Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Last year I bought a John Deere 1130SE snowblower and for the most part I was extremely happy with it's performance. I love the hand warmers, electric chute rotation, easy steer and the front end weight just to name a few.  The only problem I had, which was pretty significant, was the intermittent transmission slipping.  After sealing the transmission housing with silicone and some weather stripping, the problem was completely gone.  The remainder of the winter was very pleasing and I always looked forward to using the 1130.  I also had a second snowblower that I'm trading for a new 1330SE.  So now I'll have the 1130 and the 1330.  The 1130 will be for my business parking lot.  Some of the interesting features of the 1330 is the addition of an electric deflector control and dash area integrated headlights.  So now the chute is totally electric (both rotation and the deflector).  The slipping transmission should be resolved from water getting into the rubber/aluminum disc drive.  To fix this problem, Deere added a rubber gasket between the engine mounting plate and the transmission housing.  I'll try to post some pictures in the future.
BTW, my second choice would have been an Ariens since they seem to give people on this website support from at least one poster.  I wish Briggs, Simplicity or Deere would give the same support.

OK, here are some pictures of the 1330SE.

New electric deflector.







Here you can see the new rubber gasket that is sandwiched in between the engine mounting plate and the transmission housing.  There is also a new oil drain tube of some sort.  Not sure how that works yet.









This is a picture of the new headlights.

Looks like a real nice machine. Please post pictures of the entire machine as it looks robust and well built.

Let's hope for a snowy winter. Best of luck with it!

Catt,

That's a nice machine, nice quality built.  I noticed the sturdy piano hinge on the chute deflector.  If I didn't have a snowblower already, I would say you sold me on this Deere. 

By any chance can you post a picture of the electric chute deflector from the other angle?  I'm curious how it's done.  TIA.

Here is a picture that I had taken earlier.

Thanks Catt,

I'll say it again, that's a nice machine.  Clean, simple, and robust design.  I think Simplicity snowblowers are nice, Deere just takes it up a notch.

I have high confidence in that electric deflector.  Looks like it was thoughtfully designed and should hold up well.  It's a easy bolt-on and easy to take off for repairs or replacement.  I rather deal with that well-sealed window motor and hefty lead screws than sticky or frozen cables any day.

My 1330SE is ordered from the local Deere dealer and won't be here for a couple weeks.  I saw the same blower at Lowe's today and here are pictures of the full machine.

aa how do you feel the deflector cap cable on your honda compares with this john deere cap deflector?

mikiewest wrote:
I haven't encountered frozen or sticky cables on mine.  It is protected by rubber boots from water ingress or dirt.  Nice friction damped cable actuator that doesn't need notches to hold position.   Fast and precise.  Move the lever forward half way, the chute goes down half way and stays put.  It follows the same operation as the hydrostatic drive speed selector.  It's the best in the business for cable actuated deflector.

The Deere electric deflector seems well designed and wins kudos for convenience.    I like the idea of making chute adjustments without having to move my hands too far from the handle bars.

I like them both.

the deflector cap control on my simp pro is also very sturdy.There are no notches.It's infinitely variable.You just twist the little handle and its locked into position.The cap  cant move and its very smooth. 

mikiewest wrote:
The twist handle was probably chosen because there isn't much room on the console panel.  Probably works fine but not as intuitive as an up or down lever.

It might not be as"intuitive" as yours.But I have read on other forums where it can move if not adjusted properly.And it can feel tight.Once I twist that handle it cant move.When I move mine,the action is as smooth as silk. 

mikiewest wrote:
I haven't tried it, but I'll take your word.  It is what it is.

It is interesting to see the many options for the chute controls. It's also very hard to tell how well these work until you're actually behind the machine blowing snow.  As an example, my first reaction to the Toro was not very positive because all that I saw was a bunch of plastic.  However people seem to really like it and I haven't heard of any complaints.  I like the new Deere electric controls because I should be able to control everything with a push of a switch with each thumb.   

Thanks Catt!

Your post is what broke the camels's back for me. I had been lurking around several boards contemplating the 1330SE.. and finally made the move...

my unit is sitting in my garage...

Still waiting for my first snow... (Long Island, New York)

Thanks for the great pics!

Congratulations!  I tried my 1330 out on Saturday.  We got 7" of very heavy and wet snow.  The 1330 went through it with no problems.  I think you'll really like the easy steer and the electric chute controls.  The front end is pretty heavy, but that makes it dig down to the driveway, which I like.  I had added a fuel gauge to my 1130 and did the same on the 1330.  Here's a picture from the 1130.

WOW! what a great idea. I didn't even know they made such a thing.

Where can I find it? is it a John Deere product?

I just ordered the roller skids that were mentioned somewhere on this site...

can't wait to throw those babies on

7" of snow already... guessing Canada??

I'm in Minnesota. Let us know how the roller skids work for you.

 The cap is a Briggs & Stratton part number 698109.  Here are a couple links:

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

http://www.lawnmowerpros.com/detail.asp?id=698109

Hey Catt...

Thanks for the extra info.... I ordered the fuel gauge tonight (11/18) and just bolted on the roller/skids. I drove it up and down my driveway and it "feels" soooo much better with wheels. I had to drill and extra hole as the 1130's skid holes are about 1/2 inch closer than the slots in the roller/skid. Not a problem, all is looking good. Where the heck is the snow???

How reliable do you guys think the electric shoot controls will be? I like the blower but to be honest those little electric motors make me nervous. I'd appreciate any comments regarding them it anyone has experience with them.

Hard to say for sure as it will only be known over time. These are similar to the motors used in automotive electric windows which are pretty reliable.  I'm sure it can be argued either for or against so I won't even try.  However I like gadgets and on cars as an example, it comes with the risk of something failing, but don't take away my power steering, electric locks, power windows etc and etc.

Good Points! Just trying to make my mind up between an Ariens with manual controls and Deere's electric.

It's a very good question and if you want absolute reliability and the potential for cheaper repairs, then go for the manual operation.  If (IMHO) you like to make life a little more interesting than I say go for the electric chute.  I'm sure you'll have fun blowing snow this winter with either.

Catt, your comments were just the little extra boost I needed, today I'm a proud owner 1330se as well. At the end of the day the Deere had more Standard features, weighed 54lbs more, plus had cast iron gear box as compared to aluminum, held more fuel etc than the Ariens. I figured if I don't let the thing freeze like a big ice cube I shouldn't have that many issues. If it works and runs like my ole 1032 Deere I'll be a happy camper time will tell.

Congratulations!  I believe you're going to have a lot of fun with it.  I have several snowblowers and really enjoy the 1330SE.  In fact I'll get the chance to use it Saturday morning as we expect to get 6+ inches of snow on Friday.  If you get the chance, stop by the 1130SE thread where you'll find a few other Deere owners.

Looks I'll get to use my as well 5 inches here in Ia where I'm at I'll be looking at the other thread as well. Thanks

 

Same here, Chicagoland is expecting 2-5 inches of snow Sat/Sun .  If we don't, northwest Indiana gets it.   Time to pick up some gasoline.

I don't mind huge accumulations on the weekend.

Well ... how did your 1330SEs do with the snow you got this weekend?

I'm also in Minnesota and I used my 21-year-old John Deere 524 one last time to blow out the 6-7" we had on our 1650 SF driveway Saturday morning; then I traded it in for a new 1330SE at a JD dealership about 20 miles away. I weighed lots of options and was seriously tempted by a 30" Troy Bilt and a 28" Deluxe series Ariens. I was particularly sold on the 1330SE after seeing how nearly identical the 30" Simplicity was, but the JD had heated grips and one or two other small advantages for a similar price. Like some of you, I procrastinated over the reliability of the chute control motors. The Simplicity dealer also has a robust repair business for virtually all brands of snowblowers and lawn mowers, and he assured me that the little electric motors worked very well. Ultimately, I convinced myself that probably in a couple years all the 2-stage blowers will have them. They're just so cussed handy and easy to use! After wrestling with the linkage on several variations of console levers on competive machines, I decided that it may very well be more reliable to have just a couple wires from a simple handle bar toggle switch leading to a small motor (with proven history in power windows) that directly engages with the cogs that turn the shoot. The dealer had the blower setting outside for me, so I was able to power up the 1330SE and play with it a little bit. As ridiculous as I felt spending so much money on a snowblower, having such easy and natural control over such a big machine won me over.

Once I got my new toy/tool home, I wanted to blow out a neighbor's driveway while they were away at their cabin; but someone else beat me to it. I added the generic cab that was on our old snowblower, and now I'm anxious to put my new 1330SE to use. With electric start, heated grips, Easy Steer, and thumb-tip shoot control, I'm thinking that snow blowing could be a whole new Winter pastime worth looking forward to.

Congratulations on your purchase!!!
We got around 10" of snow and the 1330SE worked great with one exception.  The rolled up newspaper buried in the snow!  I wasn't sure what I hit and it certainly didn't sound good going through the impeller with pieces of newspaper and coupons flying through the air.  I looked everything over and finished the driveway with no problems.  I'm going to be a little gun shy the next time I blow the driveway wondering if there is a hidden surprise waiting for me.

I have been wondering about the John Deere machines for a while now, so I saw this thread and couldn't resist checking it out.  I'd really like to know what the Easy Steer feature is.  I couldn't figure it out even from the brochure I have.   When you turn left and right, does it just naturally act like a differential (like Ariens), or what?  I didn't notice any left and right steering levers like on Toro, Husqvarna, or other machines I've seen, and I definitely don't like the idea of only a left-hand steering release as it seems like it would be difficult to turn right when the right wheel is turning on the inside.  Anyway, I'd just like to know about that.  Thanks

Do the Deeres have ball bearings at the ends of the augers and inside the gear boxes, or are all these areas now bushings? 

How about the wheel shafts---do they attach to the outside of the wheels like older Ariens, or do they now just run straight through the wheels?  Some posts I have read mention lubricating shafts going through the wheels to prevent the wheels and shafts rusting together.

How well balanced is the 1330?  Is it nose-heavy or well-balanced? 

Anything else you can think of would be good. 


I think it would also be good to ask these same questions about Simplicity blowers, since Briggs manufactures both John Deere and Simplicity blowers.  I am really curious, now.

Thanks for any information about both brands. 

Catt

Had all the JD fixes done to the 1130 last year but it would still slip. This fall, I sealed up the leaks you mentioned in another post. The 1130 worked perfectly last Saturday.

Thanks Jim 

Catt,

Thanks for helping to reduce my buyer's remorse. Now I know that I not only bought a good snowblower; but I also have a super powerful paper shredder.

coasteray,

I’ll try to answer your questions.

1)      The easy steer feature is an automatic locking differential and I’m pretty sure it’s similar to the Ariens, but I haven’t seen the Ariens differential in person.  There are no steering release levers to pull and it makes no difference turning left or right.  As you’ll see on this site, some people prefer this approach and others prefer levers.  I’m not sure that I would prefer one over the other, but the easy steer works great for me.

2)       The auger ends use a bushing material (Probably Delrin) which hasn’t changed in over 20+ years from Simplicity.  I had an Allis Chalmers (made by Simplicity) that I bought in 1985 and it used essentially the same design.  I sold the Allis this year and the bushings never caused me a problem.

3)      The gearbox uses bronze bushings which again is the same design that Simplicity has used for many years.

4)      The wheel shafts run straight through the wheels and are greased as you mention.  The grease should last for several years.  The auger shafts are also greased and the Deere augers have grease fittings.  I would grease these every season since these are exposed to the harsher elements.

5)      The 1330 is “nose-heavy” which I prefer.  I’ve used snowblowers that are lighter on the front and they have issues where they tend to lift up if there is any packed snow.  The Deere just digs right through it.  If you add a cab the front gets even lighter.

6)      The John Deere is very similar to the large frame Simplicity with a few exceptions that are exclusive to John Deere. 

Lanningjw (Jim),

I’m glad to hear the 1130 is working well for you.  I still have my 1130 in addition to the new 1330.  The 1130 is still working great and other than a few items is essentially the same machine. 

Catt, thanks so much for your answers to my pondering questions.  This information surely does help me understand both John Deere and and Simplicity a lot more.  I'm betting other readers of this forum will no doubt find this information very helpful. 

I think another issue for me is service and parts availability into the future.  Briggs has been, according to what I have read, only been manufacturing John Deere blowers (how about the rest of the vast John Deere lineup of machines?) since 2004 to the present.  The information I read was questioning how long this would continue.  John Deere used to make their own machines until 1991, then by Ariens and Murray from 1991 to 2001, then Murray from 2001 through 2004.  I actually have seen a JD blower that looked like an Ariens, so now I understand why; it really was built by Ariens, after all.  I hope that Briggs will hang onto JD and Simplicity so the names will have a real history of manufacturing, parts, and service.  That would be great.  Come to think of it, I can only think of Ariens and maybe Toro that have been making their own blowers for decades.  Most other brands have been tossed around to other companies.

Catt,

Did you put a tach on your 1330? If so where arevyou drawing your power from?

Thanks,

I haven't put a tach on the 1330, but have thought about it. I was considering the tiny tach as it only uses a wire wrapped around the sparkplug wire and another to ground.

Catt,

Have you been happy with the hour meter on the 1130? I'm thinking about putting one on my 1330 for no other reason than I think it would be cool and should help record any maintenance.

The hour meter works fine and I've been debating if I should put one on the 1330.  Maybe I'll take a look at ebay later today.

6"-12" of snow coming and very cold by Sunday (+1 Degree F).  Looks like I get to play in the snow again.

As several of you know, we had one heck of a storm around here. Starting Friday night and continuing all day Saturday, it snowed and blew like there was no stop in it. Highways and businesses and facilities were closing all over the place. Even the Metrodome didn't survive. I'm not sure what the official totals are, but I'm sure we got at least 15" here in southeast Minnesota. It's hard to tell, because everything is so wind swept. Anyway, I got to use my new 1330SE several times; so, I'll share my impressions.

THE GOOD:

- Power (it ate through drifts and heavy snow plow piles just fine; and it threw the snow a good distance, which was the main improvement I needed)

- Electric Start (never had it before, and it fired up with one quick push every time)

- Heated Grips (forgot they were there until my palms started to feel a little sweaty)

- Push Button Chute Rotation and Deflector (a little too quick; but I really like this feature)

THE BAD:

- Easy-Steer (does nothing noticeable to help the handling of this machine and may reduce its traction at times)

- Drive lever spring is too strong, and holding the lever down is tiring

- Front -heavy imbalance makes the 1330SE difficult to handle and reduces the weight on the tires. All of this results in the front catching and the tires slipping too readily.

My hopes and expectations were probably too high; but overall, I'm at least a little disappointed in this investment. If I could trade back, I might; but I'm sure it would have taken my old blower significantly longer to handle the huge amount of snow I pushed this weekend, and my hands would have gotten numb cold in the process. The other problem is that there was something I didn't like about every blower I looked at. I thought the chute controls on the Ariens Deluxe models were too slow and awkwardly positioned (its hard to beat the JD push buttons); there was more plastic on the Troy Bilt, Toro, and Poulan than I'm comfortable with; the Simplicities would have all the handling issues of the John Deere without the nice heated grips; and most of the crank and lever controls for the chute on all the other models were crude.

I'm hoping that I'll learn to work better with the 1330SE so that the clumbsy handling will become less of an issue. It sure looks like this Winter will give me plenty of opportunities to practice.

Used my 1330 for the first real time today and was real impressed. It laughed at the 12 inches of heavy snow in the driveway and took on the 3 foot plow pile at the end of drive like a champ. I also like the fact shes a little nose heavy she cleans right down to the driveway better than I expected. Where I had driven my truck the night before she peeled up the packed snow better than expected, normally I would have run my shovel down the tire tracks to break it loose not now. One thing I noticed was that with the hand warmers on high and using the chute rotation it would basically dim the headlights out for a second. It also took a little bit of time to start getting used to the easy steer I'm sure it will be fine the more I use the blower. I was concerned before I bought the blower about the electric chute control but after using it today I'm more than satisfied with it and glad I went with them. My only regret today is that I didn't have an encloser on the blower! Any recommedation out there? I seen some posting regarding the classic enclosers any feedback out there gentlemen? I hate dealing with junk!

plowboy wrote:
 Blow low and with the wind instead of high and into it?

Hi all.....need some help understanding relative quality of the newer JD throwers when compared to the vintage models.  I have been considering buying a new 1330SE but also have a chance to buy a (?) years-old JD 1032, and I'm trying to determine which direction to go. 

I was surprised to discover that Lowes sells the 1330SE, since I thought the only JD equipment (tractors, snow throwers etc) that you could buy at Lowes are the "big box store" model numbers, which are built cheaper to appeal to the residential customer that wants a Green Machine on their driveway, but aren't willing to pay for the real deal..  For example....you won't find an X-series tractor at Lowes...case rested!  So....I'm a bit suspicious when I see the 1330SE can be bought at my neighborhood Lowes.  Everything I've read tells me this is a solid unit, built like a tank...but I want to make sure.  If I buy the 1330SE, can I expect it to be a 20 year machine, or is it just another mass-market model trashing the real JD brand?

Of course....asking these types of questions to the "experts" at Lowes is simply inviting blank stares and the standard answer insisting the models are all the same, whether you buy them from a JD Dealer or Lowes.


My current unit is a 10 year old MTD that I bought for $300 from Sam's Club on a season closeout.  it's hard to imagine I even got $300 of value out of the piece of crap.  When it works, it throws snow just fine, but it has been unreliable to say the least. 

Thoughts/feedback on the 1330SE and current JD quality appreciated.

Shout out to all the Minnesotans on this thread.  We just registered 16" in our NW metro home this weekend.  I just hand-shoveled 1850 sq feet of driveway.  That's a lot of snow....enough to push me over the edge into getting a "real" machine. 

Shryp wrote:
Thanks but been there done that. Winds are a little different out here in the open plains west of the Mississippi.

darrvar,

Time will only tell if these new Deere blowers will last like the old ones. I just sold my old work horse John Deere 1032 and to be honest was missing her a little but after using my new 1330 today in the deep snow I'm starting to forget her name already.

PS. Major Props on the serious scooping 

jdpilot wrote:

I know that I prefer an open axle to a solid one for turning.  I'm new to two stagers but wonder if it might just be easier to disengage the drive and spin it manually.  I find the balance of my machine to be light so it wouldn't be tough.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, but easy steer has NO levers, right?) I think the easy steer might be more handy for making steering adjustments instead of 180's.

I'd like to know if the tension on the drive lever might add some pressure keeping the friction disk from slipping??? Otherwise you might be able to make an adjustment??  Ask your dealer.

I tried a large frame Simplicity (like the JD) and found it front heavy compared to the pro models.  Another way to look at this is that a lot of owners of the large home owner models also opt for a cab.  Every place I've read says to add a front weight bar if you put on a cab.  Perhaps you need to add the cab and save the money by not adding a weight bar.  I'd also look into a slight adjustment of the skid shoes to lessen the scraper bar from catching.  It's a fine line between the bar being too high and leaving too much on the ground vs. being too low and catching all the imperfections.  A little adjustment can go a long way to handling!

That's the advantage of most single stagers:  direct beating to the pavement but they too have a scraper bar that can catch on the joints, too.  But because they are so light and the rotor pulls it along, they go over them easier.

Just got a 1330SE and am wondering how to get a parts manual for it (not an operator manual).  The JD site has them for downloading, but the link to the 1330SE just gives the 1130 parts manual.  Any ideas?

Good observations and suggestions, JohnWI. Thanks.

Right, Easy Steer does not have levers. As you said, it is easier to disengage power and turn the 180s. Whether Easy Steer helps on other turns is hard for me to tell. If so, it's not dramatic. I'd prefer what Troy Bilt calls their "Power Steering," which has a lever on each handle: pull the right lever to disengage the right wheel and the left wheel continues driving to make a right hand turn for you, and vise versa. I haven't used it; but it sounds like a good approach. Overall, though, I think I prefer the JD over the Troy Bilt.

I think I will tweek the skid shoes for a better compromise between the nose digging in vs scraping snow as close to bare concrete as practicable. This particular snow storm started with sleet/freezing-rain/snow-showers before turning to all snow and lots of it. So there definitely was an ornery layer of ice under the snow.

Thanks again. 

Hi everyone. I had my Troy Bilt snowthrower quit after 18 years Thanksgiving. I had some trouble deciding on a suitable replacement and finally just made the decision to buy the 1330. So far I have no complaints on it's performance it really is a beautiful machine. The easy steer was a must as you might agree the solid axle is some work to maneuver. I noticed no traction problems at all. Turning is a breeze and this is one mighty machine. I like the electric chute although my gloves sometimes get caught between the switch and the handlebars. I really have found no other problems so far. We had two solid weeks of nuisance lake effect snow right after she was delivered but I only worked maybe two heavy downfalls. All work was done early before work so I have not had any fun weekend snowfalls to really get used to the machine. I love the power, quality, electric chute and the easy steer features. It's a big and heavy machine and a little hard to move in the garage but I'm getting old I guess. The front stays down on the driveway and the auger makes dust out of ice chunks and hardened packed snow. Of course there is the beautiful green Deere look too. I am surprised they left off a simple voltage regulator to prevent the lights dimming as mentioned previously. It's the only quirk I've noticed. I like this machine so much I'm considering a Deere rider mower for next spring. Ron

Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents as this site was a big help in deciding on which new blower to purchase. I picked up the 1330SE to replace my 11 year old MTD 8-26. So far, I'm pleased with the new unit. As mentioned before, the heavy front end weight does help in holding the machine down which is a plus but can make it a little harder to control on rough concrete. As far as performance, it considerably cut down plowing time compared to the old MTD. The heated grips worked better than I thought, didn't find myself holding my hands in front of the muffler very often. I (like others) was kind of skeptical about the electric chute motors, but once you have them you'll never never go back to the old manual system. If they ever go out, I'll simply replace them, (nothing lasts forever.) These things are great time savers as you can make adjustments without stopping. One thing worth mentioning, 6th gear on the JD seems to be noticably slower than my old MTD, but I was still able to clear my 4500 square feet in record time.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and would recommend this unit. There's a few things shown in the pictures I'm not to crazy about but I guess they just don't make em like they used to.

Under the dash: Misssing plastic conduit, wires rubbing against sheet metal edges.....Although I shouldn't have to, it's an easy fix.

Gas valve: Now I ask, sinse when is "off" in the vertical position? That will take some getting used to.

Just a shot of the drive system.

Plastic cover removed from motor. No clip on the gear, the cover is what keeps it in place.

Plastic tensioning wheels, the MTD had steel and two drive belts on the auger.

Catt wrote:

What clearance do you have your skids at???

Moeman,
Good post with pictures.  I certainly don't disagree with any of your points.

Chxbeachva wrote:
I'm probably running about .125" of clearance.  It most likely depends on your surface and how uneven that surface is.
I'm thinking of making new skids in the future because my sidewalk has an edge that I catch quite easily.  I'd like to have the front lift a little earlier when arriving at that sidewalk edge and keep it raised a little longer.  If I weld a strap under the existing skid it will accomplish this.  Then I plan to adjust the clearance with the blower sitting on that sidewalk edge.  I'm running modified skids on my garden tractor snowblower  and it made a big improvement reducing catching uneven edges.

Here are skids I saw on the web that somebody modified. 

Catt wrote:
Here's one you can purchase.  Check this one out.  It is very stout and should hold up to abuse very well.  It has longer leading and trailing edge which is what you wanted to achieve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtYR0xbFSsk

aa335 wrote:
Thanks aa335!  I just placed the order.

Catt wrote:
You're welcome.  I met up with Bob, the person in the video, about 2 years ago.  Good guy.  His product has improved markedly since then. 

When I read your post, I knew he had exactly what you were looking for.  Let us know how it works for you.

I recently added a chute liner to my 1330.  I used plastic from a trash can and the deflector liner is aluminum.  I have one on my 1130 that I installed last year and it's been working great.

Everytime I see this green machine, i want to go out and get one.  I just don't have the space for two 2 stage snowblowers.  If only my neighborhood allows building a shed, I'd rotate between the snowblower every winter.  :)

aa335 wrote:

My wife says I need snowblower intervention.  My excuse is that I take care of my business snowblowing and my home.  I don't think she's buying the excuse.

Here's my list.

Two Toro Power Clear 180 (One at home and one at work)
One John Deere 1130SE (work)
One John Deere 1330SE (Home)
One John Deere 322 garden tractor with 46" snowblower


Next year I think I'll sell one of the Toro 180 machines and try a larger Toro single stage.  Maybe a 221QE or I guess I'll go with one less snwoblower.

Catt wrote:
It's a little premature for intervention at this point.  I don't see any Honda, Simplicity, Ariens, Yamaha, or Toro on the list. 

The PC180 doesn't count as a Toro.  :)

aa335 wrote:
You're right!  I had Simplicity until just recently, but I may need to try out a few other brands.

I made a set of skids like that a couple years ago.  Depending on the thickness of flat bar added to the bottom, adjustability will be compromised.  You may not get the scraper bar as low as you'd like.  On the  other hand, you will get far more wear and as the flat bar wears, the scraper bar will slowly be lowered.  For some reason, the added footprint of the modified skids seem to cause handling issues.  The machine seems to want to pull more from side to side.  I suspect it's due to added resistance/friction when one skid hits bare pavement and the other isn't.  The stock skids have a much smaller footprint and don't grab as much on dry pavement. 

Catt:  Please let me know  if you experience the same handling issues.   

borat wrote: I never thought about the potential handling issues and I'll definitely let you know.  Regarding the scraper bar... I use my 2-stage for all of the larger accumulations followed by my Toro 180.  The Toro works great cleaning the drive down to the asphalt.  The paddles on the Toro are almost like a squeegee.  For very small amounts of snow I just use the Toro.  I started doing this last year and my drive and sidewalk  never looked better.  I guess if the new skids don’t work, I’ll just raise the originals even higher.

I think that a better skid modification would be to weld the flat bar parallel to the skid with the edge of the flat bar being the riding surface.  Grind the ends of the flat bar to shape it to allow it to ride over irregularities.   That way, you'll have plenty of wear material and much less of a footprint to cause resistance.  I'll have to get another set of skids if I want to test that theory.

I finally got a chance to break out my 1330 to tackle the Long Island blizzard of 2010. I had it running for about 2 hours and think it's GREAT!.  I will have to get used to the way the Easy Stear System works as I have never had that before.

The only way I would improve on it is to move the chute controls a little bit closer to the end of the handles. I prefer to walk with my hands at the very end of the handles, putting the controls a bit out of thumbs-reach.

Other than that, this thing is a monster. What would take me 40 minutes with my smaller Craftsman, literally, took me 12 minutes, leaving plenty of time to help dig out the neighbors...

I also bought the "fuel gauge/filler cap" which worked well, and the roller-skids (thumbs-up)

When I reported on my new 1330SE on December 12th, after my first chance to use it, I commented on a few "bad" impressions that I had, in addition to several good things. JohnWI had some astute observations about each of my concerns, and they've all virtually evaporated over the last couple weeks. At this point, after assaulting record snow for any one month in southeast Minnesota, I'm a full fledged fan of the big green beast. It sounds like the whole northern half of the Country is getting pummeled already this Winter; but here's what December looked like around here:

Dec 3-4: 9 inches of snow

Dec 10-11: 16 inches (the first snow for my 1330SE)

Dec 15-16: 6 inches

Dec 20: 6 inches

Dec 25: 5 inches

As you can imagine, the piles just kept getting higher; but the beast made easy work of clearing the snow plow mounds and opening access to the mail box. Those were major chores with my old John Deere 624. It's been great to have the power to launch snow out of the way on a single pass, rather than having to re-blow snow that my old machine couldn't throw far enough to completely clear our wide driveway. I think my disappointment in the Easy-Steer feature stemmed from the fact that turning after that first snow storm required pushing 16+ inches of snow latterally with the side of the bucket, and was no fault of the split (open) axel. Either I"ve gotten used to the strength of the drive lever or it's loosened up some; because I really don't notice it much any more. What I do notice is that my hands don't get cold, I don't have to yank a rope in the tight confines of my garage to get things started, I can change blow directions with the push of a button, and I can launch snow as far as I need to.

 If we've got to deal with record breaking snow falls, it's great to have a blow beast that can handle it.

Catt, could you please tell me if the handle bars on the 1330SE are height adjustable? Jason

producerboy wrote:
Sorry that I didn't respond earlier.  The height of the bars isn't really adjustable.  The cables for the drive / auger and gear selector wouldn't work if the height was changed with the existing design.  Height is certainly something that you should evaluate as only you can determine if it's acceptable.  For me it's pretty good, but depending on your height and arm length it may be acceptable or unacceptable.

Moeman wrote:
The bolt holding these 2 pulleys in place became lose on my machine after 2 hours use. The drive belt then came off rendering F/R unuseable. I would guess it was not tightened down properly at the factory. I used a large wrench to hold the HEX between the pulleys and another smaller wrench to tighten the bolt down and re-installed the belts. Works now.

I just picked up a 1330SE from Lowe's.  Do these units have the same drivetrain issues that people were experiencing with the 1130SE?  I'm assuming they're essentially the same machine from a major component standpoint. 

Someone else also reported that this blower is worthless in hard snow due to lack of traction, but I'm not sure the individual elaborated on exactly what he meant by hard snow.  I guess his older John Deere unit had not problems.  Are wheel weights available for these units?

Yep - that was me!  And the JD people (Kudos for em) drove out and spent an hour testing it and finally agreed that it just did not meet my needs and took it back with a full refund .  I imagine that it wasn't just a JD problem, rather that any wheeeld blower woulda been similar.  The snow was hard enough to walk on.  My old JD 826 did manage to cut into it, but with some difficulty.  But, I then bought a Honda 928 with tracks and I would never look back now.  Just set the speed right and it'll chew through just about anything.  One more comment on the JD 1330 is  that I really disliked the auto steering on it.  Even in soft snow that it did blow OK, it tended to wander from side to side and took quite a bit of effort to keep it in a straight line.  And when taking just a partial cut, it had a strong tendency to pull to one side.

FYI, John Deere is phasing out their OPE and will soon be a franchise for Honda Power Equipment.

longboat wrote:
Maybe that will help JD recover from some of the damage they did to their good name.  Selling those JD badged low grade junk riding mowers at Home Depot and their outlets lowered their reputation considerably.  If I were Honda, I would have thought that move through a bit more.

It's a bit disheartening to hear of Dr Woof's issues.  This is my first snowblower, and I've never blown snow.  I grew up down south, and have lived in an apartment since moving to Michigan.  My only experience with snow has involved looking at it, playing in it and driving in it.  I just moved into a new house, and I suspect this blower is probably overkill.  My driveway is approximately 100 feet long and is 13 feet wide at the narrowest point and about 40 feet at its widest.  I've also got a decent bit of incline.

I read several reviews and pretty much settled on Ariens, Honda or John Deere.  The Hondas were just too much money for me.  It seemed that a Honda comparable in size to the 1330 would have been at least 1K more, and I wasn't exactly super excited to spend what I spent.  Even though they didn't build it themselves, I guess I just really wanted the John Deere, and I heard good things about Simplicity's products.  The local Deere dealers around here weren't even carrying them.  Most of them seemed to stick with Ariens whenever Simplicity began manufacturing the Deere products, and they also mentioned that they would soon be carrying Honda.

If I have to, I'll put duals on it and some weights.  I guess I would also be willing to try chains.  Does anyone know if they actually offer weights that can be mounted to the wheels?  Given their size, that might not even make much of a difference.

I looked at chains for the 1330.  Only dealer that had em here had nothing good to say about them.  They have special chains for the snohog tires that sit down in the deep tire grooves  but the dealer said they moght even make things worse.  It is notable that the old JD 826 DID have chains, but with the ordiary tires (not snohogs).  Also, I talked to the JD people when they came out and they did not seem very enthusiastic about chains.  If I were you I'd just try it without chains and see how it goes.  Don't get discouraged - might be fine under your snow conditions.

Modern snow threads are designed to work well without chains.  If you need chains because of glaring ice condition, change to less knobby tires and put on the chains.

Yo Stainless:

Woofy lives in Saskatchewan where the wind turns snow into concrete.  If where you live in Michigan has miles of open fields all around your house, you may experience similar problems.  If however, you're in a relatively enclosed area with lots of windbreaks (homes, trees, shrubs, etc.) you likely will not have much of an issue with drifting hard snow pack.  That is a bit too much machine for your needs.   My driveway is 18 'wide at the narrowest, 35' wide at the widest and 110' ft. long on a 10% grade.   I have a Simplicity 9528 that is more than adequate.  You will find that wrestling one of these things (particularly if you pull it backward uphill because reverse is insanely slow) will be very tiring.  Matching the machine to the job will go a long way to saving your energy and health.  Buying down a bit will also save you a few bucks.  Maybe enough to buy a decent single stage Toro or similar to take care of 90% of the snow you will see.  That's what I did.  My single stage machines see 95% of the snow removal work I do.  The Simplicity only comes out when there's over a eight inches or more of heavy wet snow.   I don't use chains and have never needed them. 

borat wrote:

Saskatchewan?  He needs to go buy some potash and help out one of my investments. 

Oh well.  My thinking was that I'd rather have too much snowblower as opposed to not enough.  I'm already making plans for a turbocharger.  I may end up using it for more than my driveway.  I believe a lot of the streets in the neighborhood where I built are currently considered private.  Based on my observations during the build, snow removal last year did not seem very timely.

In this neck of the woods they use potash instead of salt on the roads in winter.

Stainless wrote:
No such thing as too much snowblower!

Bill_H wrote:
I beg to differ. 

As long as it's powerful and light and it doesn't work me half to death, I'd agree with the above.  However, due to the laws of  physics, from my experience, that's not been the case.   Hence my sudden interest in single stage machines.  In most cases, I can clear reasonable amounts of snow just as fast using an SS machine vs. the two stage without anywhere near the fatigue. 

I concur with Borat.  Don't feel like wrestling with a big, heavy, and powerful snowblower when I don't have to.

Snow accumulations less than 8 inches and if the EOD isn't frozen solid, I take out the smaller single stage snowblower.  I can move around easier, get into tighter spots close to walls and things.

Bill_H wrote:
Video Link

aa335 wrote:

I think he needs a single stage for that amount of snow and for the size of his driveway, that might be considered overkill as well.

Looks like he's throwing the heaviest stuff a good 3-4 feet.

When my budget allows, and if deemed beneficial, I might pick up a single stage.  Right now, I wanted to prepare for as many scenarios as possible with a single solution.

FrankMA wrote:
With 32" wide manual snow pusher, he can be done in 10 minutes.  Getting some exercise and not having to breathe in that exhaust fume of that beast. 

Yeah......well, what can I say???

If he had a lot more snow, maybe he might have given a more impressive performance.  As it was, I'd have to say, at best, lackluster if not bordering on the absurd. 

On the upside, I have to say that it certainly turns nicely and with it's bulk likely could push  some serious heavy snow.   He could be assigned the e.o.d. man for the entire block. 

I'm already jealous of the Honda snowblowers.  Those things seem to throw snow an absurd distance.

My house is 140 feet from the highway centerline.  With a good avaerage Saskatchewan helping wind behind me, my Honda will throw snows into the field on the other side of the hwy.

Dr_Woof wrote:
Well, not to diminish the potency of your Honda but I'll put my money on the Saskatchewan wind any day.   Blow into that same wind.  Tell us how far the snow goes. 

Shoot!!  Just throw a handful of snow in the air on the right day in Saskatechewan and it'll end up in Ontario. 

well...just shows you cant fight mother nature.  Make her work for you.  This is where the electric chutes show to advantage.

Has anyone ever measured their impeller on the 1330SE.  A lot of websites list it at 16".  My owner's manual says it's 14".  After measuring mine, I would say it's actually 12".

borat wrote:
Maybe he could hire himself out for ski resort parking lot snow removal.

I am considering a 1330SE for two reasons.  First, I have a side-load garage.  In front of my garage doors, a single stage blower can't throw the snow far enough to reach the yard.  I'd like something that will allow me to move the snow in a single pass, without having to throw the same snow two or three times.  In addition, in out in front of my garage, I only have a relatively narrow strip of yard between my drive and my neighbors.  Therefore, accurate and easy control of exactly where the snow is going is key, since I want the snow to pile up in that strip of yard.  The 1330SE's electric chute controls for direction and pitch are very attractive, for this purpose.  In all other respects this machine will be overkill, but not sure how to satisfy these aspects with a smaller/cheaper unit. 

I don't know how far this machine throws. But if you would be getting electric controls for chute rotation and height, that might be good for accuracy. One issue that I see with the joystick-type chute controls I have tried in stores is that they seem to have certain detents that they can use. So maybe you can set the chute to 15 degrees right, or 25 degrees right. But not 17 degrees.

A manual crank for chute rotation, as an example, allows that infinitely-variable control (you can do 17 degrees). An electric control is presumably just a motorized version of the same thing, so you should be able to set it wherever you want. One consideration is how fast the chute rotates, for instance, and if you'll be able to make fine adjustments.

ihatetivo wrote:
Do you really need the JD 30-inch width?  That's getting pretty big.  If you don't have a really wide or long driveway, you might want to consider something like the Ariens Platinum 24: 
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSLpqQWGys8&feature=autoplay&list=PLD86A1FC30DC408D7&lf=autoplay&playnext=4

You might also consider the Toro 826OXE with a 26-inch width, 250cc Briggs engine, the 4-way joystick Quik Chute control, and the left and right steering triggers.  Very easy to maneuver for both the blower and chute.  Then there is the newer Toro 926OXE with the 265cc Loncin engine that is now replacing the 826OXE.  Same features with a slightly bigger engine, though Chinese. 

Toro 826 and 926 blowers:                                       http://www.toro.com/en-us/Homeowner/Snow-Blowers/Two-Stage/Pages/Series.aspx?sid=Power-Max
Toro's description of their Loncin engine:                 http://www.toro.com/en-us/Homeowner/Pages/toro-premium-engine/two-stage-toro-premium-engine-lp.aspx          
Loncin's description of their snowblower engines:   http://www.loncinengine.com/Product60/#Text

Toro seems to be parting ways with Briggs and going with Loncin.  See the bottom line of their History of Loncin General Purpose Engine list:  http://www.loncinengine.com/About7/#Text

Be sure to let us know what you decide.  Good luck.

Coasteray & RedOctobyr: Thank you for the comments.

In the end, I opted for a single-stage thrower.  Specifically,  I got the Toro 621 QZR Power Clear.

I found nothing in particular that would have dissuaded me from the 1130SE.  In fact, the more research I did, the more convinced I became of its capability.  However, before pulling the trigger, I mapped out my driveway and tried to visualize using the machine.  In the final analysis, I realized that the majority of my snow would need to be blown into the front yard.  To do so means you're blowing snow directly into the wind.  I had visions of the Deere heroically throwing tons of snow high up into the sky, only to blow right back into my cold, sleepy, and frozen face.  So, I went with the Toro.  We'll rely on hiring someone to scoop us out w/ a blade for really heavy snows, but I will be handling the small-to-moderate amounts on my own with the Toro.  I'll write up a review on here, if there is a thread on Toros.

Again, thanks for the help, everyone.

ihatetivo