Bolens Diablo Rouge and Hus Ski Discussion Forums

My name is Randy and as of 4/16/16 I`m the proud owner of a 1965 hus-ski 444. My brother and I just finished restoring our grandfathers 1965 hus-ski 600. We got it out on the snow for the 1st time, looked at each other and said "what are we going to work on next." Thanks to Bruce, he answered that question by selling me the 444.
The 444 is going to need lots of T.L.C. When my brother Mark and I get done, it will be a happy machine. We are both looking forward to having two hus-skis to show off next winter.
I would like to thank Bruce for selling me the 444 and passing his knowledge on to so many people, my brother Mark for helping me find Bruce and giving me the yellow fever and lastly my wife for encouraging me to get involved in another project.
Let the hus-skis roll.

Pics before I get started tearing apart my 444.

Had a busy day of taking apart the hus-ski today. The motor is in the shop all taken apart and waiting for gaskets for reassembly.

starting work on frame

This was quite a job but I was very happy with the end result. It has been a very busy fall with lots of late nights, but I am finally getting caught up enough to get back to posting pictures again. I have made lots of new parts which I will be sharing soon.

My rear axle was bent and bearing surfaces were wore down.The old hubs were also bad.
These are my new 2016 hus-ski hubs.

The front axle shaft had bad bearing surfaces. I machined a replacement. The front axle tube wheel mounts were not welded on straight. Also causing the front wheels to wobble so bad they hit the frame. I put the axle assy. in my lathe and machined off .020 on the mounting surfaces to tru them up. This helped alot , now they spin perfectly straight. I also took off .030 on the inside off the front wheels to create better frame clearance. Plus this helped make the overall width very close to the rear axle.

Nice work Randy. I'm always amazed at how guys with experience and talent can machine and build the parts to restore our old machines. Look forward to watching your progress and seeing you in Port Washington. Roy

When I tore down the 444, I noticed the secondary clutch was very loose on the jackshaft. On inspecting the jackshaft, it was worn down .012 on the diameter where the clutch rides. Also woodruff keyway was loose, and the splines for the 9 tooth sprocket and brake disc were in poor condition. The internal bore on the salsbury clutch was wore out .010 and the keyway inside was also very bad. The first thing I did was buy a 9 tooth sprocket and brake disc from Bruce. These are very nice parts. Then I bought some .875 dia. 4140 prehard material and started machining a new jackshaft. I did all the lathe work on the splined end then went to get the splines cut. I have a connection with a shop that cuts splines and gears. This person is a one man show, 75 yrs old with old machines, but is very talented and does great work. After that process I bored out the salsbury clutch .025 oversize to make it round and straight internally. then I finished turning the jackshaft to match. They fit together nicely. All is good again.

A couple more pictures of the shaft