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

I just recently acquired a lightly used Honda HS724WA Snowblower.  I plan to attack all areas that I can identify before winter comes. I have some ~noob~ questions as this is my first 2 stage machine, so please excuse some of the terminology

 

-       Oil Change

-       Bearing it’s used and not knowing storage history, I’m planning to remove the carburetor and give it a thorough cleaning

-       1^st order of attack. Weathersealing. I plan to use my outdoor sealant (Weatherpruf) on the exterior chassis/chute as well as the interior.

-       The Auger Blades is missing some paint. I assume this is normal ?

I have some leftover Black Rustoleum Paint leftover from this summers wrought iron paint. Should I hand paint the Augers ? If so, I plan to do this before I apply the ~sealant~

 

-       I do not see any Zerks Fittings on my Auger. If anyone can advise in laymens terms where I need to feed Grease in, that would be superb.

 

-       The Chute Control Rod,  Chute Drive Gear. It is somewhat oxidized/rusted/stained  in some places. I’m going to assume it was from winter salt, etc. I don’t intend to take metal polish to this cause it’s just more cosmetics. From a functional standpoint, I’m thinking a wipedown of it Weathpruf again or just AeroKroil or straight 30Wt.

 

-       Depending on lube points, it will either get SuperLube or a pretreatment of Wurth HHS lube and then a dab of SuberLube.

 

-       The Wheel Axle is most def. rusty. I plan to sand, seal with Weatherpruf, and Grease the Exterior. May spend the big bucks and buy for me a very limited application – marine grade antisieze when I put the wheels back.

 - The Inside of the Discharge Deflector, very minor nick on edges of the bucket and straight *horizontal* lines where the impeller is is missing pain. So what color code is Honda Red ;-)

 

For the record, never been a fan of white Lithium in spray or can.

 

Last but not least, make sure the tires at factory OEM spec of 8 PSI with nitrogen, and some matching Honda Valve Stem Caps ;-)

Remove the shear bolt and spin the auger, make sure it spins freely from on the plastic coupling part.  Do this often to prevent seizing. I haven't add any grease or anti seize compound as I don't think it's necessary. I don't think there is a solid shaft for the auger tube to seize to. That is why the manual does not instruct you to grease it. Take apart the auger and grease the inside if gives you peace of mind.

You will realize how this set up makes it easy to replace broken shear bolts. Very smart and simple. No stuck broken shear pins to knock out of the tube

Nitrogen filled tires? Hmm. Ok how about z rated silica compound for extra grip? :)

I just recently acquired a lightly used Honda HS724WA Snowblower.  I plan to attack all areas that I can identify before winter comes. I have some ~noob~ questions as this is my first 2 stage machine, so please excuse some of the terminology

 

-       Oil Change: Once/year with full synthetic.

-     Bearing it’s used and not knowing storage history, I’m planning to remove the carburetor and give it a thorough cleaning: Should not need to if it's running properly. Could always run some Seafoam through there just to be sure.

-       1^st order of attack. Weathersealing. I plan to use my outdoor sealant (Weatherpruf) on the exterior chassis/chute as well as the interior.: I usually spray WD40, PAM, Pledge Spray Furniture Wax, etc... in and on the bucket and surrounding areas before every use. Keeps the snow from sticking and keeps corrosion at bay.

-       The Auger Blades is missing some paint. I assume this is normal ?: This is going to happen. I had my old 624WA for 10 years and the rust never went beyond the tips of the serrated edge. Spray with WD40 occassionally to keep rust at bay.

I have some leftover Black Rustoleum Paint leftover from this summers wrought iron paint. Should I hand paint the Augers ? If so, I plan to do this before I apply the ~sealant~: See above.

 

-       I do not see any Zerks Fittings on my Auger. If anyone can advise in laymens terms where I need to feed Grease in, that would be superb.: Like aa335 said, no need to grease anything. I never had any issues with my old 624WA and never did a thing except change a shear pin when needed.

 

-       The Chute Control Rod,  Chute Drive Gear. It is somewhat oxidized/rusted/stained  in some places. I’m going to assume it was from winter salt, etc. I don’t intend to take metal polish to this cause it’s just more cosmetics. From a functional standpoint, I’m thinking a wipedown of it Weathpruf again or just AeroKroil or straight 30Wt.: Just cosmetic but we all like our OPE to look pretty.

 

-       Depending on lube points, it will either get SuperLube or a pretreatment of Wurth HHS lube and then a dab of SuberLube.: Can't hurt!

 

-       The Wheel Axle is most def. rusty. I plan to sand, seal with Weatherpruf, and Grease the Exterior. May spend the big bucks and buy for me a very limited application – marine grade antisieze when I put the wheels back.: Sounds like a plan.

 - The Inside of the Discharge Deflector, very minor nick on edges of the bucket and straight *horizontal* lines where the impeller is is missing pain. So what color code is Honda Red ;-): Mmmm, I think it's a reddish red???

 

For the record, never been a fan of white Lithium in spray or can. Personal choice....

 

Last but not least, make sure the tires at factory OEM spec of 8 PSI with nitrogen, and some matching Honda Valve Stem Caps ;-): I usually replace my summer weight air with winter weight air- makes a big difference!

Having owned a used HS928 for a while I can tell you that you need to make sure that you have a good coating of lube on the auger shafts. The shafts that come out of the auger gear box are only about 5" long or so. They do not run the full length of the auger like most shafts do. But they are a very tight fit. The augers do not have grease fitting but they should. The sheer pin design is also different than most blowers. The problem with the design is that the hole drilled in the auger shaft for the pins is quite large for the dia. of the shaft itself. Which makes it a weak point. If the auger shaft isn't lubricated it will weld itself to the auger. The augers also spin very fast on Hondas. If you get something in the blower that shouldn't be there and the auger isn't feel on the shaft you can and will snap the auger shaft at the sheer pin hole. That was what happened to the blower I bought. Getting the old piece of shaft out of the auger was a nightmare. The auger tube is not open from one end to the other. It's a blind hole. I had to cut the auger tube pound out the old shaft and weld the auger tube back together. If I was you I would take the augers off the gear box shafts. Make sure they are clean and free of rust. Coat the shafts with Anti Seize and reassemble. Since it's a used blower there is no way to know what's going on inside that tube without taking it apart. I know it may sound like a lot of work. But the sheer pin system will not work the way it should if the auger is not completely free on the shaft. A new gear box auger shaft cost right at $200.00.

 I use a product called Fluid Film it's great stuff!! I coat the entire blower with it, everything. I spray it in tight places and use a paint brush to distribute it on large areas. Works great in the chute and in the blower box. Will actually dissolve current rust. It stays on the surface and last longer than anything I've ever used. The film does not dry up, you can use it on painted surfaces, it waterproofs, it lubricates, its a penetrant . Snow and ice just slide right off.
But it's not cheap it's about $8.00 per can. But I think it's worth it. Do a Google search and you'll find all kinds of information on it and where you can purchase it. Great Stuff !

 I would also pull the wheels and coat the axle stubs with Anti Seize. They to can get frozen on the shafts (had that problem as well).  I wouldn't worry to much about missing paint on the augers. Just sand them a bit and spray them with a coat of anti rust paint (before putting on any type of waterproofing). I really like Krylon Tough Rust pretty durable stuff. Or my favorite RustOleum Hammered Finish, really, really tough stuff. Dries fast, covers great (including surface imperfection) has a high gloss and looks pretty cool with the hammered look.

Now you are getting me paranoid about the auger seizing into the gearbox shaft.  I don't think I want to go through the trouble of greasing it at this point.  I'll just do my usual pre-flight check of spinning the auger every so often to detect any signs of corrosion and seizing occurring.

i looked closer at the plastic coupling part and the auger last night.  Even though the diameter of the pin is large compared to the diameter of the gear shaft, it does seems like the plastic coupler was designed to break before the gear shaft.  Of course, if these parts seize together, the damage is going to the gear box.  What do you think?

One point to note is not to overtighten the shear bolt.  Just tighten to the point that the nut and bolt are snug against the whole assembly.  The bolt is actually soft metal.  That would prematurely cause it to break at a lower load.

aa35
Not trying to cause any concerns for anyone.  Your doing the right thing.  As long as a person checks to make sure the auger is free on the shaft there is no cause for worry.  Some people just aren't aware that checking the free spin is important.  I would agree with you about the coupler breaking before the shaft.  But if the auger is seized to the shaft.  Then there is no way for the auger to decouple if you will from the gear box shaft.  You drag in a frozen newspaper and jamb the auger in the housing and in can't free spin on the shaft.  All the torque coming out of the gear box is simply going to break the weakest point.  Which is the shaft where the hole is drilled for the coupling.  In a standard gear box on other models you will tear the teeth off the bronze gear in the box.  I was quite surprised by the size of the Honda gear box shaft.  It's so much smaller the the shaft on older Ariens blowers.  But Honda's are hybrids in my opinion.  They are built pretty tough. Expensive as all get out. But nice. 

I liked the fact that you could remove the gear box and auger assembly without having to pull the impeller and shaft as well.  One pin behind the gear box releases it from the impeller shaft, great idea.

The only issue I have is with their skid placement.  Having them behind the cutting edge just doesn't make sense to me.  Once your cutting edge has already slammed into the edge of a slab of concrete in a sidewalk or driveway. Having the skids ride over it after wards is no help at all. I realize that you can keep the edge up off the surface with the skids .  But having to leave a layer of snow on the surface isn't the answer.

I would agree that you don't need to crank down of the sheer bolts.  Most have locking nuts so just need to tighten them down onto the auger and give them another 1/4 to 1/2 a turn.

Interesting Read JTrebor. I have not looked at it that thoroughly as my initial impression was....that's going to be a spring/summer project on lubing up the shaft, but if I don't have to GUT the beast to remove the auger, then maybe it will be on the plan of attack before winter...

Without putting much thought, what is the best way to TIP the unit forward to get access to to support the unit to remove the wheel axle. I have not looked it thoroughly yet, but for anyone familiar with the unit, care to share.

chefwong
I usually just tip the blower forward up onto the housing alittle. And stick a piece of 4 x 6" lumber underneath the belly pan. Then slowly lower the blower back down onto it.  It will usually lift the blower off the ground just enough to get the wheels off.  You may have to add another piece of lumber ( under the 4 x 6 )
if it's not off the ground.  Also make sure you get the piece of lumber far enough forward.  So you don't bend the belly pan.  I wouldn't use a piece of 4 x 4
I don't think it's wide enough.  You'll have to much weight on that 4" surface and if you don't have it far enough forward you will bend the belly pan when you start to lower it.
All the weight  ends up on the front corner on the lumber when you first start to lower it. Getting it way forward is the key.  Out beyond the pan is the best.

jrtrebor wrote:

The Honda snowblower is designed for the Japanese market and it shows, the low handlebars height and the rear of bucket skids.  I never understood until I saw the videos.  It seems that it was made for gravel drives with layer of base snow, not so for US concrete or black top driveways.  The rear skids actually have relatively large surface area to allow float over snow, as opposed to digging in and getting close to pavement.  When I first got the snowblower, I had to raise the bucket to allow 1/4" layer of snow because I couldn't bear to see those skids dragging on high friction textured concrete.  Kinda like driving a snowmobile across clean street, you sure don't want to have those front skis dragging on the pavement any longer than necessary.

I dunno about you guys, but my 1132 came with both, rear and side skids. All of the recent machines I've looked at, were the same.

If you bought a 1132 new in the US, you have to purchase the side skids and drill holes on the sides of the bucket.  I think Canadian model may have both installed new.  I now have both side and rear skids, with the rear 1/8" higher than the sides.

drifter wrote:

I just picked up my new to me 2008 HS928TA and it only has the rear skid shoes. I have not had a chance to use it in snow yet and was wondering if it's worth installing the side skid shoes? My only thought on not doing this is it appears that this would not allow you to use the high setting on the bucket. This position pushes the scraper blade right down on the surface and allows the scraper to get under the hardpack. It looks like the side mounted skids shoes would prevent the bucket/scraper blade from achieving this position. aa335: Can you clarify this?

Care to share which skid setup is more applicable in the following conditions
Note: my 724  came with both sides and rear

• Pavers
• Gravel
• Flat Concrete

Maybe it was the rear skids that was throwing me off, but when I was just messing around with the movement, I was like boy, this must be a chore on concrete cause it had limited tipping up, and I said to myself I would just use the single stager till it got to the point where I was ~forced~ to need the 2 stager. Being familiar with the 1 stager and it's mechanics, I could throw that thing around with 1 hand .....make tight turns, walk real fast.

FrankMA wrote:
You are correct, the side skids will actually make the scraper blade go up higher from the pavement when you put the snowblower in scraper mode.  But you still retain the additional weight put on the bucket to prevent riding up on snow.

chefwong wrote:
Here's my quick run down of preference.

Pavers -  Single stage rubber paddles mainly.  2 stage use only on heavy snow with rear mounted skids.  Make sure your side skids up high or higher than the rear skids.

Gravel - 2 stage with only rear skids.  Set your skids so that you got good clearance between the pavement and the scraper bar, or you will pick up stones and hurl it.

Flat concrete - a combination of both side and rear skids. My current set up is side skids, with rear skids 1/8 or 1/4" higher than the side.  I run my snowblower hanging over the curb so the rear skids prevent the bucket from dropping.  :)

JT -

Did you put a Zerk fitting on each side while you were at it ?
Just googling for stainlesssteel ones. Not sure how strong it will be as SS is kinda soft...

For those without side skids, just curious. Do you even have the holes for them.
On mine, which has the side skids....there is a welded factory nut on the sides of the bucket already.
Seems OEM out of the factory as it's powdercoated the same color/finish as the bucket and does not look like a add-on.

But yes, on the 1132 I looked at (which I forgot to check inside the bucket), it did not have the side skids.

I do not like those welded nuts or bolts on the buckets, especially when used for attaching skid shoes and or scraper bars.  Don't overtorque them or you ruin the threads or snap the bolts right off.   Don't let them rust either.

By the way, my HS1132 was delivered without side skids.  There were no welded nuts to mount side skids.  I prefer to drill the holes and use the backing plate provided.  I also used larger OD washers on the inside of the bucket to spread the compression force over a larger area than the flanged bolt.

I went to my local dealer inquiring about mounting skid shoes to the sides of my recently aquired HS928TA. I was told that the holes/welded nuts on the sides of the bucket are not for the skid shoes and that I would have to tap and drill the holes if I were to install side skid shoes. I had to do this on my old HS624WA - it was not a problem and fairly straight forward but I wonder just what those predrilled holes are there for??? Any thoughts - more curious than anything to found out why they are there.

I just went out and looked at the bucket sides.
Logistically, the holes/nuts are the exact centers of where I would assume mount holes would be....

Dunno, but I would think that drilling 2 extra 3/16"+  holes in the same proximity would weaken the area.