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.

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.

aa335 wrote:
The 11hp is a very adequate engine. Don't want to sound like I am dissatisfied with the blowers performance. It's the Tim Taylor syndrome.

The chute itself is stock.  But I did make a longer flatter deflector for it.  The stock deflector was the old curved type. I think the old style deflector actually had a better transition between the chute and the deflector with it's curved shape. The flow of snow traveled along more of a sweeping curve as it changed from a somewhat vertical direction to a sometimes more horizontal direction..  The flatter type deflectors cause the snow to change direction at rather sharp angles.  The snow comes up the chute and then just kind of bangs into the the deflector to change direction. (Unless the deflector is in the straight up position). Maybe I'll have to try and build a two piece deflector like I have seen on some other blowers. I believe rubinews Yamaha YS928J has a two piece deflector.

Sometimes you do sidewalks and don't need the throwing distance, you just need to put the snow on the side nearby.

The 2 stage deflector on those Yamaha are nice.  It's the best of the round and flat chute.  Some of the dedicated sidewalk snowblower have really tall chutes and multi-stage deflector that can put snow practically right next to the snowblower.

aa335 wrote:
Your right, the Street Dept here has one of those.  It almost shoots the snow straight down at the ground.  It looks like it has maybe 5 or 6 segments.
Maybe I'll to try mating up my old deflector with the current one I'm using.
Oh good, another project.  Something else to lie in bed and think about. 
The Yamaha really does look like the snow would have a nice smooth flow route regardless of the position of the deflector.
No angles, just a variable degree curve.

     Great video of a great snow cannon.

 

>>>change the stock 2 3/4" to 3 1/4".

 

Are your final values: augers 1300, impeller 4762?

I think that’s with 14 inch impeller and rakes.

 

>>>That 32" bucket takes in a lot of snow.

 

I think the intake is 34.5 not 32.  Is that correct?   That’s what is listed for a 9240084 which was a surprise.

 

>>>I'd also like to increase the auger drive pulley  to a 3 1/2" just to see what happens.

Confused by this.  I would think you want a smaller diameter or increase the diameter of the lower pulley for slower speed.  I think that was the rub, having to feather the drive clutch for big loads.  The wide bucket is a drawback in tough snow for a slightly fast first speed.  The Honda hydro big – huge – advantage is having a super slow for some tough spots.  It’s certainly more comfortable to change the Honda speed rather than feather, wait, then proceed.  All in all not a killer but a very nice advantage for big snows if you have lots of rough spots in your area (which I do).    (There was a mention of smaller wheels but the wheel size on those models was great 16”.  BTW the 6 inch wide is very nice but depends on your area.  You’ve got diff so no big deal going bigger).  

 

>>>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. 

   Ariens put those on 10-13hp pro machines for a few years but dropped them.  I’ve had a couple and could not find any apparent advantage.  My guess is and it’s only a guess is they might be slightly better in throughput but not distance.  I tried comparing a 1028 4 blade to a 1028 6 blade and did not see any real difference but it was not a great comparison.  Certainly nothing stood out between the two.

 

>>>A lot of the newer blowers and the Honda's have only three blades. 

   So far from my evaluations I think the Honda advantages are in the higher speeds of augers and impellers AND the engine.  There is less sag in the Honda compared to the Tecumseh’s.  They can keep  the revs up with better high end torque.  You’re up there with impeller speed over a Honda, rake speed that is close and an engine that’s close or possibly as good.  The video seems to at least match or better a Honda 1132.  

   The Honda has three blades and they are small.  They are probably that way to work with the higher rake speed to get snow out quickly by being less mass.  If you put on an Ariens 4 blade I’d bet you would either see no difference or a very slight improvement in distance and if any probably too slight to measure.

 

   You posted a picture of an older 924 speed and attachment dash section which you might install on your machine.  That style at least for me is fantastic.  Your auger hand is free and it makes controlling the machine much easier.  It’s big and right there on the dash so very convenient.  It would be tough to meld that into the 084 dash but would be nice.

trouts2 Thanks for all your comments.

>>> Are your final values: augers 1300, impeller 4762?

I think that’s with 14 inch impeller and rakes.

Yes, that's is right at what I had calculated with the 14" impeller.

>>>I think the intake is 34.5 not 32.  Is that correct?   That’s what is listed for a 9240084 which was a surprise.

I just went out and measured the bucket opening at the top and bottom at 33"

>>>I'd also like to increase the auger drive pulley  to a 3 1/2" just to see what happens.  Confused by this.  I would think you want a smaller diameter or increase the diameter of the lower pulley for slower speed.  I think that was the rub, having to feather the drive clutch for big loads.

My thinking was that if I could increase the thruput a little more by increasing the auger and impeller speeds. Maybe that would match up with the forward speed in first gear. (which is just a tad to fast in certain snow type conditions). But as you know increasing the thruput by using a larger pulley will pull more power out of the engine. I think with a 13hp it wouldn't be a problem.  But I may already be at the border with the 3 1/4" pulley and the 11hp.  Using a 32" bucket.  I agree, having a hydro and being able to match the forward speed with the snow type/depth and the thruput is the beauty of the hydros.

Matching the forward speed with the blower capacity is what clearing capacity and efficiency is all about.  Keeping the rpm and power up and constant.

The big tires do perform well.  I've crawled out of some pretty deep holes almost dragging the bucket.

Thanks for your input on the impellers.  I just figured that as long as you can keep that big impeller spinning at a good rate.  The six blades are probably a little more efficient than fewer blades. Less weight on each blade and probably a little more of a fan effect at discharge.

I to, love the old dual control levers on the older Ariens. They are strong, easy to operate and when they are in a position you know and can feel it.

Since that post I have made a modification to the auger engage setup.  I reinstalled and shortened the old cable that used to move the deflector and was controlled by a handle on the left side of the dash.  I bent a hook on the end of the solid stainless wire inside the cable.  I then hooked the hook onto the chain above the spring that controls the auger engage levers.  Tightened up the fiction nut on the control lever on the dash.  So now I can pull back on the control lever to engage the blower and my left hand is free.  It works get, and I love having my left hand free to control the blower and operated the joystick for the chute.

I may this summer still see if there is a way to incorporate the older handles.  But for now the setup is a big improvement.