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

Too bad.  There's a lot of good stuff in this post.

Catt: What was the material you used and how is it holding up?  Nice job on the tach.

pvrp wrote:

The Snow Blower of the year,   The Craftsman  52993, built by Husqvarna , no friction drive to worry about, it has hydrostatic drive.

Santaclause wrote:

I had a  Murray/Noma built Craftsman  12.5 hp Tecumseh, 33 inch  for for  9 years, I had the same problem with the friction disc getting contaminated, but the problem was that the Tecumseh was leaking or blowing out oil onto the friction disc.  I saw no way to help the Tecumseh ,but  I put an extension on the breather that went down to the bottom of the frame, This seemed to help some , but the engine was still putting oil on the disc. I kept cleaning it with a brake cleaner , It would start slipping first  in the lower gears as this puts the clutch wheel  near the center of the friction disc where there is less friction surface . As  I  had to remove the bottom cover so often, I put wing nuts on the fasteners to save time. As long as I kept the friction disc dry , I had no problems..

This is how I finally solved my problem,and I would recommend this solution to all:

  I  got  a  Craftsman 52993 , built by Husqvarna,   27 inch,  305 Briggs, 14.5 torque, heated grips, power steering, and HYDROSTATIC Drive,  no more friction disc.

Royce,

   Could you go into more detail about the hydro?  You seem to be a sharp guy and know a lot about them versus friction disks.

   No need to make one, although that is a good idea.  Husqvarna has a hydrostatic model and the  Husqvarna built, Craftsman models 52993 and 52070 are also hydrostatic,  No more friction disc problems!! 

Swoods wrote:
I purchased 2 of those  those little blinking red lights that truckers use when they have to to make an emergency stop  on the side of the road They are  LED , use 2 AAA batteries and seem to last forever. I got them at Walmart, I think they were $5 each,   mounted them on the side of the cab.

trouts2 wrote:

I have used hydrostatic transmissions on many types of equipment over the years, and have been very satisfied with them.   When  I saw the Craftsman 52993 ,14.5  305 Briggs.  I had to have it.  Built by Husqvarna, who also makes hydrostatic models under their own  Husqvarna name,  I researched the hydrostatic transaxle and found out that they were built by Hydro Gear.in the USA.  , a very large manufaxrurer of hydrostatic transmissions and transaxles.    The ones in the snowblowers are the WB (walk behind)  series, very similar to the ones used      in tractors.   They still have the traction belt setup but it drives the pulley on the the hydrostatic transmission . So to operate, you hold down the left control lever (like you would in any snowblower) this sends  the power to the transaxle.  While holding down the left control lever ,(acting like a dead man control)  the drive speed control lever  is then all you have to use, forward to move ahead , nuetral in the middle and moving the lever back for reverse (just like in the treactors )   Before doing this, you have already set you engine speed to max, as you would do in any snow blower .  You can shift the lever from forward  to reverse at any time.   The further you move the lever forward , the faster you go,  Same as moving the lever back for reverse---   So,  It is variable speed.  You can move forward at a speed that is much slower than the friction disc is capable.  You machine doesn't have to work nearly a hard at any speed or load. There is over a 20 to 1 multiply in torque,  

Has anyone had a chance to use their 1130 yet this year? Does an engine has to have a pressurized oil system to have an oil filter? I was seeing if it is possible to add one, but maybe it's a sling oil system where it won't work.

you can not put an oil filter on an engine that does not have an oil pump, it wont work.

I purchased the JD 1130E from Lowes in 2009. The "easy steer" system is probably fine for paved driveways but I live in the country and have a very large gravel driveway. Because of the uneven surface I think the easy steer system is a detriment to me. Is there any way to disenage or disable it? I find myself wrestling with the machine to get both wheels turning in sync. Thanks.