Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

A new bucket lists at $860 so that's out.  I paid half of what the GX240 is worth.  How can the bucket be fixed?   Rivet a circular plate in there?  Cut out 1/2 inch back from the open parts say a long 2-3 inche wide section the length of the worn through part and have a piece welded in?  I can probably come up with an old bucket I could cut to make a filler strip.  What's the way to go about this?  I don't have a welder and don't know anything about welding or riveting.  The metal on either side of the tear is strong and could be welded.   Is there any new miracle product like improved fiberglass that would hold and wear?

I personally think that a new or used replacement bucket is in order here, however; you might find a sheetmetal shop who can make a repair panel or two for you if you look.

I know of a guy who could create the entire end tube and weld it all togeather to be better than new, I think it would be just as expensive as buying a new housing though.

I can not imagine that a fiberglass repair would be all that sucessfull. Fibreglass is wonderful stuff when used properly but I dont see it here.

I'm thinking that a split tubular repair panel welded to the outside may be the way to go. Then you could sand blast the inside and use a filler to re-create the inside surface.

This is a lot of work though. There must be a place to purchase used snowthrower parts somewhere. I'd spend some time looking before you try the repair.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Rifboy

Rifboy

   Does split tubular mean rivets?
   I’ll probably put the bucket in the trunk and go to some welding places to see what they can do.

Shryp

  Thanks for the links.  I read jrtrebor’s very nice mods before but did not pay attention to the detail.  He said that back panel was plug welded which I never heard of before so read up on it.  The impeller liner would have a Clarances Kit effect which might be an added benefit.

  I saw Pocket’s great videos quite a while ago but forgot about them.  Great mods with the 16hp and big auger drive pulley.  The lower bucket scraper section repair he did will be required on the Honda.  That part looked very straight forward.  Can an angle grinder be used on its blade edge to make a long small kerf cut?

Many will have rusted augers snap or hydro transmission that go and are just not worth the price of sending to a repair shop.  You might also scroung something up at  local Honda Power Equipement repair shop. Rest assured, if time is on your side you will eventually win out.  An 828 front end recently came up on CL for $80.  So they are out there.  Its just a question of how much effort you feel comfortable putting into it.

No fix yet.   I picked up an HS55 track and HS70 wheeled and have been fixing those.   I picked up the HS70 as a basket case just to get it's bucket for the HS80.  It turned out the HS70 was salvagable and has an older but excellent G300 engine (the g being the old version of GX).  I've install a new back auger drive roller bearing and both auger axle roller bearings.  The gearbox was opened and in fine condition.  It's getting greased this afternoon and should be ready.   The HS55 had a bad friction disk splined shaft bearing so got a roller bearing replacement and will get three more bearings like the HS70, hopefully today.

I brought the HS80 bucket to a welding shop and got an estimate of 4-5 hours to fix it at around $400.  That's out.  I don't know much about welding so unsure just what would be best.  I've got a friend that could probably fix it but hate to dump it on him as he won't charge me and it would be a lot of work. 

I was thinking of riveting on plates but think the heads would rust or wear. 

I'm unsure if what bus708 suggested would work i.e. putting in some backing plates of sheet metal possibly pop-riveted then JBWeld.  Maybe even fiberglass.  Given the cold and vibration I'm not sure JB or fiberglass would hold. 

jrtrebor did a nice job on his.  He mentioned he plug welding his plates on.  I never heard of that so looked it up.  It is probably the way to go but I don't have any equipment and farming it out is expensive.

I'm not sure what "tubing" is.  I don't think you mean literally a round tube so not sure. ??

I've got a few spare buckets around that are just about the diameter of the fan section on the Honda bucket.  I was thinking that I could sawzall the destroyed sections of the fan area then cut matching but oversized sections from the good bucket to cover the cleaned out and squared up areas of the Honda.  The new pieces would fit over the cleaned sections and welded to the back side.  That would leave long sections of the inside of the bucket deeper than the original.  Some fill of some sort could then be fitted there but I'm not sure what would stay in place - not sure about JB or fiberglass.  

I could hold out until I come across a matching bucket but that will take some time.  It would be nice to get the old one fixed but I'm still noodling it and getting no where. 

What my bucket needs is a job like jrtrebor did on his. 

By the way what the factory number of your machine? 

Ok, a section of big pipe.  That's a possibility.    I could chop one of the buckets around here for a sleeve insert section.   I'll have to measure the clearance of the impeller to housing.  

I've wondered just what your Simplicity was.  I think it was pre-Briggs and made at one old Simplicity plants. 

Here's the current projects:

The HS55 got some paint and the HS70 rust stablizer and bucket inside paint only.  It's getting cold so paint for the HS70 will probabl have to wait until spring.   I expect good things from these two as in perform like a Yamaha.  They are pretty nice and have stood up very well over the years. They are both friction disk drive and the components in the tractor are quality.  There were some spare wide tires around with a close size axle hole so fitted them on the 70.  I'm not positive but think the size and speeds of the augers and impeller will be the same as new models so these should toss very well.

People say the Hondas are expensive.  They're for poor people who are broke and can't afford a Yamaha.  A poor man's Yamaha.  I can't afford either so bottom feed for old buzzards like these two.  For about $70 each these two will be back in shape and no wear part expected to crap out for several years.

I picked a long flat sheet of steel today and will try to fit it in there and see how much room it takes up. If it slims down the standard case to impeller distance and just make the gap smaller but not touch then I might try to figure out some way to get it in there permanantly.   If I could get it in there and make it work for a while then that would be kluge #1 and stay until I could figure out a better fix. 

The 9528 is a marketing number and covers a number of models/years.  There should be an 8 or 9 digit number at the back of the base with the factory number.  Maybe a 1 6 x x x x or 1 8 x x x x.  The factory number will ID a specific 9528 model.  

>>Are those pictures recent?

   Yes, today.  I was moving the 70 of the garage and the 55 in so took some picts.     I wish we had 14 inches here.  I'm really itching to see what those guys will do. 

The 1694985 is the factory ID for your machine.  If you wanted and exploded view you would need that number.

There is size refering to density or resolution generally refering to the pixel count.  There is size refering to boarder length and width.  Your picture was 1023 x 766, the length and width in pixels and 247KB the total size in bytes.  Those are the two different "sizes". 

You can reduce the density and still have a crisp picture.  That's because home monitors can't display great resolution.  Home software just discards most of the pixels and displays what it can.  The pictures still look very crisp at the reduced pixel count.

You can reduce the lengh and width and keep or reduce the density but the image seen will most often be very good.  If you reduce the length and width of a picture to about 700 or 750 it will show up very well on the forum standard format and not blow out the size to be off the screen and cause the scroll bars to show up. 

Below are your pictures at 700 and cropped.  The first is also reduced from 240KB to 35KB and the second 24KB.  Both pictures are reduced in length and width and also density.  There's no great loss in quality on a home monitor.

If you reformat your picture to 7-800 the readable foum format will return.

The insert is flat and round enough that there is plenty of room for the impeller and enough room left to benefit from using a Clarances type mod.  I'm looking for farm belt. 

It's in there well enough that it can be welded.  Went over to the Honda dealer for parts and mentioned the fix.  He said bring it over and he'd welded it.  Cool, the Hundred Dollar Honda will rise again.  Got it soaking with rust neutralizer after an initial wire brushing so after welding it'll get painted.  Not sure what to do with the outside through, it's pretty nasty with lots of jagged edges.   

Once cranking this will be a candidate to challange an Ariens 1028 that disgraced the 1132.

View before finished.  The bulge was worked flat with a rubber hammer and reveted.

Shryp>>Going by the way the impeller turns, you should have put the smaller piece under the larger piece.

   It’s butted and later got another rivet on the bottom. Four more up higher.  The transition from one to the other is flat so should not lift as is but will probably be welded. 

Shryp>>Also, maybe add another piece to the top and bend it into the hole?

   The section above is solid.  The rust is only surface rust.  The liner which I think is a sixteenth will cause the snow to flow a smidge off the wall for friction free ride before getting to the curve of the chute.

Shryp>>I can't help but think you will get snow getting pushed up under the sheets unless he is going to weld the seams shut.

     The ends feel like they are held fairly well but I’m not sure what they will be like after lots of vibration.  Hopefully he can weld the butt and ends.

Knee_Biter>>On the outside I would use POR patch.  POR15.COM  good stuff.

   I saw a machine done over with POR and it seemed very rugged.  After the welding I’ll see what the fan area has for strength and what rusted sections can be cut or ground away.  The open seems seem to have gotten that way from wear rather than rust.  They thinned, opened and the guy kept using the blower which must have pushed snow out of the sides.  The thin worn walls then turned out so a lot of the open seams were ½ away from their original position.  The original owner gets the prize for abuse.  I’ve never seen anything close to this.

Tkrotchko>> Then spray it down with a good rust preventive oil and that should keep the rust away.

    Good advice.  Rust preventor, fogging with oil, anything.  I think most products have similar ingredients.  I’ve talked with a chemist about it and have been using Evapo-Rust because it’s fairly good and a liquid so can be sprayed on quickly for good coverage.  NavelJell is also good and easy to put on with a chip brush.  It was sprayed a few times and yesterday coated with NavelJell.  This morning just about all the rust has been neturalized and turned black.  It will get wire brushed and a few more treatments.

Looks good !!

Just curious, why airplane glue?? Why not a autobody type body filler??

   The paint was Safety Red Rustoleum.  Sunrise Red is good also.  I started with Sunrise, ran out and could not get anymore locally so switched to Safety which is also fine.  A month ago I was touching up another Honda and tried getting a mix done which looked perfect at the store but turned out not to be as close at the off the shelf colors.

   The glue is 1838 B/A GREEN and pricy by 3M.  The min quantity is a kit of 6 one quart containers which list for $910 a kit.  Just in case you suspect a type that $910 for a kit. 

Shryp, what does not show in the first pictures is how bad the two bottom supports were.  They look ok in the picts but were seperated from the fan section and their flanges mangled.  They got straightened and welded so back in business. 

The impeller hit on a few weld high spots high which were ground down.  New auger drive shaft support roller bearing, new rake support roller bearings, and new side skids, $56 bucks for the kit which came with nuts, bolts, a filler strip spacer and what I would consider industrial grade skids something like Ariens used to their 90's commercial machines.  

It should be very effective and keep up with the 1028 behind it.  Over the next few days there should be enough snow around to do some testing of the fearsome Honda reputation for traction and distance in average conditions.  If it can't keep up with the 1028 for throughput and distance I'll be surprised. 

His little brother HS624 was chasticized last storm and put away early for underperformance.  He's getting one more chance tomorrow morning.  It he does not gut the mustard he might get re-engined with a HF GX200.