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

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