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

Guys,

I may get to go check out some SS's. One is a Yardman 21" 5hp 2-stroke. The other is a Toro CCR2000e 2-stroke.

I am leaning towards the Yardman, based on boratification possibilities. I'm guessing/hoping it has a 5hp Tecumseh, maybe the HSK850. The Toro would have a 4.5hp Suzuki engine, from what I understand. I don't care about electric start. Any reason to avoid the Yardman? I realize it's probably not as solid/durable a machine as the Toro. But if it could be ramped up more in the power department, I could live with that. Thanks for any feedback.

I got to play around briefly today with boratifying the Yardman. I tried tying a string at the upper governor linkage connection, where it goes to the throttle plate. I ran it through an existing screw hole in the lower housing (which was already missing its screw and open- if that's not a sign to boratify it, I don't know what is ), out the side of the machine, and up to the handle, where I tried attaching it to the bail.

I liked how it worked. Squeeze the bail, the RPMs climb; let go, and they drop. For the way I tend to use it (squeeze then release at the end of a run), that sounds good. I could lower the fixed-governed speed to even below-stock (for warming up, etc), and keep a high speed for doing work. I didn't have much time to mess with it, and I don't have any springs sitting around, so I need to revisit this. I'd like to add a spring, and perhaps something like a turnbuckle adjuster, or some other means to make controlled adjustments to the high-speed setting.

I was at Home Depot yesterday and took a look through their OPE-parts section. They have a universal throttle assembly (lever and cable) for $7. That could be a pretty convenient way to add a control that you can simply set & forget. An advantage over simply pulling a string by hand is that the lever would reach some maximum setting. Once properly adjusted, you couldn't accidentally take it to 9000 or something (that would be my fear if I was yanking on the string manually. Have it catch on my glove or something, and send the RPMs to the moon). Heck, with an appropriate-stiffness spring between the throttle cable and the governor, you might be able to make it such that lowering the lever would give you a nice idle, and you could perhaps use pretty much the whole range of the lever to adjust your speed.

I'm not knocking your approach of simply pulling on the string, borat. That's simple, cheap, effective, etc. Just trying to tweak it slightly based on what I think will work better for me. For all I know, I could get this sorted out, then find out you really need the ability to adjust the high-RPM's on the fly, for heavier/lighter snow.

Hey, Red, it's your machine to do as you wish.  All the power to you.  Just let us in on your mods.  Always enjoy to see what tricks guys are cooking up for their machines.

I don't think the 139cc Tecumseh engine can rev past 6500 rpm.  I pegged mine for a couple seconds unloaded and that's about it's limit.   I think the exhaust ports are probably  the most restrictive part of the system.  Those three little holes are pretty tiny for 139 cc engine.  If you ever saw the exhaust port on a 125 cc motocross bike engine, you'd know what I'm talking about.  They're positively huge by comparison.  You can stick a fresh bar of soap through the exhaust port on those things. 

    It's 50+ here and feeling like summer.   Out putzing with the machines and noticed the MTD 7hp SS had the cowling bolt but no support bracket.  It's an earlier model like Red's.  They probably did not come with with engine supports like later models.  The bar the clamp is on is a stablizing bar welded to the side of each intake housing side. 

   The brown bar is the wheel axle.  In later models they removed the stablizing bar and left just the axle which is where the bracket runs to on later models.  The bracket connected the axle, engine and back of the intake housing making a nice brace.   The added bracket is a RedOctber-like motor stablizer out of a steel steel.  Can't see the bolt and nut very well as they were slimed with grease.  The brace dampens the engine considerably and even noticable at the handles.  Probably would never had added it if I did not see Reds.   

   It's a 7hp now as it got update 803554, RMP Enhancement String Kit.

Trouts:

Are you using the high speed nylon braid or the super slick over-drive mono line?

I have one of each installed.  Despite all the hype, I've not noticed any discernible difference in output between the two.  Sure, the bright yellow mono looks spiffy but it doesn't tie as nicely as braided.  However, I do think I'm getting better fuel economy with the mono.

Borat,

   I"ve actually been looking for better string like a tight braded nylon but thin. 

   I had set a few of the machines to have a base rpm higher than normal and the string to max it from there.  Running it like a chainsaw seemed a good idea so I lowered one way down and ran it like that for a while.  Funny stuff as it is like using a chainsaw and gives the engine a break so I set the other machines the same way.   

   It's 40 here in the shade today so will probably get to the low 50's.  It'll be in the 50's next week also.  It's looking like no possibly snow here at lest into March.  Very frustrating.

Nice mount, trouts! I thought about using sheetmetal, but I didn't really have something like that handy. So, ironically, making it out of aluminum was almost easier. It was more fun, at least, I got to machine it

I'm on board with what you found, in terms of raising RPMs. I haven't yet gotten to play with my string setup any more. But I did pick up a spring to add to it, and a turnbuckle for easier adjustability. I want to add them to the machine, then maybe I'll try to get some pics. I have the string going to the bail, so as the handle gets close to fully squeezed, it raises the RPMs. I haven't yet lowered my governed-RPM speed, but that's on my list. I took the governed speed from 3900 to 4500. I will probably lower it back to 3900 (stock), maybe even lower. And try to adjust everything so that squeezing the bail is enough to crank it up to a feisty operating speed.

I'm using general purpose braided nylon string. Excuse me, Ultra Performance Turbocharging RPM Adjustificator Space Age Polymer Cabling. My string is just white. But if I dyed it red, that would add another 0.25 hp and 1" of cut width right there. You did have me wondering what 7hp MTD you were referring to, until you listed the part # and explained the upgrade And borat, you're probably right, the mono line will give you better fuel economy vs braided, as it reduces weight, and will have less wind resistance. If you polish the line, that will also help reduce drag as the machine is moving forward. +10 points for bragging rights, however, if the line you're using has a tensile strength greater than the weight of the machine.

I found that adding NOS stickers at the appropriate places can increase torque or horsepower.  You just move it around until the engine feels right for your application.  It's kind of cool to tune the engine by just altering the placement. 

Early last year, I put in application  with the Canadian Federal Government to purchase a piece of "militarily sensitive" Spectra space tether.   Putting that on the Craftsman would make it deliriously awesome......

The package finally arrived and I was quaking in my boots to see this stuff.  I feverishly tore the box open only to find that they sent me a piece of binder twine? 

I think they're testing me to see  how much I know.

I've been so dissatisfied with how the bail handle doesn't engage the auger as crisply as I like it.  While the bail lever effort is very low, there is way too much slack.  I get no action until the 1.012" slack is taken up.  And when it engages, it feels very mushy, like there's a lot of wasted slipping going on.  It should be instantaneous without slipping or jerking.  Is that too much to ask Toro to design a positive, crisp engagement bail systems?  What good is all that power if it doesn't get down to the rubber?  Also, I get no feedback from the bail lever, feels the same auger is engaged or disengaged.  I wounder if changing out the cables and adding some precision pulleys would help. 

The Toro SS would be such a perfect machine had the engineer spent a few hours revising this power delivery system.  I mean they got a great Power Curve auger, don't stop there with just some low cost steel cables.  This is 2012, we got high performance cryogengically treated teflon impregnated oxygen free copper cables that would add pennies to the machine. 

Just my $0.02, but the fact that it doesn't engage "all at once", if you will, could be deliberate. If you squeezed just a little, and the bail kind of just clicked from disengaged to engaged, that might cause a lot of undue wear on the belt when it "hooked up". Kind of like on a 2-stage (which is a bit exaggerated, due the additional rotating impeller/auger mass), if you squeeze the handle abruptly you're more likely to make the belt chirp, as it suddenly has to get everything up to speed right now. That puts a big instantaneous load on the belt. Engaging a bit more gradually may make things easier on the belt, like easing off the clutch in your car, vs dropping the clutch.

Now, that said, I'm assuming that your machine is still adjusted properly. When I got my Yardman, the belt tension was way off. If we actually had any snow to move, I have a feeling the paddles would have simply stalled out in heavier stuff, and I would have smoked the belt at the engine's pulley. Likewise my Ariens SS was also too loose. After getting both adjusted properly, they feel better, and do not seem like they will slip. But both initially had only a small amount of tactile feedback when squeezing the bail. The paddles spun, but the belts were not under much tension. Now, after adjusting them, I feel the springs fighting me more, when I squeeze the bails. I've never used a Toro, so I don't know how much tension you should actually feel. If you can't really feel the belt engage, that makes me wonder if the belt tension needs to be adjusted.

Mine do seem to have some unnecessary bail travel, I'll grant. Seems like maybe the bail shouldn't need quite that much motion. But maybe it's to help ensure that the idler is fully disengaged, and the paddle brake has engaged, to avoid having any light drag between the belt and the engine's pulley while it's just running but not blowing snow.