AArdvark's Snowblower project
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- AArdvark
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Tom Servo? Really? OK!
One of the pitfalls I wanted to avoid in this thread was getting into too much detail. Some of the How-I-did-it websites can get awfully tedious when they get right down to every nut and bolt description. I will not be that thread.
So to carry on...
This is the idler plate. It was almost rusted solid. I had freed it up enough to do my driveway last Sunday but it still needs help. This is after I sandblasted it and replaced all the plain steel hardware with stainless.
Gonna buy primer and paint tonight.
One of the pitfalls I wanted to avoid in this thread was getting into too much detail. Some of the How-I-did-it websites can get awfully tedious when they get right down to every nut and bolt description. I will not be that thread.
So to carry on...
This is the idler plate. It was almost rusted solid. I had freed it up enough to do my driveway last Sunday but it still needs help. This is after I sandblasted it and replaced all the plain steel hardware with stainless.
Gonna buy primer and paint tonight.
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- AArdvark
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- AArdvark
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- AArdvark
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OK finishing touches are done. All the belts are on and tensioned. The factory muffler is back on due to it's availability again, I had loaned it out for a go-kart project that's never gonna happen. All covers are on. idle is close to nominal (won't know more until it actually throws snow) Sure blows the leaves like gangbusters. Now I have to wait and see how it does in real-world conditions.
THE
LOCK AND LOAD
AARDVARK
THE
LOCK AND LOAD
AARDVARK
- AArdvark
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Ah a snowstorm! (rubs hands together gleefully) How convenient.
First real test was successful! Last year was kinda lame snow-wise, I used it twice but didn't really need to.
Today I fired that thing up at six Am and did the whole driveway in ten minutes. Two foot drifts and all.
THE
WAKE UP EVERYBODY!
AARDVARK
First real test was successful! Last year was kinda lame snow-wise, I used it twice but didn't really need to.
Today I fired that thing up at six Am and did the whole driveway in ten minutes. Two foot drifts and all.
THE
WAKE UP EVERYBODY!
AARDVARK
- Tdarcos
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Two things:
(1) You mentioned you wish you had a sandblaster. That's really Old School and almost unheard of these days. Sand is way too rough for removing paint or rust on most metals, now they have much better abrasives available which are much softer and do little to no damage to the underylying metal. Walnut shells and now, powdered coal. Catch an episode of American Restoration on the History Channel for examples of this.
(2) Most of your posted pictures have been deleted by PhotoBucket. Can't you either get a reliable free hosting service or afford to pay the cost of a domain name at around $12 a year registration to get free storage from GoDaddy or someone else?
(1) You mentioned you wish you had a sandblaster. That's really Old School and almost unheard of these days. Sand is way too rough for removing paint or rust on most metals, now they have much better abrasives available which are much softer and do little to no damage to the underylying metal. Walnut shells and now, powdered coal. Catch an episode of American Restoration on the History Channel for examples of this.
(2) Most of your posted pictures have been deleted by PhotoBucket. Can't you either get a reliable free hosting service or afford to pay the cost of a domain name at around $12 a year registration to get free storage from GoDaddy or someone else?
"I really feel that I'm losin' my best friend
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I can't believe this could be the end."
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- Tdarcos
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- AArdvark
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Re: sandblaster.
It's a generic term. At work we usually have between three or four types of media in use depending on the material to be blasted. Anything at my house would have been better then what I had (which was NO sandblaster).
Note: I have access to a non work sandblaster but it's out at my brother's place and the cabinet wasn't large enough for me to do the body.
Sand is still used but it's usually for the large (outdoor) types of sandblasting. Good for quickly removing rust on big hulking parts where finish is not an issue.
Re: photos.
I intentionally removed all those photos. Please stop climbing up a ladder and jumping to conclusions. Photobucket would still be hosting them if I wished it so.
THE
ALUMINUM OXIDE
AARDVARK
It's a generic term. At work we usually have between three or four types of media in use depending on the material to be blasted. Anything at my house would have been better then what I had (which was NO sandblaster).
Note: I have access to a non work sandblaster but it's out at my brother's place and the cabinet wasn't large enough for me to do the body.
Sand is still used but it's usually for the large (outdoor) types of sandblasting. Good for quickly removing rust on big hulking parts where finish is not an issue.
Re: photos.
I intentionally removed all those photos. Please stop climbing up a ladder and jumping to conclusions. Photobucket would still be hosting them if I wished it so.
THE
ALUMINUM OXIDE
AARDVARK
- AArdvark
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Re: AArdvark's Snowblower project
Update! Six years later. Snowvark 2000 has been running flawlessly each winter. After we got dumped on by that 'noreaster last week the belts started slipping a bit. That heavy wet stuff, dontchaknow. Gonna replace the belts this summer. Tonight I noticed that the machine had very little oomph. Investigated and found the idler plate screw had come out. The motor is basically in idle mode with no way for me to open the throttle. Not enough power to actually blow snow. Engine was too hot to start taking covers off so I shoveled, first time in years. If the snow stays away for a couple more days I will do some small engine repair this weekend.
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UNDER THE HOOD
AARDVARK
THE
UNDER THE HOOD
AARDVARK
- Jizaboz
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- AArdvark
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Re: AArdvark's Snowblower project
The motor is a Techumseh 8 Horse (insert Canyon Man noises) The body is a a Bolens . I melded two different snowblowers into one monster machine. I took things apart after work today and fixed it up nice. Tightened up the...those long pieces of wire that go from the idler arm to the throttle. I'm too lazy to go downstairs and look in the manual to see what they're called. The factory puts these little plastic sleeves on the ends so they fit in the holes all snug. After a bunch of years the plastic rubs away and the wires get sloppy which makes the motor hunt up and down the revs until it warms up. All I did was bend them a little 'till they were a snug fit again.
Ok they're called linkages. I looked it up online and posted a picture