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

Hi All,

New here (first post) but have been reading on this site for a few years and appreciate all of the knowledgeable info from all of you. Thanks!

I had a Simplicity 555 snow thrower for seven years but it was way underpowered (5 HP), and I am pushing 50 with a bad back, so I decided to buy a new one with more power. I live in NJ and have a big driveway along with a sidewalk that is 150' long, . Also, the bus stop for the kids is on my driveway so it is important to me to make sure it it clean and safe. Well, tonight I bought a new Simplicity Signature Pro model 10524 from a dealer in Princeton. The dealer told me it was last year's model and would sell it to me for last years price for 1650.00, which I paid. But when I got home and looked at the receipt, I noticed the model was a 10524P, not P10524E as in last years brochure. On top of that, the 2008 model is P1524E.

Anyone know what the 10524P year is and did I get a bad deal? I didn't want to buy something brand new if it's a two year old model.

Thanks for your help in advance.

If you think it's the cable, you should try to get some WD-40 into it.  It will help displace water and will lube the cable.  You should disconnect the cable at the top, hold it vertical and put the WD-40 into it.  It's advisable to put some sort of device at the top to funnel the lube into the cable.  Some fill a balloon with an oz. or so of lube, pull it over the end of the cable, tie it off good and tight then invert it.  Leave the cable in the vertical position until you see that the contents have emptied into it.  I suspect however, that the problem is down at the drive coupling.  It's a rather simple device that appears to create resistance during cold weather primarily due to the type of lubrication involved.  If the area of the shaft that the coupler operates on is covered in a grease that is not suitable for cold weather, the parts will be very sluggish to respond to input from the cable.  I would suggest that the shaft be lubricated with synthetic motor oil and only the engagement teeth be lubed with grease.   

Thanks for the tips Borat. I was able to open the cable midway via the adjustment nut. I sprayed WD-40 in there, in the bottom, and in the top. Per your suggestion that it wasn't really the cable -- that was my initial thought upon opening the bottom and discovering how the whole thing worked. I cleaned off the white lithium that I had previously applied and put synthetic 5w-30 on the shaft. I found some SuperLube grease at a local ACE Hardware (claims to maintain flow to -40F) and put it on the teeth. We're expecting 1-3 inches tomorrow, maybe I'll get to try it out! Of course, it has warmed up almost 20 degrees in the past 12 hours. I'll keep you posted. Incidentally, I'm seeing mixed info on white lithium's performance in cold temps. Anyone have thoughts on that?

If you want to see how white lithium grease performs in cold temps, put some between two small pieces of steel plate and leave outside on a cold day.  After an hour or so, try to move the pieces against each other in a sliding motion to see how freely they move.  That should give you an idea. 

Update: I've used the machine twice in blowing snow and sub-zero conditions and I've had with no issues afterwards.  Last night I went out again to clear a couple of drifts.  This morning, the temperature is hovering around 0F (obviously, it's a little warmer in my garage).  I checked that trigger on my way out of the house today and it moved freely and easily.  I suppose I'm tempting fate by posting my success here!  Nevertheless, thanks borat for your suggestions.  I'm still not 100% sure of where exactly the issue was, but it was well worth getting the white lithium out of there and I can tell that made a huge difference in and of itself.  The WD-40 in the cable is a quick and easy thing to do that I will add to annual maintenance.

I also tried your experiment.  Ha!!  I'm tempted to throw that can of white lithium away!  At least, I'll never pull it out during winter.  Thanks again.

Nice to hear things are working out for you.  I suspect it was the grease.  Probably too much in the wrong place.  At the end of the season, put the synthetic engine oil on the shaft and little grease just at the engagement points of the teeth.  When you pull it out for winter,   Put a bit more oil on the shaft.  Sometimes oil can gum up over the summer.  WD40 in the cable is always a good thing. 

You can shift on the fly, but for liability reasons it is not recomended.  I have a steep driveway, and when going up if I change to a higher gear it may lift up (front).  Speed is controlled by the friction disk, inner is slower go out it gets faster -- physics 101.  There really is no excessive wear shifting on the fly.  In fact, if you stop then you will incur more wear starting the snow thrower from rest.  But as mentioned earlier, it could get dangerous if you upshift while going uphill.

I love the blower, bought the 10524 in October.  The dealer put it together good and delivered it and demonstated it.  However, the salesperson at the store is only good for looking up parts.  I sent a technical question to Simplicity.  They responded quick enough but it took some back and forth for them to admit a technical feature they used for just one year and didn't bother to mention it in the documentation; I am not impressed with Simplicity's customer service.  Other than that love it!

Talldog wrote:
Nope, sure as poo sticks to a blanket, that stupid motor gave it up. The gear box got contaminated. :( $150 + cold fingers.

Tubby wrote:
Sorry to hear of your troubles.  I remember when I first joined this forum, you had some other problems with this snowblower.

Is that $150 the price for a replacement motor, or the whole motor/gearbox assembly.   Is your snowblower about 7 years old?  If so, I am surprised that the electric motor actually lasted that long.  If I did have a snowblower with electric rotation, I would keep a spare on hand just in case it gives up.

Found one on ebay for $100.
Yes, I did have a problem with the drive plate backing off the spindle, which got fixed under warranty.
There was what I felt a safety issue wuth that, in that as it comes off the spindle, it forces itself onto its matching gear, effectively putting the blower in gear with no way to stop it short of shutting the engine off.
Since then it has been a good machine.
Ordering up the new chute motor now.
I just find it ironic that the one that gave me hesitation when I was shopping blowers was predictably an issue.