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

I did a search and found a few references to this machine but no answers.  Any one have one of these?  15.5 snow max engine, heated hand grips, 30" wide.  I can't find a listing for auger diameter or impeller diameter.  I called John Deere and the guy that was suppose to be the snow thrower expert didn't know either. 

What is the Easy Steer drive system?  The literature says: 

Easy SteerŪ drive system giving continuous power to both wheels and auto speed adjustment

Is it similar to the Ariens auto differential? 

I've heard that the units are built by B&S which translates to Simplicity.  They do have cast iron gear cases like the Simplicity.  The chute control is different than the simplicity and so is the turning method so they are not exactly the same.  I'm trying to compare the Simplicity L1530E to the JD 1130SE.  Any help would be appreciated.

Rick

Anyways after Swoods post his Lawnboy mower family, I'd like to see who's got the largest fleet of snowblowers.   Can you ever have too much snowblowers even though it's only used 20 days out of the year?

My dealer pulled through!  They told me they ordered the parts from Briggs and Stratton and will put on the clutch update and the water seal parts under warranty.  Said it should take 3-4 days for the parts.

I bought the Snow Buster 4 years ago on CL. Its all original, replace a few a few stripped bolts and fixed the tires but thats about it. Sold it a few months ago on CL for $400. Worked good but not as good as the 1130.

Did you other 1130 guys lower your skids, I kinda forgot to to this. Man does it scrap nice on the tar driveway. I guess I should get a paint stir stick and fix that before we get the foot of snow thats heading towards the Twin Cities!

I put mine up about  a 1/8".  You're right this thing will scrape like crazy.  My older Simplicity would try to ride up on any snow that had been driven on.  The 1130 scrapes right through it.

The dealer just called and my snow blower has the 2 updates done!  I just brought it in Saturday, so that was pretty quick considering they had to order the parts. 

A little off topic, but what does everyone think about putting an old  lawn tractor hydrostat transmission into an 1130?  The main housing that holds the drivetrain parts is very similar to the housing on a lawn tractor.  This can probably be had for next to nothing from an old junk lawn tractor and might make a stronger drivetrain. 

Wow!  I really like hydrostatic transmissions and I have it on my John Deere garden tractor, but that would be more than I would tackle.  I also believe the rubber disc is a pretty good drive for a snowblower although in our case it's been a bit of a challenge due to water getting on the disc.  My other snowblower is a 1985  and it has never been a problem with the disc.  If it were me, I would probably get the hydrostatic drive and build a monster blower.  A walk behind with a 47"+ width would be impressive. 

Catt wrote:
Trust me, you would not want to handle a 47" width bucket for any length of time.  Unless turning is power assisted and the tracks or wheels width are pushed out as wide as the bucket, that bucket generate a rotational torque around the engine as it catches on cracks and bumps on the ground.  The monster snowblower will be taking you for a walk, not fun if the ground you're standing on has low traction.  You won't have enough traction to generate turning force to steer it.  :)  It's possible if  your handlebars are 8-10 feet behind the bucket.

That's just me, speaking from experience.   I have a 32" wide bucket with 24" track width.  Now I just want a 28" wide bucket with a 27" track width.

Not that it can't be done, but if you are determined, I would gladly be interested in seeing how it turns out.

I just got my snowblower back.  The dealer put the water seal kit on, the clutch update (which is a different clutch handle) and a new friction disc.  All we have in the driveway is wet slush so I wasn't able to really give it a work out. It's been raining all day here.  Converting it to hydrostat would be a fun project someday if I ever came across a hydrostat trans from a free tractor with a blown engine or something. 

Does anyone know how to post pictures that are saved on my computer?  I clicked Insert/edit image, but it asks me for a url.  The pictures I posted before, I just dragged and dropped from off of the internet.