Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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dfvellone
Joined: Jan 10, 2009
Points: 20
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honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Original Message Jan 10, 2009 12:41 am |
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Hi all, new to this forum after having searched for a solution to my surging hs 1132.
Among the several problems I've had with this machine is the severe pulling to the right when the bucket is in the mid or low position. I've put it on a flat surface and adjusted the shoes and scraper to manual specs and no luck. Shoes are even and scraper is even so no misalignment there. I've tried to adjust the shoes and scraper to counter the pull but nothing worked. Track tension is even. This is a pretty frustrating problem as I clean a long drive and fight against the pull the whole time - tiring and forget it if my wife ever has to run the machine. As usual, my honda dealer is no help whatsoever. I had to inform them of the icing kit I learned of on this forum after three years of bugging them about the surging, backfiring problem I was having.
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dfvellone
Joined: Jan 10, 2009
Points: 20
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #23 Jan 13, 2009 2:36 pm |
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Have you tried removing the skids completely or at least raising them out of "operating range." Just rely on the height adjustments and the front blade. I don't think that this will completely eliminate you problem but it may give you a better sense of what is going on. I recently had my track drive honda apart when a big storm rolled in. I did not get a chance to put the skids back on so I blew the driveway with just the front scraper on. Granted my hs-80 has a small 24 inch bucket but it does not pull from side to side. It spins on a dime in the snow with one hand when locked into the mid and high position. When the bucket is in full forward position it's stuck to the ground like rock. Your situation sounds a lot like the Ariens that I used before this honda. I was always wrestling with it to keep it going down the driveway. Constantly. And I tried everything because it was a beautiful brand spanking new ariens. I think the issue was the relationship between the width of the chasis and the width of the snow bucket. That's why I started looking for an 8hp blower with a narrow 24" bucket. Maybe that's part of the problem with the 32. Boy, they sure look nice though. I feel you pain on the cost of replacement parts. I rely on on-line parts dist., ebay and a local welder to keep mine running. I haven't tried removing the skids - I adjusted them to dead level then started adjusting each to different heights to see if I could manipulate the pull with their difference in height. I'll try to remove them...I'll try anything at this point.
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dfvellone
Joined: Jan 10, 2009
Points: 20
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #24 Jan 13, 2009 3:35 pm |
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A Honda guy from another board posted this: check the scraper bar. If it is not even it will catch and pull the machine in that direction especially if the tracks are set at neutral or lower. Sounds like your issue. Maybe the scraper bar itself is uneven in terms of the edge being mismanufactured / worn and not even in the relationship between the adjusting slots and the edge. Kind of out of square. I know this is a "reach" but it appears you checked everything else. Marc What i did with the scraper bar was to take it down to the pond and and check it against the ice surface. In the mid position I adjusted it to honda's specs which i think was between 3 and 5/32nds above grade. Then I put the bucket in the low position and pulled the bucket from the front to visually check how even it was scraping the ice. It was nice and even and the pull was still hard right.
This message was modified Jan 13, 2009 by dfvellone
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mml4
 
Snow is good,
Deep snow is better!
Joined: Dec 31, 2003
Points: 544
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #25 Jan 13, 2009 5:25 pm |
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dfvellone- I reread this thread from the beginning and saw that this is a 3 year old machine. Was it new when you bought it? Did it always pull to the right? Is the tractor section and the blower section in proper allighnment? Again I know this is a reach but find the center of the dashboard and mark it . Take a piece of string and stretch it between that center spot on the dash and the center of the auger bearing on the right side. Mark the string with a magic marker and then see if the string is exactly the same length between the dashbord midpoint and the center of the left side auger bearing. If not the machine is not alligned properly. I used to check the allignment of rear motorcycle tires this way after adjusting the chain. Another shot in the dark but something has got to be causing this. Marc
This message was modified Jan 14, 2009 by mml4
SnapperV210P,Toro22177,TroyBilt42010Snowthrower,Craftsman Shredder,American Turbo Pressure Washer HondaGX200,Stihl011Saw,EchoPas260Trimmer Edger,EchoPB602Blower,EchoHCR150Hedge Clipper
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pvrp
Joined: Nov 14, 2008
Points: 151
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #26 Jan 13, 2009 6:58 pm |
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Again I know this is a reach but find the center of the dashboard and mark it . Take a piece of string and stretch it between that center spot on the dash and the center of the auger bearing on the right side. Mark the string with a magic marker and then see if the string is exactly the same length between the dashbord midpoint and the center of the left side auger bearing. If not the machine is not alligned properly. I used to check the allignment of rear motorcycle tires this way after adjusting the chain. Another shot on the dark but something has got to be causing this. Reminds me of when I was shopping for a used skidsteer loader. There was one I was interested in at one point. When I went back for a second look one of the wheels looked a bit odd. The third time I went back I brought some string and put it up against the wheels, like you'd do for a motorcyle wheel. The rear wheel was severely out of alignment and this is on a machine that has no suspension, the wheels/motors are bolted directly to the body. The thing must have fallen off a trailer or something. Not a word about it from the seller, who was a Bobcat dealer. Paul
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dfvellone
Joined: Jan 10, 2009
Points: 20
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #27 Jan 14, 2009 2:03 pm |
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dfvellone- I reread this thread from the beginning and saw that this is a 3 year old machine. Was it new when you bought it? Did it always pull to the right? Is the tractor section and the blower section in proper allighnment? Again I know this is a reach but find the center of the dashboard and mark it . Take a piece of string and stretch it between that center spot on the dash and the center of the auger bearing on the right side. Mark the string with a magic marker and then see if the string is exactly the same length between the dashbord midpoint and the center of the left side auger bearing. If not the machine is not alligned properly. I used to check the allignment of rear motorcycle tires this way after adjusting the chain. Another shot in the dark but something has got to be causing this. Marc I bought it new and it has pulled from the start. I never really cleared much in the low position at first because my driveway was really rough so when I rarely did drop it to low I chalked it up to the uneven surface. I improved the driveway by the second year but still not too much, and again only rarely dropped it to low. I noticed it more definitively when I started clearing my pond. Now that my driveway is in decent shape I can clear in low once in while to keep the base from building up. My dealer isn't too confidence inspiring or I'd just bring it to them although it's out of warranty. I had an issue with icing in the carb and their suggestions were just too indicative of their lack of ability - they just sell. I finally informed them of the service bulletin honda had posted regarding the icing problem. They'd never checked with Honda, just kept replacing carbs on problematic hs1132's under warranty which didn't help.
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dfvellone
Joined: Jan 10, 2009
Points: 20
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #29 Jan 14, 2009 10:43 pm |
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I think everyone has covered all the possible causes without having the snowblower for visual inspection. I would suggest taking the snowblower to another Honda dealer near you. I'm surprised that your experience with that particular dealer that sold your Honda. There are many places that sell Honda power equipment, but only a select few are allowed to sell the bigger two stage snowblowers. They are usually larger and have a competent people that know and can service the equipment. Once we get past this bit of deep freeze I'll spend one more day with all the suggestions and info everyone here has helped me out with and try to get this problem figured out - I don't have a heated space to work in. If I can't get it solved I'll have to see about where to take it. My dealer is a Power Choice Dealer but I think they've earned that label from sales not service. It's hard to pay labor rates that high when you've got to point out to the mechanic what the solution to a chronic problem is. Thanks to everyone for the advice. This website has benefited me more in these past few days with more thoughtful advice than I'd expected, and certainly much more informative insight than I've received from the dealer who received nearly $3000. from me.
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bondmaster
Joined: Jan 28, 2009
Points: 1
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #31 Jan 28, 2009 3:56 pm |
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Just came across this thread. My 1132 is about 3 years old. When I first got it, same issue you're having. Pull to the right. I called my local guy and he said, "Is it always to the right?" It turns out that there were several units made in which the entire housing was misaligned. Apparantly they weren't confirming the alignment when the two main pieces of the housing were coupled. (Honda states that this part was subcontracted.) This is a $1000 part. The dealer picked up the machine and installed a new housing under warranty. There is a slight visual difference in the two. The leading edges of the old housing were wrapped a bit. The new one is not. I was at another dealer last year and saw a new 1132 on the floor for sale and it still had the old style housing. I can't confirm if they've gone back to the older design, (correctly aligned) or this was a leftover. They weren't all bad. The key to noticing if this is your problem is that despite the fact you've setup the machine, per the manual, as you rock it forward from the highest position, take notice of which side of the housing contracts the ground first. If it's the right, by an inch or so, you've got a defective housing. Now, getting your dealer to honor this is another challenge. Fortunately, I've not had the surging or backfiring, though I'm not sure if I've got the carb kit. Anyone know how to tell? Lastly, my machine still pulls, though now its in both directions. I've lowered the shoes a bit and that helps. My neighbors 928 does it less. I think there is just more torque generated by the wider housing. I'm interested to try the side mount shoes to see if that reduces it. |
aa335
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434
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Re: honda hs 1132 pulls hard to one side
Reply #32 Jan 29, 2009 11:11 pm |
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Lastly, my machine still pulls, though now its in both directions. I've lowered the shoes a bit and that helps. My neighbors 928 does it less. I think there is just more torque generated by the wider housing. I'm interested to try the side mount shoes to see if that reduces it.
You are correct, the wider bucket housing generates more torque so it will pull when catching high traction patches. The 928 has less pull, I venture to say that the 724 has almost no pull as the tracks width are the same as the bucket.
I have the side mounted skid shoes and the pull in either direction is about the same as rear mount skid shoes. However, it is easier to correct the pull as the side shoes do not dig into the grass as much as the side of the bucket. Also, it is harder to do a u-turn with the side shoes in high traction areas. Feels like the side edges acts like sharp ice skates, preventing the turn. If the pavement has some packed snow layer, the side shoes glides over them much better.
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