# Auger Greasing



## don in nh (Nov 7, 2015)

Just got a new HSS724. Does anyone know how to grease the auger shaft? I don't recall seeing any zerk fittings. I always greased my previous machines yearly.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

don in nh said:


> Just got a new HSS724. Does anyone know how to grease the auger shaft? I don't recall seeing any zerk fittings. I always greased my previous machines yearly.


You'll have to remove the augers and gearbox (fairly easy to do an a Honda, specially being brand new). If you are mechanically inclined what you can also do is install zerk fittings in there for future greasing.

Whatch this video it should be pretty much the same procedure on your HSS724 to remove the augers and gearbox.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

What you'd also see in the video is what may happen if you don't ever grease those augers and they seize........! :facepalm_zpsdj194qh


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## don in nh (Nov 7, 2015)

Sure would like to hear from someone who has installed the zerk fittings. Hope Honda doesn't deny any warranty issues if I do this mod.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Until you're out of warranty you can just take it apart and grease the shaft and slide the auger back on.
Maybe Robert from Honda will chime in.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

What you can also do if you do not want to take the augers off is what donyboy73 suggests which is just remove the shear pins from the augers, spray penetrating oil between the augers and augers shaft and spin them a few times (if you angle the housing a bit it would help the penetrating oil to flow).


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## don in nh (Nov 7, 2015)

That sounds easy enough. I was surprised at the shaft being nothing more then a stub. Thanx for the tip.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

don in nh said:


> That sounds easy enough. I was surprised at the shaft being nothing more then a stub. Thanx for the tip.


You're welcome. 
The augers gearbox with the stub axles is (IMHO) a very smart Honda design.


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## ZOMGVTEK (Sep 25, 2014)

It's really quite easy to pull the entire auger and impeller assembly and be SURE theres grease or ASL between the surfaces. Although a zerk would be a nice addition, I wouldn't bother adding one to a new machine. The material should be thick enough to reliably drill and tap if need be.

I'd just pull the assembly and coat the interfaces of both augers and impeller with anti sieze every two years or so. While you're at it, put some on the shear bolts and you can ensure an easy job if you break one. Ideally do this while its not cold and snowing, then you can have a little time with a clean machine to inspect things like the shoes and bearings.


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## fake_usa (Oct 24, 2014)

Grease both ends of the impeller and also the axel shafts. I used marine grease on mine.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

Don -

It's really easy and you can take the augers off the shaft and the gear off the impeller stub in less than 15 minutes. What adds ~time~ is slowing down to make sure that while you remove it...you don't scratch your new bucket.

I would use any Marine Grade AS/Grease.


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## grabber (Nov 28, 2015)

ZOMGVTEK said:


> It's really quite easy to pull the entire auger and impeller assembly and be SURE theres grease or ASL between the surfaces. Although a zerk would be a nice addition, I wouldn't bother adding one to a new machine. The material should be thick enough to reliably drill and tap if need be.
> 
> I'd just pull the assembly and coat the interfaces of both augers and impeller with anti sieze every two years or so. While you're at it, put some on the shear bolts and you can ensure an easy job if you break one. Ideally do this while its not cold and snowing, then you can have a little time with a clean machine to inspect things like the shoes and bearings.


Would you guys recommend doing this on a new blower ... or wait few years before greasing the auger shaft... 

One would think that Honda during the blower assembly put some grease to prevent the shaft to seize... or is it metal to metal ?


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

Grabber -

I did it on a brand new 928. But to each it's own, as I knew some of the flaws/issues if not greased...

I think you CAN get away with it for a couple of years, but it takes so little time, why not be preventative about the issue...

Mine had grease, albit a very thin coating...


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

grabber said:


> Would you guys recommend doing this on a new blower ... or wait few years before greasing the auger shaft...
> 
> One would think that Honda during the blower assembly put some grease to prevent the shaft to seize... or is it metal to metal ?


You don't really need to grease it, just remove the augers shear bolts, spray some penetrating oil between the auger shaft and the augers and spin the augers a few times, that should be enough on a brand new or nearly new machine (do it at beginning and end of season). After a few years you could take the augers and gearbox off, grease it very well and install grease fittings on the augers for periodic greasing (when greasing it make sure to remove the shear bolts and spin the augers a few times to spread the grease evenly and at the same time make sure that the augers are free for the shaft).


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## grabber (Nov 28, 2015)

hsblowersfan said:


> You don't really need to grease it, just remove the augers shear bolts, spray some penetrating oil between the auger shaft and the augers and spin the augers a few times, that should be enough on a brand new or nearly new machine (do it at beginning and end of season). After a few years you could take the augers and gearbox off, grease it very well and install grease fittings on the augers for periodic greasing (when greasing it make sure to remove the shear bolts and spin the augers a few times to spread the grease evenly and at the same time make sure that the augers are free for the shaft).



thanks i will probably do that.
As far as putting grease nipple, do you know if the metal bar that makes the center of the auger is empty all the lenght of the auger or only couples of inches from the center (right side once installed) ?


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

grabber said:


> thanks i will probably do that.
> As far as putting grease nipple, do you know if the metal bar that makes the center of the auger is empty all the lenght of the auger or only couples of inches from the center (right side once installed) ?


I am pretty sure that the augers center "tube"is hollow all the lenght except the end of the auger where a stub axle is welded to mount the side bearing.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

If installing grease fittings you want to install them "mid-way" the depth on the gearbox stub axles (measured from the shear bolts mounting blocks to the end of the stub shaft).


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## ZOMGVTEK (Sep 25, 2014)

You really don't need to pull the augers and grease them on a new machine, but I personally would to minimize corrosion. New is a good time to start. It's probably an hour or so if you're being extra careful and never did it before. I did it a few times, and my blowers got some use on it, so its a few minute job now.

Most people I know literally never grease or lubricate augers or impeller shafts. As far as they are concerned, if it welds together thats good, so those pesky pins don't snap when you hit ice. I don't think the 'average' person even knows this is a thing that should be done, I know a few people that never changed or looked at the oil on a blower they used for >10 years. Gas and go until it fails, and they generally get a fairly solid life out of the thing.

So don't feel bad if you forget to grease it one year, it's not that big of a deal.


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## ZOMGVTEK (Sep 25, 2014)

grabber said:


> thanks i will probably do that.
> As far as putting grease nipple, do you know if the metal bar that makes the center of the auger is empty all the lenght of the auger or only couples of inches from the center (right side once installed) ?


At least on mine, its hollow all the way. The bolt that goes through the bearing closes off the one end. The shaft off the auger gearbox goes on the other. Take the bolt at the end off, and pull it off the shaft, you can see right through it.

The shaft off the gearbox isn't that long, so one zerk midway should do a fairly good job of distributing grease. You might want to pull the shear bolt and spin it to ensure it coats well and everything is still free.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

While kreep oils will eventually get between the ~sandwich~, I don't think they resist water washout...

Grease / marine grade grease/as would be a better lube for the application at hand, but I suppose if you are doing the kreep oil methods regularly, it's still better than not doing it...


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

As far as modifications vs. warranty...

Honda's warranty is a legal document between you and Honda. Technically, it can't be "voided," period. There really is no such thing (as far as Honda goes) as "voiding" a warranty. 

Now the Honda warranty covers factory defects in parts and workmanship. It does not cover accidental damage by the customer, nor will it cover wear items, like the rubber paddles on single-stage models, or tread wear on wheeled-versions of two stage models.

The snow blower belongs to you so you are of course free to modify, customize, etc. to your heart's content. Honda does not recommend you do that, and strongly suggests you keep the unit "stock" to ensure factory performance and safety. But, if you do hot-rod your machine in some way, the warranty is still intact. However, if your modifications are determined to be the cause of a failure, Honda may decline to provide warranty service for such a repair. 

In the case of drilling out holes in the auger to install Zerk fittings, suppose 18 months down the road and the auger shaft/tube has rusted out and failed. If the dealer (Honda) determines the reason the tube rusted was because of the drilled-out fitting holes, then Honda would not pay under warranty for any repairs or parts. 

Now let's take that same machine with the customer-installed Zerk fittings; it has a problem with the recoil starter binding up and failing. While the dealer may notice the unit has been modified, the failure in this case was not due to the modification, and provided the jammed-up starter was indeed a defective part, Honda would pay under warranty to have it repaired.

You can download a digital copy of the warranty document here:

*Honda Power Equipment Warranty*


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Thanks for chiming in [email protected]
:blowerhug:


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## [email protected] (Dec 12, 2013)

I have an older machine and when I took it all part to clean and paint thinks I noticed the shaft was very rusted. We get lots of salt at the end of driveway from road. I cleaned it all up and installed grease nipples. You just need to find some with shallow threads, and they protruded a bit so I just filed them flush with shaft.


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## tonylee4327 (Feb 16, 2016)

don in nh said:


> Just got a new HSS724. Does anyone know how to grease the auger shaft? I don't recall seeing any zerk fittings. I always greased my previous machines yearly.


I got a new hs724K1TA in Feb 2016 and greased the auger shafts without installing the zerk fittings. Very simple to do it:
1) Buy a metric zerk fitting 8mm 1.25 from Ace Hardware.
2) Buy Marine grease from Napa Auto Parts.
3) Remover the 8mm bolt on the side of the auger housing using the 12mm socket wrench. Do the left or right side one at a time.
4) Install the 8mm zerk fitting and use grease gun to fill the hollow auger shaft until you see grease came out at the other end next to shear bolt.
5) Remove grease fitting and reinstall the 8mm bolt.
6) Repeat same procedures to the other auger housing side.
I think the grease will stay inside for ever due to the O rings on both ends of auger tubings.


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## Apple Guy (Sep 7, 2014)

Or spend the 20 mins to pull the auger every 2 to 3 years to re-grease.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

tonylee4327 said:


> I got a new hs724K1TA in Feb 2016 and greased the auger shafts without installing the zerk fittings. Very simple to do it:
> 1) Buy a metric zerk fitting 8mm 1.25 from Ace Hardware.
> 2) Buy Marine grease from Napa Auto Parts.
> 3) Remover the 8mm bolt on the side of the auger housing using the 12mm socket wrench. Do the left or right side one at a time.
> ...


The shafts are short stubs but this post does sound like a straight invasive way of getting the grease in.


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