Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Going to rebuild my snow blower this spring. Get a season out of the existing 10 HP Tecumseh, then swap it for a new OHV 13 HP Tecumseh. Went to order it the other day and the salesman suggested I buy a new blower instead. I like my blower allot and rather work on it than replace it. Wanting more power ordering the 13 hp motor and just wondering how much performance gain I will get going from L Head 10 to the OHV 13. It was mentioned the 13's are smoother and the OHV appeals to me also. What do you think? Trying to get it to throw snow further after the rebuild, as I am really impressed with some of the abilities of the newer blowers in performance. Thanks for any replies. The intake is 28", the blower is a Track steer able Craftsman.

Drums,

I think your 10 HP Tec  is a 358 CC displacemrnt, so a 13 HP, OHV engine (OH358SA) Should have the same footprint and shaft height as your old engine.

You would have to check your shaft diameter and length.

With the increas in HP, you might want to put a bigger pulley on the augar drive(Engine shaft), which would make your impeller and augar to speed up.

Here is some places to check on engine prices: Google for them

1. Small Engine warehouse

2. Small engine Suppliers

3. Tulsa Engine Warehouse

                                              Hope this helps!

                                                                          Fred

Shaft height on Tecumseh HMSK80-110 is 4.176.
Shaft height on Tecumseh HMSK80-110 is between 4.667 and  4.677"
According to Small Enginbe Warehouse dimensional drawings.
That where I bought my 7.5 Intek Snow.

Drumsonly2002,

Intake and discharge dynamics contribute most to throwing performance (fan diameter, blade geometry, # of blades, discharge geometry, chute profile, impeller speed, auger rate/efficiency, etc.). As long as you have enough horsepower now, the performance won't increase much with additional power. 10hp is surely enough for most units, especially with the torque advantage of 358cc's (Tecumseh LH358SA). I've played with and observed some units with monster engines that didn't have any real benefit.

I would also advise you not to speed up your impeller past the factory setting. This could result in counterproductive recirculation and also possible safety hazards (detached blades). Many snowblowers are put through a test in which a steel stake is inserted into the fan at speed. Nothing can detach from the unit at the maximum operating RPM per the standard. If you speed the fan up, well, its pretty self explanatory... Increasing the engine sheave size will also alter your clutching/belt finger/brake geometry possibly creating a another hazard (the impeller may not stop properly when you declutch).

If you want more distance or capacity, you may want to look at another blower. The 13hp OH358SA will be noticeably smoother and will maintain RPM's better at the EOD, but the power increase may not be what you expect.

One thing to note if you keep the unit, you may want to try a raw edge belt for the blower head. Definitety an Aramid cord belt and keep the tension maintained. It'll chirp when you engage the head. You will get a few extra feet if you're currently using a conventional wrapped clutch-cover belt (especially with a larger displacement engine). 

Also, I believe I posted somewhere about the fitup differences between the engines. The crankshaft is .5" higher, and the engine mounts need to be rearset by .220" due to the counterbalancer girth at the PTO cover. Be sure you compensate.

I hope this helps.

PK

Snowmann wrote: Darn, reality intrudes again!