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:
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.
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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

a312 wrote:
Honda provides a scab plate that you'll use after drilling new holes into the bottom of the bucket. I added the side mount skid shoes on my old HS624WA that had the original behind the bucket skid shoes that tended to wear out way too quickly. Get yourself the commercial side mount skid shoes as they tend to last several years as compared to 1 year for the standard skid shoes. Once you see the commercial side mount skid shoes you'll understand why they last so much longer.

a312 wrote:
I mounted mine using the existing holes in the front. The 1332 states that you can mount the rear shoes on the front using these hole so there really is no difference between those and the commercial shoes. If I had to do it all over again I would have just purchased a set of the rear shoes for the front and ran them both. The impeller housing on the 1332 was changed and is stronger than the 1132 on the sides.

From my experience running both side and rear skids in contact with the pavement has too much friction.  It will be harder to turn and the bucket gets moved around too much when going across cracks and joints.  It is especially worse if you set the scraper bar real close to the ground, not enough snow to keep the rear skids gliding smoothly on.   I'm only using the side skids now.

I do like the new model skid setup though.  It uses the same side skids that is mounted to the back  of the bucket with some metal plate extension.  Seems like the same design that the Yamaha have been using.

Finally got some snow overnight and got the chance to try out my brand new 928TAS.  Machine worked well, but I kept having to fight with it to keep it going straight.  I have the height adjustment set to scraper mode, as I like to get the driveway right down to the pavement.  I could feel the scraper bar grabbing and I know that is what's making the machine go all over the place.  I only have the rear skid shoes on it.  I have not installed the ones on the side of the auger housing yet.  Will the side ones help with this issue?  Should I take the ones in back of the hosuing off and just run with the side skids?

Thanks

a312 wrote:
First of all, don't' run it in scraper mode all the time, unless you have ice on the surface that you want the auger to chip away.   Otherwise, you will wear the auger down real fast.  The auger should never be allowed to touch the pavement.

To get the snowblower to clean closer to the pavement, adjust the skids shoes with the bucket in the middle position, not scraper mode.   Put a paint stir stick or a something thinner between the scraper and tighten up on the nuts for the skid shoes.

If you're running tracks, it's a good idea to leave a thin layer of snow behind.  It acts as lubricant, good for the tracks and skid shoes,  makes turning easier.  Honda tracks typically have very heavy front bucket weight so you need some snow for the skid shoes to glide on, otherwise you will be constantly fighting it every foot.  If you want clean right down to the pavement for a nice finish, you need to get a rubber auger single stage snowblower.