SugarHooves

Red / Frank,

Great ideas and images. Just like a funnel of ideas pushing down to an exit solution. Again, thanks for the images. Very helpful.

Red, to confirm your description of your idea of, "If you picture two flat piece of stock (to simplify the discussion) bolted into the sides of the chute at the base, angled up, they could perhaps meet a 3rd piece which went to the up/down handle. You could conceivably make a single handle which you could swivel left/right, and also push up/down to tilt the chute up or down." I do believe your suggestion was clear to understand.

Anybody else. This is great information.

Keep 'em comin'. It's winter here in Chicago so I've plenty of inside house or garage time to work on these ideas. Ace Hardware, Menard's and Home Depot are old friends for my handy homeowners projects.

John

Thank you for all your replies and suggestions. All very good ideas to consider. I do appreciate it.

1.)  The ideas about buying a slightly used 621 QZE and selling my slightly used 621 E continues a focus on the $dollar spread, which I estimate will still be around $300 +/-.

2.)  The suggestion about buying the 621 QZE Quick Chute assembly and retro fit is attractive, but the body of the 621 QZE is physcially different and brings up the unknown issue of what is happening under that 'hood' that is different than the 621 E, plus the actual 621 QZE chute itself is different. I question the unknowns and looking to avoid that and require much more investigation I believe about the feasibility.

3.)  Red Oct's (great book and movie) suggestion about, "Could you sort of compromise and maybe add something like an extended handle to the existing chute rotation/angle controls? Some way to modify them so you don't have to reach over as far?" is most in line with my immediate quest of self-assembly, self-made, jury-rigging something along the "extended handle" concept and the lowest parts cost overall.

It's the 'extended (self-made) handle' that appears to me the most attractive.

Ideas you have or might suggest for exploration along this line of thought? I have everything in-house but a welder.

Thank you.

John

Hi,

I am looking for ideas on how to assemble, make-shift an auto rotate chute movement mechanism for our new 621-E. 

Background:

Toro 621-E is a great machine recently bought to replace an old two-stage Ariens that had given good service. The buyer beware caveat being that, because of an ongoing lower back injury and the nature of our property, the chute mechanism direction needs to be moved quite often. That constant motion of stopping, leaning forward to move the chute in a new direction has turned out not to be a good movement for the lower back. The Ariens had an auto chute movement control on the handle so I did not envision the problem that occurs with a manual chute movement of the new 621-E. Getting older and accumlating more aches and pains is a bee-atch. With the dollar spread being some $300+ dollars for a return of the now used 621E and attempts to sell myself (two snowfalls and $559 new) and difference in price of the Toro 621-QZE ($749 new) [wife needs electric for piece of mind], ...

Help sought:

 I am looking for help, ideas, suggestions, resources, etc. to self-assemble, install, jury-rig a mechanism that would control direction movement of the chute. 'Easier' control of the deflector is secondary.

Truly appreciate your feedback.

John