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

Hi all,

First snowblower, and first post to go with it!

I just purchased a John Deere 928E at the local John Deere dealership.  I figured that spending the extra cash on a JD would get me a top notch machine with top notch performance.

I have used it twice.  The first time out the motor began jerking a few different times, but would then start behaving again. 

The second time out (this morning), it jerked a couple times, but then the chute started having trouble turning.  When turning it to the right, it would only go about 3/4 max and then get stuck, where I couldn't turn it either way.  I would grab and turn it enough for the gear to start working again and it would turn the OTHER way, but still get stuck when going to the right.

After finishing up, I decided to take a look at it a few hours later,  and now it has ceased to work altogether.  We are supposed to be getting another large snowfall Sunday /Monday.

Anyone else have this problem?  Anyone have any suggestions?  Anyone else feel as though they got taken for a ride when they bought a John Deere?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

Sounds like the jerking motion is from the machine's scraper blade catching on uneven surfaces.  That's pretty much normal.  You might have to adjust the skids to raise the scraper.  As far as the chute control, sounds like there might be a lock pin missing that secures the gear to the rod.  Check to see if something has fallen out and to confirm if the gear locks to the rod that turns it.  Sometimes it's just a cotter pin that's fallen out to cause the problem.  Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty if you can't afford to take the machine in.  Maybe post some pics of the control mechanisms if you can.   It will help us understand how it works. 

The snow chute is attached to a flange with a clips held by two screws each.  The chute rotates by sliding on this flange, but may get sticky and need some oil.  The chute is rotated by a worm gear on the other side.  A bolt allows this gear to be adjusted.  Check that the worm gear engages the ring gear on the snow chute, but not too tightly or it will be hard to turn.

A big thanks Borat and MacLorry27!

The scraper blade makes sense, as the whole machine would start to jerk....I was concerned because it seemed like there wasn't any bumps or anything in the way.  But, I've had it out a couple more times and it only seems to do it once in a while...so I will attribute the cause to that scraper blade.  I may try to raise the skids if it becomes problematic.

And, the other day, after finishing the driveway (while having to physically grab and move the chute every time I needed to change it's trajectory, I decided to take a look and you hit it right on the head MacLorry....the little worm gear was not making contact with the "teeth" properly.  Maybe it got jostled in transit, or whatever....so I loosened the bolt and moved the gear slightly inward, and it seems to be just fine now!  I haven't had to use it yet, but I think that was it.

So again, a big thanks to both of you, Happy Holidays and "Happy Snowblowing"!

Even the best of machines won't work properly if not correctly assembled or adjusted.  A lot if depends on the quality of the personnel doing the work at the manufacturing facility then at the sales/service dealership.   It's best to go over the machine thoroughly while it's still at the dealership.   Most people go in, look at the machine then ask for delivery or load it up themselves.   They take it home, put some gas in it a go right to work with it.   More often than not, they will have a good experience.   Particularly if it was purchased from a reputable dealership.  Many good quality machines nowadays are being sold in box stores where pre-delivery assembly is questionable at best and service thereafter nonexistent. 

That John Deere is probably a Simplicity/Snapper in JD colours.   If properly set up and maintained, it should serve you well.  

I just picked up up a John Deere 928E from a local Lowes up here in Canada, just happened to be in the store and they had 9 in stock.  This year snowblowers are few and scarce here you get what you can and not what you want.  I know they're supposed to be good machines, however when I took it home in the crate and started to assemble it I realized I was missing some parts.  First of all the crank on the dash to turn the chute was missing and the chute itself looked like it been hit by something probably a forklift, it was bent and and there was a tear in it.  Furthermore it was even missing the black guide clips for the chute so that it can be attached to the blower itself.  Now I'm wondering how good is this machine if right out of the box its missing this many pieces.  My question to myself is what else is it missing that I can't see.  Catch 22, I want a snowblower but can't get it replaced with anything else because the store doesn't have anymore.  Called them up and spoke to a manager and a John Deere rep is supposed to come over and take a look at the machine.  Anyone else have a missing parts problem?

danen_inc wrote:
If I were you I'd take the machine back immediately for a full refund, then worry about finding another one.
You don't need the hassles of having various companies attempt to fix your problems.  You shouldn't
be having problems.

Paul

danen_inc

Check your receipt, but in the U.S. Lowe’s has a 30 day return policy for power equipment. Just pack everything up and take it back to the store. You don’t even need a reason for returning it, but the fact that it’s missing parts and damaged is full justification in anyone’s book. Have them give you another 928 and have them set it up.

The John Deere is made by Simplicity, which has about as good a reputation as any brand of snow thrower. Likely the crate for yours was damaged in shipping and some parts dropped out somewhere. That’s why I would have Lowe’s set it up. You can double check the setup when you get the 928 home. However, if you want to set it up yourself, inspect the next create for any damage before you take it home.

Mac

Out of curiosity.... Does anyone know the HP rating on the 928E?  When I purchased it, the John Deere associate told me 9HP (JD dealership), the Lowe's technician/mechanic told me 11.5 HP.  I emailed John Deere, and they wouldn't give me an answer.  They told me they measured the power in CC's, not HP.

I figure someone on THIS forum MUST know the definitive answer!!

Thanks!

Ozz0830 wrote:
Even though you can't describe power in cc's this might have been the good answer
just the same :-)  There's some question about the different horsepower ratings for
engines with the same displacement (cc's, cubic centimeters) but no one is arguing
over the displacements themselves, and usually more displacement equals more
power.

I'd guess your engine is more like 11-12 hp  than something less.

Paul

Below is an excerpt of a previous post from yesterday.   The horse power rating of the 305cc  B & S engine has been discussed at length on this forum.  Last year I did a thorough comparison by part number between all of the 305cc models.  Every part number that would have an effect on power output matched.