A snowblower is a machine used to draw snow in its housing to allow your vehicles to pass. You can’t help snow piling up in your driveway, but you can decide how to clear it. A snowblower is all you need. In order to make your snowblower give stellar performance all the time, you also have to maintain it properly.
And the most important maintenance tip is proper greasing. You need to grease the auger shaft and gearbox of your snowblower. If you don’t, the gearbox will run out of grease and the shafts will wear out. When that happens, the augers will no longer spin and when they augers stop spinning, your snowblower is useless.
What Grease Should I Use for My Snowblower?
The good thing about snowblowers is that you can use any grease for them. You can use red rubber grease, lithium grease, or dielectric grease. This is because the three of them have a high melting point and they are resistant to water, rust, and corrosion. As a matter of fact, any grease is better than no grease at all. That’s why any grease will do.
However, don’t mix grease. Stick with a particular grease. If your snowblower runs out of grease and that particular grease isn’t available, you must remove it completely from the auger shafts and gearbox before you apply a new grease type.
Different types of grease have different ingredients and additives. So, the ingredients and additives of one grease type may react negatively with the ingredients and additives of the other grease. You’ll get some necessary information on how to remove grease from your snowblower’s gearbox below.
Where Do You Grease a Snowblower?
The two parts of a snowblower that need to be greased are the auger shafts and gearbox. The augers spin and scoop the snow inside the housing. The gearbox has shafts and springs that rub against each other. If the gearbox is not well greased, the shaft will wear out and may not be able to move the augers.
How Often Should You Change the Gear Oil in a Snowblower?
You need to change the gear oil in a snowblower at the end of every season. So, it’s safe to say you can change the gear oil of your snowblower at least once a year. With time, gear oil gets dirty and loses its viscosity, and that could also lead to poor lubrication. If your gearbox isn’t well-lubricated, the shafts in your gearbox can get damaged. This is why you must change the gear oil of your snowblower at least once a year.
How To Grease Snowblower Gearbox?
Step 1:
You need to prop your snowblower by jacking it up. This will give you more room underneath.
Step 2 :
Remove the key and pull out the spark plug. Also, you can remove the shear pin and the other parts.
Step 3 :
Wipe the auger bar with a piece of tissue paper.
Step 4 :
Look for the grease fitting on the auger bar. You’ll find the fittings on both sides of the gearbox housing.
Step 5 :
Get your grease gun and pump in some grease in the fitting of the left auger. Pump it until the grease begins to come out around it. You can now stop and wipe off the excess grease.
Step 6 :
Apply some grease to the fitting on the right side of the gearbox. You need to stop when grease begins to pop out. Wipe off the excess grease.
Step 7 :
You must allow the grease to go into the gearbox and circulate to all the necessary parts of the auger. That’s why you need to spin the left side of the auger shafts in a clockwise direction. Spin it 5 times.
Step 8 :
Now, re-spin the left auger shafts in a counterclockwise direction.
Step 9 :
Do the same to the right auger shafts. First, you should spin it 5 times in a clockwise direction, and then you can re-spin it 5 times in a counterclockwise direction. All these will help to distribute the grease to the necessary parts of the auger shafts and gearbox.
Step 10 :
Apply some grease to both grease fittings again for good measure. And ensure you wipe off the excess grease again.
Step 11 :
When you’re through, you can couple the tool together. Don’t forget to insert the spark plug and key before removing the jack underneath.
Don’t forget to stick with the same type of grease.
How to Remove Grease from Gearbox?
This will become necessary if you want to apply a new type of grease to the gearbox of your snowblower for the first time. So, you must remove the old type of grease completely. It’s not advisable to mix different types of grease together. The additives in both types of grease may be incompatible.
You must first remove the augers and the auger bars. Now, you should open the gearbox. Pull the housing apart. You can wash all the interior with gasoline. Soak a piece of cloth in gasoline. Squeeze it gently before using it to wipe the interior of the gearbox.
In addition to that, you can also soak the shafts inside gasoline. This is because gasoline can easily dissolve grease. After that, wipe the shafts, the wall and other components of the gearbox. Leave them for about 15 minutes to allow them to dry off completely before you begin to rub them with the new type of grease.
Final Words
Here are the important points discussed above. You need to grease the augers and gearbox of your snowblower once in a season. The same applies to the change of gear oil of your snowblower. As the gear oil gets older, it will lose its viscosity, and that can lead to poor lubrication. So, you have to change the gear oil at the end of every season.