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Thread: The Bob-caT snowthrower

  1. #1
    fabiodriven's Avatar
    fabiodriven is offline Aspiring romance novel cover model, and the Official 3WW slayer of thieves and swindlers. Catch me if you can
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    The Bob-caT snowthrower

    Time to shake things up around here guys, and no better way to do that than with a vintage snowthrower thread! Lmfao. Seriously though, of all my hobbies, this one is the most obscure. I've never met any other people into vintage snowblowers and throwers, I'm the only one I know. I do realize how boring of a subject this is, but this particular machine is pretty interesting mechanically, very interesting I should say. When people come by they enjoy looking at them, and I do as well, so I figured I'd share.

    My history with old snowblowers has roots right back to my early years. My best friend's father growing up owned a small engine repair business and he was always giving me whole machines as well as parts. What a great guy. Not just snowblowers, but tillers, mowers, etc... I always loved looking at the older machines which came through there and many times the old machines were there because nobody wanted them anymore. Most times there was very little if anything wrong with them. I always got a kick out of the old snow machines with all kinds of belts and chains going everywhere. In the 60's and 70's there were multiple kinds of augers, impellers, and discharges, and it wasn't until probably the early 80's that almost all snowblowers took up the most common auger/impeller arrangement we see now. Before that time different companies had different takes on how their own respective auger situation would work, and there were a lot of interesting machines made. My favorite to look at were the Snow Birds. Those are some crazy machines, and honestly didn't move snow all that well, but they were engineered in a very interesting way, even if it wasn't that effective. They looked really cool though. The Simplicity machines were odd looking as well and had an uncommon forward rotating impeller as opposed to the transverse impeller most of us are used to seeing on most modern snowblowers. The Simplicity machines worked really, really well though, unlike the Snow Birds.





    Speaking of the forward rotating impeller, my Bob-caT machines have the same layout. There is one inherent advantage to the forward rotating impeller which the transverse impeller does not have, and that is that this machine will shoot snow the same distance regardless of which way the chute is aimed, and if you aim it forward, it will shoot snow really far. Growing up I used an Ariens. They are great machines, always have been, but it threw snow further to one side than it did the other because of the transverse impeller.

    The Bob-caT snowthrower is built like a brick shite house. It uses oil cups throughout. There are oil cups on the transmission shafts, the auger shaft, and the auger jack shaft. Oil cups! I love it. One of my favorite features. The best feature of this machine however, is the fact that it has no shear pins. In place of shear pins, it has a slipper clutch. If the auger gets stopped for any reason, the clutch slips, you shut the machine down, remove obstruction, and continue on your way. There is nothing to fix or reset. There is no other snow removal machine that I am aware of which has this feature, and my machines are roughly 40 years old or thereabouts. It's shameful to me that such an ingenious improvement has gone overlooked for some reason. It can also go from forward to reverse back and forth without clutching. You simply swap the lever and the wheels change direction. It's made to do that as well. I have to work on my #2 7hp unit soon and I think it needs transmission work, so in the future I'll post pictures of that.

    Transmission oil cups.

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    Jackshaft oil cup.

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    Oil cup for the auger.

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    This machine will pick up rocks or even a full brick and toss it right out without hurting itself, it happens all the time. It's the only snowthrower I've ever used that sends sparks out the chute while you work, so that's pretty cool. One downfall to these machines is the transmission was not geared low enough to the drive wheels. Because of this, I am on and off the clutch as I go up the driveway taking bites of snow, either that or I can only take a half pass at a time. A modern snowblower likely works much more efficiently and likely takes less maintenance and effort, but that shite's boring. This thing is cool.

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    I was given my first Bob-caT probably 12 or 13 years ago when I bought my first house. Since then, I have hunted them from time to time. Currently I have two 7hp 24" units and two 5hp 20". I've never run or used the 5hp models, but I might this year. I have a brand new Briggs sitting on the shelf out there.

    Speaking of Briggs and Stratton, there were very few snow removal machines built with Briggs engines. Most used Tecumseh. The Bob-caT came with Briggs and Stratton engines, and these have the old updraft carburetors which many people dread. They do have their inherent issues, but they work just fine for me. My main machine will start within two pulls anytime ever, no matter how long you let it sit or what the weather is. If it doesn't start within two pulls, there is an issue.

    I had to take this machine apart to fix an issue that nearly all of them have, and that is the drive sprocket for the auger. It is a tiny sprocket and when picking up a Bob-caT machine, most times this is the reason they are being let go. It appears to be a difficult part to obtain and replace, and obviously this company stopped making snowthrowers years ago, so there is nowhere to look for parts. I found out about two years ago that McMaster Carr sells a tiny little #35 sprocket with only one more tooth than the Bob-caT sprocket and a slightly smaller diameter hole in the middle of it. The old sprocket must be ground and ed off and the new sprocket must be drilled to 1/2" and then welded on to the shaft. This process alone is enough to deter most Bob-caT owners from repairing the machine when it breaks. Not only must the sprocket be replaced, but both #35 chains should be replaced as well. I just did this process for both of my 7hp machines



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    My main machine was leaking oil, even just sitting there, and I was getting sick of looking at it for the last few years. I'd just make sure it was full before I used it but it was going through a lot of oil.There was only one place it could have been coming from; the side cover. Other than the crank seals it's the only potential spot to leak on the engine, and the crank seals are above the oil line when it's not running. It still leaked even when it wasn't running, so the seals were not the culprit.

    These come with a gear reduction box on the engine which is filled with gear oil. Mine was full of milk shake. There is no crank seal in the side cover, it's in the gear reduction unit instead. It seals the reduction box as well as the crank case. Upon disassembly, I was losing oil from the side cover seal to the engine block (as I knew) and was also losing a little bit from the gear reduction to side cover gasket. All the gaskets were still good (I think, time will tell) so I just disassembled everything, cleaned, three-bonded, and reassembled. If it turns out I need new gaskets after all, it's not difficult to tear down and replace them in the future. They should be fine though.

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    Don't get your rag pinched in between the block and the side cover.

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    I like how this pulley goes on. You can put it anywhere you need on the shaft, then tighten the two bolts until it's snug. To remove, you completely remove the two bolts from the retaining holes, then move them to the two extraction holes which are threaded. As you tighten the bolts into the piece, it pulls itself out of the pulley.

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    The spring there is the slipper clutch.

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    I just find this quirky machine to be fun to look at and mess with. I get a kick out of running it for some reason. It is dangerous, there are no safety provisions whatsoever. If you start the auger and put it in gear, off it goes. If you fall or if it gets away from you it's on it's own, it doesn't need you. I realize this is not the most exciting subject, as I've said, but it's a cool machine and I figured I'd share.







    Last edited by fabiodriven; 11-26-2018 at 04:54 PM.
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  2. #2
    3Z with Fangs! is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerFirst time rider
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    Hey man, we all have different interests, nothing wrong with snow blowers or old mowers and tractors etc. My brother n law has a thing for old tractors, I think it's cool. Ya never know when you need some kind of a machine to help ya out! Personally I've never owned a snow blower, we just on average don't get enough snow to really justify me buying one.... Until this times when mother nature decides to drop 20" on us at once. Then I'm going crap, wish I had a snow blower lol!
    My other big money pit is cars, two Mustangs and a Camaro. I haven't done much with two of em for a long time besides watch them sit in my building but hey, they're mine. Enjoy brother!

  3. #3
    fabiodriven's Avatar
    fabiodriven is offline Aspiring romance novel cover model, and the Official 3WW slayer of thieves and swindlers. Catch me if you can
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    Funny, all these years and just now I read in the ad they made a 28" 8hp model. Let the hunt begin.
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  4. #4
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    Cool old machines.
    I could get into that.......if we ever got snow. If it ever snows here it melts in a day or so.
    I was born and raised on Venus & I may be here a while.....

  5. #5
    Scootertrash's Avatar
    Scootertrash is offline Just Too Addicted: Protecting Our Community The day begins with 3WW
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    Not interesting my arse! That BobCat is cool! If I came across one of those in runable shape here I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

    Old machines rock!
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    Im right there with you fabio.I love old snowblowers,push mowers and such.I rescue old mowers and other small engine powered machine and get them running and put back in use.I did break down and buy a brand new Ariens snowblower this year.I need something my wife can use we work different hours .
    250r rules

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    I had a Bob Cat 5hp very much like the brochure. Couldn't locate parts called and looked but ended up scraping it. The balance of the machine was great, strong for a small motor.

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    I missed out on a setup like this couple years ago.Click image for larger version. 

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    250r rules

  9. #9
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    Very interesting to me. I grew up in the SoCal desert and live in nice warm TX as God intended so I know nothing about snowblowers!

  10. #10
    Arky-X is offline Just Too Addicted Arm chair racerJust too addicted
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    HA!
    You poor yankees and your snowblowers

    I guess my equivalent would be my Cyclone Rake (yard vacuum) that tows behind my mower. Not too complicated of a design. 6.5HP Briggs with a big rubber 5-blade impeller that sucks up leaves, sticks, pine cones, small animals.

    Oh well, I guess y'all blow and I suck.

  11. #11
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    Interesting topic fabs. Used nine for 9 hours today. Not vintage by any means, 13.8" of wet heavy snow here in Iowa.
    By the way nice to have ya back.
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    The snow bird! Such a great sticker on it for advertisement, such lack luster performance. I own one, among many other vintage snow moving devices! I'll get pics!

  13. #13
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    Cool thread

    Ever seen a snow wolf?
    Just went through this one and posted on CL
    You wanna take care walking around this one when running. Here is link: twin auger with second stage

    https://providence.craigslist.org/gr...755450290.html

  14. #14
    kevin is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerFirst time rider
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    We have a bob cat aswell but for some reason I thought it had an 8hp on it. It's been a while since it's been used and it's orange. If I remember I'll try and snap some pics

  15. #15
    fabiodriven's Avatar
    fabiodriven is offline Aspiring romance novel cover model, and the Official 3WW slayer of thieves and swindlers. Catch me if you can
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    I'm surprised to see anyone cares, lol! Some great replies here! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that guys on here would find the mechanics of these interesting as well. When I first bought this house, the neighbor kept coming over and plowing out the end of my driveway. We didn't know each other that well then, and he'd just clear the berm from the snow plows, but it used to drive me nuts because I was looking forward to clearing the driveway myself! I finally caught him one day and thanked him for the effort but explained I'd handle the driveway myself. He asked why and when I told him I liked doing it with my own machine for fun he was like "Oh. Ooooh kaaayyy..."

    Quote Originally Posted by 90nut View Post
    The snow bird! Such a great sticker on it for advertisement, such lack luster performance. I own one, among many other vintage snow moving devices! I'll get pics!
    Lmfao, definitely get pics! It's funny to have someone else confirming how bad those machines were at moving snow, haha! They were terrible. The decal was a pelican scooping up the snow in it's beak, correct? I'm going to go look after I post this to see but I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Snowbird had one model where the entire impeller housing swiveled around and the chute had teeth on it which engaged the body of the machine. I know that probably makes no sense to anyone reading this, but it was an unnecessarily complex and very ineffective means of swiveling the discharge chute left to right. I'm going to look and see if I can find a video or diagram of it or something.

    Plastikos, I do recall seeing a machine like that in the past, I have seen those! Very uncommon. I also remember seeing a machine that had a separate little agitator shaft up above the auger, similar to the layout on the machine you shared but it wasn't two full augers. The upper shaft was smaller with little protrusions on it to break down high snow drifts. I have had instances where I could have used a machine that was that high before.

    I finished up my #1 machine and it's ready to go, just waiting on snow. The #2 machine which I thought had transmission issues actually does not, so no transmission pics as I thought we may have ended up having. I'm waiting on a flywheel key for that machine and then I can see if it's ready to go. I already replaced all the auger and impeller drive chains and rebuilt the carburetor, but I have never run this machine. It's been kicking around the garage for a few years now on the back burner, but now I have the time to get it squared away. There's no reason it shouldn't be ready to go after the installation of the flywheel and pull start mechanism. That one has a Cobra upright exhaust on it, so I'm curious to hear how it sounds.

    After that, I have a lot of non-snothrower projects to do, but I might end up throwing together another Bob-caT or two. I still have to 5hp units I might be able to get going.
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