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

Two videos I saw on youtube were very interesting.One was brand new machine out of the box, shiny and all.You can see the cardboard box the machine came in the background.The other one is on the job. The second HS621 has a throttle?That I had not seen before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IllKHB8Cwls&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEPtwuRLryk

I just replaced the paddles and scrapper bar on my new to me HS621AS yesterday. The cost for the (2) Rights, (2) Lefts, (2) Middles and the Scrapper Bar was $ 142.18 - all OEM. I got a chance to use it for the first time last week on about 8" of heavy wet snow. It did not work well because of the worn paddles and the scrapper bar was completely worn away. I knew I had to replace all these items but to be honest, I never expected 8" of snow this early in the season.

The removal and replacement of the paddles was a tediious, straight forward job and I can easily see how these will make a HUGE difference in the performance. The scrapper bar removal went well (thought I'd have more trouble with the nuts & bolts) and the lip of the bucket that the scrapper bar mates up to required a bit of rework in order for the new scrapper bar to fit properly. The lip at the bottom of the bucket was curled over in a couple of spots so I had to bend these areas back into position and everything mated up very nicely once completed.

I bought the HS621AS to replace an HS520A (will be selling this off soon) and it will mainly be used for clearing the snow off my 12' x 40' deck and occasionally for driveway use on the smaller, early/late season storms. Still working on an old Toro CCR3000 that I picked up earlier this year as a back-up/driveway machine if I can ever get the carb issues squared away. Have'nt had any time to work on it since last spring.

A lot of my neighbors have Honda HS520 and they like the way it performs.  It starts well and moves snow efficiently so I am not sure if HS520 is a dud.  I have looked at HS621 for sale and many times the sellers are asking too much (around 350-450) with a lot of rust (rusted auger) and worn out peddles.   Heck, people are asking $200 for HS35.  So these units are for sale but they do not find new homes unless sellers are reasonable.  Just curious on how bad HS520 was for FrankMA?  Were the rubber peddles worn out on HS520 or just did not have the extra hp and torque of GX160?

FrankMA wrote:

FrankMA,

I have not replaced the paddles yet, they look like they would do the job this year.In case they do not I bought aftermarket paddles for 29 dollars in total. (one seller was selling it for $29 with free shipping).They look sturdy as the OEM paddles.But I see cords in the middle.OEM either does not have cords or I do not see them.

OEM paddles,scraper and belt are being sold as a set on ebay for $125 including shipping.But I did not want to pay that much.Just got the OEM scraper (from Boats.net) and a spare belt -Gates powerated belt. ($11 at amazon)

I also got aftermarket paddles for my other used snow blower HS35.These paddles look flimsier than HS621 paddles.Again visible cords in the middle.

I could not find the scraper kit for HS35, they say it is discontinued.There is a scraper bar only part which can be used on later VIN than mine.I hope I can use it on mine on the existing metal part of the scraper.

Honda user manuals say we should install paddles with the symbols facing us or they would wear faster. NON-OEM paddles have no symbols.I hope they will be OK.

What is wrong with HS520A? The lowest price I saw for the basic model was 600 dollars for these.

When changing oil do we really fill it up so much that they drip when the snowblower is level?Manual says so but I     did not fill that much.Only the amount it said there.

MN_Runner wrote:

I got my HS35 for $80 from a seller asking for $125.Not much rust.Still in decent enough shape. But it probably needs new paddles and a scraper.

MN_Runner & blumonster: The HS520 did perform OK but it seemed to be a bit lackluster as far as throw distance. I watched videos of the HS621 on Youtube and the performance difference appears to be substantial. There's a couple of videos where the guy is clearing a sidewalk and the discharge out of the chute looks like it does on a 2 stage machine. A real rooster tail type of discharge and the throw distance is incredible. I cannot duplicate that with my HS520 even though the paddles are new, although they do not appear to be OEM paddles if that makes that much of a difference.

I paid $ 250.00 for my HA520A in November of 2010 and used it quite a bit during last winter. I picked up my HS621AS in the spring of this year for $ 125.00 knowing that I had to replace the paddles and scrapper bar. I planned on replacing them before the first snow hit but this storm snuck up us and when I called my local shop for parts, they were on backorder. My first time using it was last week and as I said, the paddles and scrapper bar were both really worn - there was nothing left of the scrapper bar except the flat portion that is bolted to the back of the bucket! The paddles were also in tough shape with about a 1/2" gap between the middle paddle and the inside portion of the bucket.

blumonster: I downloaded the HS621 manual and do not see where it says that the symbols should be facing outward. I installed them with the symbols facing inward and am now wondering which way is correct and/or if it makes a difference. If I'm at the control panel as if operating the machine, then the paddles labeled "R" for right side are mounted on the right side and they only way they would fit correctly in this configuration is with the symbols facing inward (not showing). The manual I have simply states that if it needs new paddles to take it to an authorized Honda dealer for service.

Here's the excerpt from the manual I downloaded - it is on page 35. Can anyone confirm or correctly interpret which configuration is considered correct?

NOTE:

lf the paddles are worn out, the scraper may also have become worn.

Inspect the scraper as described on page 28 .

lf paddle replacement or other repairs are needed, take the snowthrower

to an authorized Honda snowthrower dealer.

NOTE:

lf the paddles are worn out, the scraper may also have become worn.

Inspect the scraper as described on page 28 .

lf paddle replacement or other repairs are needed, take the snowthrower

to an authorized Honda snowthrower dealer.

35

Just an FYI: I just went and checked out the old paddles (which are OEM) and they were mounted with the symbols facing inward (not showing).

I am sorry if I caused confusion.

I checked both manuals for HS621 and HS35 and it is from HS35.

I did not see anything about symbols on HS621's manual.

Here is the section where HS35's manual mentions symbols:

I bought the aftermarket paddles a few years ago.  It was cheaper and was softer and more flexible, even with the reinforced cords in the middle.  I think it may be from the same stock of rubber that Toro paddles are made of.  The Honda OEM paddles of course was more expensive, but quite stiffer without the cords.  They do last longer,  the performance was better, especially in slushy condition. 

Changing the paddles were a PITA.  There were too many fasteners.  You need a ratchet/socket on one side, a large flat screwdriver on the other side.  I also don't recall seeing any symbols on the paddles.

aa335 wrote:

Like an O or something similar to that.Also the same symbol on nuts and bolts.I will take a picture of it.

Have you seen this big a snow blower before? I have not, but the video is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxtCntPsOGE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA02SAlOeJU&feature=related

The paddles have an "R" and an "L" stamped into them to denote which side they are to be installed. The middle paddles do not have anything on them except some sort of of alpha/numeric code. It's amazing to see how much wear was on the old ones after installing the new paddles - there's barely any gap between the paddle and the bucket. I compared the new and old paddles by placing one on top of the other and the difference in width was substantial - overall about 1/2". Should produce a huge difference in the throwing ability and overall  peformance. Once again, I wait for a storm to try out my new to me toy!!!!