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

Well, I found some great info from a guy on here so I thought I'd post up my initial thoughts on this snowblower I purchased last week. I really didn't want to purchase a snowblower that cost this much but I have a 900ft stone driveway and did not want to buy a plow. I paid 3100.00 for the snowblower and picked up the optional side skid kit which I have not installed yet. If you decide to purchase one, make sure you drain the oil after you get it. I found out that the dealership that I purchased mine from added 10w40 oil instead of the reccomended 5w30 because this is what they had by the drum. I picked up some cheap 5w30 and swapped it out and it looked like it needed it, there were already break-in metal flakes all throught the oil. I'll change it again after the first hour of run time and then again over to synthetic once I get some time on the motor.

The augers and shafts need to come apart as soon as the machine arrives. I found less than a dab of grease on the shafts and splines. The bearing caps can be packed with grease as well. I used bell ray waterproof grease. After running it a little bit, I was not happy with the dim output of the headlight. I'm upgrading to this as soon as it's in stock. http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED-Bulbs/DRLFOG-LED/Universal/27W-9-LED-SPOT-AUX-WORK-p9622351.html#ReviewsTabAnchor

It puts out 1600lm and uses about the same amp draw as the stock halogen. I also ordered a cheap hour meter from ebay that should fit the bill.  I'll post up some picts later on.

Mike

MIkecr250 wrote:
Well your the first person that understands what can happen.   To the stub shafts that go into the auger tubes if and when they go dry, and they will.  Honda in my opinion should at least suggest that the shaft / tube connection be checked for grease at some point.  You have to have had that joint apart to appreciate how tight the tolerances are.  I bought a very well used and somewhat abused 928 that had a snapped the gear box shaft.
Because of the exact situation that developed when the dry shaft was allowed to spin in the tube when a shear bolt broke.  The auger welded (galled) itself to the gear box shaft.  And the next time something was hit or got picked up the shaft snapped. All the stress, strain and pressure is on the short piece of shaft.  It's not spread out like it is when the shaft runs the entire length of the auger tube.
It's not a bad or faulty design.  The fault is with Honda not making that area a maintenance concern.  Granted it only becomes a concern under heavy usage and or the age of the machine.
But the issue and concern is valid.

Galling - Definition:  A condition whereby excessive friction results in localized welding with subsequent splitting and a further roughening of rubbing surfaces of one or both of two mating parts.
Galling can occur even at relatively low loads and velocities

aa335 wrote:

No, the shaft is not stepped down, in fact it fits pretty snug. I packed the hollow shafts with grease and will eventually add grease fittings to them when I get time. I dont have pictures of it, but the second stage blower comes off a splined shaft that also had no grease on it but a dab. I've seen it before, these things develop a very little bit of rust and then they are never coming off. I'd rather grease it. I've also read that grease give a degree of impact absorbtion if you hit somthing like I will likely do with my gravel driveway.

That's the first time I've seen a picture of the shafts as they come from the factory.  For me it's had to believe that there is little to no grease showing on those shafts.
Don't know what they are thinking?  And I know that there is an O ring to keep out water so they say, but come on. Every time the auger tube slides even just a little it's going to move the O ring.
Water doesn't need much of a space to get in places you don't want it to be.

@Mikecr250 and Jrtrebor,

Thanks for the information.  I will take the auger and impeller apart this Spring to check on the condition of those shafts and put a light coating of grease on them.  My HS1132 gets very low hours each winter since the Toro and Honda SS does most of the snow duty.  That's why I'm not overly concerned with the welding of the auger.

aa335 wrote:
My driveway has both gravel and pavement, I set the skid shoes about 1/2 inch off the ground, and that works OK for both.   Go on www.hondapowerequipment.com and look at the new 8000 dollar Honda HS 1336 iAS Hybrid Snowblower.  I'd love to see it in action.

New_Yorker wrote:

Are you setting both skids 1/2 off and at what position high mid or low? Also where did you place the scraper bar placement?

MIkecr250 wrote:
No need to touch the scraper bar on a brand new machine.  Just check to make sure that it is level left to right by looking where it is mounted on the slot.  If you really want to be technical and precisely to Honda specifications, check the manual to reset the scraper relative to auger height off the ground.

Always make the settings with the bucket in the middle position.

Nice. I almost got one of these for $500. My boss who knows nothing about blowers was selling stuff from his father's estate. He asked me if I wanted It. He thought it was a Sears model and I passed. I later bought an ATV from him that was an awesome deal and saw blower in a picture. My jaw dropped and too late. It was only a few years old with little use.

MIkecr250 wrote:
I set the foot pedal at its middle location so I can then use it to go up or down.  The scraper bar 1/4 inch above the grade once the skid shoes have been adjusted.  It will depend upon how even or uneven the ground you cover may be.  I tend to allow more space under the bar rather than have any chance of lifting dirt or gravel into the impeller.  These settings are best cutomized to fit the place you're in.  If the driveway is flat smooth and paved it makes it easy, mine is both paved and unpaved, so I allow more room for error.
  . 

Mikecr250 How did you end up mounting the skid shoe kit? I picked up the Honda kit and it says not to use the nut bosses that are already welded into the sides of the auger housing. The directions say to drill new holes into the housing. Would hate to have to drill out a new snowblower. Figured I could just use the existing bosses, but I'm guessing Honda wants you to drill new holes for more strength. Curious as to what you did? Thanks