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

Here’s info on the John Deere 1130SE . The 15.50 ft-lbs gross torque translates into about 10.5 HP, but they like to round up for the model number, and thus, the 11 in 1130SE.

So the drive is the same as the Simplicity, at least apples and apples there.  That doesn't surprise me.  What is currious is how they describe it in the literature as "giving continuous power to both wheels and auto speed adjustment"  Pulling a lever and removing power from one wheel does not sound the same to me as continuous power to both wheels and that is what prompted the question. 

Any ideas on auger or impeller size as well as the number of vanes in the impeller?

Has anyone tried the chute rotation?  What do you think of the system?

Simplicity L1530 E locally for $1450, JD 1130 SE for $1499 with a bigger engine and heated grips.  Both will be serviced at local tractor supply companies with on site staff and good turn around times.  What would sway you one way or another.  I will make this decision today since both are still in stock.  One will come home today.

Rick

I have been reading posts on this board for some time, but have not contributed as I have primarily been learning from the rest of you. Just wanted to say 'thanks' for all of the useful info. Now onto the intial question posted...

I purchased the JD 1130SE from Lowes in Canada earlier this fall, so I can hopefully answer some questions related to this machine.

• What is Easy Steer? Unfortunately, JD has not provided a great deal of info on this feature to help consumers, but I can tell you that there are no triggers on this machine. Each wheel is independently powered, so steering is very easy. I can't comment if this is the same as the Ariens differential as I have never used one of those machines
• Chute control? The chute control uses the more traditional hand crank connected to a type of worm gear located at the bottom of the chute. Mechanism appears robust, but takes 5-10 cranks to move from left to right.
• Auger/Impeller? Auger is listed as 14", and impeller as 12", but I have not measured.

Let me know if there are any other details I can provide.

rukey wrote:

So how is it to turn?  I do a lot of turning in my application. 

Has the Worm gear either slipped for you or frozen up?  They use to use that type of application on machines years ago, but they were durable.  With all of the turning I do flip the chute often as well.  It looks like the handle for the crank is on the operatoring dash board for lack of a more concise term.  I use a snow cab so I have to have something that I can reach while inside of the cab.

The John Deere rep sent me a piece of literature in an email that shows chains like a bike chain for the drive.  Not sure about the desireability of the chain vs a belt.  My uneducated first impression is that the chain would not slip, but your shear pins better work. 

Are there grease zerts on the auger shaft?  The Ariens unit did not have them.

Are the auger pivots bushings or bearings?

Thanks for all of the quick help.

Rick

I have the JD 928, which is the 1130’s little brother. It also has 14 inch auger and a 12 inch 4 blade impeller. The chute rotation is the same as on the 1130, which is done by a worm gear turning against a ring gear mounted to the bottom of the chute. Once I adjusted mine it works good and is likely more reliable that many of the other schemes.

As for the Easy Steer® drive system, the 928 doesn’t have it and I was assuming the 1130 uses the same system as the equivalent Simplicity. With only $200 difference in price between the 928 and the 1130 and given the larger engine, and hand warmers on the 1130, I would be worried about the robustness of some really cheap differential that might be used on the 1130. I would go the JD dealer and have them explain exactly what it is.

Turning? I consider the machine relatively easy to turn for its size, I do however need to mucle the machine a bit. If you get the opportunity to handle the machine at a dealer, you will be able to judge the amount of force needed to turn. Whether the machine is running or not, it takes the same amount of force to turn it. 

Chute rotation? I did need to properly grease the chute, as Lowes only had a squirt of grease on it. Once I correctly greased the chute and the worm gear, the rotation is effortless.

Grease zerks? There are grease zerks on both augers (left / right)

Bushings / bearings? The friction disk definately turns on bearings (from manual). The auger appears to turn on bearings, but I would check with JD to verify.

Differential? I am hesitant to comment on the robustness of this feature. It works well so far, but I have only use the machine for a couple of months, and have no other machine for comparison. If JD sent you a brochure, the inside of the machine is pictured at the top of the second to last page.

A subtle difference between the engine on the 928 and 1130 other than size is that the 1130 is the Snow Series MAX which has throttle adjustment.

Here is a link to the JD snow thrower literature that has a picture of the Easy Steer mechanism.  http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/media/pdfs/jd_snowthrowers_brochure_eng.pdf

I was able to talk to the service depart at the local John Deere dealership that spoke very highly of the 1130SE even though they don't have any to sell in the store.  They have been sold out for months.  What was funny is that Lowes pays the JD dealership to come to Lowes and set these units up.  Lowes employees don't set up the JD products like the Home Depot employees set up the Ariens products.  The JD dealership also provides local service for the unit and the service manager said that they have had no return on the product and it has been a trouble free unit.  That was nice to hear.  The Easy Steer was a popular option the manager said. 

While the chute rotation isn't quite as convenient as some models of quick turn cables etc, I would have to agree that the design with the worm gear, while not being high tech is probably very durable. I haven't seen anything that makes this JD a no go product.  While I won't likely be able to tell the difference between the Briggs snow max 14.5 and the 15.5 bigger is usually better.

Rick

Bought the John Deere 1130se.  Chute rotation isn't bad at all and it turns as good as an Ariens in the short run that I took it on in the driveway when it came home.  I think that it is a winner.  I aked for a better price on the unit from Lowes and while he said that they are still selling 20 units a day after a good snow fall and wouldn't be able to discount the unit he did give me a coupon worth $50 of any purchases over $500.  $1450 and I am officially Green now.

Rick

That certainly looks to me like it could be a differential.  This
would be interesting since Simplicty doesn't offer one to my
knowledge.

You can buy a engine block heater as an accesory.  First time
I've heard of that on a snowblower.

You know Clay, I think you've found the perfect strategy.  If you
keep it up you'll have had a different machine for every storm
and all you'll have to do is return the last one and the winter
won't have cost you anything

Paul

pvrp wrote:

I'm driving my wife crazy.  I have never returned this much stuff in my whole life and this is not standard operating proceedure.  My old snow thrower  lasted 21  years and I didn't want something that wouldn't be around.  Truth is for under a grand that Craftsman 14.5 is still a heck of a machine.  This was 50% more than the first one.  The problem is that each machine has become more expensive.  The first one was around a grand, the second one $1200 and the third one $1500 after tax.  By the way Lowes does have a 30 day return policy and if this thing treats me like crap or I have 3 service calls in 3 weeks you don't even have to guess where it will end up.  So yes, I will take all of the ribbing anyone wants to give me.  I have had a very unique selection process but I don't recomend it to anyone else.  The first unit I bought out of state, but was able to return it locally, the second unit was bought out of state and returned out of state and the third unit was bought about 30 miles away.  Luckily gas prices have been down too.  The first unit I did an oil change with synthetic oil and lubed up the wheels with grease etc.  While it might sound fun to some, this has been a royal pain in the rear.  I just want a machine that works and I can get parts for after the warranty ends.  Is that really too much to ask for $1500 of my money?  If I wasn't going through this myself and I was reading my threads, I would be laughing my rear off at me, so I don't mind the friendly poke in the ribs.  I probably deserve it.

I did turn on the heated grips and they made me smile tonight.  More to follow after we get some snow and I can play with it for real.

So how does it turn ?    

Paul

pvrp wrote:

I'm very happy with how it turns and I don't have to pull a lever.  I was also very happy with pulling a lever on the Craftsman 14.5, which turned with power to one wheel and it let you choose which wheel had the power unlike the Simplicity which always releases power to the left wheel so that the right wheel is under power.  In other words with the JD, you can turn to your left or to your right with similiar ease.  I like it. 

Truth is that it is still too new to tell.  Give me a couple of 8 to 12" snow falls and I can write a better review with very realistic thoughts.  I don't want to say it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, because I really haven't even used it in the snow yet, just running it up and down the side walk.  I'm looking at taking that B&S snow max with 15.5 pounds of torque and 342cc and seeing what it will do with a heavy snow and lots of it.  Proof will be in the pudding as they say.  Until then, I have a positive outlook with a sense of reality as well.  I just like that the local service place told me that they can turn around most jobs in 2 to 3 days if the part is on hand and if not about a week with parts shipping.  When it takes 3 weeks minimum to get your machine looked at, I don't call that much of a warranty. 

Price is good and construction looks impressive and I have local service.  I'm betting on all of that being a winning combo.

About 8" of snow fell between last night and this morning which gave me a chance to run this unit for real for the first time.  The engine was powerful and quiet.  I was concerned or had questions about two areas.  One was the chute control since it was not a quick move kind of chute control and was a worm gear instead, the second was how the unit turns.  The chute control was both smooth and worked fine and I feel that it will be more durable in the long run than some of the quick turning mechanism that I have seen up close and personal lately.  The turning was a pleasant surprise and turned as easily as the Ariens 1130 DLE that I had the opportunity to try.  The heated handgrips along with the snow cab made it a pleasant stroll in the park to do the work this morning.  I was having so much fun playing with the new toy that I did 5 houses next to me.  Just couldn't stop blowing snow.  Hopefully the neighbors will be happy.  The next door lady already brought me over cookies and some home made Kahlua coffee liquor.  Life is good in Wisconsin with the John Deere.

One interesting thing happened when I was removing snow from the driveway and parked the car in the street.  Two plows came by in tandem, one right after the other and plowed in the car in the street.  This would have taken hours in the old days with the 5 horse.  I walked right through that stuff and the engine was so powerful I blew the snow from the center of the street, over the car and into my front yard.  The job was done in minutes.  Very happy with the 15.5 torque rated snow max engine. 

Rick

If your JD is the same as my Simplicity 9528 for build quality, you will see that the impeller has very close tolerance to the impeller housing.  I looked at mine and it looked to be about 1/16" of an inch.  That in itself will promote good snow ejection.   Your engine is the 305cc right.  if it is, it's the same thing I have.  I like the way it gets on the torque when you put a load on it.  I like to watch my electronic tach when the machine is put under heavy load.  It will go from 3600+ down to 3550 or 3500 hundred rpm and just keep chewing.  I was never a big fan of B&S nor Tecumseh before buying this machine.  I always respected the old Tecumseh's for their durability but never felt it was in the league of the Japanese brands.  I never had much experience with B&S engines because I'd buy equipment with Japanese engines to avoid them.  This new B&S has changed my views somewhat.  I now view the brand  with a little higher level of respect than I had in the past.   If it holds up as well as my Japanese engines, it will garner full respect. 

According to the Briggs & Stratton web site, the Snow Max 16.5 and 15.5 torque engines are 342cc. The 14.5 and 13.5 torque engines are 305cc. My JD 928 uses the 305cc 13.5 lbs torque Snow series engine.

Clay wrote:

Clay, I for one will not poke fun at you.  You just want to make sure you get what you want for the money. 

I, on the other hand am truly messed up.  I have an unhealthy infatuation with outdoor power equipment.   When I got married I was young and so broke I couldn’t even afford to buy a lawnmower...had to borrow one from neighbors.  I lived in an area that got lots of lake effect snow and had to shovel a long double wide driveway because I couldn’t afford a snow thrower.  And I had a big garden that I had to till by hand.  I used to say that someday I’m going to be able to afford power equipment.

Well its years later and I made my money.  Now I have a big 2 stage 11.5hp Ariens snow thrower...and I just bought a 7hp Ariens single stage blower for lighter snows.  What’s messed up is that I have a small driveway and I now live in an area that rarely gets snow.  We’ve only had two plow-able snowfalls in the last 4 years.  But if a storm like the Nor’easter of 1996 ever comes through again. I’m READY. 

To make matters worst I have a John Deere rider, a Snapper Ninja SP mulching mower and three Ariens SP walk behind mowers (one is a commercial Ariens) all to mow a yard about the size of a postage stamp.  And to top off the insanity I have 4 tillers...a Troy-bilt, a Sanpper rear tine, an Ariens front tine, and an Earthquake mini tiller...all ready to go in case I actually decide to put a small garden in someday. 

So yeah...I know it’s twisted...but my local outdoor power equipment dealers love me.

Paul, my wife doesn't even want me to talk to you.  You have it bad man, I LIKE IT! 

Borat, McLory has it right in that the 15.5 is a 342cc engine. 

Has anyone had problems with their units losing forward or reverse drive?   I Purchased one from Lowes (Model 1130SE).  Within ten minutes of first using it in 10 Inches of light powdery snow, the unit would no longer move forward.    I promptly returned it to Lowes.   They did not have another unit, so I stopped by one of our small local Deere dealers.   I spoke to their service tech who said some of the units in our area were shipped without the correct  belt cover shield that mounts on the  engine.  OK,  that sounded logical.  So I decided to purchase another 1130 from the local dealer who installed the shield before the machine was delivered.    I used my new 1130 today, and It has the same drive problem as the first one.  Any time the chute is aimed to the right snow accumulates on the belt cover and frame.  After about 5 minutes both forward and reverse drive fails.   I believe there is a major design problem with the 1130 SE.   It will be interesting to see what B&S and John Deere will do to rectify this problem.

embury wrote:
Looks like there's some sort of plague hitting snowblowers this year.

You're probably not in the mood to hear someone talk about this lightly
but there's sort of a club forming here made up of owners who have
lost partial or total drive to their new machines.  There are various
suggestions to solve the problem.  Mine is to take the machine indoors
to a heated place and let it dry thoroughly then perform all adjustments
in your user's manual before trying again.  Do the work yourself so you
can be sure it was done properly.

Paul

embury wrote:

Embury, there are two adjustments that control drive engagement that I know of on the John Deere 1130SE.  One of them is an adjustable idler.  This is easily accessed if you remove the plastic belt cover with two bolts.  The pulley that is closest to the engine can be loosened and repositioned to allow more tension on the drive belt.  My unit was slipping slightly and I asked the local service department since I didn't want to take any time in a service call, he just told me to put more tension on the belt.  Many units don't have an adjustable idler these days and all parts are fixed.  I took a screw driver to apply pressure to the pulley while I secured the pulley after first loosening it up and repositioning. 

Their is also a linkage length adjustment on cable that actuates the drive lever.  If you look at the bottom of where the cable comes off of the drive lever you will see different holes that adjust for different length.  If this is too loose it won't engage the drive either. 

These are both assuming that your drive belt is not broken but can be easily checked when you check the pulley. 

Hope that this helps and again, I am very happy with my JD 1130 SE. 

Drive problems here, too.  Brand new machine.  Can stop at anytime.  Starting forward or starting reverse... or even while in the middle of a long straight... it will just stop.  I'll pull it and push it, fiddle with a bit,  try forward and reverse a few times... then it will go again.  No pattern that I could pick up on.... random stoppage.  I was clearing an easy 3 inch fluff today... should have been an easy job.... but I was dead tired after wrestling with the thing to get it moving over and over and over.

The drive engagement cable was a bit sloppy, so I adjusted it to the next hole.... didn't help a bit.  Something is obviously slipping in there... can't believe it could be the friction disk, unless there's some grease or oil on there from the manufacturing/assembly process. ??  The traction drive belt has a spring tensioner pulley... no adjustment there. ??

I'm willing to try a couple of things before I bring it in. 

Any ideas?

Disappointing. 

Clay wrote:
OK,  I read this again.  I haven't opened up the machine yet... but from the pictures in the manual... I don't see how that idler/tensioner can adjust... or even if it would matter.  The pulley swings on that arm... and the tension is supplied by the spring, right?  Would it even matter if the pulley could be moved one way or the other.... the tension is still supplied by the spring.  ??

Help... I'm feeling quite stupid at the moment. 

If this problem is due to some property of the friction disk it would explain why it occurs to both
Simplicity and Ariens models as they use the same disk.  Maybe the rubber recipe was changed
or something.  Or maybe the coating or texture on the drive plate is the culprit.

I'm waiting for Snowmann to put forth an opinion on this matter.  I realize that in a lot of cases
slippage could be due to misadjustment but if it persists even when the everything is set right
then it seems to me that there'll have to be some sort of company provided fix.

Paul

The weird thing is... it will go great guns for a while.  The scraper will dig into a ridge, or whatever,  and the tires will start digging like an 11 hp machine should.  Then, two minutes later, it will slow to a stop for no apparent reason.  Then it will go strong again.  Makes me think that the cause is external... snow/water getting in and disrupting things.  However, considering what the thing is supposed to be used for... that would be probably the most disappointing conclusion.

This may or may not help depending on if this is the problem or not.

Briggs' engines have a lot of bosses and standoffs on their PTO cover (behind the belt cover). The Tecumseh PTO covers were always very flat. Are all of the apparent problem units Briggs powered?

It's probably fair to say that nearly all contemporary 2 stage snow blower transmissions were designed with Tecumseh in mind. Even the Simplicity large and intermediate frame transmissions (and John Deere derivatives) are largely Murray in origin and pre-date both Briggs' latest snow engines and the acquisition of Simplicity Manufacturing (i.e. Simplicity and Murray used to use Tecumseh before they were acquired). That said, a Briggs powered snowblower may require special accommodation for sealing voids near the engine to keep moisture from penetrating to the drive plate and friction disk (especially for units that use an integral drive plate/pulley, which is most). As mentioned in this forum and elsewhere, similar problems may include Toro, Simplicity/John Deere, Ariens, and perhaps others. If a similar problem is experieinced, I would recommend checking parts manuals and with dealers to ensure that any intended accomodations are present and functioning.

Someone did mention some type of shield on the John Deere model. I'm not familiar with this shield, but the latest Ariens' model 921010 ST27LE and a few other models do have such special accomodation.

I hope this helps.

trekguy wrote:

I wish that I could post pictures on this board directly without going through a 3rd party .  I would be glad to email you a picture of the exact pulley and it's adjustment if you want to send me a PM through the board I will get it out.  If anyone here wants to help out I could send you the picture and you could insert it in this thread.  Sorry, not very computer literate.  Rick

I took a look in my owners manual for the John Deere 1130 SE.  Look on page 28, item "K" to see the pulley that is adjustable.  It made a big difference when it was adjust tighter on my machine.  Page 32 of the manual speaks to adjusting the friction wheel.  I will call John Deere and see if they have an owner's manual on line for this unit.  So far, I have been unable to locate one. 

Called JD in the middle of this response and just got off of the phone with them.  While they don't have the owner's manual for this unit available on line, the nice customer service person emailed me a pdf file of the owners manual.  I like to search for things electronically besides having the hard copy available.  You can request a copy of the pdf by calling 888-228-3068 and asking for it to be emailed to you. 

After I asked for an electronic version of the owners manual I asked about what makes some of this units slip to see what the snow thrower specialist thought.  They said that the friction wheel needed adjustment and that the directions for that are available on page 32 of the manual. 

I hope this was of some help.

I'm in agreement that it's likely snow getting into the drive area.  I noticed my machine begin to lose a bit of forward bite after a large amount of snow falls over the intake housing and onto the engine.  It never stops, but it will not drive forward as aggressively as it normally would when up against a lot of resistance.  I'm doing some experimenting to see if I can seal the areas where snow might be getting in.  Will report results and how to if It works. 

Clay wrote:
Yep, I see that pulley in the picture... but my question is, if there is a spring pulling on that arm/pulley, providing the tension on the belt... then doesn't that arm that's holding the pulley just swing free... which would allow the spring to put tension on it?  And, if it is swinging free, then what adjustment could there be?  I'm sure that it will make more sense when I actually can get a look at it... but it was -30 last night, and cold again today.  I'm going to wait for it to "warm up" a bit before I take a peek.

I will check the friction wheel adjustment, as well.

But... but.... IF they are not adjusted correctly, would it NOT drive properly all of the time??

Hmm, more and more, I'm thinking it's snow causing the slippage.  Heck of a deal, considering what it's designed for! 

borat wrote:
I will be waiting for your report. 

I have noticed some slippage on my machine also on two separate occasions. The symptoms are similar to what others have stated, generally the machine works fine until snow accumulates on or around belt cover / engine then some slippage occurs, moving the gear selector between speeds for a moments usually solves the problem. After the second occurance I took a look at both the cable attachment form the control panel, and the belts, but both appeared fine. I then tilted the machine on the auger housing and removed the bottom panel, to my surprise there was a considerable amount of oil/grease/water on the drive plate and friction disk. I cleaned this with solvent and the problem went away until the next time snow accumulated on or around the engine.

I believe Snowman is onto something because the amount of oil/grease/water on the drive plate cannot simply fall from the belt cover opening alone onto a vertical drive plate, but rather must contact some oil/grease on the way down. The rubber on the friction disk appears to be quality and the grip on a clean drive plate is considerable. If anyone has an approach for how this leakage can be solved I'm all ears.

I have the John Deere 1130 and right away I had  problems with the drive in reverse and forward (especially the lower speeds). I took it to a dealer and they said that they have had to replace the friction disk in all of these because the original had rubber that was too soft. They replaced the disk and it worked great for two snowfalls. I have a large area to clear and it takes about 11/2 hrs., during  that time it will act up intermittantly and then correct itself over and over. If not for this problem it's a great machine.

 i think Snowman is right, take a look at the space between the cover and engine, i have the john deere 928e and have the intermitant drive problem, there is more than a 1/4 inch space in some areas, take a flash light and you can see  the belt and part of the pulley, the cover can't sit flush against the engine becuase of the bosses on the front cover, i'm going to try installing some foam strips on the cover and engine to fill in the gaps and see if this helps, i'm pretty sure it will,  i haven't talk to john deere about this yet, but i bet there will be a recall, with a newly designed belt cover

My 1130 has the new belt cover kit that Briggs is sending to the dealers to correct the drive problem, But it still did not correct the problem.   I spent a big chunk of change on this snowblower.    This is totally unacceptable.  I don't believe John Deere or Briggs did any field testing of these units.  This is a huge engineering defect.   I have no choice but to return this unit and get my money back.   

I'm having the same problem with my drive.  I read this whole thread just before going out to clear some snow, as I needed to adjust the auger belt and I never received an owner's manual with my machine.  A google search had this forum as one of the top items. 

I was able to figure out how to adjust the belt for the auger, but not for the drive.  I sprayed some belt dressing on both belts.  It definitely helped the auger belt, as there was zero slippage on that.  It was really loose beforehand.  However, my drive was slipping quite a bit, and it was very early in the job.  It does seem a little loose, but not really bad. 

There was no snow falling onto the engine or the cover, nor was it raining or snowing outside.  It started to slip within about 60-70 feet on my first pass.  I was discharging the snow forward and to the left, in about the 10 o'clock position, if that helps any of you to further diagnose.  It did it a bunch of times early on, then not as much later, but I was using higher speeds.  It seems to happen more in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear and not nearly as often in 4th and I don't think ever in 5th or 6th.

magoomba wrote:

Next time it slips, reach down and pull on the drive cable with your hand.  See if that gets it moving.  If it does, there's a good chance the problem is your drive cable not being properly adjusted. 

e suggested snow Hello,

Thanks for all the good suggestions I have same problem as everyone, did the adjustments, wiped of the friction disk and wheel all to no avail. But I hope you guys get lucky like I did this is what worked for me. I looked at the spaces from the belt cover both front and back and like many have suggested  water and snow was getting in. I used metal duct tape that is like a thick tin foil with a sticky side. Took my time and really sealed the area good on both sides. Today 8 inches snow no poblems, and when I was done lots of snow on the tape that would have gone in. It worked for me Not the best look but until a better fix is in place I will go with it.

Don

Hi guys
I don't have this problem but can only envision the gap you guys speak about but, don't really know how big or small.

Check out this site http://www.mcmaster.com

Take a look at pages 3408,3409,3410. You can also look at 3468 which should give you a good idea of functionality from a material perspective.I use this stuff from time to time depending on the situation and can only say I had great success.

Allan

magoomba wrote:
I'm going to retract my suggestion that the 1130 SE be Snowblower of the Year.

Which leaves the Ariens 9526 DLET...

Paul

pvrp wrote:

You're joking right? 

borat wrote:
I believe the 9526 DLET is the only machine that hasn't gotten any bad reviews.

And then there are the Hondas...

Paul

Just returned my John Deere 1130 SE to Lowes today.  Boy did they fight me on the return, and refunding my money.  I guess, after spending $ 2000 dollars on a power tool, and returning it in a few days, they don't like taking the loss.  Mine would slip in forward and reverse, only after an hour or so.  Then it would dry out in a heated garage, and work " gangbusters" again, and then it would start slipping again.  After returning it, a repairman at Lowes said he worked on the belt tension, and wanted me to come and buy it back from them again.  He said he adjusted cables, and dried everything off, and now it was working, but he didn't try it in snow.  When I spend this kind of money, I shouldn't have to get everthing adjusted every couple of hours of use.  Plus I spent  $250 dollars on a 2 year extended warrenty.   I went
down the road to a Husqvarna dealer, spent less money for the same 1130 SB machine, was given a 3 year factory warrenty, given 2 free tune ups, and for $ 50 dollars was given another 2 year extended warrenty, (Thats a 5 year warrenty).  I have been working this thing to death, in hard packed snow, "NO PROBLEMS", No Adjustments, No Slippage.  The idea of the customer fixing the problem, with aluminum tape, to stop the leaking, is absurd, and asinine.   HEY JOHN DEERE, here is a solution, FIX THE PROBLEM       Obviously not happy, with the way I was treated, after being a longtime customer at LOWES

I also have noticed the problem with machine I am really regretting making this purchase but was under the gun my old toro didnt want to run and I said to heck with it and went to get a new blower went to lowes tojust look at the deere and seen the price was amazed was 1499.00 but 10% off sale plus sign up for lowes card get another 10 off so saved 260.00 knew I wasnt going to beat the deere dealer down that much or any other dealer in the middle of January so I bought it ,got it home light didnt work so I looked around found that was unplugged so no big deal then used it heated grips didnt work so found broken wire so I fixed that now the drive thing am begining to think I should have gone and bought the cub cadet i already paid the lowes card,I love the way the briggs run nice and quiet and the thing blows snow well but the drive thing pisses me off really i didnt think much of the wires I saved so much I said what the hell just fix it and shut up but now.Not what I expected out of a Simplicity built machine thats for shure...

Just bought my JD 1130 se today from lowes, here in n/e ohio its a hit or miss for snow fall here and lately its been a hit! After digging my car out that barely made it into the driveway last night I was off to home depot to check out some possible snow blowers. Arrived at the depot to find a cheesy little 2 stage unit for 999.00 and 3or so single stage units way overpriced. At this point was becoming content with the shovel situation, oh and by the way they had 2 stacker shelves loaded with all the lawn mowers one could imagine, MID January!?! Well after my subway sandwich decided to check out lowes not so far down the road. The very 1st thing I saw as I entered the store was a line of JD snow blowers ready to do some damage. Decided on the JD 1130 SE with the 20% off and an extra 10% if you get the lowes credit card for a total of 30% off 1499 my unit cost 1074 before tax fully assembled and out the door.

Now lets put my impulse purchase to the test. Got home and unloaded unit, adjusted guides, filled tank, figured out that the pin had to be installed to start and whalla! she fired up.had a good 8 to 10 Inches in driveway with some drifts over 2 feet. This thing ate up everything I could throw at it not a single hiccup, did occasionally rev lower under load as expected, also did several neigbours driveways and the unit worked flawlessly. Still getting used to it since ive never operated a snowblower before, been long overdue!

Is it just me or am I an old person now, the shovel was a nice work out but any more theres just not enough time in the day.. whats next ED??

no drive issues?reverse ocasionally not work or whatever?

Sounds to me like JD is having the same kind of set up issues at Lowes that Ariens is having at Home Depot. With Snow Blowers it's all about the set up. If you can read and execute simple instructions it is a BIG advantage to take the machine home in the box and do the set up yourself. It's no more difficult than putting together most childrens toys.

Unfortunately set up at a big box store sometimes = molestation,

Marc

Hello,

Let me say that a consumer should not have to put metal duct tape on a machine, but Lowes gave me 20% of for my problems final cost 1200.00 in New Hampshire. I also bought the John Deere cab for another 140.00. To the poster who said they bought a husky and is very happy with it good for you and good luck. But please do not compare the Husky to the Simplicity/John Deere. I will live with the tape. These machines are not apples to apples Cast Iron gear box JD Briggs Engine still in business. The JD has 1550 torq not sure about husky but I'M sure its not more. I do understand that many consumers would not be happy with tinkering with a new purchased product and should not have to but for 1200 its a steal. Another poster got it for under 1100 that is a real winner of a bargain. Just my thoughts anyone else think the JD is worth the extra work or am I crazy. I also own a Husky Lawn Tractor and am very happy with it but just does not seem to be as sturdy as JD.

Don

mml4 wrote:

In my area Lowes contracts out to the local John Deere dealership, who is sold out of snow throwers to do the final assembly on their snow throwers.  Not even close to Home Depot final assembly.  Problems can happen anywhere these days and some Home Depot guys can do a good job too, but I liked that the JD dealership put mine together.

Rick

went out this am to use blower and started up wouldnt move gave cable a tug pulled tighter on it and still nothing finnaly acted like it was going to start to drive like it should what a machine looks like theres going to be a trip back to lowes with it ........What a bad purchace I made here never ever again from a big box store

I've been reading this thread off and on for some time and it seems that the manufacturers are missing the point.

Engaging rant mode, put on fire retardant eyeglasses.

Snow blowers work in wet, cold conditions, snow gets into everything and can melt. Repairs are sometimes done outside of a warm dry shop, it may even be blowing snow and/or sleet while a belt is changed. That is the nature of the environment that the machine must work in. Saying that the whole thing is dependant on a particular part staying dry is the equivalent of saying "we make trash". It simply must work in a cold wet environment, duct tape, adjusted plastic covers whatever are band aids that don't solve the root cause of the problem, the friction disk must work while wet end of story, full stop. If it can't be made to work then you come up with another, maintainable, robust solution.

End of rant.

I have used my machine with the cover off while adjusting the auger belt tension. I would "do a line of snow" to test it and then possibly readjust to get it "just right". I never had a problem with the traction drive just stopping. I have had to adjust the tension on the traction drive cable a few times over the years but so far I consider it normal wear and tear on a machine that regularly does multiple driveways and on occasion clears 1/2 metre snow an 75M of gravelled driveway.

One final comment. If the friction disk is turning at any reasonable rate I would expect any water to fly off due to centripetal force.

Clay wrote:

Rick- Can we agree that all the outlets are not the same? None of the Home Depot or Lowes outlets in my area send anything out for setup. In addition the local shops (those that are left) had to be forced to do  warranty work by the manufacturers for box store bought machines. The best and most successful shop gave up its Ariens Dealership as a result of the 2 stage units being sold in Home Depot. They now sell only Toro. They make a point of telling Ariens repair customers to take it back to Home Depot. 

 While I agree that you can get a properly prepared machine from the big box stores I also know the # of returned units on display as "reconditioned" speaks volumes about how these units are set up. My point is that no matter where you buy a blower you are better served by setting it up yourself for the reason you will be more familiar with the machine. All of them are going to need adjustments and what better way to prepare for that event then setting up the machine from new. By the way I am not especially fond of small dealership set up either. For the most part they flip up the handle bars, connect the linkages, oil level,start her up and try the auger and drive. They don't have the time to take off the belt cover and check all the clearances and linkage adjustments etc. I don't blame them because they can't make a living spending 2 hours setting up each and every machine.

Setting up a machine when new is important and certainly not rocket science which is why I advocate doing it yourself.

Marc

I've been on the phone for a while today with this issue.  I've called Lowes, John Deere Corporate, John Deere Customer service and talked to the local John Deere dealer who does the service on these units.

First things first - MONEY.  These units are on sale locally at Lowes today for 10% off and they have another 10% off with a credit card purchase.  They told me since I bought my unit on the 7th that the would give me the sale price.  An extra 20% off is a good thing - yeah.

I like my unit.  If anyone has read any of my posting, I'm not shy about returning snow throwers, this is my third unit this year - ha.  I'm not ready to return this unit yet.

John Deere corporate is closed because of Martin Luther King day.  Customer service is open.  I actually had the customer service rep on the phone and on this web site at the same time.  I even told Kelly that it would be wonderful to hear from a John Deere employee on this thread.  Don't know if anyone will respond, corporate lawyers get their panties in a bundle these days over something like that (my words not the JD reps comments).  Kelly is taking the information from this site up the ladder and said that she would call me back today.  When I get some feedback from her, I will post it.

Talked to the local JD dealer service manager.  Brian said that he looked up the technical information that is posted on the JD dealer network for the 1130 SE.  The only bulletin that is out on the drive unit is that some units had grease on the friction disk and the metal disk that the friction disk makes contact with.  He said the service bulletin says to remove it with brake cleaning fluid.  I specifiically asked about replacing the friction disk because of a problem with the rubber from which it was made and he said there is nothing about that in the service bulletin section.  I then asked about a new cover for the engine and he also said there is nothing about that on the JD service bulletin either. 

I will call B&S and ask about a new engine cover.  That might be something that is a B&S issue and not on the JD service bulletins.  Two more points, one is when I have dealt with automotive mechanics and searching for service bulletins.  Some times the information is out, but the service rep either doesn't do the search in the same way in which it was entered or can't find the information that is available.   Some companies make it difficult to find this stuff.  The service manager said that he would look at the unit for me and it would be about a day and a half turn around time.  Now that is what I think is damn good service.  Remember Sears said 21 days minimun at one point this year and I don't know what it is now. 

I'm still digging, BUT I for one, am not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  At least not yet.  I might get there,

I'll post back soon.

Rick

Rick,

Excellent post, I am frustrated, but Lowes took 20% off my cost is now 1200.00. Cast iron gearbox 15.50 torque the machine is built like a tank and is covered under warranty. I still think its the best bang for the buck out there. I for one will be very interested on your upcoming post you seem like a person that is a doer and is going to get to the root of the problem with solutions thanks for your help.

Don

No return call yet from JD. but I wanted to make another point that I just sent to someone else in a PM.  I have been in a fortunate or unfortunate situation this year in that I have owned a Craftsman 14.5, and Ariens 1130 DLE and this JD.  Guys the Craftsman lost it's drive for me, the Ariens with the Tecumseh L head lost it's drive and so does this JD, but only very occationally.  I'm taking my in to service tonight and let them look at it in the service department and see what they say.

Don, I also just came back from Lowes where they have 10% off on the unit and another 10% off when you use their charge card and I had a $50 off coupon for use on my next purchase over $500.  $1169 before tax and I am a happy camper.  Go find a 15.5 foot pound of torque machine with heated grips under $1200 and I think that is a rare animal.

I've had my Simplicity 9528 for over a year.  It's on it's second season of service and believe me, we have had lots of heavy snow fall.   My machine hasn't been totally immune to drive slippage.  However, it never stops unless it's up against an immovable  object like a curb or brick wall.  If the machine didn't have snow falling down over the intake housing and onto the engine, the wheels will spin.  It seems that once a fair amount of snow fall down onto the engine area, the wheels will drive until the machine makes contact with something immovable then there will be some slipping.  If I move the machine onto an area where it can move freely, it will go.  I did notice however that if I applied pressure to the drive cable when the slipping starts it will put more pressure on the drive wheels and the wheels will spin when up against an immovable object.  So, it would appear to me that moisture on the drive system is likely having an effect.  Adding more pressure to the drive wheel, in my case will overcome the moisture and immediately provide full drive power.  The amount of tolerance for the drive adjustment is very slim.  Too much adjustment will keep the drive engaged.  It has to be just right.   The stock adjuster on the Simplicity doesn't provide enough adjust-ability.  If I go to the next hole, it will keep the drive constantly engaged.  I have since made an external adjuster that I use if I encounter drive slippage.    

Talked to the JD rep again late in the day.  While I didn't get any answers yet, Kelly informed me that the guy tec support guys that deal with the nuts and bolts of the unit are working on it.  Let's see what happens tomorrow. 

I did drop off this machine at the local JD dealer tonight.  I dropped it off close to 5 pm and expect to pick it up about Weds.  I want to see how this shakes out too.

More to follow.

Borat, I saw the pictures that you posted of the custom adjuster that you made for your Simplicity.  Neat mod.

Nice Work, Clay/Rick!

I don't have a dog in this particular hunt, but I do see all the posts with the same problem and I'm following it closely out of some weird mechanical curiosity.

If you manage to get this straightened out at some sort of corporate level, you'll probably end up fixing the problems of another half-dozen or more folks here, and who knows how many others. If someone like JD goes to B&S and tells them "there is a problem, fix it", the B&S guys will have to. They can then apply that solution to the other similar machines (Snapper, Simplicity) with drive problems.
Still gotta wonder if the Ariens drive problems are related. Symptoms are the same.

Well no answer from B&S  by noon so I started calling JD.  One the people that is suppose to know "what is what"  I  left a message on his answering system.  The other JD contact was a customer service rep that I spoke to, and he opened a customer complaint for me on this unit and wasn't able to find any info in their system about these issue of drive problems.  Even though the rep said that my complaint was a priority, from other experiences in life, the more people that complain,  it increases the chances that something gets done. 

So I need your help at this point.  I would like everyone with a John Deere with drive problems to call 1/800-537-8233 and file their own complaint on this issue with John Deere.  I am also going to start a thread for all Briggs and Stratton built machines, like Simplicity, John Deere, the B&S unit that has the Briggs and Stratton name plate and any others that B&S produces (not sure if they make snapper or not) to call the B&S toll free number and log a complaint. at 888/228-3068. 

While I have no great skills as a mechanic, I can be a professional complainer and stir the mud if the need arises.  With your help maybe we can get some kind of response.  The JD customer service guy said that they should respond to me by Monday at the latest - well see how accurate that is.  I am too old to believe everything that people tell me these days.  If they do respond by Monday, I will make sure to give them applause for good follow up.  If not I will also report on that. 

Rick

So 3 pm local time, B&S calls me back.  I spoke with a technician named Matt.  Matt said that the belt cover is not the issue most of the time but can be in a very rare instance.  He said that if the unit starts out fine and then after blowing snow and alot of it comes back on you often some times the issue can be the cover.  There is another cover available but it would only be appropriate if your unit starts out with good power and then develops a problem after a lot of snow falls on the unit.  If you were in a snow cab the cab would be constantly getting smacked with snow.  Again, he said that this is very rare.  My issue is when I first start out and this isn't my case buy may be yours.

He told of another issue that happened very rarely too.  A spacer under the disk was shy in production.  This spacer allowed the proper pressure to be applied by the disk to the plate.  It was nice of him to admitt an issue in production.  He said that it was very rare but did happen. 

The third and most likely issue he said is that they went from greasing the hex shaft that the friction disk is part of to an oil that is better suited to extreme temps.  Even though they didn't have any real issues at operation of negative 15 and below they wanted to use the best product for that application so they went from a grease to an oil.  While this oil is better for extreme cold and no real problems presented themselves with the grease, the oil comes off of the hex shaft and gets onto the friction disk and plate and causes problems.  He said that they totally clean up the friction disk and plate with 120 grit sand paper, my local JD dealer said they have used brake cleaner which would be less agressive.  After the surfaces have been cleaned the oil would be removed and replaced with a LIGHT coating of grease which would stay put better. 

The tech from B&S also called my local JD dealer and spoke with the service manager about the machine that I have in service right now.  At this point I am happy with the response that I got from B&S.  Some companies don't even return the call.  My recent adventure with Ariens that was the case.  They didn't return numerous calls.  I even wrote a letter to Ariens and they haven't responded yet. 

So far B&S and JD have both proven responsive to my needs as an end user.  The real pruff will be when I get my machine back and it works or it doesn't.  Again, am pleased with what has happened so far and I hope these finding help others with the same issue.

Rick

Thanks Clay!!  I just purchased this model last week.  About one month ago I purchased the Troy Built 30" model.  I liked everything about it but the chute control.  The joystick just wouldn't work at 90 degree angles.  Lowes took it back without an arguement.  They even knocked $100 off of the John Deere 1130SE.  I haven't gotten a chance to try the John Deere out yet but am tempted to load it up and bring it to a local lake to see if I have similar issues.  This thread is making me nervous.  I'll report back what I find out.

B&S called me back today.     It's a rare thing today to actually speak to a human being in this country about service issues.   I gave them all the details and showed them the link to this site.   I have decided not to return my unit yet.   I'm going to see what they are going to do to correct this design flaw.   They did inform me that they are aware of this problem.  They will be contacting me with more information shortly.  So,   For now I cleaned the friction plate with carb cleaner,  sealed the frame holes and the bottom of the belt cover backer plate with a rubberized sealer.  I also put a piece of weather stripping along the front of the plastic belt cover.   This should take care of the problem until they have a factory kit to fix this.   Once the sealer dries I will test it and post my results here.  

FYI:

 Here are the part numbers for the parts that are missing from the John Deere 1130 SE


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

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


I found these in the parts manual for a Snapper model 1530SE.   It is very similar to the JD 1130SE except for the Chute control.

Just finished up a phone call with a very pleasant and customer oriented gentleman in North Carolina who works in the marketing department at John Deere.  Talked to him about some of the mechanical issues with the snow thrower and then spoke about loosing sales over these issues with some people returning units.  If those units were returned and sales were lost because a $3.50 part was used instead of a $3.75 part being used, who did that benefit?  The numbers that I choose are just relative numbers and not exact but if one plastic cover fixes the issues, they should be using that cover on all machines not just the ones where people have the patience to take the unit into the service department.  Some people just get their money back and buy a competitive unit. 

I did tell him that many have noticed how Ariens machines are set up at Home Depot and many customers have not been happy with how their units were delivered.  I thought that John Deere was doing the right thing in that Big Box stores are a reality, but having a true John Deere service tech set the unit up was a good thing.  He was responsive to my needs as an end user and said that he would investigate further. 

I've been very pleased with the response that I have recieved from all of the John Deere reps.

Rick

I can only say I frequent Lowes and have seen the JD dealer truck parked there several times. At least now I know why. Last week I have been there and they just had five or six new JD 1130SE models assembeled parked in a row one behind another. I figured I must compare these against each other and now is my chance. So I picked on the chute control only because what else can you compare on a non runing machine. Results were as follows:
On all them the deflector portion worked both ways without hanging up. In the rotation part of the comparison they were all over the place. Only one worked flawlessly whatever you did with it. Another one did not work at all because the gear that comes in contact with the teeth on the chute was so far out in reality why and how could it work. The rest of them were all getting stuck and getting tough to move somewhere in the rotation due to IMPROPER adjustments made to them. So now we know its not a big deal to get home and spend some time and get it right but, if they brag that JD is behind the machines in lowes then I would expect much more when your not going to get it.
In 2005 I bought my Ariens in the big box store of "HD" and only in an unopened box due to the following. I was in the market for a blower and stopped by my local HD one evening about 9 pm only to have witnessed two part timers in they're late teens racing against each other assembling a couple of skids of boxed blowers. I observed lots of forcing,bending and to say the least they were using power tools which gives very little feedback of whats going on when you have'nt a clue. I watched for a while and nobody came to check on them so what are the chances of those machines being trouble free.

Allan

hirschallan wrote:

Allen, I initially had a concern about the chute control as well.  As you noted some in the stores were smoother than others.  Remember that it is a worm gear that meshes with a PAINTED GEAR.  When I used mine a couple of times it smoothed out very nicely indeed.  The other thing about the chute control that concerned me was that it wasn't a super fast rotation between one side and the other.  That is no issue for me at this time and I really like that there are no cables on this connection.  The chute rotation is a solid shafter with a knuckle linking the two portions and not a hi tech cable or other wiz bang thing that keeps freezing up on people.  I really like low tech on this because I think it will be durable.  I wish that I could post pictures on this site and I have some up of this connection.  It might not be for everyone and I am not saying that none of them were put together incorrectly of the ones that you looked at, just that my particular unit smoothed out very nicely with a little use between the worm gear and the painted gear.

<BR> Clay wrote: Clay,
Its not the paint that was the problem, as you have mentioned there were not one but two knuckle joints which means that what I have on my Ariens in one long rod was on those machines 3 individual rods. That being the fact you have more to fiddle with to get it right and none of them (non working) had it right. Besides, the teeth on the chute are very small which makes the gear lineup much more critical. Take a look at your chute I think only two teeth are in contact so not much room for error.

Allan

Fair enough Allen, I didn't see the machines that you were looking at I just know that my machine was stiff to rotate and not very smooth the first time that I used it and now it is as smooth as butter. 

I did pick up my machine today from JD at the promised time (day and a half total in the shop) and I am a happy camper.  When Matt from B&S Tech services called the local JD dealer for me to explain the possible solutions to my issues he had the local techs not only remove the oil from the hex shaft, friction disk and friction plate areas and replace that oil with a very think coat of grease that would stay in place better than the oil but he had them actually rough up the pressure plate area with 120 grit sandpaper to that the friction dsik has a better surface to make contact with.  They thought that the plate might be too smooth. 

When I picked up the unit I didn't load it up right away but rather went to the first area of the parking lot that had not been plowed.  There was 18 to 24" of snow that was HARD in this area.  I went right at it and while the pile of snow did stop of the forward motion the wheels did not stop spining.  With the full weight of the machine on the wheel and the forward progess stopped the wheels still turned.   I did find some loose snow and she plowed through it very nicely with no hesitation.  The forward motion was positive indeed.  Now, this unit just came out of a heated shop and not my frozen garage.  I ran it around the parking lot for a few short minutes.  What will make me feel better is using the unit at my house in a good 8 to 12" snow fall in which I plan on doing all of the neighbors drives and walks to put it through a good test.  After I do a couple of these and it behaves, I will feel better. 

I know I sound like a broken record, but good response time, good customer service and the problem SEEMS to be fixed.  Life is good and I feel like buying a John Deere hat.

Rick

Clay wrote: Rick
While your at it get the gloves too.

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.

Paul7 wrote:

I have one of these it is a toro powershift model1332 roughly 11yrs old worked great some things are getting worn on her now slips out of reverse once in awhile but the main reason for getting the JD was she doesnt want to run and have messed with it all winter long and just keeps snowing here so had to make a purchase could not be caught with pants down while the toro was at a dealership getting fixed .......

Thanks for the info.

 I guess my question is if the 1130se was shipped without these parts even though its a inexpensive fix shouldn't they be provideing these parts at no charge. As mentioned earlier I used metal duct tape looks like tin foil but much thicker sticks good in cold or hot applications. I taped both in front of plastic belt cover and back and the problem went away. Like another poster mentioned these are bandaids. John Deere should send out parts to consumer for free. My problem they have 2 year warranty but you have to bring the blower to them or pay in home service call on a snowblower with little hours on it. Management at lowes took 300.00 off my machine so my cost is 1200. I will live with the tape knowing I have a machine second too none at that price.

Don

You are correct.   Briggs who makes the 1130 has a kit that they will send to the dealer free of charge. They sent some to my dealer.  I don't think they know that the cover can leak where there is a small hole for the flexible hinge.  

Well, I tried to snow blow again today, only this time I thought I would try something EMBRY said... He mentioned trouble started when blowing off to the right, This is my main direction as well. I thought to try blowing to the left as much as possible and it reduced the slippage 70%. Another side note from that was there was 80% less accumalated snow on top the engine this time, a rareity... Looking closer at this I noticed when the impellor discharges the snow,  it rather slings it to the right side a bit, in its natural momentum. Some of it is coming straight up and it is never guided by the chute in its direction because the base of the chute is open... From the operators position, I can see the snow going straight up without touching the chute, this causes the snow to spray about. On the other hand, when discharged to the left it reverses the throwing direction of the snow by the impellor, and  it discharges cleanly. Some kind of sheet metal or plastic colar would likely clean up this spraying of snow all about....your thoughts!!!!!!!!

Yes I noticed the same thing about blowing right and you wear most of the snow ,I noticed also no slippage problem when blowing in forward position I go out to end of driveway and then blow across the eod and dont seem to have issues but start making passes up and down and the slippage will start so I am going to call local JD dealer and ask about what they are doing for the fix I got this machine at lowes so dont know how receptive to helping they are going to be but we will see and then might just order the plate and seal deal and fix myself and see what happens ..... 

I just bought a JD 928E at Lowes. The only complaint the I have is that, intermittently, the drive slips in any gear as soon as any real load is put on it. It is a pain to drag or push it to get it going again. Is this is going to be ongoing problem?  If so, I think I will return it. (Otherwise, it is great - thing can really throw some snow; also, the B&S starts first pull everytime and runs flawlessly.)

yes sir you will have issue probably  I returned my Jd 1130 today and bought a cub cadet 930 from a dealer not a big box

Hello Everyone.  I've been following this discussion b/c I have a 928E that has had the same slippage problems, and for around $2 in weatherstripping, I have a simple solution that might help.

 I was clearing my driveway in the last snowstorm, and it was raining/sleeting at the same time.  I almost immediately lost my drive.  Took it back into the garage, and removed the belt cover.  The problem is, the rear of where the cover seats, is where the metal from the snowblower frame dips down.  Water was going down this metal, and guess what?  The friction disc is right below.  It gets wet = loss of drive.  Once you take off the cover and see the relationship between the edge of the frame and position of the friction disc, you will understand why it so easily gets water on the disc.

So I dried up the water and cleaned up the friction disc using brake cleaner.  Then, I used a strip of weather stripping that I attached to the frame.  It is a little tricky putting this weather stripping in there, it goes behind the pulleys and the spring, and just lies flat on that metal edge that dips down.  Make sure it does not touch the engine.  Once on, it will help block water from simply falling onto the friction disc.  It works fine now, and the friction disc is able to do its job w/o getting wet and slipping.

It is part #46 in this diagram (but I just used regular weather stripping):  http://www.partstree.com/parts/?lc=snapper&mn=E115328E+(1695096)+32%22+11.5+HP+Two+Stage+Large+Frame+Snow+Thrower+Euro+Series+8&dn=11122

As mentioned in this thread, this part should of came standard with our blowers, but it didn't.  I suspect JD is fully aware of this problem, but doesn't want to pay a repairman to come out and apply a $2 piece of weather stripping.  There should be a better way to protect the friction disc from getting wet.  JD could have put a slight lip on the edge of the metal, to prevent water from just falling in.

I need a new snow blower.  Most dealers have sold out of snow blowers in the area (southern NH) and are now stocking spring equipment.  Up until now I've gotten by with a 1970 Ariens 7HP 24" model.  A local dealer quoted me out $230 just for the part that has broken with a potential $500 more if the augers or drive shaft break while they try to get them apart (they have rusted together).

While looking for a new snowblower I came across the John Deere 1130SE at a local Lowes.  They had several left but most had repair tags for "wheels slipping".  They supposedly have been fixed (the sales rep mentioned the oil/grease on the friction disk but did not mention the melting snow leaking onto it).  Now to the point - they offered to sell me a John Deere 1130SE for $1,000.  They went right to that price so I suspect there may be even more wiggle room than that.

Given the problems with this model, and what appears to be a known fix (install the missing parts or weather stripping) what do you think is a fair price for this snow blower?  Would you buy one for $1,000?

 Hello natf,

 I own the 1130se and was able to talk the management down to 1200.00 after mine had drive problems. I thought that was a steal 1,000 is a true winning price. Look at my previous post I sealed with tape problem gone. You will not find a blower with this kind of motor and torque for less than 1500.00. Just my thoughts others would rather pay 1700.00 and not put a small fix to there new blower. I do understand that some people feel you pay good money and there should be no problems.

Don

Aside from The Great Drive Problem, this appears to be one of the better machines out there. If you're willing to tinker a bit - or perhaps even talk the dealer into replacing the "missing" Part #46 mentioned above - that's an awesome price.

But if you're willing to tinker a bit you might consider taking one of the slipping-drive-repair-tagged ones at the dealers off his hands for, say, $700 or so. Find one that's otherwise as-new, fit the weatherproofing, and you'll have a hell of a machine for just over half price.

I'm not in the market for a blower at this time, but if I were I'd grab one that somebody hates because "they got a brand new machine with problems" - then fix it for a few bucks.

Any updates on this drive problem?Has Deere provided any info to anyone on providing a free  upgrade on a kit to correct the problem?

I had the same drive issues on my brand new 1130SE and i have done 2 things and now awaiting any other snowfalls to test out..  

1.  i bought a small sheet of aluminum and made a small shield that  i bolted to the location of that gastet part # 46 in above referenced diagram.  it acts as both a snow deflector, and i sealed underneath it with silicone.  ( also put some weatherstripping on the bottom of the belt cover ends which essentially seals all the way across that end of the cover now).     this should eliminate the water dripping down from the snow melting on the engine issue.

2.  i did look at the hex shaft and there did seem to be a significant amount of lubricant which i could see could cause the issues as well.  I cleaned the shaft and drive plate with brake cleaner and re-lubricated the shaft with bearing greese which is much thicker and shouldn't fly off.  When i sprayed brake cleaner to clean the black residue from the drive plate, it came right off, which would lead me to believe the slippage could have been caused by the lubricant as well, (lubricant mixing with the rubber drive wheel on that plate causing the rubbery black residue on the drive plate ).  

so whether it was water dripping causing the slipping, or lubricant flying off the hex shaft, I addressed both and now am waiting to see if i get any more snow.

Brian

Local dealer called, and requested that I bring in the 1130Se asap for some retro fix for the drive problem.  I didn't talk to him, so I don't know exactly what that will be.  He said he wants them ALL taken care of before mower season starts.  Anyway, if you haven't been contacted yet... you may want to give them a call... apparently, there is a fix, and you may as well let them do it.  I'll report back when it's finished.

trekguy wrote:
Hi trek, did you get your machine back?

I just picked one of these up at my local Lowes store yesterday for $800, ($890 on seasonal closeout with 10% coupon) new, never started. If the two that were sitting there were not sold by next weekend the guy said they would go up on a shelf until this Fall.

Do you guys think I should just ring my local JD dealer on Monday, or should i go with calling B&S or JD directly? Looks like a beast of a machine, just hoping to see if there is a service bulletin out yet and if there really is a kit to fix it that can be provided to the JD dealer.

Got it back with a different plastic cover.  I think they double-checked adjustments, as well... and cleaned the disk.  My retired Dad had time to spare, so he ran it to the dealer... I didn't talk to them myself.  Guess I won't know for sure til next winter, whether or not the problem is fully resolved.  The dealer said to let him know how it goes.  They are fully aware of the problem, so I wouldn't hesitate to give your's a call... they should know exactly what's what.  I will say again that besides that drive hiccup, the machine throws snow like nobody's business!  The last storm we had dumped 22 inches of heavy, wet snow in my yard..... the 1130 went through it like it was nothing.

Hi Everyone,

I am looking at an 1130SE for this winter and came across this thread. I realize the posts are from last season, but I am thinking of purchasing one (from new stock) very soon. Does anyone know if John Deere has made any changes yet to solve the friction drive problem?

I am trying to decide between the 1130SE and the Toro 1028OXE. Each has advantages over the other, but the JD has a much better price point for a larger engine.

Thanks for any input,
Mike

mikkel'

I had the friction drive problem last year - sometimes.

I racked my brain and came across this site. I read the pages and could see some very interesting progress being made.

I figured the parts were missing on my 928E as everyone else was having the same experiences with their 1130SE.

Finally my local Lowes in Hamilton, Ontario started selling the snowthrowers again and I popped in to take a look at them this weekend.

Sure enough, the correct parts have been installed to stop the water seepage onto the friction disc on the new models (both 928E and 1130SE). So it looks like this years models will be fine.

I asked the sales staff about the model I purchased last year and they directed me to my local John Deere dealer who is now ordering me a kit to install myself. They did however offered to install the parts free of charge - nice.

Once the kit arrives, I'll post the results and hopefully be able to post pictures.

As for the Toro 1028OXE I can't comment.  I can however say that the JD is a brute and has impressed me like no other.

Len

Thanks LennyB for your reply. I really appreciate it; sounds like the friction drive problem has been solved for sure.

Couple more questions for anyone:
1) Regarding the electric-powered chute rotation: is this system robust? Does anyone think snow and ice will freeze the operation up, or is it shrouded well enough?
2) Is the Easy-Steer system similar to a limited-slip diff? How does it actually function? The dealer cannot really explain to me how the system works, although I did operate the blower on a cement floor and it seems to work seamlessly.

Thanks again,
Mike

I just purchase the JD 1130SE. I called the JD dealer and he knows nothing about the "Retro fix" for the Drive slippage problem.  The Sevice guy started to laugh when I told him that I was getting my information from the internet. He was not interested in what people were saying and said that he checked and found nothing about a cover or anything from B and S.

Well, I will have to wait until the snow flys in Minneapolis to find out if it slips and has problems. Maybe this is a isolated incident. If you can supply me with the "Fix" that your dealer did for you I can follow up with the dealer.

Jim

lanningjw,

I have ordered my kit from the dealer and I have not heard anything yet. It's been about 14 days. I'll give them a little more time before I start nagging again.

Like I said, once I get the kit I'll post back with the results, a few  photos, and the part numbers.

Hopefully that information can help everyone else.

lanningjw wrote:
Sounds like your dealer is tuned out. I find it annoying as hell when dealers of anything scoff at the idea of information from the internet. I personally think it embarrasses them. Particularly when they are proved wrong. I've had that experience with motorcycle shops and OPE shops. The difference is that I do my homework thoroughly before I go in. When they start feeding me BS and arguing that the internet info is wrong, I challenge them on it. After all, fifty unbiased opinions from participants of forums must account for something vs. the very much biased opinion of the dealer. Put it in their face and keep it there. I find that their argument rapidly deteriorates in the presence of research, facts and the reported experience of others.

I was at a Lowe's store a couple of weeks ago looking at the 1130SE.  They had both last year's and this year's versions of the Deere 1130SE on the floor.  The old version had the plastic belt cover where I could stick my finger through openings on the engine side of the cover.  The new model has additional plastic that has no opening what so ever.  It also seems more robust on that edge.  You might want to ask the "service guy" why Deere spent money tooling up a different cover.  He's an idiot.

Here are the differences I saw between the two models.

1) Belt cover is completely sealed from what I can tell versus last year's model with gaping holes.
2) Electric chute rotation now versus the hand crank.
3) Engine exhaust cover is now made of heavier gauge metal.   This doesn't bend as easy.
4) The hand control cables for blower and wheel engagement don't cam around the black plastic rollers anymore.
5) The upper chute hinge no longer uses a spring on top of the chute.  It's now a compression spring arrangement on the side of the chute.

LennyB wrote:
Although my Simplicity didn't suffer too bad from snow getting inside and onto the drive system, I did have it happen once or twice in exceptionally deep snow. I made a seal/shield from a piece of inner tube that I glued and riveted to the engine side of the belt cover. Not the prettiest fix in the world but it does the job. It's good to go. Just waiting for some snow now.

I bought last years 1130 for $850, so I guess if I have to mess around with with a getting cover from a dealer who has no idea what I am talking about it is worth the effort. I should not have to use the JD until Nov. Hope I can get that part number before we get snow. Maybe I can use duck tape and tin foil and wrap it around the cover until I get the fix kit number.<BR><BR>BTW Last night I sold my Simplicity 8/28 Snowbuster. It was a really clean machine with the big orange snow cab.

lanningjw, that is a fantastic deal!  You can get the newer belt cover and with that great price you'll be set.  You might get the part number from the newer version.  I ordered the newer version 1130SE and should take delivery in a week. It cost a lot more than $850.  I'm in Minnesota too.  Maybe when I take delivery from the Deere dealer I can get a part number.

Catt where at you in MPLS? I started mine up and it fire right off w/o the electric start. Its a huge machine and its the mean green machine. It should throw snow 40 feet and I think we are gonna get some this winter and we are gonna have it made. I can say this so far it moves soooooooo much better than My last 2 stage. Easy to turn and handles well.

Do you have a large driveway? Jim

lanningjw wrote:
i had the same problem with my JD 9/28 bought new in december 08, these machines were shipped with 3 parts missing by the belt cover, my dealer laughed at me as well till i had him look up the parts diagram for the belt cover and pulley, it showed a shaft seal, a seal plate and a seal strip, then i took him over to a machine sitting in the show room, and sure enough these parts were not installed, if you go back to post #77 of this thread, the part # are there, but i think these are simplicity part #'s, your dealer has to do this repair on warranty
good luck

lanningjw, I'm in Saint Paul.  My driveway isn't huge but I like big toys.  I plan to put a cab on the 1130 as I've gotten tired of having snow blow at my face.  Can't wait to get delivery and run it around the driveway.  I'm really looking forward to the easy steer.

Just bought the New 1130SE from a John Deere dealer in my home town. I have spent all day reading the manual and checking the machine. I found that everything was inplace and assembly and all parts were there. The only problem I found was that there was way too much oil in it. The delivery man started the machine a couple of times for me to show me how it worked. I got the extra oil out and checked for any blown seals but all seams fine. Just a note that if you buy one to check the oil before you start.

The Auger is 14in

I haven't gotten into the gut of the machine yet but the Easy Steer system works great. Both wheels turn one faster then the other to accomplish the turn. The regular guy that deals with the snow blowers was in the States for traning so I didnt get much info.

The electric shoot rotation is really cool... but I think there is potential for a jam in the snow. Im looking forward to the first storm.

Jason

Still waiting for some concrete info on parts for the update on the 08 1130....Any update to share?

I have no update yet on my 2008 928E as I am still waiting for my "kit".

I have nagged my dealer a few times and they replied that there has been no delivery of my parts yet.

It's been 30 days and that seems a while for $9 worth of parts.

I'll keep you posted.

Len

See below

Finally a dealer who knows about the updates for the 1130 SE.

Both updates are warranty issues.

A) Water Seal Kit or waterproof kit retro kit, Part number (in CAN) assuming its the same US, BS 1687300 (SM) The kit came out in Jan of this year.

B) Clutch lever kit update for slippage.....BS 1687452YP (again CAN number) Hope it the same US. This update came out late spring.

I just placed a call to my JD dealer and will speak to him soon, I hope.

Just called the dealer spoke with a different guy who I should of spoke the first time and he said drop it off and well take care of it. He was not aware of the later clutch lever kit fix and said he would get it done.

He said we have been selling these things for 25 years and that they have had had snow leaking in the parts......Kinda like why fix something that is not broken answer. I told him that Its better to have the updates installed NOW before it snows.

I think they hate it when you know more than you do.....
Knowledge is power.....

I talked to my dealer today.  My 1130SE should be here mid to late next week.  My neighbors will be wondering why I'm driving it around with no snow.  I can't wait to try it out!

BTW, have you seen this video?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3CCOUHb3Jo

Catt wrote:

The 1130SE "ROCKS" I am getting excited for winter.

A little more info on the problems with the 08 model. The problem is they use to use the Tecumseh motor that was flat on the side where the belt cover was. They dont make a snow blower engines any more. So, the BS engine is not flat on the side where the belt cover goes and this has caused problems with snow leaking on the belts. 

Does anyone know what this clutch lever update is? is it worth nagging my dealer about it?

I finally received my 1130 SE...  I went through it with a fine tooth comb to make sure everything was adjusted properly because it wasn't when I got it home.  I thought the dealer should have done a much better job.  After getting everything greased, oiled and adjusted I drove it around the driveway.  This seems like a fantastic snow blower and I can't wait to try it out this winter.  The electric chute works great and the hand warmers will be very nice.  I haven't fully decided about a cab just yet.

As I was going through everything, I removed the lower metal chain case cover.  Now I can see why the earlier version was slipping when it got snow between the engine and the plastic belt cover.   It's a very short direct path to the aluminum disc.  I mean it sits right below the plastic belt cover and there really isn't any where else the melted snow can go. In addition, when you engage the wheels, the aluminum disc tilts slightly giving it even more of a direct path to become wet.. Another thing I noticed was the minimal lube on everything including the chains.  I guess they are now trying to make sure that lube doesn't get splattered onto the disc.  This was all different than my 25 year old Simplicity pro series.  My old Simplicity disc was in a different location and everything was lubed to the max.  The Simplicity disc also didn't tilt for engagement.  But I think the JD is better because the axle is much further back giving more downward force up front.  This should cause the front end to dig down more.  But in the end, I would definately get the updates for the belt cover if I had last year's model.

While apart I looked at the "easy steer" differential.  This thing is pretty slick.  If you rotate one tire and hold the other stationary it will turn the shafts and chains.  It doesn't matter which wheel you rotate and hold stationary, you will get the same result.  so it works exactly like an automotive differential and must be planetary gears of some sort.  I believe the differential can semi lock and unlock too depending on wheel load versus drive torque.  In other words when the wheels are pushing hard they will lock together, although I'm not sure how to fully test it and how much they lock.  I did notice how the wheels seem to lock when I drove it down the trailer ramp.  Either way it looks like a very good feature to me and is probably one of the main reasons to buy this snow blower.

Catt, congrats on your JD, glad you like what ya got.

Got both of the updates done at the dealer this week. I almost $#%* when the girl said $197..... I said, but this was warranty work. She said I will get the service guy. He confirmed it was warranty work updates with no charge. Didn't give me any paper work, said you don't need it.
Service guy asked if JD contacted me about updates? I said nope, got the info from a blower forum.
I could tell this pissed him off, then he said why did I get them done if I had not used the blower? I said would you get them done, I don't want this thing slipping around.
He said out of all the JD blowers they sold last year not one came back with a slipping problem. I said last year we did not get alot of snow but maybe we will this year and I don't want to have to throw this thing in the back of my pickup. I want it to work with out a problem, that why they have the updates. He was like why fix something that was not broken.
I do not like doing business at the stealer, I mean dealers.

Hope every guy with a 2008 JD 1130 gets his updates. You deserve them, that right!
Jim

lanningjw, You did very well.  You got a great price and the updates.  It kind of pi_ _es me off how this has been handled.  Only people that b itch get the update.  This will be a problem eventually for anybody without the updates, but you won't know it until the right conditions occur.  I saw several machines at Lowe's without and the sales people had no clue.  Now I'm going to look forward to winter and I have a new toy to play with.  Good luck with your 1130.  I'm sure you'll have many years of great service and good job making sure you have the latest revisions.

Good morning, Ianningjw good for you, hopefully you won't have any problems now that you have had the updates done,  where did you find out about the clutch lever update? now that it has had the update, could you tell the difference from the original lever to the updated one?

Ozzie, I took the JD from the driveway up into the grass and back to the shed. I thought it was kinda warm out to be playing with the blower. I cannot tell any difference with the updates.

Why not get them done?

Sorry about the delay, but I have an update on my 928E that I had talked about earlier.

I really wanted to have the retro kits (water proofing, and clutch lever kits) in my hands so I could snap a few shots and post them here but the dealer talked me into having the parts installed by him so as to maintain my warranty, blah, blah, blah.

Looking back, I suppoose it didn't cost me anything nor did I have to spend the time installing the parts.

Anyway, he told me the seal kit sits right behind the cover to stop the water from sneaking down into the friction disc, and as for the clutch lever, he mentioned that this kit was an update to stop the oil and or grease from contacting the friction disc as it has been mentioned earlier on this thread. Apparently the original hex shaft on the drive wheel was oil impregnated and had to be replaced to halt any contamination onto the friction disc.

As I said, sorry for not being able to post the photos, but if you have the issues that the other members have experienced, contact your John Deere dealer and start the ball rolling.

I also want to thank everyone here for making this process so much easier as Lowes did not inform me of any update nor did they offer any assistance in getting my issues resolved. It was the diligence of the people here that made the difference.

Thanks again guys,
Len

I replaced the original gas cap with a cap fuel gauge for my Deere 1130 SE.  Now I can see how much gas is in the tank with just a glance.

LennyB, What JD dealer did they send you to for the upgrade?I am in the Hamilton area and plan on getting the update for my 08 model.

Blackjack,

I got my machine serviced at Agraturf in Smithville.

Very easy people to deal with.

Catt,

Where did you pick up the fuel gauge, that's a great idea.


Len

This gauge is made for the Briggs Intek engine.  It works great and the red matches the other red controls.

I ordered mine from here and they shipped it very quick:

https://www.mowpart.com

Model Number: 698109

Thanks Catt.

Can someone post pics to show what the updated parts looks like?  I have last year's model and am not sure if it has the update installed yet or not.

Also, on the engine it says 1650.  I thought these only came with the 1550 engine?  It is definitely a 1130se.  Did last year’s model have the 16.5 lb torque engine?

Try sticking your finger through any opening on the engine side of the plastic belt cover.  If your finger can go through than it doesn’t have the updates.  There should be absolutely no openings on that side. 

Go to page 8 of this document and look at the items listed below.  These are the belt cover seal updates from the Simplicity site which are pretty much identical.

 

http://bsintek.basco.com/BriggsDocumentDisplay/default.aspx?filename=fmlwzJT.-FzXFix2

 

0380 -  Foam Seal

0390 – Plate Seal

0400 – Foam Seal

I'm not sure about your engine.  The Deere 1332PE uses the 1650.  I can only guess they put in the 1650 due to availability or the labels are incorrect.  Both the 1550 and the 1650 are 342cc engines.

Catt wrote:

This cap? http://www.mowpart.com/p312481/Cap-Fuel-Tank/product_info.html

Yes, it shows part number 698109 and that's the fuel cap I ordered.

I tried talking to my local John Deere dealer about having the update done to my 1130 SE and he said that it is not warranted work, but they can do it for a cost.  Does anyone have a person at John Deere that I should talk to?

Here is what he told me:

Hello Sean,

I checked with the manufacturer and found that the water seal kit is probably not necessary so John Deere chose not to include it in the 1130SE model.  It is available for purchase for $47.61 plus $9.50 freight.  Installation is charged out at $82.00 per hour.  We have never received a request for this item.

The clutch lever kit would be a warranty repair if your 1130SE is experiencing drive slippage that can not be corrected with an adjustment of the drive system.

Let us know if you are interested in installation or warranty work. 

$82.00 an hour? To fix a snow thrower? Incredible! There has to be an OPE repair shop in your area that will do it for half that. When I see service charges like that, I'm very thankful that do my own work.

Was the 2008 model the first year of the 1130SE?  Mine has a 1650 engine and I am trying to find out more about why it doesn't have the 1550 engine.  I had my dealer run the serial number and the engine has never been replaced.  Also, it has a silver metal cage (similar to chicken wire) over the muffler rather than the black heat shield. 

If John Deere won't pay to have the waterproof kit installed, I will see if they will at least give me the parts so I can install them myself.  It looks like a pretty simple add on. 

I just hate the idea of knowing that the machine has a big gap where snow and water can go into the belt system and the JD dealer doesn't want to do anything until it causes a problem.  There is a good chance it will be out of warranty by then. 

embury wrote:

Has anyone tried these parts on the 1130SE?

By the way, I found the parts manual for the 1130SE if anyone is interested.   It does not show the waterproofing parts.  The Engine diagram looks exactly like the Snapper and Simplicity diagrams I have seen. 

Parts Manual

Swoods wrote:
How can they refuse to supply and install the parts? the 2008 928e and the 1130 were shipped from the factory with the 3 parts missing, how do they figure they are not necessary? it's a seal kit to stop the water from getting on the friction disc and platter, it is a warranty issue, the parts were never installed due to inventory problems at the factory at the time of production, my dealer told me this after i showed him a parts diagram and the gap behind the cover.They first replaced the friction disc, saying it was inpregnated with oil,still had the problem, called them and was told they would get back to me about the missing parts, a couple of weeks go by and i give them a call and the service guy tells me about the inventory problem at the factory, and there was a kit availlable to rectify the problem, but was 7 weeks back order, at this time we were the middle of Febuary , and by the time they would receive the kit, winter would be over, told him i would see him in the fall, took it in last week, had the kit installed, at the same time, i showed him my muffler gaurd was cracked, and how come this years model was a more heavy duty one like the 1130? he looked at mine, took a new 1130 into the back, and switched out the gaurd for me no problem,  took less than 2 hours for the kit and gaurd to be installed, now just waiting for the snow to try it out.

ps, the parts manual you have, doesn't show the 3 parts that are missing, use the Simplicity 1 in the previous post, and show them that 1,  be polite, but perstant, if all else fails, call John Deere customer service, in Canada the # is 1-888-3068 not sure where you are, but if you are in the States, look in your owners manual for the #
or go to Simplictiy and order them there, it's like $15 for the 3 parts and instal them your self

Me and my bud from work both bought the JD 1130SE from lowes, I took mine tot he local JD dealer for repair $196 of warrant work. My bud 1130 warranty work came to $256. Isn't that strange! Got the new gas cap on the way! Let it snow....

I too have the same problem with these 3 parts missing, and got the run around from John Deere earlier this year, and wanted to try to fix it properly.  So I bought the parts myself (shaft plate, seal and strip).  I installed them all, but now my cover doesn't fit correctly.  It is as if the new plate is a little too big for the cover.  So I set out to Lowes, to look at the new 928's to see what I could find out, and took these pics.  Pictures have explanations in them.  If anyone runs into the same issue with the cover fitment, please let me know how you fixed it!

I played with adjusting the cover some more, and was able to finally get it popped on correctly with some pressure.  It doesn't go on as smoothly as the new models @ Lowes, but it is on.  Hoping now that the water is properly deflected, I think the plate being in place will make all the difference...

Tomorrow morning I fire up the 1130 and start blowing snow for the first in it's life.  I can't wait to see how it performs.

Maybe the bolt holes on the belt cover need to be "reemed" out a bit to compensate for the seal plate that is now being fit in.  I ordered my parts and am just waiting for them to come in.

Has anyone had any luck with adding a cab?  I went out yesterday for the first time and had a bunch of snow blown back on my face :)  Great machine though! 

I added a cab to my last snowblower and I ordered a cab for my 1130 from ebay.  These are made specifically for the Deere.  Just be aware you have a headlight off to the side and some cabs won't work well with the light.  Another thing to look for is an easy way to remove the cab.  Some cabs bolt on with no easy way to remove it.  Do a search on ebay for Deere snow cab .

Classic Deluxe make an excellent product for a very good price. I have one and really appreciate it's convenience. It's very well built and has quick release. Here's a link...http://www.classicaccessories.com/product_detail.aspx?pid=112&cid=0

This is a better price than I received from eBay for a cab.

 

http://www.rungreen.com/search.asp?keyword=LP91967&www=Submit

Yo Catt: Does that cab have quick release capability. The Classic Deluxe is secured by two quick release pins.

Borat,  It's supposed to have quick release pins,  but I haven't received it yet.  It's also supposed to be made by Classic with a custom fit for the Deere.

Catt,  I just ordered the same cab from the Rungreen.com website that you mentioned.  I like that it has the pockets inside.   I had the headlight burn out already.  When I went to the store to get a new one, it turns out it is a foglight bulb. 

I just wish I had a bigger driveway now.  At least I can keep it in 1st gear to make the job last longer :)  I love mowing (with 2 cycle Lawn Boys), and this is the next best thing.

My cab was delivered today.  It was definitely made by Classic.  I assembled the cab and now need to mount it on the 1130.  I think I'm going to make a couple of modifications because it seems a little high and I'm not very tall.  It will depend if it easily fits under the garage door.  I may re-locate the headlight too.  It has a somewhat easy off system but uses set screws.  I will most likely change these too.  Overall I think it will work very well for me.  Next I need to get an extra garage door opener for the included pouches.

Catt,

Let me know about your modifications.  I love tinkering around with things to fit my own purpose.  I will probably have to lower my cab too.  I'm 5'9" and the pics I have seen make it look like it's 7' tall.  On another note, I have begun using WD-40 for rust prevention.  I bought a gallon can and a spray bottle.  I sprayed the auger and down the shoot as well as all the bare metal parts of the machine.....bolts, rods, etc.  I also waxed all of the painted surfaces. 

How is everyone's machines doing now that winter is upon us? 

The cabs are designed to be quite a bit higher than the typical operator in case you need to tip the snowblower back, the top of the cab doesn't hit your head.  Try tipping the snowblower back about 30-45 degrees and see if you still have headroom.  If there is extra headroom, lower it as necessary. 

Catt wrote:
Great idea.  I just bought an extra transmitter for this exact purpose.  :)  I got the keychain one and will fasten it to the frame so I don't drop it in the snow. 

I put my cab on the 1130 today.  I was very surprised that I didn't need to do any significant modifications.  I'm 5'8" (and shrinking) and I have about 2" of clearance under the garage door to the top of the cab.  The cab comes with a set of extensions for tall people that I didn't use.  One of the supports is a little bit in front of the headlight but it doesn't make any difference in light output.  I adjusted the headlight in the garage with the lights off and aimed it at the garage door to be sure.  I did replace the allen set screws with thumb screws and wingnuts.  The wingnuts are to make sure the thumb screws don't vibrate out.  The thumb screws have a 5/16-18 thread pitch.  The set screw holes seem to be metric so I ran a tap through the holes and it works great.

Swoods wrote:
I used silicone spray on everything including the plastic parts.  I might use WD-40 on the auger parts just to make sure.  I really like the 1130 and look forward to more snow. 

How is everyone's 1130 working with the upgrades for sealing the belt guard?  I pulled the belt guard cover off and noticed some water in the chain case area even with these upgrades.  I decided that wasn't going to happen in the future.   I went a significant step further to make sure no water/snow gets onto the disc.  OK this is probably overkill but I was having fun playing with my Deere.  I can post larger pictures if needed.


Here is what I did...

This is 1/2" gray closed cell foam that I attached to the belt guard on the side next to the chute to seal this side.





Here is the belt guard installed with the foam attached. This was a pretty large opening before I added the foam.





I used silicone on every open hole on each side next to the tires.  I used a trouble light and looked for any light coming into the chain case. 






Under the engine are several holes which I assume are used to mount other engines.  I used silicone on these.  I was surprised how much light was coming through under the engine.  This looks like a water dripping area to me.






I used both 1/4" and 1/2" gray closed cell foam to outline the area for the lower chain case metal cover.  The front part of the lower cover has a very large gap.  Not anymore!






The lower chain case cover has several holes to drain any water.  I left these open as I want to make sure any water that gets in will have a way to drain out.





Silicone...

Catt,

Did you tip the unit onto the auger housing when you worked on the lower chain guard?  I will definetly duplicate all of your water-proofing efforts.  I already have the silicone and closed-cell foam ready to go.  I've just been waiting for my parts to come in before I take it all apart. 

I tipped it up on carpet to protect the paint and I didn't have the drift cutters installed.  When these are installed it wants to tip back down. I also pulled off the chute because it gets in the way.  I pulled the pins  for the wheels as it's a lot easier to get silicone in the holes without the wheels.   I have a heated garage so this was all pretty easy to accomplish.  I'm really interested to hear how everybody's machine is performing this year.

I forgot to add that before installing the foam and silicone, I cleaned the area with alcohol to make sure it was oil free and clean.

Catt,  it's nice to see someone take such good care of their equipment.  Most people nowadays just leave their stuff out in the rain and throw it away when it requires basic repairs. 

I too purchased the John Deere 1130 SE and have just experienced the drive problem for the first time tonight (and second, third, and fourth times).  I was able to get mine to re engage after pulling and pushing it around a few times but definately not acceptable.  All of this after my initial fuel blockage problem. 

Last year's models came with a reservoir under the gas cap for adding fuel stabilizer.  The cap on the reservoir fell off into my gas tank and blocked the fuel line.  The manager of the lawn and garden dept at Lowes told me several people have had this problem and they would have John Deere take care of it right away.  They did free of charge and I walked away happy.  This all happened prior to "The Great Drive Problem" exlained earlier in this discussion. 

Anyways, I plan on taking my blower back to Lowes (Rogers, MN) tomorrow with this entire discussion printed out.  I see a few previous posters had to pay arond $200 to get this fixed as it wasn't covered under warranty.  That is total BS that I will not tolerate.

I wil give Lowes/John Deere a chance to fix this free of charge before I get too worked up.  I will let you know what happened later this week. 

ccginmn wrote:

Welcome to the forum CCGINMN, Go up to http://jddealer.deere.com/scharber/ across 101 from Lowes. They can fix your machine. They did the fix to mine and my friends 1130SE. Tell the service MGR that its slipping and you want both updates! My 1130SE blows snow great, but it has slipped 3 times so far even with the updates. It only lasted a few seconds but WTF is this all about. It slipped after about 1 hour of use in the first storms snow. It was only slipping in 2 gear and was not a issue because it worked after I moved it up to the 3 gear. I love the way this blower is able to scrap the driveway down to tar. Talk about torque, this motor in the deep compacted snow really seems to be more than able to take care of business. I took the blower down the road after the plow came through, down to the mail boxes. It kicked ass in the heavy snow. Seems to like to drink the 93 unleaded no ethanol. Went through almost a gallon with several uses. I did get the gas cap that shows gas level. Easy to move around while under power, Like that you can reverse in free wheel and pull the blower back. The reverse gearing is slow and weak.

What does the clutch update consist of? 

I just called the local John Deere dealership (Schaber & Sons) and they are aware of the problem and will fix it under warranty for free.  The dealer was even aware of the multiple posts on this website. 

I do love this blower when it is working properly.  It's just the right size to muscle around -another 50 pounds and it would be too big.  I am actually looking forward to our next significant snowfall.  Hopefully it doesn't happen for a week or so as mine will be in for repair.  I will let you know if I run into any more problems as I am very good at belly-aching.

I'm not too surprised the slipping is still occuring.  Although Deere significantly improved the belt cover seal on the engine side, there is still a significant opening on the chute side.  When I removed my belt cover to see if water was getting into the belt area I definitely saw water and I know some of it was coming from that side.  If it gets on the pulley that drives the auger it will sling it around.  In addition, under the engine are many holes for mounting other engines.  I don't know if these are causing a problem but my concern would be melting snow running down the engine, getting underneath and then dripping into the chain case area.  At the very least my suggestion is to add the 1/2" foam on the chute side of the belt guard.  Beyond that, time will tell if other holes need to be closed.  I fully believe this can be solved, but it would have been better if Simpicity/Deere would have solved this.  Since I closed nearly every available opening, I will let everyone know if I have any slipping.  I just need it to snow so that I can play with my toy!

Catt, you know, although the water seal problem is a bit of a pain in the a*#, it is sort of fun trying to solve it on our own.  Do you know what the clutch update is?  Someone previously mentioned that there are 2 updates.  I assume that the water seal kit is the one, but what is the other, clutch? 

Swoods wrote:
Swoods, I agree totally.  I'm not sure what the clutch update is.  Maybe Lanningjw can help with this question.

Catt wrote:

Catt, I am gonna do that fix also with the weather strip on the auger side, I can see the belts through it now, gotta be leaking snow in that area. Seems like a good idea. Did you put the glue side on the plastic or metal? Love the gas cap you showed in a earlier post. OEM parts work great. The blower start on the first pull, have not use the electric start. Will change oil when it gets the 5 hours on the engine, are you going with synthetic oil? I think it snowed more on the western edge of the TC than STP. Thanks for the picture,

lanningjw wrote:
lanningjw, I used a black marker to draw a line on the plastic belt cover for reference.  Then I removed the cover and attached the foam glue side on the plastic.  I thought that if I need to replace the foam in the future, that I can take off the plastic belt guard and it might be a little easier to replace.  I will definitely use synthetic oil when I replace it.

I mounted my cab last night.  I got the same JD branded model that Catt has.  It seems to be of good quality and should last a long time.  The hardest part  was properly adjusting it once it was on the machine.  In some positions the mounting brackets would get in the way of either the rod used to move the shoot or the carb choke knob.  I mounted mine a bit lower down the handles for my height.  I also mounted it pretty vertically so I can comfortably lean the machine back and it won't hit my head/face. 

I will probably spray it down with silicon spray.  The kind used to waterproof fabric/shoes. 

Does anyone know of silicon spray that doesn't cost $6.99 a can like the special kind for fabric?  Is there another type of silicon spray that is cheaper?  Catt, what type of silicon did you use to spray down the rest of your machine?  Maybe I'll use Rain-X on the windows too.  I just have to be a bit careful that I don't use anything that will damage the windows.  I don't want them to turn yellow or anything. 

Not sure why you think you need to spray and coat the cab. I've had the Classic Deluxe quick release model for almost three years now. Never put anything on it and it's doing fine. If the snow thrower/cab is stored inside, it's very unlikely to require any coatings. The sun isn't beating on it and any snow accumulated on it will soon melt and run off it it's warm enough. As far as snow sticking to the windows, when that happens, I just give them a tap to knock the snow off. I've never had condensation issues on the interior either. If you guys really want to do something effective with your machines, I suggest you line the chute with a piece of hard, durable, slippery plastic like Krazy Karpet. It will save wear and tear on the inside of the chute, prevent rusting and snow sticking. It doesn't hurt snow throwing distance either. I've done it to mine and so far, it's held up very well. I'd say it's probably good for ten or more years.

I'll check out that plastic for the chute.  Where did you buy it from?  As far as silicon on the cab, I tend to "extra protect" everything that I like....such as this snowblower.  I plan on using this snowblower for the rest of my life and I love going the extra mile to keep it nice.  I just get a lot of satisfaction by taking good care of it. 

I have an hour meter coming and plan to mount it on the underside of the handle bar control panel.  I had considered an hour meter /  tachometer combo,  but I see many of these use an internal battery to keep time.  Some are not replaceable.  I didn't want to take a chance of losing the hours once the battery went dead and I couldn't tell if they were using EE memory to retain the hours.  I ordered it from ebay for $12.99 with shipping.

I have a Tiny Tach to keep track of hours and watch engine rpm. Not only do they have a battery, it cannot be replaced. So, effectively, I paid around $50.00 for an instrument that might only last me five years. We'll have to see how long it holds up. Stuff like this really aggravates me. Why not make it so the battery can be replaced? That's pure b.s. When it craps out, I'll probably go to a straight hour meter. Not that it's essential either. The machine seldom sees over 25 hours of work/year and gets an oil change after the end of every season so I don't really need to know when to change the oil. It would be interesting however to know how many total accumulated hours are on the engine.

Ebay has some new old stock dial-type hour meters that might be a good choice.  Some of them are the small 2 - 2/1/4" diameter.  It would be cool to get an old NOS John Deere hour meter that was supposed to be in a tractor. 

I took off my lower housing cover plate from the bottom of the machine and sealed up all of the extra engine mount holes and put the stick-on foam on the front part where it seals against the housing.  I also siliconed all around the edge of it once I mounted it back on. 

I just ordered the fuel gauge/cap that Catt recommended.  I ended up ordering it from Jacks Small Engine.

Catt,  I think we're going to end up with the same machine after we both get done with the modifications.  Let me know what you're going to do next :)

I saw where borat put a plastic liner in his snowblower chute and decided I would like to add this to my 1130.  The problem I had was getting plastic to curve in two different planes at the same time.  There is a curve going up/down and a "U" shape from side to side.  I also wanted the plastic fairly thick to protect from rocks as my last blower had a couple of dents in the chute.  I decided on a compromise where I would target the back portion of the chute but would leave the sides without plastic. 


I bought a plastic trash can from Walmart.  The plastic was very smooth inside and the thickness was .068". 


I cut two pieces of plastic from the trash can.  One for the chute and the other for the chute deflector.





I really don't like drilling holes in my equipment unless absolutely necessary.  In this case I decided it was needed to keep the deflector plastic in place.  I put masking tape on both the inside and outside of the deflector before drilling to avoid scratching the paint with burrs.  I used a stainless steel bolt with a round head.  The lower plastic is held in place with an existing mounting bolt.


I used a round phenolic knob with a metal insert on the top side of the deflector.  The knob looks fine, but I'm sure there would be many other options.


Mounted on the 1130.  I'll test it when the next snow comes.

Looks great!  Very innovative.  Guess I have to get myself some plastic :)  By the way, I just got another LawnBoy Mower.  That makes 4.  It's not running, but I figure it will be a good Christmas project when I have family over. 

Well,  my drivetrain is starting to slip.  A few days ago I lost 1st gear.  Today, I lost both reverses and 1st gear.  It wouldn't work when I pulled the cable either.  I could smell rubber burning as the friction disc slipped.  It started working a little while later after letting it sit.  I brought it to the local John Deere store here in Elburn.  I have not put the water seal parts in yet for around the belts.  Hopefully the John Deere dealer will do this for me.  Before Briggs told him they wouldn't have it done when it wasn't slipping.  Well, it's slipping now.  My dealer also mentioned the clutch update.  The new 1130SE he had on the showroom floor did have the seal parts on it from the factory.  

Catt: That should protect most of the chute. The sides don't see the abuse that the back does. I used one of the plastic sheets that kids use to slide down hills. I think they're called Krazy Karpets around here. Picked it up at Canadian Tire. I managed to put an entire insert into my chute by forming the piece inside the chute and clamping it in there with a piece of 2x4 in order to draw the lines to cut off the excess. Once I had the shape inscribed on the plastic, I trimmed it accordingly. After that, I took the plastic and bent it over the same piece of 2x4 holding it there with clamps. Then I heated the corners with a torch to get them pliable and take the shape of the 2x4. Once cooled down, it retained the shape and fit nicely into the chute. I didn't drill any holes in the chute. I used the holes that were already there. For the deflector, I drilled and riveted a piece of stainless steel to the underside. I thought that the deflector might take more of a hammering than inside the chute hence the stainless steel. My insert has held up nicely now for two seasons. It has a bit of scuffing in around the centre portion but far from wearing through. I'd say it's probably good for ten to fifteen years.

Swoods, I sure hope this gets resolved for you.  I'm pretty confident that if these updates aren't on the machine it will slip.  They should be doing a 100% recall.

borat, I think this will work pretty well, but I'm going to keep an eye on the exposed sides.  If I see problems, I will be going to rev B and get more plastic in the chute.  I did look for crazy carpet, but I could only find it online.  I found orange and blue... no black.  

Catt wrote:

It's probably marketed under different names as well. Slippery slider, Magic Carpet etc. or something like that. This time of year, they should be common.

Borat,  are you talking about plastic saucers? 

I can't find Magic Carpet, Crazy Carpet, or Slippery Slider, or anything else like that.  

This might be a good option for shoot liner plastic.  It is green.  Or, a green storage tote could probably work too.


http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100278536/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Here is an update to the plastic chute liner.  The upper deflector plastic has a problem with only one bolt.  Snow hits the leading edge of the plastic and causes it to bend out and then it catches a lot of snow causing it to bend even more. It looks like a mess of snow coming out of the chute.  So I replaced it with metal similar to what borat used and still used the one bolt.  I only had aluminum available but it's pretty thick.  This should make it more durable.  I'm still using plastic on the lower section of the chute.  It looks like it will work, but we had a very small amount of snowfall today (1"-2") so I'll need to try it again at a later date when we get a larger amount.





I think this is similar to the crazy carpet sled borat was referring to.
 
http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/toys/hello-world/

Here is a picture of my 1985 828 Allis Chalmers that I was using today.  It was made by Simplicity and is essentially their Pro series.  I use it at my office building and it still works fantastic.  My 2009 Deere 1130SE is also made by Simplicity.  Maybe I should just be buying Simplicity blowers.

Whacky Carpet now? How many names can a piece of plastic have? That's the stuff however. I chose it due to it being designed for winter use, is super slick on one side and appears to be very durable. Too bad, some outfit didn't make pre formed inserts.

My 1980 8/28 snowbuster