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

   New to the stable is a wounded HS828.  The base, drive, gearbox, augers and controls are fine.  The bucket is in horrible shape.   I think the open part is not just from rust but from stones rubbing.  The edges are pointing out like stones and snow were forced out bending the edges away from the housing.  It seems the thing was used way after the tear started.  The bottom edge of the bucket is in bad shape also i.e. chewed off.  The guy must have used it in the weight forward position on a gravel drive or uneven cement stones. ??  Surprising is the bottom of the sides are in good shape. 

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?

Wow!

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

Starting about 4:30 this guy cuts the bottom off a bucket and replaces it from where a scraper blade wore out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YvyMSgQXXI

You might try what jrtrebor did and use a piece of sheet metal on the inside as a liner.
See post #33.
http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/49390-A-1.html

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?

trouts2
You do have kind of a mess there don't you.  There must have been a lot of salt in the snow that was being removed and obviously the steel was never rinsed off or treated with anything.  Another issue was probably that the steel used in the blower housing was "cheap" steel. My brother does business in the Asian markets and has said that their company has to constantly keep an eye on the quality of the steel they use or they will slip in some real junk. 

Having said that, the housing could be repaired with a new band of steel around the outside plug welded to the existing steel. And then possibly relining the inside of the lmpeller housing with another piece.  Problem is, that unless you can do it yourself it won't be cheap and you'll need to make sure you find a competent welder / fabricator to do the work.  I had a HS928 with similar problems with the bucket, but not quite as much rusted out areas. I ended up parting out the blower.  Selling the pieces on Ebay.  Used parts are hard to come by for the HS blowers.  So you can do pretty well selling the parts (sold about $800.00 to $1,000.00 worth).  Most HS parts are interchangeable between the different models. Just a few thoughts.

I think to use an angle grinder as a cutoff you will need a cutoff wheel on it.  I don't remember ever using one so don't really have experience in that area.  Mostly all I have ever used are sanding discs on a drill.  I have never done any kind of fabricating work like that, so I was just making up ideas.

If nothing else, would you be able to use the housing from one of your other non Honda machines?

Unless you are in a hurry, I would just wait for another parts machine.  The 828 is at a age where they are going to start dying in numbers.

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.

Couple of 828's trax in my area. ranged on average $1100 to $1500.
It's kooky what the running rate on these things are.

I can't even fathom spending $250 on a used HS621 of possibly 10 year vintage....taking into accounts belts, paddles and or possibly new auger.
They run as high as $475 which I think is insane for a used machine of that vintage.

Ha. I guess the + side is they command a pretty good resale value, so if you have a good one you got for a decent price, flipping them over is not that
hard of a decision.

chefwong wrote:
I've seen Toro CCR2450/3650 in very good condition that goes for around $3-400.  It's not that uncommon.

Another angle to look at that $475 for a used HS621 is that has all new paddles, scraper bar, belts, some TLC, new wheels, and miscellaneous hardware to bring it up to near showroom spec in operation and cosmetics.  Compare that against what you can get new or slightly used for $475 and it might reasonable.  If replacement parts were cheaper, it doesn't costs all that much to restore it.

I just am almost finished repainting, decal, and replacing worn/rusted parts on my HS621 and would never part with it for $475, perhaps for $600. 

Wow, that HS828 bucket looks like a goner.  I can't imagine anyone would treat their equipment like that.  I'd go for a donor bucket instead of working on that rusted and cracked rustbucket.

From your pictures it is bad but not unfixable. Go to harbor freight and get a sand blaster. Then give it a real good cleaning. You can then get some sheet metal , cut it to size to cover your holes and tig or braze the metal in place on the inside. once welded get some JB weld. Put it on the outside like body pudy. You can then sand it to look like new. Then you can prime it and paint. JB Weld is very very strong.

Have you fixed that thing yet trouts?

There have been numerous recommendations for repair but have you thought of just getting a piece of say 1/8" to 1/4" tubing that will fit tightly inside the auger housing then having it welded in there?  If you did something like that, all you'd have to do is trim the impeller vanes to fit.   If you're concerned about the cosmetics, you could finish the exterior with fiber glass/epoxy.