trout2 thanks for posting the data figures on the engines and blower rpms.
No I haven't ever tried to calculate the ground speed.
We had a lot of wind with this storm so a lot of drifting. I do a lot of city residential sidewalks in the downtown area so people can walk. We already had between 2 and 3' of snow on the ground. So all of the corridors a had previously cut and created filled in with all of the snow and wind we had. Today (starting at 5:00 AM) I probably spent 5 to 6 hours off and on blowing deep fairly dense, deep snow.
Quite often I had 8 to 10" of snow coming over the top of my bucket which is 22" tall. I don't think I was into anything less than 18" the whole time I was out. If I hadn't put on the larger blower drive pulley yesterday I probably would have had a much more difficult, and time consuming time of it. Considering the conditions and snow load I have to say that the blower performed really well. It actually has a very nice sound to it. The motor and the blower sounds seem to kind of resonate with each other.
I did still have to feather the forward speed with short pauses. But considering the amount of snow I was trying to clear with a 32" bucket I'm fairly satisfied with the blowers performance. I think when blowing a more moderate 8 to 12" snow that the forward speed won't be a problem any more. The chute shields I installed work well didn't have snow beating on the side of my light housing with the chute
turned full to the right.
This morning It was still dark. Wind was blowing 25 to 30 snowing like crazy blowing everywhere. And I'm thinking am I going to be able to get through this as the snow is rolling over the top of the blower.
Sometimes almost blocking my light. I've got a rooster tail going twenty feet in the air and the wind is blowing it across a two lane street in the opposite direction I was blowing it. It was kind of surreal.
But everything held together including my hands which got a work out just holding onto the blower and keeping it going in the right direction. When you could see well enough to know which way that was.
I'm definitely going to see if there is some way to retrofit one of the old style Ariens control units to my blower. I had one on my old 724 and I loved it. It has two heavy duty handles one for the auger engage
and the other is the speed control. It was so nice to just be able to engage the augers with a handle and not have to hold down a lever. You could also disengage without having to stop of even slow down
your forward motion. They have a large button on top which locks and unlocks the levers movement. There sturdy and precise. Great controls.
I really would be satisfied with just the auger engage.
That would leave my left hand free to operate the joy stick control for the chute. Now I have to keep my thumb in the right position to operate the joy stick while at the same time keep my hand in position to operate the auger lever and hold on to the blower. Have to think about that tomorrow. It sure would make things easier.
Well I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. I'm beat after a great day blowing snow which ended with the sun shining.
Can't beat that especially since nothing broke, bent or blew up.
This message was modified Feb 2, 2011 by jrtrebor