Snowblower chute rotation

[RCW]

Ok - starting to get this sorted out. If both were working before and now just deflection works sounds like the diverter is dead. Pull the hoses off the motor and check for flow there. Dollars to donuts there isnt any.

Dan

Toggle switch in cab plugs into diverter part and does rotation and deflection on chute. No matter toggle position, it only activates chute deflection. Toggle is a single pole on/off. This has worked until now it doesnt.

@k countryman - - if I had a problem like yours, the first person I would seek help from is Dan aka @TheOldHokie.

You have Dan's attention now.

If I were you, I would follow his direction NOW until the issue is resolved.

I have great confidence that Dan can get you to resolution. He's done it many times.

Just my suggestion.....Dan is great at this stuff.

 

[k countryman]

Ok - starting to get this sorted out. If both were working before and now just deflection works sounds like the diverter is dead. Pull the hoses off the motor and check for flow there. Dollars to donuts there isnt any.

Dan

Diverter valve has been replaced and that did not do the trick.

 

[k countryman]

Will try taking hoses off motor.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Diverter valve has been replaced and that did not do the trick.

I understand that. I don't think its the valve itself. Just trying to double check as we go. Can you swap the motor and cylinder hoses without a lot of work?

Dan

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

@k countryman
Only hit reply on the person you are answering, do not hit reply on yourself, ( unless you enjoy taking to yourself )
If you don't want to reply to anyone in particular go to the bottom of the page and add a new post.
When you hit reply, type below those reply quotes.

 

[Dustball]

Toggle switch in cab plugs into diverter part and does rotation and deflection on chute. No matter toggle position, it only activates chute deflection. Toggle is a single pole on/off. This has worked until now it doesnt.

According to what you just now said- your setup, both chute rotation and deflector, worked in the past. You then said "until now". What has changed from before to now? Was the snow blower chute rotation functional when last disconnected and now not functional since reconnecting it? If so, how was it disconnected? At the diverter itself or at the tractor?

A diverter is very simple. Two hydraulic inlet ports and two sets of two hydraulic outlet ports. A DIN electrical connector connects the wiring to the solenoid body. The solenoid moves the spool back and forth to select between the two sets of outlets. Yours may or may not be similar to this but it shows a typical diverter setup.

If you're getting flow to the chute deflector, that says that you have flow TO the diverter. The issue lies within the diverter itself- either the hose connections are wrong or the internal spool isn't moving. You said you replaced the diverter. Did that include the solenoid mounted on the diverter?

 

[DustyRusty]

From what I have read his problem is with the hydraulic motor that rotates the chute. There is a good possibility that he has picked up a small pebble that is jamming the chute rotation. The only way to tell is to unmount the chute rotation motor and operate it hydraulically. If the gear turns, then the motor is OK. If it doesn't there might be something inside the motor that is broken and the hydraulic fluid is just going in circles through the hoses.
This is why a third-function valve is a better choice for the operation of the chute hood elevation up and down and the chute rotation motor is driven by the right and left operation of the joystick.
My final analysis as described by K countryman is that the hydraulic motor is defective.

 

[TheOldHokie]

From what I have read his problem is with the hydraulic motor that rotates the chute. There is a good possibility that he has picked up a small pebble that is jamming the chute rotation. The only way to tell is to unmount the chute rotation motor and operate it hydraulically. If the gear turns, then the motor is OK. If it doesn't there might be something inside the motor that is broken and the hydraulic fluid is just going in circles through the hoses.
This is why a third-function valve is a better choice for the operation of the chute hood elevation up and down and the chute rotation motor is driven by the right and left operation of the joystick.
My final analysis as described by K countryman is that the hydraulic motor is defective.

What leads you to believe he is not using the third function? Details have been skimpy and confused but at this point my assumption is a third function is being used for BOTH rotation and deflection.

The diverter is on the snowblower and the toggle switch determines which actuator is controlled the the 3rd function valve. That's simple and reasonable.

Using the bucket spool for rotation simply wont work because one side of that spool is regenerative and cannot operate a bidirectional motor. If he had it plumbed like that it would never have worked.

However it is plumbed it apparently worked in the past. If we can determine whether or not there is fluid flow coming to the motor we would know which part of the circuit has failed.

Disconnecting the hoses at the motor and commanding rotation is an easy and definitive test for that but so far crickets.

Dan

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I still need to see PICTURES as I've never seen anyone post that their 3rd function kit used 'toggle' switch to control the valves. ALL have been a fancy big knob with two PUSHBUTTONS on it. So, does anyone know of a kit with a toggle switch ?
The 'electrical' for 3rd function can be diagnosed in less than 10 minutes to see what, if anything, is busted.

As for 'plumbing', I'd expect moving joystick to left turns the chute to the left, and going right ,well, chute goes right ?? Pulling back on joystick, chute aims up, snow goes far,far away ??

In my setup, each function has it's own toggle switch ( all electric) so can't confuse the old operator...me.

 

[TheOldHokie]

I still need to see PICTURES as I've never seen anyone post that their 3rd function kit used 'toggle' switch to control the valves. ALL have been a fancy big knob with two PUSHBUTTONS on it. So, does anyone know of a kit with a toggle switch ?
The 'electrical' for 3rd function can be diagnosed in less than 10 minutes to see what, if anything, is busted.

As for 'plumbing', I'd expect moving joystick to left turns the chute to the left, and going right ,well, chute goes right ?? Pulling back on joystick, chute aims up, snow goes far,far away ??

In my setup, each function has it's own toggle switch ( all electric) so can't confuse the old operator...me.

As I outlined above I suspect his system works as follows

1. The maintained position toggle switch is a selector switch that controls the diverter.
2. The diverter is mounted on the snowblower not the tractor and connects the third function hoses to either the chute rotation motor or the deflector angling cylinder.
3. To rotate chute you place the selector switch in rotate position and then use the 3rd function buttons to control the motor
4. To change deflection you place selector switch in the deflection position and use the third function buttons to control cylinder.

Arranged like that the diverter is just a hydraulic multiplier for the third function valve. Its integral to the snowblower and operator friendly. Snowblower hookup is just two third function hoses and one control wire harness for the selector switch.

It would be nice if OP would confirm that or not but so far no help....

Dan

 

[k countryman]

I understand that. I don't think its the valve itself. Just trying to double check as we go. Can you swap the motor and cylinder hoses without a lot of work?

Dan

I am unable to swap that stuff out, I appreciate all the help and will be trying several things and post pics. Haven't been able to do these yet as we gave been using machine to plow

 

[GaryInMontana]

Exact same issue on my LX2980 snow thrower! The rotation was working fine when I pulled it out of the barn and started to blow snow. A couple of minutes later, I noticed that only the deflector would move when I tried to rotate the chute, no matter the position of the switch inside. This is a 2 year old tractor, stored in a warm, dry barn. 170 hrs total time, most of it throwing snow. Never an issue with the tractor or snow thrower until now.

 

[k countryman]

Exact same issue on my LX2980 snow thrower! The rotation was working fine when I pulled it out of the barn and started to blow snow. A couple of minutes later, I noticed that only the deflector would move when I tried to rotate the chute, no matter the position of the switch inside. This is a 2 year old tractor, stored in a warm, dry barn. 170 hrs total time, most of it throwing snow. Never an issue with the tractor or snow thrower until now.

Thus is exactly same scenario. You just described our exact stuff...2 yr old, in heated barn, worked then stopped.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Thus is exactly same scenario. You just described our exact stuff...2 yr old, in heated barn, worked then stopped.

Have you done any additional diagnostics?

Dan

 

[tthorkil]

Exact same issue on my LX2980 snow thrower! The rotation was working fine when I pulled it out of the barn and started to blow snow. A couple of minutes later, I noticed that only the deflector would move when I tried to rotate the chute, no matter the position of the switch inside. This is a 2 year old tractor, stored in a warm, dry barn. 170 hrs total time, most of it throwing snow. Never an issue with the tractor or snow thrower until now.

A couple of years ago someone posted about a similar issue and resolved the issue by following the troubleshooting directions on page 28 of the manual. The restrictor(s) were plugged if I remember correctly.
From Page 28 of manual:
if the chute does not rotate well in either direction, disconnect the motor hoses,
remove the two flow restrictors(item 6) attached to the motor (item 5) and
inspect the holes of the two flow restrictors carefully. Remove the residues if needed

. If no residue is present, disconnect hoses and clean them with compressed air. - If the problem
persists, clean with compressed air the inside of the two motor inputs holes. You can also turn the
motor shaft in both directions while shooting compressed air.

 

[TheOldHokie]

A couple of years ago someone posted about a similar issue and resolved the issue by following the troubleshooting directions on page 28 of the manual. The restrictor(s) were plugged if I remember correctly.
From Page 28 of manual:
if the chute does not rotate well in either direction, disconnect the motor hoses,
remove the two flow restrictors(item 6) attached to the motor (item 5) and
inspect the holes of the two flow restrictors carefully. Remove the residues if needed

. If no residue is present, disconnect hoses and clean them with compressed air. - If the problem
persists, clean with compressed air the inside of the two motor inputs holes. You can also turn the
motor shaft in both directions while shooting compressed air.

And while you have the hoses off start the tractor, cycke the third function left and right, and see if you are getting flow. If no flow either the wiring circuit is open or the diverter valve is bad. Since the valve is new it wouod most likely be the 12v diverter circuit.

Dan

 

[k countryman]

And while you have the hoses off start the tractor, cycke the third function left and right, and see if you are getting flow. If no flow either the wiring circuit is open or the diverter valve is bad. Since the valve is new it wouod most likely be the 12v diverter circuit.

Dan

I agree and waiting on a service tech visit

 

[tthorkil]

A couple of years ago someone posted about a similar issue and resolved the issue by following the troubleshooting directions on page 28 of the manual. The restrictor(s) were plugged if I remember correctly.
From Page 28 of manual:
if the chute does not rotate well in either direction, disconnect the motor hoses,
remove the two flow restrictors(item 6) attached to the motor (item 5) and
inspect the holes of the two flow restrictors carefully. Remove the residues if needed

. If no residue is present, disconnect hoses and clean them with compressed air. - If the problem
persists, clean with compressed air the inside of the two motor inputs holes. You can also turn the
motor shaft in both directions while shooting compressed air.

I found the thread from a couple of years ago - Snowblower rotation... Help

 

[k countryman]

I found the thread from a couple of years ago - Snowblower rotation... Help

I have followed those and it didn't fix problem