Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Anyone make single stage paddles?

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

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trouts2

Location: Marlboro MA
Joined: Dec 8, 2007
Points: 1328

Anyone make single stage paddles?
Original Message Jan 2, 2013 9:44 am

If you made paddles post what you used, cost, how you cut it, how well it worked out. I've snooped around for material but have not found anything suitable. One guy used farm conveyer belt which he said worked well. Nice if you're a mid-western farmer and have some pieces hanging around.

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aa335

Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #1 Jan 2, 2013 10:49 am

I've used aftermarket paddles on my Honda SS. It was significantly cheaper than genuine Honda parts, half the price. However, the aftermarket rubber was softer and did not wear as long. It seems to wear out twice as fast. The softer compound affected performance as well, it did not dig into the snow banks as aggressive. In the end, I didn't find any monetary savings in using the aftermarket Honda paddles.

With that said, I think finding the right material for DIY paddles requires a bit of trial and error. There's a re many variables that makes a good paddle, ie rubber compound and response to cold temperature, reinforcing cords directional with proper stiffness, weight of the material, etc...

jrtrebor

Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #2 Jan 2, 2013 2:16 pm

With my Snow Commander looking like it's going to
need a set of paddles and scraper ($80 to $100, ouch) I'm going to try and find some
some suitable material to make some. Or maybe I should say
try and make some. Conveyor belting would probably
work well as it is reinforced. Truck Bed mats are also
made out of some pretty heavy duty stuff.
Although they are usually textured on both sides.
Let you know if I find anything.

borat

Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #3 Jan 2, 2013 5:10 pm

The trick is to get the right thickness. Lots of conveyor belting is just too thick to work with.

Is there anything on ebay for a reasonable price?

grump

Joined: Jan 14, 2008
Points: 58

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #4 Jan 2, 2013 11:02 pm

Thinking on this one, saw some shower liner material made for stall showers to replace the copper pan. Heavyweight vinyl, not the stuff the box store sells. More a commercial grade.

Also a commercial grade of floor mat like material -- what they use as a bus/trolley flooring. I once bought some of that as surplus and made some stair treads from it - indestructible.

Thin sidewall of an antique car balloon tire?

Just thoughts.

jrtrebor

Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #5 Jan 2, 2013 11:09 pm

I had forgotten about this little quick fix. I did it to one of my Toro CCR 2000s last
year and it worked really well.
I did it to my Snow Commander this afternoon.
You remove the center two bolts holding the paddle to the auger.

Remove the two steel sleeves.

Take what ever tool you have that will elongate the holes.

Reinsert the steel sleeves. Slip the paddle back in place and bolt it down. The paddle is actually sandwiched between
the steel auger plates so it's not going anywhere. But you can see by the tape how much it has been moved.
The beauty of it, is that it doesn't just move out in the center. The whole paddle moves out down to the next bolt.
In other words, doing this does not put a hump in the center of the paddle.

Before

After
Now I can put off buying a new set of paddles for the Snow Commander for a bit longer.
And see how it performs with this fix and the RPM bummped up 400 to 4650 +/-.

This is the tool I used to elongate the holes in the paddles.

This message was modified Jan 3, 2013 by jrtrebor

trouts2

Location: Marlboro MA
Joined: Dec 8, 2007
Points: 1328

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #6 Jan 3, 2013 8:07 am

jrtrebor,
Very nice. I'm working on a 3650 with a broken rod that has paddles half worn and could us a tweak.

jrtrebor

Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #7 Jan 3, 2013 8:17 am

trouts2 wrote:

jrtrebor,
Very nice. I'm working on a 3650 with a broken rod that has paddles half worn and could us a tweak.

Thanks trout2,
I take it that the rod stayed in the block?

borat

Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: Anyone make single stage paddles?
Reply #8 Jan 3, 2013 9:22 am

jrtrebor:

Good thinking! Nothing better than a simple effective fix.

Now we must wait for some snow! Can't believe it. It's January already and I've only needed to use a snowblower once. Dissapointing to say the least.

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