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

I posted some of this already but it was lost during a merge of the forums. Thanks to the help from the forum I was able to renovate a 1980 yardman 5 hp two stage. I got my first chance to use it on a couple of storms this week in MA.

I havent worked on repairing the electric start yet so I had to start by hand. It takes 6-7 pulls to get it going but it did start. I let it warm up and then took off blowing. Things went well until I hit the EOD. it was not high but was like wet cement. The blower bogged down and kept stalling. Even tried 1/2 passes but I couldnt keep it going. This unit has the 5 hp tecumseh Lhead motor. is this just a limitation of the HP?

Anyway I tried it out again today to clear 5-7 inches of lighter snow it worked much better. Although I was not used to using a two stage so I was a bit slow working all the controls. I also had one of the tire chains fall off!

I would be interested to hear from anybody with a similar 5 hp blower regarding how it performs in deep snow and EOD.

Is the compression good?

Hi John. I had the same problem last Thursday with my 1990 JD 726. It had to be the worst conditions to snow blow in. It was pure slush mix. I was making snow cones for hours in the pouring rain. I wasn't planning on blowing this snow when I got home in the morning from work. It was supposed to be about 3". It was actually 7". Mine kept clogging up and stalling out, but I ended up doing 4 country driveways. My nieghbor gave up blowing after one path, so I finished his up and did 2 other neighbors. I figured I was already soaking wet, so what the heck. This wasn't a fun blow though. LOL

Kevin

You will be limited with 5HP. Feed it gently either with low ground speed or partial bites when needed.

Pete

Yup,

EOD is tough on any machine. As Pete suggested and is so true conditions dictate pace and cut on ALL snowblowers not just the smaller ones or the older ones.

C

JGreen,

I have been following your progress with this machine & it sounds like you have made fine success!

I have a 5hp, 2 stage machine & it can usually handle my EOD piles well. However, when the snow is deep & wet, I have to take it s-l-o-w-l-y or else the engine will bog & eventually stall. My MTD has a 22" intake height, so it can take on more snow than I feel it can handle...

Marty

Thanks for the info. It looks like I just have to take it slower.     All and all it seems like it is a well built machine.    

And yes Marty, Thanks to all the help from the group I was able to take a machine that was going to the dump and bring it back to life!   I spent about $75 to get all the parts etc. I needed.    All that is left is to paint it in the spring , try to repair the electric start  and unstick or remove a stuck click pin.

$75 for a 5hp 24" two stage seems like a good deal to me.   Time will tell  how it holds up but it seems well built and the motor seems to run good so we will see.

.

  Jgreen,

           Check out Ebay for new complete starter System for your blower. They run about $30.00 with shipping.

                                                                                                  Fred   

On the starting issues, sounds like you might be overpriming it.  If i prime my 824 more than 3 times, it gets cranky to start, too much gas.  On the throwing issues make sure your auger drive belt is adjusted correctly, esp if you have replaced as part of your "ressurrection"(i can't remember if we made you change the belts or not) even if the belt is not new, still won't hurt to check adjustment.  Also make sire that your drive engage lever is adjusted properly(mine has an adjustment similar to a throttle cable on an atv) after sitting for a while(outside behind a shed IIRC, right?) and then being thrown back into service, the cables and such could need some tlc/adjustment.  sounds like your 80% there though.