Little Beaver Auger Flexible Shaft
While you may not think about how each little part of your Little Beaver earth drill works, it's important to keep up with the essential parts so that when something isn't working quite right, you can easily find the cause and do some DIY repairing, hiring a professional machine mechanic can be costly; if it's something easy enough to fix, you're better off doing it yourself.
One vital part to keep in mind is the flexible shaft. The Little Beaver flex shaft is a vital proponent of the Little Beaver earth drill assembly that helps the auger spin correctly when placed in dirt.
What Happens If A Little Beaver Flexible Shaft Stops Working?
As with any machine, no matter how heavy-duty or sturdy it is, eventually, pieces break down. If your auger is spinning erratically or not spinning correctly when placed in dirt, the flexible shaft is most likely the problem.
As a precaution, one of the critical elements to maintaining your flexible shaft is having it cleaned and greased every 50 hours of operation. Prevent costly damage first by doing some easy maintenance.
However, if it is too late and your flexible shaft needs to be fixed, instead of buying a replacement flex shaft, you could purchase a flexible shaft core or the housing for the shaft if the problem is not the entire shaft – which it usually is not. However, if you do need to replace the whole shaft, flexible shaft assemblies are available and, while more costly, could help you get your auger running up again.
Should You Install Your Own Little Beaver Flexible Shaft Parts?
This depends on how comfortable you are with using tools and how much time you have.
To replace the core of a flex shaft:
- Disconnect the throttle cables and kill wires.
- Ensure the on/off switch is in the off position.
- Remove bolts and nuts that secure the top bracket.
- Next, remove the drum from the flex shaft by loosening the screws.
- Use a rubber mallet to remove the drum.
- Then, use two 18-inch pipe wrenches to unscrew the end assembly. Ensure the wrenches are counterclockwise, and apply pressure to release the assembly.
- You must replace the entire flex shaft if the core does not come out after the sixth step.
- If it does, you must grease the new core of the flex shaft with white lithium tool grease.
- Grease the core as you put it in the shaft and tighten the end assembly.
- Place all parts back in their correct place, and you are done!
If this seems easy enough, you can replace the flex shaft's core alone. However, if you don't have enough time or are not confident enough to do it yourself, contact a professional installer to get the job done.
