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

This is a Honda HS621 single stage snowblower.  It is at least 10 years old, I think more like 12 years old.  It had been in good service all these years.  However, most of these years it did not receive the TLC it should have gotten considering the caliber of this machine.  I thought it would only do justice it I to take on the task of making it look beautiful and fully functional again.

Things that were done in the last two years:

1. Auger housing completely stripped down to bare metal.  Primed and painted in black gloss.
   
2. Metal auger repainted also in black gloss
   
3. New set of OEM rubber paddles and augers
4. New OEM drive belt
5. New scraper bar
   
6. Replaced missing or rusted screws and various hardware
7. Repainted red plastic top cover and side belt cover with Krylon Fusion red paint
   

Things to be competed shortly, parts on order:

1. Replace wheels, washer, and cotter pin
2. Replace springs on the chute ratchet
3. Replace chute collar
4. Affix new Honda and warning/caution labels

That should pretty much covers it to bring it to full showroom condition and operational specs.  Total costs of parts ~ $200, $30 in paint supplies, and several nights of work. 

And now here are a few pictures. 

chefwong wrote:

I could find gallons of the "professional" line rust-oleum but I could only find quarts of the standard "rust stops" paint. 
I don't think they sell the regular "rust stops" paint in gallons around here. I would have to stack 4 quarts of one on top
of each other to compare the weight and I have never done that. The labels on both paints recommend a primer
for maximum adhesion.  Like you, I would like to try thinning them and using them in a sprayer one day.  

As for the clones, I set my honda GX next to the clone and could not find any substantial difference. Maybe a slightly
different linkage on the carb but all the bolts lined uper perfectly.   In the case of the HS520 retrofit,the old engine was a smaller
GC engine with a overhead cam  (completely different layout) so I was not expecting any fit at all. I think in the HS621
would would be a perfect fit. But I have never tried it (yet). Its hard to  find a HS621 that needs a new motor, those GX engines
last so long. And in the case of AA335's maybe forever? 

alty wrote:
It's inevitable, today's consumers are very price sensitive.  Manufacturers are very price sensitive too.  Honda does not expect to sell too many of the HS621 at $850-$900, and neither does Toro expect to keep selling Snow Commander at $900-$1000.  Both of these models are no longer available in the US market.  However, the HS621 is still available in Canada.

I've said it before and I still believe it.  The HS520 was created to be price competitive with the Toro 3650 (good performer by the way).  The overall performance of the HS520 was improved over the HS621 in most cases.  More efficient drive belt, auger design, and bucket housing.

However, it was not as well built, a little skittish on packed snow, and lacks the grunt in heavy slushy snow.  The HS520 is long in the tooth.  It does need a redesign to keep up with the newer Toro 221 and 421.

Bill_H wrote:
You have a bigger project than mine.  My snowblower was in great mechanical condition (considering its age) so I just decided to hurry up to finish so it can see some snow action this year.  The big boy HS1132 also itching for some action too, bring on the 18+" of snow.

Good luck on getting it done before some serious snow comes down.

chefwong wrote:
Hehehe.  Underdog was the one that got me thinking about dropping in a more powerful engine when I had the HS520 two years ago.  However, I abandoned the idea because I couldn't see how a GX200 engine was can be stealthy or remotely OEM on a HS520, unless I take up laying fiberglass and custom fabricating my own cover. 

Now the Toro 421 would be a good candidate for a GX200.  Just an idea that was brewing lately.  There's a lot of room in that bloated cover and the chassis was designed by Toro to accommodate both a 2-stroke and 4-stroke engine.  Maybe a GX270 might fit under there, but it's going to be heavy. 

I guess i'll have a better idea when i remove the cover on the 621....
I was thinking I remove the GX200 for my 724, shoehorn than on the 621 and then shoehorn a GX270 into the 724 which would make it perfect (the compactness I want with the extra uumph)...

I was hoping there was a proven mod that someone has done already and still maintained the OEM of things....

chefwong wrote:
I think you'll be the first to transplant a GX270 on a HS724 chassis.  That chassis is quite compact, a tight squeeze to fit in between the handlebars.

I'm curious to see how it goes, hopefully the gearbox can handle the extra power and not breaking shear bolts left and right.  :)

Underdog wrote:
I think those motors lasts forever.  You're more likely to find GX160 in need of a new chassis and everything else around it.

I didn't do anything to the engine.  It ran fine.  Carb bowl was clean, float looks great, fuel line in good shape.  There are some outside rust on the muffler.  Maybe I'll check if it needs valve adjustments.

I have never done a valve adjustment on any these small honda motors.  I read the instructions on how to do it but I was never sure that
it really needed to be done. Has anyone done this?

I did a valve adjustment on my B&S Intek engine just a few days ago.  They weren't too far from spec but out nonetheless.  Not that big of a deal but needs to be done right.  Turn the engine slowly until the piston is just past TDC and both valves are in the up position for the compression stroke.  Take the appropriate feeler gauge and take a reading. Hold the set screw tightly and loosen lock nut.  Adjust the set set screw to manual specification.  Adjust toward the loose end of the range.  "Tappy valves are happy valves."  The hardest part is keeping the set screw in the correct position while tightening up the lock nut.  It takes a few attempts to get it right.  Take a reading after every setting to make sure it's right.  Do adjustments with cold engine.

Great thread and good job with that Honda. I just picked one of these up today and in no small part due to what I've been reading on this forum and others like it. I paid $230 CND for it. Starts on the first pull, minor rust (to be expected) and otherwise looks fine. One thing that is wrong with it however is that the choke gets stuck when you pull it out and will not go back without getting under the motor and manually pushing the lever(?). Now, I'm no mechanic and not all that mechanically inclined but I like to tinker and I'm no fool so I ask you folks on this forum what steps I should go through in getting this thing ready for the winter. I purchased it for my parents so I want it running trouble free for them. Another thing I noticed was that it is pretty loud! Now, this might just be normal but it's a four stroke and I was expecting it to run a little quieter I guess. I suppose what I'm asking is what are the typical things to check on a used snowblower?
Thanks all.

Steve