Probably the best mechanical video I have ever seen. Reassured me that I won't be repairing my transmission. I will spend $350-400 for the part or buy a new snow thrower. Thanks!
Thank you very much for the video! I have managed to fix my transmission following the steps. I had the same issue with the two bearings next to the clutch lever. The snowblower is working again! Mine is Craftsman C950.521260, the transmission is General Transmission 3071A152, 1733972 (87022 A2). Best regards and thanks again!
Make sure that the steel cable that engages the cone clutch system is not slack by adjusting the linear guide wheel (@ 7:17, top left corner). This should prevent a partial contact of the two conical surfaces that would generate slipping and overheating.
Wow, that was a really well explained video. I am very impressed, because many other people say that those transmissions cannot be repaired. You are a pro!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this video. After a lengthy procrastination, my partner and I disassembled the transmission this past weekend, and put it back together (which we would NOT have been able to do without this very clear explanation). We put the transmission and motor back on the machine last night, and it worked PERFECTLY. Our issue was the bearings on either side of the clutch lever. In fact, when we poured the oil out of the housing, all of the balls from one of the bearings came out with it. The rings were hanging loose, the bearing must have exploded when it went. We had thought about sucking it up and buying a new transmission (for $500 or so). Instead, for the price of the bearings and a few tools we needed anyway, we have a working snowblower again. All because of this video. THANK YOU!
Excellent! It is not everybody that could do what you have done. It is also important to properly calibrate the tension of the wire that activates the clutch system. If it is too loose, the clutch will not fully engage and can skid/slip. On the other hand, if it is too tight, the bearings will not last. Avoid using speed levels higher than 5 to limit the stress on the clutch system.
Excellent video, very well documented. I've never had one of these units come into the shop, and always found the CVT transmissions on snowblowers as an interesting, but not necessarily needed idea. I suppose they are cheaper than a hydrostatic transmission, but more complex than a typical friction wheel drive system.
Great video! I recently bought a used Craftsman blower and removed the loser pan to service the friction disc and was very surprised to see this plastic transmission and very little information from Craftsman or online to adjust or service. You were able to explain the functions of the components so I could understand how it works and the variable drive system. Too bad you can't check or add oil as some has leaked out on mine. I will be gentle and keep my fingers crossed untill mine needs open heart durgery! Thanks.
I think that the basic problem with this transmission is that the bearings are mounted in a plastic housing, so heat isn't getting conducted away like a metal housing would, so the bearings overheat and fail. I had the same snow blower given to me for free because of a blown transmission. I ended up fitting a traditional friction disk transmission in it, from an old MTD machine, and it's been working great since then.
The tension of the traction control cable is adjusted with the guide wheel (P/N: 579860MA) of the slotted bracket (P/N: 1737347AYP) that is fastened to the frame box. If the cable is slack, I loosen the nut of the guide wheel screw and I slide the guide wheel retaining bolt in the slot so the control cable is not slack anymore, then, I tighten the nut to set the new adjustment.
im really surprised there is never used internals available on ebay....if they fail often there should be a ton of them available for parts use ...ive personally only seen two go bad....one time was the 6002 bearing fail....second one was an overheated cone on the clutch got so hot it melted the center part of the worm drive nylon gear and made it too thin to effectively function as a clutch
Thanks for the videos....My Craftsman has some gearing issues and the electric chute is broke, all happened the first year lol..Its in 3rd gear and will drop down to 1st gear or put it in 5th gear and it will go slow and then all of a sudden it will jump into 5th gear....I'll pull it apart and take a look.....
The problem can be outside of the transmission. It could be a bad shifting of the variable pulley assembly. If the belt on the transmission side is sliding due to a bad adjustment or some rust, the speed could not be consistent. The traction control handle (LHS) pulls the cable that activate the internal clutch mechanism, if this cable is too loose or not well adjusted, the internal clutch can slide and get damaged. If you dismantle anything, take a lot of pictures to make sure you have your own step by step procedure. This will help you to trouble shoot your problems and also to reassemble your snow-blower properly. Note: The H2 General Transmission is not considered as serviceable it is sold as a full assembly. Even people that fix snow blowers are not interested in opening it and fixing it.
A wonderful video thank you kindly for posting it, I have the same snowblower and presently when I engage the drive the wheels don’t want to turn immediately I have to give it a little push this only happens after I’ve use the machine for a while. I was going to replace the transmission do you feel some adjustments are in order first? I also have a lot of trouble with wet snow on this machine it will go over top all the time it does not want to bite into any high snow
It might not be the transmission. Sometimes if the wire that pulls the lever that engages the clutch is a bit too loose, the clutch is not fully locked and it can slip. After many winters the wire can stretch a fraction and may need to be readjusted. Also, when the snow is too wet and heavy or too high, If possible, I do not use the full auger to remove the snow, I try to remove smaller snow swath.
@@mtlcarguy yes thanks I knew about working thru heavy and wet snow. I will check the cable adjustments for sure 👍 I’ve noticed oil in the snow from under the machine so I’ll have confirm that. I’ll tear down the machine soon and try n get to the problem, I ordered a transmission and belts so if it needs the tranny I’ll have it on hand. I can’t find a service manual with specs etc those are helpful. Thanks for your reply much appreciated
@@mtlcarguy hello MTL, Today I removed the inspection cover and found there is allot of oil seeping from the transmission so I will definitely remove it and check it out. I’m curious if you posted a video on how to remove the belts, The drive pulley looks like a clutch? Also You mentioned you took the motor off I would like to do that but noticed on my model the bolts that hold the transmission in place appear to go thru into base of the engine and hold it in place unless I’m looking at it wrong. Did you turn the machine upside down and disassemble in reverse. Thanks for your help
@@curti6317 I never filmed the belts removal procedure or installation but the owner's manual shows good details about the parts positioning and the torque. Most of the work was done with the snowblower on the 2 wheels but sometimes the machine was holding on the front of the auger housing when it was needed. As I can remember, I removed the bottom panel to inspect the parts and gain access to some lower components. Later I disconnected the electrical connectors. I also removed the 2 upper pulleys to free the 2 belts. Once done, I removed the engine/motor and the engine mount plate. With the upper plate removed, I was able to disconnect the control wires and undo the 4 nuts/bolts holding the transmission in place. I slowly removed the transmission then I decided to film the procedure. Make sure you take a lot of pictures to be able to reassemble and adjust all the parts. Note: The lower drive pulley looks like a clutch but it is only a variable speed spring loaded pulley. Good luck.
I have the same snowblower and after last storm I started blowing snow and as soon as I changed speed I couldn’t lower speed. After taking machine apart I see the drive pulley separates as a higher speed is selected and belt slips further into pulley. As pulley seems to go back to together when lower or reverse speed is selected it is no longer able to move due to belt being wedged into pulley. Do you know if pulley on the Craftsman c950 separates or is my pulley broken and in need of replacement. Trying to figure out if I get rid of machine or try to fix. Thanks
First: The hand controlled speed lever must not be moved if the traction control is engaged because it can damage Transmission Control Traction parts Second: Never try to change the speed if the engine is not running because it can only move the shift arm plate controlling the lower variable pulley which improperly position the variable drive belt in the lower pulley. Pulling the speed lever too hard can also damage the plastic CAM control (Controls kit P/N: GT7933) and other plastic parts that are used to manage the forward and the reverse gears inside the transmission housing. This is the PDF link that can help you. services.generaltransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/service-manuals/39005-B_manuel_HR300P_BS.pdf Third: Usually, the upper or the lower pulleys are quite reliable. The lower pulley can be difficult to expand or retract if it is rusted or if the lateral bearing acting as a thrust roller bearing is damaged. A bad adjustment of the speed control rod can also create a problem. Craftsman.com (Craftsman.ca) still sell snow blowers, but, this model is not sold anymore. Some generic parts can be found on the Internet. I don't know if parts like the ones in the Controls kit P/N: GT7933 can be found if they are damaged.
Hi I have this same snowblower, my issue is that it is pulling left even with the bucket lifted up. Air in both tires are set to 18 psi any ideas? Thanks
The left and the right wheels are locked separately with the driving shaft when the traction levers are rotated. Look at video 7:19 for details about the cables to disengage the wheels. Check the adjustment of the cables/wires. Check if the cables are moving properly. Check if the wheel traction levers over the transmission are rotating properly. What you cannot see are the nylon traction locks inside the transmission shown in the 5:40 portion of the video. Good luck!
Hi! MTLCARGUY. J'ai la même transmission sur ma Craftsman 1450/27. Le problème est qu'elle ne recule plus. 1 à 6 avant fonctionnent #1. Reverse gears fini ou bien c'est juste un ajustement? J'ai rien trouvé pour régler mon problème. Merci de tout aide que vous pouvez me donner.
1 C’est peut être un ajustement de la tige de contrôle. 2 Un problème dans la transmission. 3 Un problème avec the ‘’shift kit’’ Voir les documents PDF suivants sur le site de General Transmission pour de l'information de base. Snow Transmission Type HR300P services.generaltransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/service-manuals/39005-B_manuel_HR300P_BS.pdf HR 300P Transmission. Hard Shift Kit Installation services.generaltransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/bulletins/Snow%20blower%20Controls%20kit.pdf
EXCELLENT ! I noticed that the replacement bearings were SKF. I will bet they last much longer ! What brand of silicone sealant did you use when you re-assembled it ?
This is a great video, thanks! My C950's traction control gave out on me last night (thankfully after I had cleared most of the big snowfall). There's almost no tension on the drive cable, even with the tensioner wheel set to the max distance. The cable is still attached to *something* inside, but there's just way too much slack. I took the belly plate off, but the whole transmission is in the way, I can't even see the assembly, let alone reach it. Seems like the clutch control cable has to be accessed from the top (after removing the engine), which seems like an awful design. Am I missing something, or would I have to remove the engine to access the clutch cable?
@@mtlcarguy If you'd be so kind as to answer one last (I promise!) question, I'd really appreciate it. I just got around to removing the engine to see what was going on. The cable and spring are fine, it's the clutch itself. The clutch lever that the spring attaches to is quite loose. At its resting position, instead of pointing towards the front of the machine (like at 7:17 in your video), it points to the side, even a little towards the back, and it easily wiggles back and forth. Is there any way of 'resetting' the clutch without disassembling the whole transmission?
@@novascotian2789 I never found any information on how to calibrate the cable to have the perfect lever position but I did slide back the cable drive wheel a fraction to add a bit more tension on my cable and so far my snowblower is working fine. More information about troubleshooting ! @ 5:22 In traction condition, when the clutch lever is pulled with the cable, it rotates the inner clutch lever and the inner lever rotates. This action pushes the sliding bearing against the conical clutch assembly to compress the assembly and lock the worm gear with the clutch and the shaft. @3:57 In this view, I temporarily assembled the 2 conical clutch components with the expansion spring to show how the clutch components were held together inside the worm gear steel ring. In NO traction condition with a minimal or no tension on the traction cable, the expansion spring keeps the conical clutch assembly open so the shaft is not locked with the worm gear The cable and the lever (shown 7:17) are connected together with a calibrated spring in order to limit the lateral pressure applied on the 2 bearings. A first test can be done If you have access to the lever and you can unhook the spring. You can rotate the lever by hand to simulate a pulling cable. You should feel the tension of the expansion spring located in between the 2 conical clutch components. If there is no tension, one or 2 bearings on the clutch shaft could be broken. If there is a tension, the 2 bearings could be in good condition and only the tension of the clutch cable may have to be calibrated. At this moment an other test can also be done when you have access to the clutch lever. The frame box of the snowblower could be sitting on blocks with the two wheels not touching the floor. Then, you can try to rotate the variable speed pulley while you test by hand the traction lever in traction condition and in NO traction condition. The wheels should rotate if the clutch assembly and the shaft lock with the worm gear.
The transmission was fixed during the 2019 summer. I had no problem while I was using it in the 2019-2020 winter season. So far this season (2020-2021), I used it a lot and it worked fine. I will reply again if anything goes wrong before the end of the season. I am still ready for one or two snowstorms.
As a mechanical engineer myself I am having trouble moving my jaw back in place. This is beyond belief to put plastic gears on units being sold in areas with extreme low temps when any plastic becomes brittle. It's an insult to any engineering ethics
The drive system is made out of plastic and not serviceable. Clearly not worth repairing considering the time it took. But congratulations for figuring out this complex piece of machinery.
Perfect example of if it's not broke don't fix it. In the friction disc system that most other machines use is very reliable. And when there is an issue with the friction disc system it's usually easy to repair.
Second view ! This is a very bad design ! The clutch lever applies a side force to the outer bearing race. The force is transferred to the balls which then forces the inner bearing race up against one half of the cone clutch and into the other half of the cone clutch. The balls in the bearing are constantly under a side load, and that type of bearing is NOT designed to work that way ! While you replaced the bearings with good quality one (SKF 6002) I don't know how long those will last.
Yes, it was a poor mechanical engineering solution to transfer the lateral force on this rotating shaft. I don't think this transmission was designed by engineers that spent a lot of winters blowing snow up north. Like you, I don't know how long the bearings will last, but, if it happens again it is a topic for an other RUclips video.
@@mtlcarguy It is sad that one poorly designed portion of that transmission caused a failure. All of the remaining components appear to be in perfect working order. What should be used there is a thrust ball bearing.
This is a terrible and unnecessary system, yet we work with what we have. I have done this exact repair on several units with replacing ALL the bearings with high quality ones and have never had an issue. Do not buy cheap bearings, replacing all of them will set you back $80 to $100 in parts. Aside from the lengthy dis/reassembly removing the existing sealant is the worst part of this job.
Probably the best mechanical video I have ever seen. Reassured me that I won't be repairing my transmission. I will spend $350-400 for the part or buy a new snow thrower. Thanks!
Thank you very much for the video! I have managed to fix my transmission following the steps. I had the same issue with the two bearings next to the clutch lever. The snowblower is working again! Mine is Craftsman C950.521260, the transmission is General Transmission 3071A152, 1733972 (87022 A2). Best regards and thanks again!
Make sure that the steel cable that engages the cone clutch system is not slack by adjusting the linear guide wheel (@ 7:17, top left corner). This should prevent a partial contact of the two conical surfaces that would generate slipping and overheating.
Wow, that was a really well explained video. I am very impressed, because many other people say that those transmissions cannot be repaired. You are a pro!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this video. After a lengthy procrastination, my partner and I disassembled the transmission this past weekend, and put it back together (which we would NOT have been able to do without this very clear explanation). We put the transmission and motor back on the machine last night, and it worked PERFECTLY. Our issue was the bearings on either side of the clutch lever. In fact, when we poured the oil out of the housing, all of the balls from one of the bearings came out with it. The rings were hanging loose, the bearing must have exploded when it went. We had thought about sucking it up and buying a new transmission (for $500 or so). Instead, for the price of the bearings and a few tools we needed anyway, we have a working snowblower again. All because of this video. THANK YOU!
Excellent! It is not everybody that could do what you have done.
It is also important to properly calibrate the tension of the wire that activates the clutch system.
If it is too loose, the clutch will not fully engage and can skid/slip.
On the other hand, if it is too tight, the bearings will not last.
Avoid using speed levels higher than 5 to limit the stress on the clutch system.
I have saved this video. Thank you very much. It is on par with professional trainings I have been on. Great job.
One of the best narrated youtube videos I have every watched, thank you,
Excellent video, very well documented. I've never had one of these units come into the shop, and always found the CVT transmissions on snowblowers as an interesting, but not necessarily needed idea. I suppose they are cheaper than a hydrostatic transmission, but more complex than a typical friction wheel drive system.
Great video! I recently bought a used Craftsman blower and removed the loser pan to service the friction disc and was very surprised to see this plastic transmission and very little information from Craftsman or online to adjust or service. You were able to explain the functions of the components so I could understand how it works and the variable drive system. Too bad you can't check or add oil as some has leaked out on mine. I will be gentle and keep my fingers crossed untill mine needs open heart durgery! Thanks.
I think that the basic problem with this transmission is that the bearings are mounted in a plastic housing, so heat isn't getting conducted away like a metal housing would, so the bearings overheat and fail. I had the same snow blower given to me for free because of a blown transmission. I ended up fitting a traditional friction disk transmission in it, from an old MTD machine, and it's been working great since then.
A tip of my hat to you sir!
Great video, and thank you for posting. I have the same trans, but not sure I can manage the rebuild. Congratulations!
Great video now I am wondering how to adjust the tension on the clutch system
The tension of the traction control cable is adjusted with the guide wheel (P/N: 579860MA) of the slotted bracket (P/N: 1737347AYP) that is fastened to the frame box. If the cable is slack, I loosen the nut of the guide wheel screw and I slide the guide wheel retaining bolt in the slot so the control cable is not slack anymore, then, I tighten the nut to set the new adjustment.
im really surprised there is never used internals available on ebay....if they fail often there should be a ton of them available for parts use ...ive personally only seen two go bad....one time was the 6002 bearing fail....second one was an overheated cone on the clutch got so hot it melted the center part of the worm drive nylon gear and made it too thin to effectively function as a clutch
Thanks for the videos....My Craftsman has some gearing issues and the electric chute is broke, all happened the first year lol..Its in 3rd gear and will drop down to 1st gear or put it in 5th gear and it will go slow and then all of a sudden it will jump into 5th gear....I'll pull it apart and take a look.....
The problem can be outside of the transmission. It could be a bad shifting of the variable pulley assembly. If the belt on the transmission side is sliding due to a bad adjustment or some rust, the speed could not be consistent. The traction control handle (LHS) pulls the cable that activate the internal clutch mechanism, if this cable is too loose or not well adjusted, the internal clutch can slide and get damaged. If you dismantle anything, take a lot of pictures to make sure you have your own step by step procedure. This will help you to trouble shoot your problems and also to reassemble your snow-blower properly. Note: The H2 General Transmission is not considered as serviceable it is sold as a full assembly. Even people that fix snow blowers are not interested in opening it and fixing it.
A wonderful video thank you kindly for posting it, I have the same snowblower and presently when I engage the drive the wheels don’t want to turn immediately I have to give it a little push this only happens after I’ve use the machine for a while.
I was going to replace the transmission do you feel some adjustments are in order first? I also have a lot of trouble with wet snow on this machine it will go over top all the time it does not want to bite into any high snow
It might not be the transmission. Sometimes if the wire that pulls the lever that engages the clutch is a bit too loose, the clutch is not fully locked and it can slip. After many winters the wire can stretch a fraction and may need to be readjusted.
Also, when the snow is too wet and heavy or too high, If possible, I do not use the full auger to remove the snow, I try to remove smaller snow swath.
@@mtlcarguy yes thanks I knew about working thru heavy and wet snow.
I will check the cable adjustments for sure 👍 I’ve noticed oil in the snow from under the machine so I’ll have confirm that.
I’ll tear down the machine soon and try n get to the problem, I ordered a transmission and belts so if it needs the tranny I’ll have it on hand.
I can’t find a service manual with specs etc those are helpful.
Thanks for your reply much appreciated
@@curti6317 Look for ''Craftsman C950-52301-0 Operator's Manual'' on-line. Good luck!
@@mtlcarguy hello MTL, Today I removed the inspection cover and found there is allot of oil seeping from the transmission so I will definitely remove it and check it out.
I’m curious if you posted a video on how to remove the belts, The drive pulley looks like a clutch?
Also You mentioned you took the motor off I would like to do that but noticed on my model the bolts that hold the transmission in place appear to go thru into base of the engine and hold it in place unless I’m looking at it wrong. Did you turn the machine upside down and disassemble in reverse. Thanks for your help
@@curti6317
I never filmed the belts removal procedure or installation but the owner's manual shows good details about the parts positioning and the torque.
Most of the work was done with the snowblower on the 2 wheels but sometimes the machine was holding on the front of the auger housing when it was needed.
As I can remember, I removed the bottom panel to inspect the parts and gain access to some lower components.
Later I disconnected the electrical connectors.
I also removed the 2 upper pulleys to free the 2 belts.
Once done, I removed the engine/motor and the engine mount plate.
With the upper plate removed, I was able to disconnect the control wires and undo the 4 nuts/bolts holding the transmission in place.
I slowly removed the transmission then I decided to film the procedure.
Make sure you take a lot of pictures to be able to reassemble and adjust all the parts.
Note: The lower drive pulley looks like a clutch but it is only a variable speed spring loaded pulley.
Good luck.
I have the same snowblower and after last storm I started blowing snow and as soon as I changed speed I couldn’t lower speed. After taking machine apart I see the drive pulley separates as a higher speed is selected and belt slips further into pulley. As pulley seems to go back to together when lower or reverse speed is selected it is no longer able to move due to belt being wedged into pulley. Do you know if pulley on the Craftsman c950 separates or is my pulley broken and in need of replacement. Trying to figure out if I get rid of machine or try to fix. Thanks
First: The hand controlled speed lever must not be moved if the traction control is engaged because it can damage Transmission Control Traction parts
Second: Never try to change the speed if the engine is not running because it can only move the shift arm plate controlling the lower variable pulley which improperly position the variable drive belt in the lower pulley.
Pulling the speed lever too hard can also damage the plastic CAM control (Controls kit P/N: GT7933) and other plastic parts that are used to manage the forward and the reverse gears inside the transmission housing.
This is the PDF link that can help you.
services.generaltransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/service-manuals/39005-B_manuel_HR300P_BS.pdf
Third: Usually, the upper or the lower pulleys are quite reliable.
The lower pulley can be difficult to expand or retract if it is rusted or if the lateral bearing acting as a thrust roller bearing is damaged.
A bad adjustment of the speed control rod can also create a problem.
Craftsman.com (Craftsman.ca) still sell snow blowers, but, this model is not sold anymore.
Some generic parts can be found on the Internet. I don't know if parts like the ones in the Controls kit P/N: GT7933 can be found if they are damaged.
Can someone lead me on why mine is not having power eniugh when it's needed. As soon as it has resitance it stops moving
Have a look at : www.repairclinic.com/RepairHelp/Snowblower-Repair/23-303--/Briggs-Stratton-Snowblower-Troubleshooting
it could help.
What is the part number for the bearings?
SKF p/n: 6002. For more information read the video description.
Hi I have this same snowblower, my issue is that it is pulling left even with the bucket lifted up. Air in both tires are set to 18 psi any ideas? Thanks
The left and the right wheels are locked separately with the driving shaft when the traction levers are rotated. Look at video 7:19 for details about the cables to disengage the wheels. Check the adjustment of the cables/wires. Check if the cables are moving properly. Check if the wheel traction levers over the transmission are rotating properly. What you cannot see are the nylon traction locks inside the transmission shown in the 5:40 portion of the video. Good luck!
Hi! MTLCARGUY. J'ai la même transmission sur ma Craftsman 1450/27. Le problème est qu'elle ne recule plus. 1 à 6 avant fonctionnent #1. Reverse gears fini ou bien c'est juste un ajustement? J'ai rien trouvé pour régler mon problème. Merci de tout aide que vous pouvez me donner.
1 C’est peut être un ajustement de la tige de contrôle.
2 Un problème dans la transmission.
3 Un problème avec the ‘’shift kit’’
Voir les documents PDF suivants sur le site de General Transmission pour de l'information de base.
Snow Transmission Type HR300P
services.generaltransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/service-manuals/39005-B_manuel_HR300P_BS.pdf
HR 300P Transmission. Hard Shift Kit Installation
services.generaltransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/bulletins/Snow%20blower%20Controls%20kit.pdf
@@mtlcarguy Merci. Je vais vérifier tout ça.
EXCELLENT ! I noticed that the replacement bearings were SKF. I will bet they last much longer !
What brand of silicone sealant did you use when you re-assembled it ?
What kind of oil can be used in the transmission?
I don't know. I kept and I filtered the original oil that was in the transmission.
what is the approximate volume of the oil?
@@СергейЛешуков-у3ф The housing was resealed with Permatex Ultra Gray Gasket Maker 59903 and after I added around 300ml of the original used oil.
It uses 7.4 oz of either 5W30 or 5W-40
This is a great video, thanks! My C950's traction control gave out on me last night (thankfully after I had cleared most of the big snowfall). There's almost no tension on the drive cable, even with the tensioner wheel set to the max distance. The cable is still attached to *something* inside, but there's just way too much slack. I took the belly plate off, but the whole transmission is in the way, I can't even see the assembly, let alone reach it. Seems like the clutch control cable has to be accessed from the top (after removing the engine), which seems like an awful design. Am I missing something, or would I have to remove the engine to access the clutch cable?
Yes you have to remove the motor/engine to access and remove the transmission. The cables are attached on the top of the transmission.
@@mtlcarguy If you'd be so kind as to answer one last (I promise!) question, I'd really appreciate it. I just got around to removing the engine to see what was going on. The cable and spring are fine, it's the clutch itself. The clutch lever that the spring attaches to is quite loose. At its resting position, instead of pointing towards the front of the machine (like at 7:17 in your video), it points to the side, even a little towards the back, and it easily wiggles back and forth. Is there any way of 'resetting' the clutch without disassembling the whole transmission?
@@novascotian2789
I never found any information on how to calibrate the cable to have the perfect lever position but I did slide back the cable drive wheel a fraction to add a bit more tension on my cable and so far my snowblower is working fine.
More information about troubleshooting !
@ 5:22 In traction condition, when the clutch lever is pulled with the cable, it rotates the inner clutch lever and the inner lever rotates. This action pushes the sliding bearing against the conical clutch assembly to compress the assembly and lock the worm gear with the clutch and the shaft.
@3:57 In this view, I temporarily assembled the 2 conical clutch components with the expansion spring to show how the clutch components were held together inside the worm gear steel ring.
In NO traction condition with a minimal or no tension on the traction cable, the expansion spring keeps the conical clutch assembly open so the shaft is not locked with the worm gear
The cable and the lever (shown 7:17) are connected together with a calibrated spring in order to limit the lateral pressure applied on the 2 bearings.
A first test can be done If you have access to the lever and you can unhook the spring. You can rotate the lever by hand to simulate a pulling cable.
You should feel the tension of the expansion spring located in between the 2 conical clutch components.
If there is no tension, one or 2 bearings on the clutch shaft could be broken.
If there is a tension, the 2 bearings could be in good condition and only the tension of the clutch cable may have to be calibrated.
At this moment an other test can also be done when you have access to the clutch lever. The frame box of the snowblower could be sitting on blocks with the two wheels not touching the floor. Then, you can try to rotate the variable speed pulley while you test by hand the traction lever in traction condition and in NO traction condition. The wheels should rotate if the clutch assembly and the shaft lock with the worm gear.
@@mtlcarguy Amazing info as always. Thanks again!
So once the season is over, how about an update ?
The transmission was fixed during the 2019 summer. I had no problem while I was using it in the 2019-2020 winter season. So far this season (2020-2021), I used it a lot and it worked fine. I will reply again if anything goes wrong before the end of the season. I am still ready for one or two snowstorms.
As a mechanical engineer myself I am having trouble moving my jaw back in place. This is beyond belief to put plastic gears on units being sold in areas with extreme low temps when any plastic becomes brittle. It's an insult to any engineering ethics
The drive system is made out of plastic and not serviceable. Clearly not worth repairing considering the time it took. But congratulations for figuring out this complex piece of machinery.
Same i was watching and i was almost frustrated whenever i looked at the plastic gears of this disposable technology...
The gears looked to be in perfect condition.
The manufacturer says that there are no service part, but the author proved them wrong !
But the plastic was not the problem! The bearing choice is just very poor for the side load design. I am impressed with this repair effort.
Perfect example of if it's not broke don't fix it. In the friction disc system that most other machines use is very reliable. And when there is an issue with the friction disc system it's usually easy to repair.
Second view !
This is a very bad design ! The clutch lever applies a side force to the outer bearing race. The force is transferred to the balls which then forces the inner bearing race up against one half of the cone clutch and into the other half of the cone clutch. The balls in the bearing are constantly under a side load, and that type of bearing is NOT designed to work that way !
While you replaced the bearings with good quality one (SKF 6002) I don't know how long those will last.
Yes, it was a poor mechanical engineering solution to transfer the lateral force on this rotating shaft. I don't think this transmission was designed by engineers that spent a lot of winters blowing snow up north. Like you, I don't know how long the bearings will last, but, if it happens again it is a topic for an other RUclips video.
@@mtlcarguy It is sad that one poorly designed portion of that transmission caused a failure. All of the remaining components appear to be in perfect working order.
What should be used there is a thrust ball bearing.
This is a terrible and unnecessary system, yet we work with what we have. I have done this exact repair on several units with replacing ALL the bearings with high quality ones and have never had an issue. Do not buy cheap bearings, replacing all of them will set you back $80 to $100 in parts. Aside from the lengthy dis/reassembly removing the existing sealant is the worst part of this job.