QA-42A woes

cadzag72 · #1 08-01-2015, 08:41 AM

I know no one wants to think about winter, but the off-season is the time to repair worn equipment. Last spring/summer I started a refurb on my beaten and battered qa-42a that had been used and abused for decades before I got ahold of it. miraculously it performed very well that first season, but it was clear it needed work. I repaired the more glaring problems (bearings, transfer shaft, destroyed sprockets, ruined wear edge, etc.) but ran out of time and had to re-assemble and press back into service. it performed flawlessly, but the areas still needing attention suffered and now's the time for that.

First, the thrower itself slides back and forth on the lower support rod, which isn't serious, just a pain because it scratches up the paint on the grill and limits the steering on whatever side it slides to. it also stops the belt tension lock from holding the set screw, but i never seemed to lose my tension. my bigger concern was the steering limit, because sometimes you can get into a tight spot in deep snow and not having full turning radius makes escape harder. did they make spacers to put on this shaft to prevent the unit from sliding back and forth like that on a narrow frame? I know the operators manual mentions an "adapter kit" but there's no images of what those parts might be.

secondly, and much more troubling, is the chain tensioning bracket. when I first started using the thrower, the slip joint in the drive shaft was frozen, and the sprocket and transfer shaft slid back and forth from constant wear, until the spiral pin broke. I fixed the shaft and used several roll pins to get me through the first winter, then replaced the sprocket and transfer shaft that summer. the bearings still spun free, so I didn't touch them. this winter, I noticed there was still a lot of play down in that area. I'm planning to replace the bearings, but does this bracket itself have too much damage? there's nearly 3/16 gap between the sprocket and the bearing. Is this shim-able or do I need to replace it? are these tensioner brackets still available anywhere?

Thanks to everyone for your input!

ol'George · #2 08-01-2015, 09:32 AM

Sounds like you have a QA adapter on a narrow frame, if it cannot be narrowed
somebody will chime in here and help on that.
As far as the Aluminum sprocket bracket, it is NLA, I just spaced the sprocket with washers on either side on mine allowing just a bit of clearance.
Also make sure your driveshaft is "Clocked" properly so it don't vibrate during operation it should look like a drive shaft on a vehicle or like a milkbone dog biscuit with both ends the same not offset, hard to explain I think it is covered in the manual.
in other words the driveshaft yokes should look like a back to back letter "C" if they don't, slide the spline apart and turn it till it does and slide it back together.

Jeff in Pa · #3 08-01-2015, 11:40 AM

Ian,
I can make spacers to eliminate the sliding problem. As George noted, the adjuster is NLA. If the inside are chewed bad, I could mill them to make them flat and then you could use spacers for proper clearance. If it's not chewed badly, just use spacers/washers.

Jeff

Berwil · #4 08-01-2015, 11:52 AM

If it were me, I'd measure the length needed and use close sized heavy wall pipe as spacers (cause I'm cheap). As far as the yoke, I found 1/16" thick shim washers at the hardware store and shimmed either side of the sprocket on mine. Worked great!

Bill

ol'George · #5 08-01-2015, 01:13 PM

I Might add, if the shaft it snug in the needle bearings, no need to replace them.

782CC · #6 08-05-2015, 12:30 PM

While you are there it is real easy to change that sprocket a couple teeth larger if you are needing to speed it up any. Works far better that using a smaller belt pulley.
TSC has the machine washers in sizes you need to finish the shim settings.
I have one I need to do some maintenance on as well, but behind so a last minute (as the snow falls) I fear for me. Glad to see your progress and inspiration for the rest of us.

ol'George · #7 08-05-2015, 12:44 PM

FWIW: I went the route of 1 tooth more on the drive sprocket, and it works well and I see a difference in distance snow is thrown.
I have 18 horses for power, something around 10 12 hp I'd be keeping my original sprocket handy just in case when under working conditions, the hp cannot keep the auger spinning @ efficient rpm's.
Just a heads up,------------------------
your results will vary, -----------no animals or spiders were eaten in this message

cadzag72 · #8 08-05-2015, 11:01 PM

Thanks guys for all the helpful advice! It is a narrow frame it's being used on, a 125. Jeff, I'll be shooting you a PM shortly about those spacers, and I'll pull that tensioner off and see how it looks. Got a big fish to fry first, wife's car lost a ball joint this week! Fortunately it was in a parking lot so no one was hurt. Still quite a heart racer!