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

Well I was finally able to get some video of my blower in action.  Went out to our family cottage and one of my neighbors was kind enough to operate the camera for me.
I'm pretty satisfied with the way it performs after the repower and other modifications to the impeller blades and housing. I had also increased the auger drive pulley size from
the stock 2 3/4" to 3 1/4". Powered chute controls work great.  I also came up with a way to use the old deflector control lever to operate the auger engage/ disengage.
So now I can pull on the lever engage the blower and not have to keep the right handle held down all the time.  It's so much easier to use the chute control joystick and hold on
to the blower.  I believe that it is also easier on the belt with fewer engage and disengage cycles.

I think it is still a little underpowered.  It could probably use a 13hp instead of the 11hp.  That 32" bucket takes in a lot of snow.  I'd also like to increase the auger drive pulley
to a 3 1/2" just to see what happens.  The one issue or component I still haven't come to a conclusion about is the impeller (14").  It has 6 blades, it's the only six bladed impeller I've
ever seen.  A lot of the newer blowers and the Honda's have only three blades.  I know how well the Honda's perform and I've watched a couple videos of the Ariens Compact 22
going through 14, 16" inches of light new snow without a problem.  So I've been wondering if six blades is just over kill and a lot of extra mass and weight to be turning. Once you get them
spinning I guess inertia is on your side.  But if three works well, and Honda first proved that they do.  Then what is the advantage of 4 or 6, just don't know.  One thing I do know is that.
The blade tip to housing clearance is a really important factor in blower performance. As is the impeller RPM.

Just a little information about the video.   In the first section the depth was about 18" deep in the plow roll of pile. And around 14 or 15" deep everywhere else. The snow was about three day old.
Had a bottom layer (2") of heavier stuff.  It had settled and was somewhat compacted and dense.  Not light power by any means but also not high in moisture and wet heavy.

Paul7 wrote:
Thanks for your comment.  The 11hp does do really well.  As I posted another time if the 1st gear speed of the Ariens was just a little bit slower.  It would match the blower output in deep snow just perfectly.
And I wouldn't have to sometimes pause a little to let the blower clear itself. That's why hydro drives are so nice.
My comment about a 13hp was me thinking about raising the auger shaft speed a little more with a still larger pulley.  That would increase the blower output and bring it more inline with my slowest forward speed.  But having said that the depth of snow and the type of snow plays a big factor as well.  Again the beauty of a hydro drive is that it allows you to match your forward speed with you blower thruput
in any, and all types of snow condition.  Which is how you can achieve maximum blower performance and snow clearing. In my opinion.
Had to laugh about the small planes.
I didn't put an impeller kit on it.  I extended the length of the impeller blades by laying on beads of weld to the blade tips.  I knew how much length I needed to add.  So I made a reference mark on the blades.  Then added on enough weld. Then ground off the excess to get me to the right length and shape.  Sounds like a lot of work, but I think it only took about an hour or so. That is once you have the impeller assembly out on a bench.
The impeller kit would work just as well.
I have never run the blower without the weights so I really can't say if it makes a noticeable difference.  I'm sure though that without the weights the front end would be light.  As the new engine sits further back than the original.  Which was already somewhat behind the axle.

Awsome Snowblower !!!  Great job with all custom fabrications! 

If that was my snow blower,  I'd violate that machine like an expired parking meter.    

Wouldn't matter if Mother Nature dumped two inches or two feet....I'd be using that beast for sure.

Nice job!

Looks great and does a great job moving the snow.  I to modified my impeller by welding up the edge and grinding it to decrease the clearance I set the clearance on my impeller at 1/16" and it pumps out snow and slush like a fire hose on my repowered 1985 Snapper 24" blower.

carlb wrote:
I've thought of that as well.  However, rather than build up the impeller blades, I'd probably lean toward manufacturing a stainless steel liner to fit inside the impeller housing.  If you look at most machines impeller housings, that's where the wear is taking place.   End of driveway gravel is the cause and in due course, will wear a fair amount away from the housing.  A nice hard piece of SS cut to length and correctly curved to spring itself inside the housing would slip in relatively easily.  Beveled edges and pre-drilled, counter sunk holes would make it easy to install and secure it.   If and when that one wears out, just replace with an insert or required thickness to maintain desired clearance. 

Borat - would using the same type of plastic that lines your chute as an insert instead of stainless steel be feasible. 

borat wrote:
Actually I did line the impeller housing, and the blower housing with Stainless. Because your right the impeller housing is constantly getting scoured.  Even with the new lining though I still had
to much clearance between the blades and the new stainless liner. I secured both of the pieces of stainless to the housing by plug welding it in place from the back side. 

My only concern with putting a Stainless Steel liner in is, that sit will trap snow or salt behind the liner and rust out the original impeller housing .

carlb wrote:
if you repaint the inside of the impeller housing with a few coats of good quality paint before putting the liner in, it won't matter if snow/moisture get's behind it.   Chance are the machine will be crapped out well before it rusts through.


jrtrebor: 

The lining I'm talking about would be much thicker.  Probably 1/8"  to 3/16" depending on clearance between impeller blade and impeller housing.  Hence no need to build up the impeller blades.

Nice work on your project by the way!

carlb wrote:
Before I put in the impeller lining.  I gave the housing 3 good coats of red oxide primer.  I also used automotive Seam Sealer between the liner and the housing.  I laid down a bead so that when the liner
was put in, there would be a seal formed around the entire edge of the stainless liner.  When it was clamped some of the Sealer oozed out from between the liner and housing which was what I wanted to see.
I wanted to make sure that water didn't get trapped between the housing and liner.  Not because I was worried about rust forming. I was concerned about trapped water freezing and buckling the liner.
Popping it up a little at some place.  Creating a little bulge or high spot, that would be a really bad problem.  If it happened and the impeller blades started rubbing and scraping on the liner.  Or worst case, the impeller could get wedged in the housing.  That would not be good.
I appreciated everyone's comments.

jrtrebor wrote:
It seems to move snow well and throw a good distance without signs of strain.  11 HP seems more than adequate, I think.  Perhaps on days of wet snow, the extra power would make a difference.

Did you put on a new chute?  It seems quite tall.