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 SteerŽ 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

Clay wrote:
If I were you I would check that the bottom of the chute, underneath, is packed with grease.   It wouldn't be so bad
if you had a heated garage but you say it's freezing in yours.  What can happen is that if you blow some wet snow
it can build up around the base of the chute and then freeze solid when it gets really cold.  Then the chute will no
longer turn.  I had this happen to me last year and I had to use a hair dryer everytime to thaw out the base of the
chute before I could start using the machine.



To me this is a bit like tires on a race car.  In wet conditions they need grooves to let the water squeeze out so the
rubber makes contact.  In your case you're putting the grooves in the plate which has the same effect.  But there's
less traction to be had with grooves (or dimples or whatever) than there is with a completely smooth surface. 
Racecars use treadless slicks for dry conditions as this offers the most traction.  My older Ariens has a completely
smooth aluminum plate, kept dry by the design, and it has great traction.

A rough surface on the plate will also cause the friction disk to wear faster, especially in the low gears which includes
reverse. As far as oil goes, a rough surface will do nothing if you don't let oil get on the disk in the first place.

Rough surfaces and pulley covers are band-aids needed because they moved the drive plate outside the box.

Paul

Well I just got done changing the oil and stuff and I cleaned the drive plate with brake clean and disk also took the cable up one notch I will say I think I got a more positive feel when I tested it out hopefully we will get a signifigant snow so I can try it out reverse still feels a little weak but forward seems really strong .....

good morning, like i said in previous posts, my 928e has the intermittant drive issue, talked to john deere and explained what i did with blocking the snow from getting on to the drive pulley, which made a big difference with the slipping issue, the service department said that it wasn't needed, and that it was a set up issue, i told them that they were the ones that set it up, and that i had to readjust it after i brought it home, the cable was sagging right out of the gate, they made an appointment for me to bring it into the shop this morning, explained to the mechanic what was happening and that it was intermittant, went in the front while he worked on it, looking arround at the 4 prepped machines sitting on the floor, i asked the service manager if these were ready to go and he answered yes, i asked him if he was joking? all 4 had the cables sagging, the small wheel the cables go over were to tight, would not turn, i told him that was the way my machine was delivered, he looks at the machines, looks at me, goes back to his office gets a note pad and starts to write down the things that i point out to him, at this point the mechanic comes in,and tells me my machine is ready, he had it for 20 minutes, asked what was wrong with it, answered the cable  was out of adjustment and he had to clean the drive disc.  i told him again that it was intermittant, and that i had done that , and it did not solve the problem, but that i would give it a try, back my truck up to the door, hook up the ramps, start it up, put it in 1rst geer, drive it accross to the door, hit the ramps and it stops dead in its tracks, wiil not go up the ramps, the wheels dont even attempt to try, i look at him, he looks at me, i ask what he thinks the problem is,  he goes and talks to the service department, i walk back in the front to the parts department counter and wait, the service manager come over and tells me they had this problem on 2 out of the 60 machines they sold this season, it was the friction disc and they would replace it right now, 1/2 hour later no problem going up ramps, so hopfully it is fixed, waiting for the next dump of snow to find out, now if it turns out to be the friction disc, which i think is possible, was this only during a certain point of production, all those with this problem, take a look at the bottom right corner of the back of the machine, the production date is there, mine was built 062608, maybe we can nail this down to a certain production period?
thanks, Gary

Does the friction disk say "Made in Canada"? Should be stamped on the metal part.

PK

all i can see on it are the #'s 05d290   underneath that is 1501435, if it is written made in canada it would have to be hidden by the flange, the rubber on it seams to be softer than the original, but that might be me being optimistic,

well we are getting blasted today lake effect snow should be about 12" when all said and done  so we are going to see if the brake clean and adjustment worked...

Mine is working 100%.  I will add the details for what I did later today.   No more drive problems!!!!!  

I too like the most of you picked up the 1130 SE JD from Lowes.  It was setup by the JD dealership. Like mentioned earlier, the cable was loose. I was pissed that it cost be $25  to get it home only to have to pay another $48 for a home service call.  I drove mine about 40' and it stopped. One thing I wasn't use to is all the leakage of snow dusting around the shute. It seems to fly all over the place. Power wise this thing throws my snow into the neighbors yard and sometimes onto their roof.  I ran an Atlas 22" for 15 years without doing anything to it really except shearpins, oil chages... Still has the original belts from 1993, and will run circles around the JD as far as drive goes.

My 1130 SE slipped in forward and reverse after 40' of operation, it remained motionless . I shifted it to higher speeds and side to side motions forward and back then it would start again, but usually only in the higher gears.  JD Dearlership came down adjusted the cable, cleaned off the disc wheel of spent rubber, and adjusted the linkage one spot. Not the way the manual says (3-3.375") of spring stretch. but it ran great while he was here. His testing was always just the drive. Not with the blower throwing snow... Is it possible the thing is forming ice on the traction plate?. How is snow getting in there anyway?  This should be a sealed environment in there anyway, except for maybe a weep hole... I did notice snow flying all around the units shute and thought this odd.  Snow was all over the engine.  This never happened to the old machine.  The dealership was told after the next storm, its doing that slippage again.  He sent the mechanic to change the friction disc.  Next storm,,, same thing. Called JD told him it still slips, mechanic came to house and fiddled with it and told the wife This machine will never drive like the power of the old 5 HP unit I use to have....WHAT!!!!! It sounds like hes throwing up his hands.  I was considering getting a JD tractor, but after this ordeal, I think I'll look to the Japaneese for quality products.  I only bought the JD because of the name, only to find out, they only painted the unit and apply the decals! They better come up with a realistic fix for this quick.. A class action lawsuit looks promising!

hvac_01453 wrote:

I'm knocking on wood as I type this because so far I haven't had this problem with my Ariens.  But if I did I'd get it fixed just so I could drive it over a cliff...then hire a plow service.

The snow blowers I used many years ago had a gear drive instead of the friction wheel.  One even had a totally sealed Peerless brand geared transmission.  They were reliable in any weather conditions. I could be wrong but I think that all North American companies now use the friction disc-o-matic drive these days.  Honda uses a hydrostatic drive but I have no experience with them.  All I know is that wet snow, blowing snow, icy snow or in a rainstorm...when one put their snow blower in 1st gear and engages the drive lever it's supposed to move forward. Period.

These units were shipped without all the hardware to seal the belts and friction plate.  As soon as some snow accumulates on it,  The unit loses it's drive.   Below is the list of the parts.   

1. Shaft Seal  1733898   http://www.lawn-parts.com/detail.asp?id=1733898   $1.95

2. Seal Plate 1733868A  http://www.lawn-parts.com/detail.asp?id=1733868A  $5.95  (This closes the back of the plastic belt cover)  Why this was not installed who knows!!

3. Seal Strip  1733897   http://www.lawn-parts.com/detail.asp?id=1733897  $1.95 

I also sealed the front of the plastic belt cover using black foam weather stripping.   For the seal plate I used  "Henry # 212 Clear Elastomeric roof patch"  It is clear, flexible and adheres very well at any temp.  Instead using seal strip #1733897,  I ran a 1/2" bead along the engine frame where it meets seal plate.  I sealed any holes/gaps on the engine frame as well.  There is also one small hole on the top of the belt cover near the plastic hinge. Seal that too.

On the inside I cleaned the friction plate with some carb cleaner applied on a rag.   I removed all the excess oil and grease from the hex shaft and friction wheal assembly.  On the hex shaft I used a very light coating of chainsaw bar and chain oil.  This will prevent oil splatter from getting on the friction disc and plate. 
 

 I used the unit for several hours and the drive problem has been resolved.