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

I would like to install a CLARENCE kit on two more snow blowers. One of them is a no-brainer since there's allot of clearance.I can easily get my finger between the impeller and housing (MTD). The other one, new to me is a snapper 1132 (2005 series). What would be the clearance to necessitate adding a kit.

Denis wrote:
Denis, 

are you saying that installing the Clarance impeller kit broke the Auger gear?

My Simplicity has approx. 1/8" to 3/16" of clearance from the ends of the impeller blades to the housing.  That's pretty much the way it came from the factory.  I would assume that as the machine wears, the clearance will increase due to gravel from road maintenance material.  It the machine goes to 1/4" or more, I'd probably look at putting a Clarence kit in.  However, can't see that happening anytime soon because my SS machines do 90% of the work.   

   Hirschallan,

If it ain't broke.... don't fix it........

Carlb, I can say that it didn't help at all, its like shoveling wet snow, it's heavy my back! assuming that wet snow weight with a clearance 1/16 to 3/32... gear case works harder!

Denis wrote:
Reducing the clearance by using an impeller kit could put more strain on the belt.  And cause the engine to work harder under certain conditions. 
But the kit would have no adverse effect on the gear box.  The kit fits on the impeller not on the augers not that,  that would have any effect either.  If the kit was fit to tight to the housing.
I would create a drag and resistance to the impeller spinning.  That would needlessly sap power from the engine.  With the engine trying to spin the impeller which was tight in the housing.
The belt would be under a lot more tension and could stretch out and or break.  But again that would have no effect on the gear box.  Wet snow is obviously heavy,  that is why a person has
to slow down their forward speed and keep the RPM up.  Your back may care how heavy the snow is.  But a snowblower doesn't. 
The only thing gear boxes don't like.  Are objects that get jammed in the augers and between the housing.  But that is what sheer bolts are there for.

If the clearance distance was a factor in your gear box going bad.  Then in theory, borat's clearance of an 1/8" to 3/16" should be causing more damage to his gear box.  Than someone else's
gear box is receiving if their impeller clearance is a 1/4" or more.  That reasoning just isn't valid. 
Having said all that.  There is a mild learning curve to using a blower with a new impeller kit installed.  When and if the engine starts to bog down, slow down.

jrtrebor wrote: Jrtrebor,

That is exactly the post that i was going to write but i was too lazy to do all that typing.  I couldn't agree more with you spot on assessment. 

Ok guys let see it another way: wet snow enter the auger with the clarence kit installed wet snow try to reach out by forcing the belt ok, so the snow doesnt come out like fluffy, so snow become packed in the auger case, the impeller shaft is driving the auger what happen then? the brass gear is getting to tight I mean by that it's logical the gear force

Denis wrote:
Wouldn't even know where to start to answer this.  Except to say no not right, to everything that was said.

I think what Denis is trying to say is that the tighter clearance impeller will experience more load with wet snow.  i think we all agree to that.  His point about the Clarence kit putting more load on the gear box is more to do with the machine being required to force more snow through the system than it would be capable of without the kit installed.  Rather than bypassing some of the snow, the kit forces the impeller to move it all.   Kind of like a car with narrow tires spinning them easily but put on a set of slicks and the load to the entire drive system is increased substantially due to the available traction.  The Clarence kit gives the snow moving part of the machine  a similar effect by increasing load.   I'm not certain that the additional load would have that much of an effect on the gearbox unless the components therein were border line and ready to let go. 

If i could put on a simulation video of the thing, I could probaly be more precise on how wet snow could damage the gear with clarence kit installed, in a long term.