put the nut back on a couple thread and then give it a few light taps with a hammer. those can sometimes be snug fitting.

 

That hex friction shaft looks awful dry.

That's a sealed snap ring bearing .... which by the way looks very dry and rusted and the shaft looks rust welded to the inner chase.....

 

What they said...

A bump with a soft hammer on the end of that shaft (put the nut on part way to avoid damaging the threads...) should push that shaft out towards the other side. Plan on replacing those bearings, doing a little clean-up on the shaft, and adding some lubrication and rust protection WYAIT. The manual for my machine specifically warns against lubricating anything in the drive box, I suspect to make sure there's no chance of getting grease on the friction faces there. Great idea for the first year under warranty, but not a good longer-term policy. There are dry spray lubes to use on the shaft if you are really worried, or add a very thin film of waterproof wheel bearing grease to the hex section at least.

You'll likely want to pull the main axle out to get the bull gear out of the way, and free up that end of the hex pinion shaft so you can get it apart easily.

 

Replace the bearings? I'm not sure I want to put even another $20 into this thing - it's already 21+ years old. Is it really going to be necessary? I'm going to spray some WD-40 on it overnight and let it sit.

If so, is this the right one?

Amazon.com

I have some white lithium grease - would that work for lubricating the axle and hex section?

And the hex section you are all referring to is what the gear shift lever rides on to move the friction wheel to the inner or outer parts of the friction plate, right?

 

I find the easiest way to lube those hex shafts is to put on some latex mechanics gloves, put some grease on your fingers, and smooth a light coating over the next shaft, making sure to slide the friction disc assembly back and forth ..... All the while keeping any off the drive plate.

 

your better off to use something like a silicone lube or something. you don't want a residue on the shaft that can fly off. i would personally pop the inner seal off the old bearing and ad a bit of grease. you could always try removing the bolt out of the other side and see if that bearing will slide off easier. sometimes they so just need a tap to get them off the shaft. they are just a snug fit and will slide off with a some lite tapping.

 

The bearings are cheap. Maybe too cheap to mess with trying to pry out a seal and repack. When you have one out you'll know if it can get away with grease or it's too lumpy already with worn races and flattened ball bearings.

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Philosophy...

Saving an old blower with a few simple new parts is better cheaper and easier than a new machine, IMO. Even another used one will have a list of things it needs. Got a devil you know? Only needs $15 in shaft bearings? Sounds like an easy decision.

For perspective, I had a fun episode when the needle bearings in the planetary drive/reduction/steering clutch came apart and locked things up. Replaced those (about $2 each for six). Replaced the same bearings you point to on the high-speed shaft, as they were pretty grumpy. When they finally seize on the shaft and spin in the hole in the drive box, your repair costs go up really quickly. For less than $30 in new bearings, I was able to keep the machine running. I ultimately replaced the shaft where the needle bearings had damaged it, but that was about $20 more. I just finished replacing the impeller shaft bearing as a PM task, after witnessing how under-spec'd the other bearings seem to be. Another less-than-$10 part and avoided future misery.

These parts are normal consumables on these machines. Doing the whole drive-box refresh replaces the wear parts in there and makes this worry-free for at least another five years. I already bagged a whole spare set of bearings for then, just in case. Keep up with the normal wear stuff like this and you'll be rewarded with lots of added service life.

Reading in the forum, there are more than a few folks who pick up used throwaways for cheap or less, replace the consumable parts, and pass the machines on to happy new owners. The rationale of not wanting to "put $15 of new bearings in an old $20 machine" is shortsighted; think of it as "only investing $15 in a $1,500 machine to keep it running". In the used market, maybe it's $15 into a sells-for-$400 machine. Not exactly a tough choice, especially right now with new machines in short supply, and premium+ prices on what is actually available.

 

Reading in the forum, there are more than a few folks who pick up used throwaways for cheap or less, replace the consumable parts, and pass the machines on to happy new owners. The rationale of not wanting to "put $15 of new bearings in an old $20 machine" is shortsighted; think of it as "only investing $15 in a $1,500 machine to keep it running". In the used market, maybe it's $15 into a sells-for-$400 machine. Not exactly a tough choice, especially right now with new machines in short supply, and premium+ prices on what is actually available.

Thanks for the perspective - but where does it end? What's the point of diminishing returns? My point is that it's not just $15.

The rest of the parts are also 22+ years old, including the blower housing, which is also terribly rusted, and the auger gearbox also has had no maintenance.

Are there other normal wearing parts that I should investigate repairing/replacing as well (besides belts, etc)?

 

Yes, yours are different then mine.
And #45 the housing.

 

Okay, I looked at the bearings, and they really aren't that bad. There's just a slight amount of play - not enough to warrant the time it would take to disassemble the whole front end. The axle that attaches the gearbox to the impeller are really rusted, and look to be really difficult to remove, which appears to be necessary to remove the auger.

The housing is also $25 for both sides.

Would it help to apply grease from the outside at all?

 

I certainly would .... Applying some type of chain lube spray or other lithium grease spray etc. Will assist to lube it, as well as keep moisture and rust at bay.

Keep an eye on bushings, bearings, etc., for excessive wear, and do any major repairs come spring, when weather is nice.

 

if i was only replacing the friction wheel once you get the 1 bearing off you take the wheel off the other side off and can slide the whole shaft/bearing out. is the bearing hitting the nut? you could also slide the friction wheel all the way to 1 side and use a chisel and hammer to try hammering the bearing off from the inside. it may need some force but not too much

 

It took quite a bit, but I hit it much harder and it popped out of one side. I was then able to get it out on the other side with similar force. I had to increasingly hit the one side that the bearing popped out and flew across the room.

Thankfully the bolt on one side and the nut on the other and the hex shaft threads are still in good shape

All things considered, both bearings look and feel and sound pretty good. I'm not sure if it's helpful to see what I see....

 

The bearing side with the nut, the bearing will stay in place until the shaft comes out. It generally takes a good hit on the nut side to knock the bearing and shaft out the other.
I just did one this afternoon, I suggest putting the nut on enough that it is flush with the end of the shaft because you're going to need a couple of good whacks with the lumber and hammer as you dont want the threads damaged on either.
Here is a pic of the shaft and bearing removed.

 

if they roll nicely they may be fine. i know it is rare to usually see them go bad but it doe happen occasionally. i have personally only ever seen 1 bearing seized and you really noticed it when rolling the machine without the engine running. it would drive fine with the engine but it was a huge pain to roll when the engine was off.

 

Those spin at a pretty high rate of speed, so if there's -any- indication that they are not perfectly smooth, now's the perfect time to replace them. Plus, hammering on them to remove often dents the races and slightly flattens the balls inside, so even if they were still "OK", they may not be now.

 

Okay, ordered, and should have them on Friday. I paid ten bucks more to get them here sooner, lol.

 

Received the new bearings today and they're much improved. I still think the old ones would have worked for some indeterminate amount of time, but the new ones spin much more smoothly. Put them in place, replaced the friction wheel rubber, and put it all back together relatively easily.