How to fix a Ryobi AC 2400W Crushing Shredder RSH2445S?

[2122838]

Any ideas on how the shaft of the Ryobi AC 2400W Crushing Shredder RSH2445S can be put back in? It came out as I was removing the blades and now the squared off section won’t enter the squared hole that allows it to connect to the gears 😕  Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks in advance for responding

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @2122838. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for the question about your Ryobi shredder.

Technical details on inserting the drive shaft are limited as under normal usage that's not something that would be required. Were the blades destroyed and needed to be replaced? Normally they would just need sharpening which is done with the shaving plate and adjustment screw. Regardless, that doesn't help with your situation.

Would you be able to take a picture of the squared hole and squared section so our members have a better idea of what you're working with? Let me know if you need a hand uploading images.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[2122838]

Thank you, I’ve taken some photos. It wasn’t my intention to remove the shaft, it just came away while I was attempting to remove the blades because of a really bad jam. Hope you can help with this. Thanks!

[EricL]

Hi @2122838 

Thanks for sharing those photos of the internals of your shredder. Does the shaft slide all the way in and make contact with the square fitting inside? Is there anything holding the other end of the shaft? Is it possible that a part has broken off and got mixed in with the items you were shredding?

These are just some of the questions that come to mind when I look at your photos. Having had a second look at your pictures, I don't see any circlip channels that might hold the shaft in place. I'm wondering if something else might have happened to the housing that might have caused the shaft to come free.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @TedBear, @MikeTNZ and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @2122838 

I am wondering along the same lines of @EricL 

Could you take a photo of both ends of the shaft? There dosnt seem to be a lot of "square" place at the bottom of the hole for the shaft to slot into. Could the shaft ends have been mixed up?  (Yes I have mixed things like that up before only to go "lightbulb" after a few hours....)

The square slot next to the gears looks larger then the shaft hole? Does the gears actualy touch the shaft in your opinion?

Going back and looking at the very first photo has me thinking that the gear end my be able to "move" around a little with teh vibration. so when you are trying to slot the shaft in its not sitting square to the "square" hole. Are the gears socket locked solidly to the frame?

Dave

[TedBear · Accepted solution]

Hi @2122838 ,

I am in agreement with @Dave-1 ....

after I copying and zooming in your photos, it looks like the gearbox, where the squared section is, has dropped a little (assuming that the bottom of the pics is physically downward). There is some metal showing between the chamfered corners at the top and the round hole, but none at the bottom, and it even looks like the round hole cuts across the chamfered corners of the square hole at the bottom. 

Could this be what is stopping the shaft from going back in - or is it just an optical distortion due to the angle of photos?

Perhaps that gearbox has some movement in it need will need to be pushed back into position before the shaft can be refitted.

[Nailbag]

Hi @2122838 firstly can I ask why you pulled the gearbox apart in the first place, was it because you had completely run out of adjustment on the cutting plate against the crushing gear? In which case on the cutting plate requires replacement.

I am unable to advise on how to get the main shaft back in, but once your successful I can advise that there is a safety switch assigned to one of the bolt holes which, prevents the motor from operating when the gear case cover is off. When replacing the bolts, the slightly longer one must go in the right position or the machine won't work. From memory I think its the bottom left, but you may have to do some trial and erroring in each one sorry.

regards, Nailbag

[2122838]

Hi Eric

Appreciate you replying. The shaft doesn’t slide all the way. It only goes in as far as show in the second picture and there’s no evidence that a circlip held it in before. I’ve cleared blockages in the past but don’t recollect the shaft coming out before.

One of the other members, Tedbear, suggested that the gearbox may have dropped down.

I gave that closer inspection this morning and it is possible to move the squared off entry - only ever so slightly - but enough to prevent the shaft from connecting to the gearbox, and it does appear to be off centre. So that might be the reason won’t go in far enough to make a connection to the gearbox.

I contacted the local mower shop and it was a flat ‘no’ on Ryobi, they said to contact Bunnings for finding a repair shop to fix it. Do you know of any?

I’ll persevere, anyway. After removing the top cover, I realised that I don’t have the tools or know how to open up the engine to adjust the gearbox placement. Your help has given me a better idea of where I stand, so thanks again for your time and expertise 👍

[2122838]

Hi Dave 

Thanks for looking at this for me! In the second picture I posted earlier you’ll see that the shaft is stopped from going all the way in. I checked both ends of the shaft and the squared off end is surely meant for the squared off hole and the little pin in the centre looks to match the hole in the top of the shaft. The other end fits into the cover plate and is round - I’ve attached photos of both ends for you (sorry…they won’t upload)

it does seem to look as though the internal mechanism has slipped downwards and there’s enough movement to suggest that.

another experiment later…..

I DID IT! Thank you so much for your ideas

I figured that I’d gravity was causing the gear box to drop then turning the machine upside down…maybe…so I tried that, it didn’t work but when I turned the machine on its side the shaft just slipped into place!!! I’m so happy!!!

A big thanks to you all for your help and ideas! 🥰

elizabeth

[2122838]

You were right! 

hi Tedbear

while responding to Dave-1, I was thinking about how the gear mechanism did seemed to have slipped. Earlier this morning I noticed that it could be moved fractionally but dropped again before the shaft could put back. Then it occurred to me ( not the sharpest knife in drawer, me … LOL) that if gravity was pulling down on the mechanism, then if I turned the whole machine upside down?. That didn’t work but when I put the machine on its side the shaft just slipped back into place. I’m so happy! I feel that I’ve wasted all of your time, but it wasn’t til you wrote about the squared section slipping - and overnight thinking about that - that the crazy idea of turning the whole thing upside down came to me about an hour ago I’m now off to do some well over due shredding and hope you have a lovely weekend too !

elizabeth