Snowblower recommendation, anyone?

[kevin.decelles]

23 year old two stage craftsman 29” for me. Bought it new, back when sears did their own delivery

10.5 HP tecumseh , maybe 5 oil changes, original plugs , starts on second pull religiously

Only consumable part was a single sheer bolt after I put a piece of 2x4 through it


Had to reinforce the plastic chute with some sheet metal and rivets.



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[CalgaryPT]

23 year old two stage craftsman 29” for me. Bought it new, back when sears did their own delivery

10.5 HP tecumseh , maybe 5 oil changes, original plugs , starts on second pull religiously

Only consumable part was a single sheer bolt after I put a piece of 2x4 through it


Had to reinforce the plastic chute with some sheet metal and rivets.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sweet. The very first blower I owned I was ten or eleven years old. I bought it with a "loan" from my dad so I could make money clearing the local hockey rink in Glendale (Calgary). It was an old Craftsman "Driftbreaker" 3-Stage machine that had no muffler—which was part of the attraction. I thought I was the coolest kid in town.

Turns out I wasn't, but at least I felt like it when I was behind that machine. Good memories

 

[JohnnyTK]

Well, now thinking I should have bought the turning feature. Body is telling me this would have been a good idea, but mind is telling me that this is just something else that I will just have to fix in the future.

 

[Dusty]

I'm still using my grandpa's snow blower. LOL

 

[PeterT]

Well since Pete coached me through paddle & scraper bar replacement on my Honda 720C what a month ago, there has been no snow to test my handiwork - until tonight. At first it went pretty good. I could feel the new rubber really gripping the pavement & throwing the snow. I have some dang sidewalk fault lines that give me an abrupt jar when I forget where they are & my now lower setting scraper is finding these even easier now. After some running it seemed to smooth out (paddles wearing in).

Then after a while it felt like I was pushing again. This time I looked down and my wheels were completely stationary just dragging on the sidewalk with a 1/4" cake of ice on the tread. Like Fred Flintstone wheels. That would explain it. They spin completely free on the axle but it was the perfect snowball making conditions so they get oblong & just skid. Grrr, I've experienced this before. Generally wet snow the Honda Doth Not Like. Pete said he tried different wheels which weren't much better. You cant vary the height too much I suspect or it will mess up the angle of attach geometry. I got thinking about something like 1/8" soft rubber kind of like a big rubber band the width of the wheel. Maybe if its soft & deformable vs the hard plastic maybe the ice couldn't get a good structural bond & would never build up? Any ideas?

 

[CalgaryPT]

Well since Pete coached me through paddle & scraper bar replacement on my Honda 720C what a month ago, there has been no snow to test my handiwork - until tonight. At first it went pretty good. I could feel the new rubber really gripping the pavement & throwing the snow. I have some dang sidewalk fault lines that give me an abrupt jar when I forget where they are & my now lower setting scraper is finding these even easier now. After some running it seemed to smooth out (paddles wearing in).

Then after a while it felt like I was pushing again. This time I looked down and my wheels were completely stationary just dragging on the sidewalk with a 1/4" cake of ice on the tread. Like Fred Flintstone wheels. That would explain it. They spin completely free on the axle but it was the perfect snowball making conditions so they get oblong & just skid. Grrr, I've experienced this before. Generally wet snow the Honda Doth Not Like. Pete said he tried different wheels which weren't much better. You cant vary the height too much I suspect or it will mess up the angle of attach geometry. I got thinking about something like 1/8" soft rubber kind of like a big rubber band the width of the wheel. Maybe if its soft & deformable vs the hard plastic maybe the ice couldn't get a good structural bond & would never build up? Any ideas?

Not sure if you saw the post on the snowblower forum but a guy in the USA says Honda brought out new wheels. I've been following it but there's no data yet on how they work. To me they just look like a different tread. I was hoping for different material like you. The wheels aren't available here yet...I'm suspicious the tread won't solve the problem.

If it is any consolation, I think it is just a function of the small wheels and the wet snow. When you are blowing the wheels don't even contact the sidewalk anyways. I've owned lots of single stage machines, including Toros (which are good too). They all do it in these conditions. Before you go out spray some Fluid Film on the wheels—but do it outside. You don't want the stuff on your garage floor...you'll be slipping forever.

 

[PeterT]

Yes, you did mention new wheels might be in the works. That's a good idea about the spray. I see that Fluid Film is a wax based product. Do people just spray it on even if the wheels are wet or icy? I put some methanol in a spritzer bottle for some of the control mechanisms when they ice up. I probably have 5 different kinds of mold release agent from composites days. I know I have some teflon spray which is pretty o-stick to anything - think that would be similar? It has some kind of solvent carrier, maybe that might help get to the wheel.

 

[CalgaryPT]

The general consensus amongst snow blower geeks and pros is that Fluid Film works better than Teflon. Teflon will work, but Fluid Film tends to stay on augers, chutes, wheels, etc. longer. By AM you may not need it if the temp drops. But the wet stuff is the issue right now.

 

[PeterT]

Ya I bet you are right. Sometimes its just perfect crap conditions where the white stuff sticks. Never an issue at low temps.

I thought about a diverter wedge but there's not much of anything to mount it to.

 

[CalgaryPT]

Sorry - forgot part of your question. Spray it on BEFORE you go out, when the wheels are dry. It kind of bonds to and stays on the surface of them. When you go out it repels the snow (somewhat). You'll see a more dramatic effect with the augers and chute than with the wheels though.

I like your diverter wedge concept, and wonder if mounting it in the other direction as a scraper might be another approach. I notice the issue when I go to drag the machine backwards; this way it would clear the snow off the wheel anytime you pulled back on the machine—like an ice or boot scraper.

Both approaches are worth some pondering over a coffee. I may pull out my bigger tracked Honda tomorrow AM. When there is wet snow like this, I prefer to let it fall over night and get out there at 7AM or so—while it is colder and the school kids haven't crushed it down yet.

You'd think a couple of guys on a metalworking forum would be able to figure out a mounting solution eh?

 

[YYCHM]

When there is wet snow like this, I prefer to let it fall over night and get out there at 7AM or so—while it is colder and the school kids haven't crushed it down yet.

I don't think you have to worry about the school kids this year

 

[PeterT]

You're right, I probably back up 40% of the time so maybe 2 plates so its cleaning either way. Maybe if they were like 1/8" steel plates the width of wheels, slightly offset from the wheel OD. Maybe the side frame could act as the mounting point. But I just don't know anyone with metal fab skills HaHa.

 

[RobinHood]

Disc scrapers are standard equipment on all Disc Harrows. They are very effective and indispensable in certain soil conditions.



Something like that would certainly work on your snow blower wheels. I would make the main bracket out of 1/8” to 1/4” flat bar with some 18 gauge scraper paddles that are adjustable to just clear the wheel by no more than a credit card width. It should keep them free of snow in wet conditions.

 

[Chicken lights]

Could you make a set of tire chains for your snow blowers? That would be a fun project this winter

 

[CalgaryPT]

Could you make a set of tire chains for your snow blowers? That would be a fun project this winter

They aren't drive wheels. In fact they don't get used when the machine's augers are engaged and it's blowing. The augers drag the machine into the snow. I think the wheels are too small for chains...kinda like when a rock gets stuck under a shopping cart wheel.

I actually like contemplating little problems like this. I think my insomnia needs something to process when I'm too tired to do useful activities.

 

[kevin.decelles]

The old craftsman paid for itself tonight.

Two tanks of fuel back to back. 36” drifts x 400’ long x 25’ feet wide

I need to work on shielding the carb and exhaust better. That’s my noodling activity for tonight

Threw some gravel, but no 2x4 wedges or lag bolts so all good!


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[PeterT]

The temperature dropped on Blower Round-2 this evening. No more wheel ice buildup or skidding. This was the first time I could see my paddle & scraper replacement in action. Ran like a champ.

PT has seen these pics but attached for your viewing enjoyment. What he suggested was overdue paddle wear was that in addition to deeper issues upon inspection. My scraper bar was worn badly on one side to the point it split. I ran over my neighbors cord a while back & I think it bent the metal housing which then misaligns the plastic scraper bolted on the edge. So everything was out of whack. I managed to straighten the metal pretty close & now its operating much better. As I was taking it apart some interesting shrapnel fell out. I'll be doing inspection & maintenance more often now for sure.

 

[CalgaryPT]

The temperature dropped on Blower Round-2 this evening. No more wheel ice buildup or skidding. This was the first time I could see my paddle & scraper replacement in action. Ran like a champ.

Yup, that's what most of us find. The wet stuff is the issue.

If it makes you feel any better, I snapped a shear pin on my bigger tracked two stage Honda this AM, seconds after this pic was taken. Someone left a hunk of wood on the sidewalk buried under the snow and I hit it. 15 min. fix—but still...time wasted.

BTW...there's a guy who tried machining scraper bars from AL for the 520 and 720 machines. Don't do it. There isn't any shock from them and he bend his machine pretty bad after hitting sidewalk expansion gaps. The polyethylene Honda make the bars from does have some give, but it gets brittle over time. When they are new they absorb some of the energy; but as they age they get brittle and can split or shatter, which can lead to a bent auger housing like you had. I'm not saying that was the cause, but it's on the short list. Always change your scraper bar with new paddles, and trying to squeeze too many uses from the bars can result in housing damage if they shatter or split when you clunk a sidewalk crack. Consider them a consumable as well as the augers.

 

[YotaBota]

Damn, I almost had to get out the shovel this morning but by the time I had my second coffee it was almost gone so I didn't bother. lol

 

[YYCHM]

I asked a friend who also does not for prophet snow blowing how much he did today. His response...…...

"Tooooooo f....cking much and I'm not done!!!@"