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

Kick ass rebuild.  Looks very nice.

This is a serious machine.  Do you use this professionally or just personally?  I like the fabrication around the engine, like the custom belt cover.  Looks factory made.

How did you acquire the Honda engine?

manjestic wrote: I use it for a little a little of both.  The covers are made out a product called Sintra.  It's 1/8 PVC sheet material.  It's great stuff.  Cuts with utility knife or a powered saw, sands easily.
Will bend to what ever shape you want it to when heated.  With a hair dryer, heat gun or hot water.  Glues together with any Cyanoacrylate adhesive which is the fancy name for
super glue/crazy glue.  The joints are a really strong solvent cement type joint.  Water proof and excepts paint well.
I bought the engine at an online auction.  Just one of those deals.  I got lucky, nobody was really bidding on it.
Got it for $128.00 which I thought was a steal.

Nice work, all the little nice touches for personalization.  I like the little reflective discs for conspicuosity, the sheet metal work for the custom covers, and the chute straight ahead alignment marks..  Very stout looking unit with a GX390 engine to match.  Looks like you got quite a deal on that genuine GX engine for the price of a clone.

Did you add handle brace to the tractor section?  What's the hook in the bucket for?

Looks Great,  glad to hear you are all squared away with the electrical, where did you get the light? I like the fab work on the covers.  What size Augers are they and did you make a template?

I am dying to try out my mid 80's cub cadet 8/26  which i bought this spring with no motor. I put an 11hp honda clone and a 1/2" larger auger/impeller pulley on the engine and suspect that at only 26" width bucket the 11 is probably just a little overkill

You must be doing a snow dance.  Bet you can't wait for a blizzard.

carlb wrote:
Here is his light:
http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/54409-0-1.html

Here is is auger template:
http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/59738-0-1.html

You even commented on it! :)


Side note:  Is it sad that I visit this place enough to remember these things?

carlb wrote:
Good memory - shryp.  I checked the bulb the other day and it's a 35W not a 30W like I had posted.

Well I hope it's squared away!  Only took me a month, at least I didn't melt anything. 
The augers measure 15 1/2" but I would bet they were 16" when new. 
The impeller is 14" with five blades.  I increased my blower drive pulley a 1/2" in diameter as well (3 1/4") 
A 26" bucket with that 11hp should really move some snow with the increased impeller and auger speed.  The 11hp should be good it will let you travel at a little
faster ground speed.  In the beginning I noticed that the bigger engine with the larger pulley does put more strain on the belt.
The impeller and augers don't mind the extra RPM and the motors got the power.  So the belt is the part that's really having to deal with all the extra torque
when you get into a long stretch of really deep snow.  Haven't blown a belt yet.  But did stretch one out in one really big storm.  I was just moving to fast for the
snow density and depth.  There was a learning curve after the repower.  So since then I've kind of watched that or kept myself aware of it.  User error is what causes most blower break downs.  So if it does blow one I'll have no one to blame but myself.  I hoping the new additional and lower first gear will help with that.
One thing that I was really surprised by was how much easier and freer the impeller and augers spun.
After putting in a new impeller bearing and replacing auger shaft bushing set up with flange bearings.  The whole assembly would free spool a least 1 1/2 revolutions.
When you'd give the large belt pulley on the impeller shaft a good spin. It wouldn't do that before.

My cub also has the 16" Auger with a 4 blade 14" impeller.  I suspect being 6" narrower than your Ariens it will put a lot less strain on the auger / impeller belt.  While mine only uses one  belt 1/2" wide I did buy the best Kevlar belt I could fine.  I don't anticipate any problem and since the belt was a little snug to start with if it streaches a bit I have plenty of adjustment in the auger engagement pulley to make up the difference. 

aa335 wrote:
Thanks aa335 - I also use the alignment marks to tell me when I'm about out of teeth on the chute gear when turning the chute left or right. 
I did make a handle brace good catch. I just didn't like the feeling of the handles flexing a little when you lifted the blower off the ground.
It's still and old blower (26 years) and even thought the handles down where they bend to bolt onto the tractor. Are tubes with tubes inside.
I have seen them crack at the back bolt.  Not a good thing to have happen in the middle of a storm.  So handle braces became the project for the day.
It's got a much better feel to it now.  And the extra weight of the battery on one side with the weights on the top of the blower don't concern me.
The hook is a place to hook a small chain binder to when I secure it in my trailer.  This is the way it was last year.  It worked I didn't like it that much.
And with the new shield on the front it wasn't going to work at all.