boy, not good news, for all of us.
Hey guys, I wanted to follow up on this issue. So after I got the machine back I hooked up the blower and made sure all was well again. When engaging the PTO I noticed a bad vibration. So I disconnected the blower shaft and turned the PTO on without anything attached. It was whisper quiet, I couldn't even really tell the PTO was engaged.
So I started looking at the blower shaft itself and noticed it was bent. Now I don't believe for a second I could have done this due to the fact it looked almost pinched, like something was dropped on it. My blower was a demo unit. For all I know the blower shaft was bent when I originally purchased it. This bend in the shaft is what I believe damaged my PTO bearing.
So here is the kicker. The replacement shaft is a thinner lighter material than the original. Which in my opinion is going to be even more susceptible to bends.
I have attached two photos. In one of the photos you will notice it has a dent in it, it has the same dent on the opposite side of the shaft. Almost like something with large pitchers grabbed on it.
So, I guess moral of the story, I would inspect the shaft on a regular basis in order to avoid PTO part(s) failure.
I had a snowblower problem, when I checked, every one of the gear carriage bolts was missing entirely. Not sure when or how that happened.how much play is there in the blower shaft , or should it be tight with no play.
Yeah mine was a demo unit as well. Some asshat before me most likely raised it up to far.Wifi guy,
My shaft had a bad vibration and the yoke that attaches to the blower broke, it had vibrated since I bought it. My shaft also had the bend in it with a kink. It seems to be caused by raising or tilting the blower to much. I think mine was damaged when I bought it also as it was a demo blower.
By the way Bobcat wouldn't stand behind mine even though the mechanic and parts guy both thought there was nothing I could of done to break the yoke, they both thought it was cracked during assembly. It cost me $80 for a new shaft.