EFM gear box

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Dakotaguy
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Post by Dakotaguy » Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 9:48 pm

Hello all I have 3 old EFM gear boxes one in pieces one in service and one on the shelf all were used and probably abused does anyone ever attempt to rebuild these I know EFM discouraged this there hard to find the last one I purchased was not cheap and it’s very noisy thanks no adjustment left in it

 
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Post by lzaharis » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 10:43 am

It will save your sanity to just buy new and be done with it. Then, just save up the money to invest in a spare gearbox.

Rebuilding gearboxes of any type takes a lot of time and money if you do not have access to the IDENTICAL REPLACEMENT PARTS directly.
By the time one of these goes bad on you it has made more than a handful of trips around the world and back and wear is normal and expected.
If your still insist on doing this take complete gearbox WITH THE V BELT PULLEYS and exposed gears if so equipped to a Kaman industrial sales office and ask them to match it up and see how much it will cost to have the identical unit.
I myself have to buy a spare stoker motor, blower motor, nylon cam and a spare timer motor to have one of everything in the box for one of those just in case moments when the snow is nose deep and the roads are closed and the boiler stops working.

I have a spare used circulator and a new Honeywell L8124L1011 triple aquastat and I need to buy the rest of the spar parts for that just in case moment.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 11:22 am

Leon, have you priced out an EFM gearbox recently? They are pricey, and you have to buy some other parts to convert to the new style. The old ones last decades if you keep clean oil in them, but unfortunately I am not aware of anyone rebuilding them.

For now, I think the old gearboxes are plentiful enough that it isn't worth the trouble to rebuild one.

 
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Post by Pacowy » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 1:36 pm

In the interests of clarity, the term "gear box" as used here corresponds to a "reducing unit" on an EFM parts diagram, and is not to be confused with the "gear box" that rotates the pot and operates the automatic fines removal on S-30 (700), S-35 (900), S-45 (1300) and other EFM stokers. If you ask some EFM folks for a "gear box" you might not get what you're looking for.

Mike


 
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 1:52 pm

lzaharis wrote:
Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 10:43 am

If your still insist on doing this take complete gearbox WITH THE V BELT PULLEYS
I think i am missing the v belt pulleys on mine. :roll: ... but it still works just fine... ;)

 
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Post by StokerDon » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 6:50 pm

I've always heard that EFM recommends not to rebuild these gearboxes. I don't know why, they are the simplest coal stoker gearbox out of them all, it's just 2 gears, some bushings and gaskets.
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All the others that I have seen use a compound gearbox, 3 gears. EFM was clever, to get the speed reduction necessary to drive an auger, they attached a ratchet to the gearbox. The ratchet is the final speed reduction and also serves as the feed rate adjustment.

I know of at least one person that has rebuilt them with good success. So it is possible.

-Don

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 7:09 pm

Great info Don. Now you just need to post the part numbers for a rebuild "kit".

 
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Post by franpipeman » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 7:12 pm

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.


 
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Post by Pacowy » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 7:59 pm

StokerDon wrote:
Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 6:50 pm
I've always heard that EFM recommends not to rebuild these gearboxes. I don't know why
"Reducing Unit - Dealers or sevice [sic] men should not attempt to repair a defective unit. Maladjustment of the unit by an inexperienced person may result in greater damage to accurately assembled parts." EFM Engineering Manual.

Mike

 
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Post by StokerDon » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 8:04 pm

So that's why.

-Don

 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 8:43 pm

I rebuild them for my referbs

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 9:00 pm

"inexperienced person" is pretty subjective. I think anyone that has setup a ring and pinion, rebuilt a transmission, etc, is more than qualified to take on a simple unit like this.
Scottscoaled wrote:
Thu. Feb. 01, 2018 8:43 pm
I rebuild them for my referbs
I wish you had mentioned that sooner. The first one Dave gave me for My brother's stoker howled like a dry 4-speed, I had to swap it for another one he had. It would probably be a good idea to get a rebuilt one to have on hand.

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