We have a 8 hp snowblower, 4 years old, it’s in good shape (belts, engine etc.) but it never has thrown snow more than 10 ft or so. The impeller is spinning properly and there is no belt slippage. Engine is at top rpm.
We have heard about these “impeller kits” that can attach onto the impeller blades and are supposed to provide more ‘throw’ distance, up to double the distance.
Any one got any ideas or had any success in using these Kits.?
There appears to be a ‘gap’ of more than 1″ between the end of the blade and the houseing. Installing longer blades is supposed to correct this fault..
What do you think?
Replies
I assume what you have a single stage (blades pick up the snow and throw it out a chute), and not a two 2 stage (chute has a impeller that throws the snow).
I have both, and the only time either one will only do 10 feet is when the snow is wet and heavy.
However, if you're having this problem with regular snow, I would say there is something wrong, and you should talk to a dealer/repair service.
Have you tried waxing the inside of the pick-up chamber and the chute? This can make a difference.
Sorry, but I have never heard about the "impeller kits" you mention.
I had a similar problem when I used the blower on a freak storm before the season started...I couldn't figure it out. I then went through my normal ritual of getting the blower ready for the season and I realized the difference.
I coat the interior mouth and chute of the blower with a silicone spray. It reduces the friction and sticking of the snow (I do the same thing for my shovels).
This may solve your problem and it's surely cheaper then any kits out there.
Throwing distance is a function of both the blower and the snow. The snow we got Sunday my blower was lucky to throw 5 feet. Under ideal conditions it can do about 15.
Ten feet is really a fair average for an 8HP blower.
10 ft doesn't sound that bad for 8hp.
I have a 15 hp two-stage that will throw the stuff over the house if it is dry snow... but if it is the wet stuff... I'm lucky to get 6'.
I had an old Simplicity 5 hp that could throw 30 or 40 ft. It had the rubber impeller that was about 12 or 14 inches in diameter (two-staage) and operated similar to a silo filler. It would even pump slush. The rubber impellers could pick up rocks and gravel and it wouldn't hurt it. No they don't make it anymore! I have looked everywhere!
Thanks for your replys.
it is a 2 stage (Auger and Impeller) It will throw the wet stuff about 10', but will not throw the fluffy stuff more than 6'- 8'....
I will certainly try the 'wax' trick.
The question is ; has anyone had any 'true' success in installing this "impeller Kit"?
A 'yahoo'search...."Snowthrower Impeller Kit" gives all kinds of info on this product's installation, but I just want some more realistic input from someone that has actually installed this kit, instead of taking the word of the manufacturer.
Edited 2/24/2005 8:26 am ET by Hube
When it will throw wet stuff farther than fluffy stuff, the problem is that it doesn't have enough fluffy stuff to throw. You'll see this when you're only throwing, eg, 3" of fluff. The snow doesn't get compressed enough in the blower to be able to pick up any momentum.Try setting the wheel speed as fast as you can handle -- this will force more snow into the auger and will cause it to get packed some more before it exits.
Thanks, Dan for the reply, it makes sense too. Come to think of it, a couple of years ago I was walking with it a lot faster ( 4th or 5th gear speed. Now, because of a medical condition I have to take it a lot slower ,1st and 2nd speed only.
I guess the slower pace is (as you suggested) not allowing enough snow to enter at one time to be thrown out any great distance.
But,the question I am still asking is, if anyone has had any success, etc with this "Impeller kit" Thanks.
Edited 2/24/2005 10:43 am ET by Hube
I had an embarrassing moment with my father in laws snowblower, I couldnt figure out why it did not throw with as much gusto as it had in the past, and then I discovered that I did the whole driveway with the throttle left in the idle position....
the little snowblower did the whole driveway though....
Its a little honda 6hp, track drive, that is 20 years old, and still starts first time every pull..
Hube,
DahH hit the nail on the head. It is my experience also that the fluffy 4” won’t go half as far as 3” of wet due to not getting enough momentum. The way I have solved this is to push the snow a for a few feet (I have a self propelled blower) to get some buildup into the auger. When I have a nice pile I engage the auger and pitch it 10’+. When it empties out I disengage the auger and push again for a few more feet until I get enough to get some buildup.
I have never seen the impeller kit your refer to.
Ryan
Yeah, I've done that too, when dealing with fluff.
Running the auger and impeller every few feet instead of all the time may be the remedy....Thanks for your input.
but in order to do this ,I would have to remove the "auger/impeller hold down feature that this machine has.The way it works is, when put in any forward gear and the left hand auger/impeller "hold-down"lever is activated, it will continue to be activated until the forward progress is halted. This feature allows a free left hand when plowing. The right hand lever keeps the wheels driving. I'll check this out, and give it a try
I wonder if I put a wider intake scoop (it's a 27" now), perhaps a short extended metal flare of 4" on each side, for a total overall width of 35". This would allow more snow into the auger/impeller and it will maybe throw more snow out than with the original 27"width.
What do you think?
Now I am really confused. You have a two stage machine, which already has an impeller, so I am perplexed on what an "impeller kit" would be, and how it would enhance the actual throwing of the snow. I have a two stage Toro (8hp), and that thing will throw any kind of snow (except slush) near 30 feet. But I never use it for accumulations much less than about 3", since the single stage machine will do it much faster -- but even that one (also a Toro) will throw that kind of snow about 20 feet. Is this an off-brand machine? Has it worked ok in the past?
I agree with nikkiwood. I have an MTD 8hp from Home Depot. I can throw the snow from one side of my driveway and clear the bushes on the other. My driveway is ~30ft wide. The chute is aimed up as high as it will go. I can do this with snow that is fluffy but packs a little. With the wet snow that NJ had this past weekend, it was going only about 6-10 feet. That was because there just wasn't enough snow getting into the chute and the snow was really heavy. The blower was still strong enough to throw the snow over a 4 ft bush though. Chute was aimed almost straight up to clear the bushes (on side of driveway.)
Its a Canadian Tire,(mastercraft) MTD, 2 stage
If you want to find out about the 'kit', go to a yahoo search,. ..... smllengns.tripod.com
Have you ever had your machine going the slowest (#1 speed)while plowing.? If so ,what was the result? did it throw the snow as good as it did in # 6 (FAST) speed?
Bhis 'kit' is supposed to close any large gap that may exist between the impeller tips and the housing. Normally on most machines I've seen there is up to a 1" gap.
I believe it's not throwing good because i'm moving at too slow a speed,( # 1) therefore even with a fresh 8" or more fall of snow, because of the slow speed there is not ever enough snow to be thrown. It was suggested that by turning the auger/impeller off and on every few seconds will allow more snow to enter. But due to this machines 'hold-down' feature this is not feasible.
If you go back to the post..54606.11 an excellent explanation was given as to why this poor distance was being caused . I think what I'm going to end up doing is widening the intake scoop by flaring it a few inches on each side, which will allow more snow to enter at one time, even at a very low speed.
Thanks for the advice and input, but the question still is; Has anyone ever had any real improvement using this Impeller Kit?
I am still kind of at a loss here to give you the info you are asking for -- re: the impeller kit. I don't know what this is, and have in fact, never even heard about it. But to answer the other questions you posed:The auger and impeller on my Toro run at the same speed no matter how fast the machine is traveling. My machine has a kind of sliding knob where the speed can be set from 1 (slow) to 4 or 5. The throwing distance is not affected by machine speed. If I push it into a big drift, for instance, pause, and then engage the auger/impeller, it will shoot the snow the same distance as when I am actually moving. Frankly, I can't see how widening the intake scoop or adding an impeller kit would make any difference. It seems to me that you are either dealing with a poor design, or some parts (like the gears that are perhaps worn or slipping) that need repair. Hope this helps.
Yes, the machine i have is just like yours in that no matter what speed its moving at, the impeller and auger will still be turning at the same speed.(with the engine speed at highest rev point)
The difference though, with the one I have, is the impeller throws the snow out initially fast, but then it only trickles out because of the slow moving speed .(finally ends up with a lack of snow because of an 'over eager' auger/impeller.
I believe that by widening the intake (thus providing more snow)that the impeller will always have something there to throw when going at a slow moving speed...
I admit, as you suggested this is a poorly designed machine when it comes to moving at a very slow speed. It should be the same throw distance at any moving speed. (but it is not.)
Earlier, to-day, I made a high speed 60 second burst thru 4" of semi- wet snow and it threw it 12-15' ..... no problem.
but after that 60 second burst I am whacked out. Can't keep that pace up.
That is why I want to improve this throw distance at a constant low moving speed.
After some considerations in thinking this out,I now feel that this impeller kit is not the answer. I am going to go ahead fab an wider extended metal scoop to enable the auger/impeller to have some added snow to throw. I'll let you all know how it turns out in a couple of days.
Thanks for all your advice and suggestions > Hube
The problem is the brand. MTD, Yardman, Murray, Craftsman, and Troy Bilt are all made by Murray.
There is a reason why the Toro is $999 and the rest around $700.
Quality, has, does and will always cost more. Craftsamn, in particualr, are not very good.
Not trying to start a flame war here, but if you want to post that certain machines are junk, at least get your facts straight.
MTD and Murray are NOT the same company. MTD does build the Troy built and Yard Machines products. Along with white, Cub Cadet, and many store brands. Murray builds items badged Murray and other store brands. Calling Craftsman junk is nonsense. Some is, some isn't. Who knows who makes what when it comes to craftsman. Somtimes its MTD, sometimes it's Murray. Last year all of their pressure washers were Genereac units. That's A B&S company. Many of their lawn tractors are simply rebadged Husquvarnas. Not junk. Sears specs a machine and someone else builds it.
Sorry- I've never heard of the impeller kit either. And I don't live in the snow belt so I don't play with blowers much. My Cub Cadet (a piece of MTD junk . . . . .) with a blade handles everything swimmingly well.
What abought tying a small sled to the blower and have it pull you. Could be fun, just give yourself some traction for your feet.
a Sled.......?? I'm wearing ice skates as it is. lol
When the Cowtown's family was in Manitoba, we too had one of them snowblower thingamajiggies. Gotta luv em when you got three foot snow drifts and a hundred feet to the closest (unplowed) road.
After two winters, it just wastn't working right so I took it to the distributor for fixitation.
"needs new drive gears" he said
"put em in" I said
just give me the old ones.
Picked it up, along with the old parts. Sintered bronze they was. Worm Gear and Pinion. I looked at em and said who would use sintered bronze for drive gears? The fella looked back at me and said,
"consider yerself lucky, a lot of the snowblowers have aluminimum gears."
Now, who says the world ain't just getting dumb and dumber. The aluminium strip on my snow shovel don't last more than a cuppla years. So why would any creditable snowblower mfg expect to obtain any more life out of a bronze or aluminium gear handling 8 hp of constant heavy load.
Bottom line, to my mind, is that they in fact don't.
Buy a new one next year, ......or get the old one fixed. If yer in a "snow belt" there are likely defacto "go-to-guys" whom most local folks will point you to for repairs. Gizmos can come later. The machine should freakin work without em.
No harm in askin anyway.
Eric
in Calgary
Thanks for your reply.
These gears are not aluminum, they are steel. i have stripped this baby down and double checked every operation of every part. No problems.
Yes, we are in a snow belt, and there are lots of shops that specialize in repairs ,etc. They also seem to specialize in "ripping you off" too. lol. most of them just want to sell you some needless item just to make a buck.
This machines only 4 years old, in excellent shape, and well maintained.
If I can remember correctly,(senior's moment) when I first used it I was going at a much faster forward speed for a couple of years and I think it was fine for throwing distance.
But now,this year (due to medical reasons) I'm only going at a snail's pace and it don't throw more than 8' or so.
That's why I want to know if this "kit" is a rip -off or what. I do not want to throw $ 30-40 to the wind.
I'm going back on memory here, but it seems to me that the drive for the wheels is seperate from the drive for the augers. As well he impeller has a shear pin I think. So, imagine if the worm gear that drives the auger is worn, the augers don't turn as fast if at all, as they may not fail completely, just start chewing themselves up, which takes time. , lots less snow is fed into the impeller, it just piles up. Yer drive wheels is functioning fine, but just cannot move ahead cause they is pushing too much snow, cause the augers ain't feeding.Or yer impeller, the device that throws the snow, has actually broken it's shear pin, and it's just friction that is making it turn at all. And then, if the augers is turning, and the impeller is only partially working due to a possible broken shear pin, they still just pile up snow in front of the machine. Sorry for the late post, but by know you musta gone back to RTFM mode. and checked all this stuff. Success yet?Eric
Thanks for the reply, but its working much better now.
Check out the previous posting 54606.21 (#21 reply.)
If the auger gears were stripped or the impeller shear broken then the thing would clog in 30 seconds.
Just curious as to why 10 ft isn't enough - if you're doing a 20 ft wide driveway and start in the middle, you should be able to clear the snow to the side without a problem - I have a toro 828 (think that's the number)2 stage - 8hp B&S engine and it does fine for me - I have a sidewalk with a major street on one side and a 4 ft tall wall on the other - the sidewalk is about 6-8 ft wide and my machine does fine tossing the snow (wet or dry) onto the lawns above the wall (have to admit I "cheat" on the driveways - 1988 K2500 chevy w/7 1/2" fisher plow) - we're waiting on another storm (calling for 6-10 inches) so I expect I'll have both working tomorrow
Thanks for your reply,and if you live in the city, yes, throwing snow only 8' -10 ' would be ok.
And to satisfy your curiousity as to why a throw of 10' is not enough, if you live in the suburbs (like us) when it comes to clearing a 14' wide path (or wider)for a couple of vehicle widths, it makes it a very hard job, especially when the snow can only be thrown 'one way' because of various obstructions.
Btw, I finished fabbing the wider intake extension and it now throws the snow 6' further than it did before. It now gets enough snow to satisfy the 'overactive' impeller. So this extra thrown distance should now do the trick.
Thanks to all for your input.
change of subject on snoblowersHow much are u getting out of a tank of gas?just replaced my Toro 6hp with an Ariens 8.5hp. used a tank of gas in an hour. gould go 2+ with the toro. 2.5 horse make that much difference? gas tanks look the same size.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
This 8 hp -2 stage (with the over-energetigc impeller/auger, will consume approx one half gallon of gas in plowing for 2 hours at the slowest gear but with the engine speed at full tilt.
thanks
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
My Ariens 5HP (I think) unit with maybe a 1/2 gallon tank will run for maybe 90-120 minutes under normal conditions. Of course, the harder it works, the more gas it goes through, but I usually run out of gas before it does.
Bobl, I have the Ariens 8.5hp and it uses much less fuel than yours. (I ran it for an hour the other morning with 7 or 8 inches and used less than 3/4 gallon. It could be you are throwing more snow, but it still seems like an excessive amount of fuel. As a side note, I replaced a 30 year old Ariens with this unit this year. The old machine used about twice what the new one uses. 6milessouth
I can understand where having only one direction to throw could be a problem - where did you get the plans for the intake extension - I'm curious to see how it's made and attached - that extra 6 ft of throw might make it possible for me to use the snowthrower on some driveways rather than the truck and get a "cleaner" edge
It's a sheetmetal flared extention approx 3 " in length.(hand made)
It makes a 27" wide intake into a 35" intake , thus supplying more snow to this' over-energetic' auger/impeller (2 stage)... This way ,going at a very slow gear speed it has something to throw.
Before, with the 27" intake it would run out of snow because of the slow speed.