Cutting down a linear actuator

great white

Active User
Registered
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
2,558
Well, winter is coming and far too soon for my liking.

I'm set up to deal with it just fine. I have a JD X750 that I have set up with both a plow and blower for winter duty:

fr_12.jpg

Cab heater and all. I can go out in the middle of a blizzard in a t-shirt and shorts if I wanted too (but wouldn't!) to clear off the drive.

I usually use the plow, but the blower is the tool for anything over 5-6 inches. The blower is all remote controlled from inside the cab, except for the chute deflector. The only time its a pain is when the wind is up and the chute is allowing the wind to blow it back on you. So if it's not right, it's get out of the cab, adjust the deflector, back into the cab and try it, and if it's wrong back out into the weather to adjust again.

I know, I know: first world problems.

But it's a PITB and it takes forever for the cab to warm back up after swinging that big door open:

fr_8.jpg

JD sells a "kit" to install a linear actuator, but you're looking at around 300-400 Cdn! Yipe, too much for just the convenience of not getting out of the cab. You can go aftermarket, but you're still in the 200-300 Cdn range.

You can buy an actuator off ebay for around 100 bucks, but it's just an actuator and you figure out the rest yourself. Plus, no knowing what you're getting with an ebay "thing".

Well, we all know money is tight everywhere right now and my household is no different. We're OK, but throwing money around right now just isn't the smart thing to do.

I figured it was going to be another year of just dealing with it when I remembered and couple years ago I had purchased and ebay actuator when I was building a plow for another tractor. The actuator had shown up in the mail and the first time I tried to run it I heard a loud "crunch" and it stopped. Turns out there's a little plastic piece that the ram runs up and down on so the motor/screw can drive the ram out. That little plastic "bar" broke and that was the crunch noise. I notified the seller and they refunded my money and said just throw it away.

Now, that actuator was sitting in my scrap pile, so I pulled it out and took it apart:

fr_3938.jpg

fr_3939.jpg

The JD chute actuator only has a 4" stroke and this thing is about 8-10" stroke. Looking at the parts, it looks like if I cut the housing, ram and screw down to a 4" stroke it should work fine for the snowblower...and FREE! That's an important consideration right now....

The housing and ram are easy, they're just aluminum. But the ram screw? not sure on that one. being Chinese is might just be something like 1018, of it may be harder. I'll need to machine it down for sure, as you can see there's cir-clip retainer grooves and other features that need to be present for it to work properly.

I'm thinking I'll cut down the ram screw end that fits into the ram itself since it's just a short length of the base diameter to hold a bushing and a cir-clip.

We'll see how it machines once I get to it.......
 
Last edited:
That looks like fun to drive around, even without snow!
I'm betting that screw is pretty soft steel
 
Well, the screw drive is “soft” alright. put my hss parting blade to it and it cut like it was made of cheddar cheese! I swear I probably could have parted it with a butter knife! Lol!

But, I think thats as far as I will go. Most of it is cut down to size, but I ran across a new one on ebay for 50 bucks, so I just ordered it.

I’ll probably finish up the cut down actuator, but mostly “just because” I started it….
 
That looks like fun to drive around, even without snow!
I'm betting that screw is pretty soft steel
It is fun, in a “manly” sort of way that is.

All the neighbors are envious of it in winter, but I do my best to help dig out the neighborhood when we do get the big falls.

Everyone seems to appreciate it and I’ve gotten several unsolicited “gifts” (bottle of rye, cans of fuel, etc) after some of the bigger snowfalls.

I’ve had people offer money, but I won’t have any of that. I show up to do their drives out of wanting to be a good neighbor, not to make money or in-debt anyone with “favors”.
 
Last edited:
Reminds me of an earlier time, when there weren't twenty lawyers waiting to pounce when you try to help a neighbor do something
 
I did a similar mod on my 28" blower didn't bother to cut the actuator though.
 
Back
Top