keykeeper Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 I picked up a Buffalo Forge Co. "Bufco" Hand Crank blower the other day. It is one of the small ones with about an 1 1/2 inch air outlet from the fan side. It has a problem that I need input on fixing. When I disassembled it, I found that the gear on the shaft that the hand crank attaches to is loose. Therefore, the gear just comes off the shaft when it is cranked. Otherwise, the blower seems to be in good shape. How can I fix this? I tried to set the shaft into the gear, but it just pops back off after a few turns of the crank handle. There is enough clearance between the gear and anything else that welding it to the shaft may be an option. It appears that originally, the shaft was pressed into the gear, making a tight fit, but I may be wrong about this. Has anyone else ran into this problem with Buffalo "Bufco" blowers, and if so, how did you approach this repair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Try a Locktite product first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 The problem may be the shaft itself. Because Buffalo Forge wasn't in the habit of using off-breed sizes for shafts, the fix may be as simple as replacing the shaft with a new piece of cold-rolled bar. Do check to ensure the bore of the gear is not bell-mouthed. In the past, I tried repairing one by drilling and pinning the gear to the shaft... that resulted in a spare parts blower. Make sure that the blower doesn't require anything else to make a good repair; worn bushings or bores that are no longer round can make life difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying-it Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Aaron for a first-class repair you could always consider a friend with a full-service machine shop. You could ship it here or take a road trip and watch. Just an offer LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keykeeper Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 Stan, I may take you up on that offer. I bet you could turn a new shaft in short order for it, if need be and devise a way to attach it securely to the gear so the gear doesn't move on the shaft when cranked. I'll wait and see if anyone else has had this particular problem, if not, I'll be getting in touch with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 I can't remember are the buffalo blowers bearing based like champions? If it was a champion brand It sounds like you have a bad set of bearings that need to be replaced. The bearings on one side probably disintegrated and the shaft moves over the side of the bad bearings slipping the gearsout of contact. Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keykeeper Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 What happens is the shaft will pull right out of the gear. It seems like the shaft may have been pressed into the gear, then assembled. I will try to get some pics posted of what I'm talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 warning,the following suggestion is just a tad on the rough side . if the gear/shaft were once a press fit ,you can try centre punching the shaft then using some loctite . run a heap of centre pops around the shaft were the gear goes ,this has the effect of making small upsets on the shaft . I've used it in a pinch working on various gearbox's and conveyors , but normally on the bearing side.you never know it might work on an old handcrank. an other way , if the gear is at the end of the shaft is to "scotch key " it . were the shaft and the gear met, drill and tap, then loctite a grub screw in. wayne fine and dry in brisbane australia 12-27cel, need rain ,lots and lots of rain.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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