housing is constructed of 0.125" steel (I measured it at 0.130" with powdercoating/paint thickness). If we add the clamshell backspacing and the thickness of the steel housing, we come up with about 0.490" of space between the clamshell halves - leaving about 0.010" of clamping "stretch" for the clamshell tin to take up and clamp the bearing's outer race tightly to the housing... seems plausible this is how it is supposed to be. Good deduction on the "thick bearing" thinking though!

Here's something to ponder. On the back of the impeller, on the tractor side, there's a hub that seems to be there to ride against the blower housing bearing. If we assume the blower housing rake flanges control the fore/aft movement, there's no reason to have this "hub" and its removal is okay. Does it add critical strength to the impeller thats not obvious, anybody?















I want to remove the input shaft and grind that hub off. So that the impeller doesn't want to smash into the blower housing bearing so badly. What do you suppose the hub is there for anyway?

Also, I want to add flat washers behind the tractor-side blower housing bearing clamshell studs - to allow the blower housing bearing to ride that much farther aft toward the tractor - to try to reduce/eliminate the preloading of the blower housing bearing. 

Whats your vote? The grinding/washers is an easy 'fix' since it just involves caveman-like tools and zero engineering. And I got the stuff in stock to do it... the only issue with washer-ing the aft blower housing bearing clamshell is that we lose the clamping the clamshell provides, thus allowing that bearing's outer race to potentially spin in the housing... not good long term.

Naggy "what is the root problem here?" questions remain:

Is the wormshaft somehow too long? Or are the impeller roll pin holes drilled incorrectly (too far aft)
Is the "preloading" effect the blower housing clamshell has normal? Are they all like this, by design?

As a "fix it" guy, I like to find and fix the root cause if I can. The engineers that designed the thing probably got it right, and there's something wrong with the example that I have. Modifying the thing to make up for something else thats wrong is just putting a bandaid on top of another bandaid and not fixing the problem permanently.

More importantly, from everybody's suggestions here on Page 2, I truly believe we are all talking about the same problem. So hard to translate to words what is wrong here, but, by god, I think we're all talking about the same thing - Remarkable (in Spock voice)


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

If the 2 clamshell bearing retainers bolt in place and hold the bearing perfectly without crushing or distorting, the bearing is the right width. It sounded funny but I really do think in a housing that big and old, 3/16 isn't much and I'd grease it, assemble it and run it. A *WORST* case would be wearing the impeller bearing or the auger side bushings which I doubt. 

Don't grind the hub off, that's what keeps the impeller from grinding against the bearing retainer. And if you space the retainer back, the bearing will not be secured and the retainer may hit the pulley.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

What are the part numbers inscribed in the impeller housing next to the have a nice day note? Was that from the previous gearbox work? 
Do these written numbers (if that is what they are) match the invoice?
I cant help but think they installed a worm shaft that is slightly longer then the original. I hate to admit it but I'm starting to think you should go with your original plan of remounting the auger bearings forward. 
There's no way the worm could be not sitting all the way fwd in the gearcase is there?


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Worm Shaft Dimension Anyone?*

The "Have a nice day" note came from me. I have a habit of writing the date and description of repairs I make in an inconspicuous location on equipment and the "Have a nice day" reflected the mood I was in at the moment I wrote the note. There are no identification tags or numbers on the blower housing that I've found. I was expecting to see a Ariens tag when I separated the blower from the tractor but there is none. 

I replaced the gasket in the gear case to try to stop it from leaking, which was the original plan. When I found out the blower hub was smashing the blower bearing, the first thing I thought was "aw man, I must've assembled the gear case incorrectly" so I tore it back apart. Alas, its together the way its supposed to be, there's really only one way it can go together, and it looks right.

I conclude that either the tolerances that were used to assemble the housing originally at the factory were'nt tight enough and the housing was made incorrectly, or that the replacement blower shaft, despite it being the proper part number wasn't made correctly and the impeller roll pin holes were drilled too far aft. Without other parts to compare to, I just don't know.

If anybody has a worm shaft, would you take an accurate measurement between the *forward flat* where the worm bushing rides against the worm gear and the *center* of the first impeller roll pin with a tape measure and post it? That'll be the tell on whether I have a incompatible worm shaft or my blower housing isn't right.

In the end, it probably won't make any difference, I'm going to have to modify this thing somehow to relieve some of the pressure on the blower bearing. I can't imagine it was designed to have longitudinal preload applied, that's not how this type of sealed bearing works. They only want to carry axial loads. To me, the easiest "fix" is to re-drill the rake flanges and enlarge their holes in the blower housing so that they are about ¼" forward of the stock location. That should be enough to prevent the impeller from pushing against the blower bearing.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Reds, I have mine all apart and snapped some pics that can only be described as "ballpark." Photos and computers are not my thing. Skeet, sporting clays, reloading.......I can get you specifics. Pictures, NOT.
Mine is a '79 724 Model 924038. It's been in a state of refurbing for about 8 months and we're getting close. Anyway, I believe the auger assembly, bucket and mounts are identical to your '87, but Scot can correct me if I'm wrong. I agree with your assessment that the auger gear box only accepts one configuration for it to close back up, so I doubt your problem is there. There really is no way to re-assemble it wrong.....unless a part is missing I guess. All the parts there, and it only closes up if everything is in it's nook.
Only other thought I had , but likely you checked, is the impeller "plate" flat? I've seen them out of flat from the blades getting bent. My JD had this issue and required heat and persuasion from a BAH (big a s s hammer).


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

Reds Green said:


> Ariens ST824 1987 model year (924050). When reinstalling the blower/gear box/rakes into the blower housing, I have to really try hard to get the rake flanges installed. It seems like the blower/gear box/rake assembly is about 1/4" too long - it bottoms out on the input shaft bearing in the back of the blower housing before the rake flanges line up on the sides of the blower housing!
> 
> I want to drill new mounting holes in the rake flanges to move them forward about 1/4" to remove the preload on the back bearing. Anybody run into this situation before, and if so, what'd you do about it?
> 
> ...


I'll start off by saying I've never worked on an Ariens but I'm a tech in a completely different mechanical field.

Can someone confirm that the installation of the blower bearing is correct.
There is something about those first 2 pics that doesn't sit right with me.
You have 2 metal halves, one on each side of the sheet metal housing yet the bearing is not being retained between them.
Take the bearing and the 2 metal retainer halves out of the blower and play with the different configurations and see if you gain the distance needed.
Are you even sure of which side of the sheet metal the bearing sits on?
The bearing in my honda sits on the tractor side of the housing.

Does anyone have the assembly drawing for that blower.

Sorry if I'm way off base but something doesn't look right with the bearing flapping in the wind.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Thump_rrr said:


> I'll start off by saying I've never worked on an Ariens but I'm a tech in a completely different mechanical field.
> 
> Sorry if I'm way off base but something doesn't look right with the bearing flapping in the wind.



The stuff I work on for a living doesn't use bearing mounts of this type either and I was also confused the same way when I saw this discussed a few months ago. These two metal flanges sandwich the bearing. 
Here is a pic of one just for reference.
I think the term often used here of clamshell may be the wrong term technically, but I've learned to understand what they are referring to.

Reds Green, 
I'm now convinced no one has done anything wrong, I just wish we knew why it doesn't fit.


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

dbert said:


> The stuff I work on for a living doesn't use bearing mounts of this type either and I was also confused the same way when I saw this discussed a few months ago. These two metal flanges sandwich the bearing.
> Here is a pic of one just for reference.
> I think the term often used here of clamshell may be the wrong term technically, but I've learned to understand what they are referring to.
> 
> ...


Your clamshell looks correct.
The bearing would go into the clamshell and the bolts would go through the other side and mate with it's other half.
That would put the bearing closer to the tractor side and would support it.
Look at the first picture in the first post again.
His clamshell isn't holding jack squat.
It's like the bolts on the clamshell are in the wrong way.
I bet you that is the problem.
I would remove the bearing and clamshell.
Place bearing against the sheet metal and put the clamshell over top and measure clearance.


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

According to this drawing the clamshell is in backwards and the bolts go through it the wrong way.


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Bum Housing*

JT,
the measurements between the front of my impeller to the back of the gear case match your image. Give or take 1/8", I put my measurement at 6-¾". The same goes for the pulley side, where I measure a fat 2¼".

Blower bearing clamshell: With the exception of the studs pressed into one half, the two halves are the same, the backspacing on each clam's shell half is the same. The half with the studs MUST go in from inside the housing. The clearance between the impeller and the inside of the blower housing is insufficient for the studs if one were to put the studs through from outside the housing. And they do completely clamp the bearing's outer race tightly into the housing. I don't think this is where the problem is UNLESS somebody can verify that the backspacing on their clamshell is different between the front half and the back half. If the side with the studs had NO backspacing AND the tractor side had lots of spacing, we'd have the problem solved. Can somebody verify their clamshell backspacing?

Conclusion: I have a bad housing! It must've been a manufacturing defect. I can find no other explanation now that we know the impeller shaft measurements. The flange holes were improperly positioned too far aft from the factory. What baffles me is that nobody has every seen this before. This make/model has tens of thousands of examples out there, hard to fathom I have THE one thats made wrong. I'll see if I can drill new mounting holes in the rake mounting flanges that allow the whole assembly to move away from the back of the blower housing. 

Liner Notes: The gear case had L2 lubricant in it. The previous owner gave me the remainder of the bottle. No wonder the gear case leaked. Its supposed to have the super-gooey "00" grease in it. I went and bought a tube of "Super Lube "00" Grease p/n 19100". If I would've just dumped out the L2 lube and squeezed in the "00" lube and never taken this apart, I'd be moving snow blissfully unaware of the stress loads the blower assembly was experiencing from the preload on the bearing/flange bushings.


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

Can the studs be removed from the clamshell and reversed?
Look at the drawing I supplied and the picture supplied by dbert.
Your bolts are going through the clamshell the wrong way.

I'm sorry but your conclusion is bogus.
Please remove the bearing and both halves of the clamshell and take a picture from both sides of the frame.
When you have the bearing out try sandwiching it between the clamshell halves and see if it makes more sense regardless of the direction of the studs.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Have you ran this blower? Could it be your auger shaft is bent and that is what is throwing off the alignment?


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

I have NOT run the machine. I elected to tear into the leaking gear case right off. I have however become quite familiar with these parts, looking at them both on the bench and in the housing and I don't detect that anything is bent, or otherwise binding/not happy. Thats exactly why I reached out to everybody, its a baffling arrangement. At this point I am going to put it together without doing any modifications, then run it and then see if by some magic it has become a happier assembly. That'll give me the opportunity to evaluate it under the dynamic operating conditions to see if any new conclusions can be drawn.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Like Shryp asked, basic question we should have confirmed earlier. Is the auger rake shaft straight? The clamshell differences are machine specific and obviously have to be "threads out toward engine."
If it were mine, I'd mount the auger assembly with the auger gear case separated. See if the holes mount up for the big stuff. Then slide the gear case halves across and watch the mating to see what I'm missing. Slight off chance you snagged the rear auger/impeller bushing on the outside of the case?????? I did three or four times trying, but I can't remember if the case would close. I think it did, but I'm slow


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

Look at the above drawing numbers 23, 13, and 11.
You have number 23 correctly mounted.
Proof of that is the second picture on the first post.
You then have number 11 mounted backwards because the side that is protruding should face the blower wheel.
Evidence of this is the Ariens drawing I supplied.
Then you have number 13 which is the bearing sitting on the outside unsupported.

Order of parts is wrong. Orientation of number 23 is wrong.
Bolts on number 23 going through it in the wrong direction.

Does anyone else think I have it wrong?


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Thump, Here"s a pic of a clamshell with bearing intact. It is set for a pic and only has two or three finger turns of the nuts....just to stabilize for the pic. It is NOT tight.
It closes up quite a bit when tightened. The nuts go toward the engine or PTO. I've done a few of these ARIENS and can confirm the threads come from inside the bucket toward the PTO.
My guess would be OP has enough dimensional failure that the clamshell would have no effect. Simply put, the back of the impeller cannot be forced against the bucket at all. We just need to figure out what's causing it. Grinding is not an option in my opinion, but people have grinders..........


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

It appears that I wasn't seeing the clamshell clearly enough on my phone.
On my desktop it is abundantly clear that the bearing is captured between the 2 halves.
My apologies.

Jtclays your pic is very clear and shows the bearing sandwiched between the 2 halves.

On my phone his pic appeared to have the bearing merely resting on the clamshell with the clam shells up against one another.

I guess the eyesight is starting to go.


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## Eyeboltman (Dec 16, 2013)

Now this is driving me nuts Too . Good luck with the bearing.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Reds Green
I agree with your diagnosis and solution. 
We should have just used nt40's solution in post 15 and just mash it all in there. 
At least we know it wont be rattling around.
I'll remain suspicious of the replacement worm shaft machining, simply because it's not original.

Thump_rrr
It's all good. And now we know who can fabricate belt tensioners for us when we need them. That's awesome stuff you do there.

So who's got the next set of photos for us to play arm chair mechanic.
That is what I love about this forum though is everyone's willingness to help.


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Going "downtown"*

*Final Report:* While mashing it all together, my Harbor Freight saw horses gave way and the tractor and blower housing came crashing to the ground, smashing my space heater, tossing tools and rags and such all about the garage. I'm happy to report I didn't bleed and didn't spill my cocktail. Never did like that sh*tty space heater anyway. Happy New Year everybody. Enjoy.


"_If women don't find you handsome, they'd better find you handy. Now, where the F**K is my ductape._"


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

Whoops!

On another question, what is the lateral play with regards to the outer race of the bearing, to the inner lip of the clamshell?

My thoughts are, if there is no lateral space to it, then it should rule out any potential lateral impeller shaft play. Which could lead to reduced worm gear life.


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

Short answer: Zero

Long answer: The clamshell clamps the bearing tight. No lateral play, thus no lateral impeller shaft play. In fact, the opening in the blower housing, which the bearing lives halfway through, is EXACTLY the size of the outer race of the bearing. So even if the clamshell didn't clamp the impeller bearing tightly to the housing, the opening in the back of the blower housing would prevent any lateral impeller shaft play. Its a double-redundant design. Its probably one of the many "engineering" aspects that make the Ariens a venerable unit.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

You are correct, that is a good design. 

Another thought, sorry for the shotgun approach and if it has been already attempted, what about loosening the auger side bearing and see if there is any lateral movement for the entire assembly to move forward. This may reduce the amount of preload that the impeller may impart on the bearing. 

Again, just a stab in the dark.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

Hey Red!! Where are we with this? Have you used it? Success or did it fail?


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*Project Update*

Not to leave my thread dangling, here's a project update:

Before things went "south", I was working on the blower assembly (as opposed to the tractor assembly - which is another story). I decided to just go for it and attempt to mash the rakes/gear case/blower assembly into the blower housing since our investigation didn't yield anything that would show a problem with any of the parts I have. 









I assembled the blower support bearing in its clamshell to the back of the blower housing loosely, just a couple turns on the nuts to the threads of each clamshell stud.

I inserted the rakes/gear case/blower assembly through the blower bearing (I have the woodruff key removed in order to do it like this) and installed one rake flange bushing into the blower housing, capturing one side of the auger shaft.

The other auger flange bushing required some persuading to get the flange to line up over the studs (as if the auger shaft was too far forward), but I managed to get it on there without using the hammer or other inertial method, just hands and a few choice explicatives to show it who's boss.

The blower is now certainly pushing the blower support bearing against the aft clamshell even with the nuts loose. 

Tightened the nuts that clamp the bearing clamshell, and it all sorta seemed to go together without much stress or struggle. I'm not really sure something in the assembly is stressed out, or binding or just plain not happy, but after installing the blower pulley and rotating it a few times, I don't detect anything wrong with the assembly.

I did determine that the gear case was filled Ariens L2 Lubricant - and thus leaked. I have since procured some "Super Lube 00" from the local small engine shop to put in there. This stuff doesn't look like it'll leak out even with the fill plug removed. "00" seems to be the stuff prescribed by Ariens for this particular gear case, and probably because anything else leaks out!

So, time will tell to see if the blower housing assembly wants to live a long life, or if it blows up when I need it the most. I'm waiting on the parts that broke on the tractor assembly when things went "south". Once I have what I need to repair the broken controls, I'll put it together and test it and we'll close out this thread. More to come...


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## Reds Green (Dec 26, 2013)

*DING! - Fries are Done*

Finally reassembled the blower housing assembly to the tractor assembly and got the various rods and such adjusted. A driveway test revealed that the blower housing seems to work. Engaging the blower clutch gets the blower and auger turning. I think it feels kinda rumbly when its turning, but then I can't really tell whats normal and whats not. I can't hear anything obviously grinding or squealing or anything like that so I'm going to conclude this old soldier fit for duty. I still feel like the preload that is on the blower input bearing isn't right, and that the blower shaft, when everything is assembled properly should just float on that bearing. So, we'll see if it lives like it is, or blows up at the worst possible blizzard moment.

*Gearcase lube notes:*
The "00" Liquid Grease is thick. I heated mine up for a couple hours in front of the space heater until it was warm and gooey. I contemplated putting the tube into some near-boiling water to warm it up if the space heater didn't work. Since the blower housing was yet to be attached to the tractor, and the fill plug on the gearcase faces straight forward, I tipped the blower housing so it was sitting vertically on its drive pulley with the auger facing the ceiling. I stuck a drinking straw down into the gearcase as far as it would go, then pumped the gearcase full of the "00" liquid grease through the straw. If you try to pump the grease into the case straight out of the tube, the tapered spout creates a pressure lock and no grease will flow. The straw allows the air that is displaced by the incoming grease to escape out around it. This method seemed to work fine. The Ariens owner/service/repair manuals seem to indicate the proper quantity of Liquid Grease is 2 ounces, and I'm confident I got at least that much if not twice as much in there based on what was remaining in the tube when I finished. So I'm satisfied that I got the gearcase filled with the proper lubricant in at least the proper quantity and hopefully this super thick gooey grease won't drip out all over the place like the L2 stuff did over the summer. 

Moral of the gearcase story: Don't let your buddy or the local parts guy tell you that Ariens L2 gearcase lubricant supersedes the "00" Liquid Grease - it doesn't. Nor is automotive 80W-90 "just as good". Some automotive 80W-90 will eat the brass gear over time. Different lubricants for different applications. If your gearcase is leaking, do your research and get the right stuff. Had the person that originally installed the replacement wormshaft in my snow thrower used the appropriate lubricant to begin with, it probably wouldn't have leaked, and I probably wouldn't have experienced this time sink project. *maybe*


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