Ford Blower Drive Repair
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"Snowblowers installed on many Ford compact tractors from 1980 to 1984 were built by Bervac in Quebec, Canada. They went out of business and Ford no longer stocks parts for these blowers. Parts can only be purchased from a supplier in North Dakota who bought up all the spare parts and charges plenty for them," says Ron Burkholder, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.
"I own a Ford 1200. The blower is pretty reliable except for the drive from the front pulley of the engine. I had to rebuild the drive about once a year at a cost of about $1,300 per year. So I decided to solve the problem permanently by mounting a Honda 11 hp. engine directly on the blower.
"Three V-belts run from the engine output shaft to the blower input shaft. The engine has a 6:1 reducer mounted right on the block. At full throttle, this gives me 600 rpm's, which is just about right.
"The biggest challenge was building the clutch. I mounted the engine on a 1/2-in. thick steel plate that slides back and forth and pivots on the blower. The sliding plate is positioned so the belts just touch the pulley. To push the engine up to engage the belts, I used a 1 1/2-in. air cylinder with a 3-in. stroke. I purchased a small air compressor for $20 and use it to charge a 20-lb. propane tank, that mounts on a frame at back. It acts as a reservoir. A 3-way valve in the cab controls the cylinder.
"I can now blow snow like never before. With the old drive connected to the 16 hp. engine in the tractor, I had to use first or second gear on the tractor to keep rpm's up to power the blower. I always feared breaking the drive chain, electric clutch or the clutch shaft itself. Now I run the tractor in 5th or 6th gear with the engine just over an idle. The Honda engine is controlled from the cab with a throttle cable and kill switch. I have to start the engine before getting into the cab."
Burkholder has a Website with photos and a detailed explanation of what he did.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron Burkholder, 9 Columbus St. S., RR 2, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario K9V 4R2 Canada (ph 705 324-7967; E-mail: rburkholder@sympatico.ca; Website: www.members.tripod.com/rburkholder/)
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Ford Blower Drive Repair SNOWBLOWERS Snowblowers 26-2-41 "Snowblowers installed on many Ford compact tractors from 1980 to 1984 were built by Bervac in Quebec, Canada. They went out of business and Ford no longer stocks parts for these blowers. Parts can only be purchased from a supplier in North Dakota who bought up all the spare parts and charges plenty for them," says Ron Burkholder, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.
"I own a Ford 1200. The blower is pretty reliable except for the drive from the front pulley of the engine. I had to rebuild the drive about once a year at a cost of about $1,300 per year. So I decided to solve the problem permanently by mounting a Honda 11 hp. engine directly on the blower.
"Three V-belts run from the engine output shaft to the blower input shaft. The engine has a 6:1 reducer mounted right on the block. At full throttle, this gives me 600 rpm's, which is just about right.
"The biggest challenge was building the clutch. I mounted the engine on a 1/2-in. thick steel plate that slides back and forth and pivots on the blower. The sliding plate is positioned so the belts just touch the pulley. To push the engine up to engage the belts, I used a 1 1/2-in. air cylinder with a 3-in. stroke. I purchased a small air compressor for $20 and use it to charge a 20-lb. propane tank, that mounts on a frame at back. It acts as a reservoir. A 3-way valve in the cab controls the cylinder.
"I can now blow snow like never before. With the old drive connected to the 16 hp. engine in the tractor, I had to use first or second gear on the tractor to keep rpm's up to power the blower. I always feared breaking the drive chain, electric clutch or the clutch shaft itself. Now I run the tractor in 5th or 6th gear with the engine just over an idle. The Honda engine is controlled from the cab with a throttle cable and kill switch. I have to start the engine before getting into the cab."
Burkholder has a Website with photos and a detailed explanation of what he did.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron Burkholder, 9 Columbus St. S., RR 2, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario K9V 4R2 Canada (ph 705 324-7967; E-mail: rburkholder@sympatico.ca; Website: www.members.tripod.com/rburkholder/)
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