Well........finally getting around to starting a thread on this impeller mod for the snowblower. Perhaps a little late in the season, but it will give us something to talk about!
In light of the recent thread about plastic liners, I thought I should get this started.
I have to admit that when I first heard of this, I was a little skeptical at first. Sounded interesting but as with most mods, they are usually more hype than improvement. Some had been telling me about it and said that it made a real improvement. Yeah, right. 
I checked out the web site and, have to admit, I was being drawn in. Clarence lives in the same city as I do, so this gave me some more interest in checking it out. Still back burner though.
So.........one day we are out doing driveways and this occasional client that lives across the street from my client sees that I am having a little trouble with the slush getting plugged up in the machine. He tells me that he just got the kit installed on his machine and is going to give it a try. Now I know how his machine performs usually, as I have seen him do his driveway many times over the years, so this should be interesting. Well, the next thing I know, is that I almost wet myself! 
He was blowing that slush out of his machine like it was being shot from a cannon! Now we all know that slush usually goes about 2 feet, so seeing this stuff fly 20+ feet was nothing short of unbelievable. 
We tried some snow with it and it was going 30-40 feet. Normally his machine throws about 20-30 feet. By the next day, I was over at Clarence's and getting it installed on one of my machines, to check it out for myself. I have NEVER looked back. Now, ALL of my machines have been fitted. My favourite machine is an MTD Pro 13/33 (1986) , with the 13 hp B&S engine, and it will honestly throw snow 50-60 feet! 
The Ariens and other MTDs have been fitted too.
ABSOLUTELY no snow or slush will slow down this kit! EVERYTHING that goes in, will come out! EXCEPTIONS include: newspapers and extention cords! Havn't picked up a squirrel yet!
Most kits now have roughly 2000 times on them now and the belting is holding up quite well. I see no need for any replacement yet.
Installation will require medium skill, I guess, as you will have to remove the chute and drill the impeller to install the kit. You are working through the opening for the chute.
For the first several times you use your machine, the sound will be quite different as the rubber will be dragging slightly on the housing until it gets worn in. THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PAINT COMING OFF OF THE IMPELLER HOUSING, THEN THIS KIT IS NOT FOR YOU! It will make the metal quite shiny, I must say. BUT, if that is not a big deal for you, then the perfoermance upgrade will be more than a fair trade off. Other than the paint coming off, the metal is not being worn out. With all the use that my machines get, they are still in fine shape. With typical homeowner use, you should still get 50 years out of your machine.
So........which machines are likely candidates? I would say every 2 stage machine out there, with the exception of Hondas and Yamahas. They already have a tight gap between the impeller and the housing and would not show any improvement.
Clarence is a super guy and I send all of my equipment to him now, (that I can't fix) for repairs.
Hope this helps. 
Got any questions............fire away! 
Ken
PS Thanks for the push.............Fred!
