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 Steer® 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

Can someone please test the voltage on the headlight connector while at full idle? I keep blowing headlights. The voltage changes when I turn the heated grips high/low/off. Voltage when the handgrips are off: 16.4, Voltage when the handgrips are on high: 12.5 Voltage, when the handgrips are on low: 13.4

My engine (Tecumseh) is perhaps different than yours. But I recall getting around 16V when checking the alternator output, before attaching a headlight. I'm not sure if your light is on or off for the 16.4V measurement. I'm sure my voltage is lower now, with powering the light, though I don't think I've tried to check it. If you're putting 16.4V into the headlight even with the light on, maybe you're pushing the bulb a little too hard. I suppose, in a pinch, you could add a low-resistance, high-wattage-rating resistor before the headlight, to drop the voltage a bit.

I don't know what kind of bulbs yours takes, but you also want to make sure you're using an appropriate bulb. For instance, using a bulb that's meant to sit in a motionless light fixture might result in an early failure, when rigidly installed onto a moving, vibrating machine. But if you're using OEM-type bulbs, that's probably not an issue.

I just checked it again with the heated grips off, and the voltage jumped (at the headlight plug)from between 19-21v which is way too high.

Is your engine speed correct? I do not have heated grips. They may have had to bump up your no-load voltage to avoid dropping too low with everything (grips) turned on?

The engine speed seems normal....to my ears anyways. haha. I sort of figure it's the regulator or the stator. The regulator is $50 and is the easiest part to replace. It looks like the regulator is just a capacitor in a metal box with resin holding it in place with a wire going in and a wire going out. Maybe I'll try going to Radio Shack and rebuilding it with a new capacitor. By the way, I've been using standard, automotive style bulbs.

OK. I got a tachometer and tested the voltage coming out of the stator. At 3600 rpms, I measure 30.8 - 31 volts. According to Briggs and Stratton, at 3600 rpms, I should have 28. I wouldn't think that the extra 2 volts would blow the voltage regulator.

Which alternator do you have? Briggs has both regulated and unregulated alternators, and AC and DC.

This thread will not die.  Will the moderator please lock this thread? 

Thank you aa335 it drives me crazy also..........

55utilitysedan wrote: Not that I want to keep this thread alive, but I'm slightly annoyed that I can't remember what this thread was all about.    Vaguely remember something about water and friction (maybe ice and friction), WD-40 / Superglue, then Honda timing belt, Obama is in office, outboard motor on a lawnmower, and now I think it's something about the ignition coil.   I'm starting to think that John Deere doesn't actually make any snowblowers or lawn mowers, but invented the internet and the iPhone.  Green paint and some stickers for $300 more than a red machine.  I do like green and yellow though.  Everybody has red or orange snowblowers, green is different.

Help me out here guys!  RickyCebu, FrankCA, Borax, DavidNY, MNSprinter, 55pickuptruck, Gangster, Air-Wolf???  There's got to be more since there's 300+ replies on this.