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

Hi all, new to this forum after having searched for a solution to my surging hs 1132.
Among the several problems I've had with this machine is the severe pulling to the right when the bucket is in the mid or low position. I've put it on a flat surface and adjusted the shoes and scraper to manual specs and no luck. Shoes are even and scraper is even so no misalignment there. I've tried to adjust the shoes and scraper to counter the pull but nothing worked. Track tension is even. This is a pretty frustrating problem as I clean a long drive and fight against the pull the whole time - tiring and forget it if my wife ever has to run the machine. As usual, my honda dealer is no help whatsoever. I had to inform them of the icing kit I learned of on this forum after three years of bugging them about the surging, backfiring problem I was having.

I think the idea of the rear shoes is to be in line with the path of the wheels.  I had a 828 wheeled honda that when I backed it up into my shed I would occasionally clip one of the shoes (easily done in reverse) on the edge of the wood, and that would bend the shoe and then my bucket wouldn't be straight.  The shoes on my 1132 are MUCH thicker and I think I'd have less of an issue with this, but then again this machine is much heavier and would probably do the same thing if you snagged and edge going backwards.

I think the side shoes would fix this.  I  can't think of any real advantage to the original shoes, but maybe they keep support under the center of the bucket so as you go under uneven ground the middle scraper edge isn't getting hammered as much.

Thanks for the replies. I plan on ordering the optional side mounted tracks and hopefully that will fix the problem. I cleaned my pond off today for skating - nice level surface- and the pull to the right was extreme.

If it's pulling that badly on sheer ice, it sound more like a drive issue than skids.   Have you tried jacking the machine up off of the ground to see if there might be a problem with one of your drive wheels.  If it pulls strongly to the right, the right side wheel/track mechanism might be compromised.  Does your Honda have plastic or metal drive wheels?  Do the drive wheels have splines or a pin through them to lock onto the drive axle?   If it's pulling as badly as you say, I'd be taking a close look at the drive components. 

borat wrote:  
A drive issue is what I was thinking since no matter how I adjusted the shoes or scraper the machine still pulled.
The tracks are in good shape. Wheels are plastic and everything seems to be ok with them.
I've got to get the shop manual to see what kind of adjustments might be made to the drive components. The machine is a misery to use unless it's in the high position.

borat wrote:
I think this is the most likely problem.  One of the pins that lock the shaft to the crawler wheels may have been sheared.  Essentially, power is only delivered to one side of the tracks.

aa335 wrote: Nothing sheared and the shaft/wheel assembly appears to be sound. I just got in from checking it all out and one thing I notice is that when the machine is in the high position and you try rocking the handles nothing moves - the tracks appear to be even on the ground. But when I lower it to mid or low I can push down on the handles and the machine rocks as though the tracks aren't resting evenly. Everything visually seems in order so all I can guess is that possibly somethings warped. It's been like this from the get go but i don't usually clean in the lower positions because I have stone mix driveway surface.

Have to say though that having much experience with honda power equipment, for the cost of this machine I'm not impressed and regret purchasing it. My dealer just sold me the de-icing carb kit and they wouldn't warranty  it even though I've been complaining about engine surging, backfiring, and occasional loss of power since my first season with the blower. I understand honda posted a bulletin on this kit because of problems with icing in the carb. $2400 blower (3k today!) and they make me purchase a fix for honda dropping the ball on engineering on this model.

  

dfvellone wrote:

Yes, it will rock a bit, about 1/4 to 1 inch at most.  I thought my bucket/chassis was bent when I first did this, but after close examination, I found that the rocking was due to the two tracks not in synch with one another. The two track contact points (ridges) are not always the same.  In addition the two rear skid shoes are right behind the bucket, just a few inches in front of the tracks.    I now have the side skid shoes and the rocking have disappeared.

Can you try to turn it with the engine off and the bucket up?  Do you find that it is harder to turn left than turning right?

I am telling you. I honestly hate the tracked Honda's. I think the 928 wheeled machine is the one to get. I have the 624 wheeled at home and love it. Brand new 11hp tracked at work and I try not to use it and use the Ariens when it will move. I agree that for the money you spent it should be perfect. The only plus is that if you list it on Craigslist you can sell it quick at a little loss and buy the 928 wheeled unit that I would bet the farm you would love. But once soured you might never want a honda product again.

Knee_Biter wrote:

Tracked snowblowers are not easy to turn.  They are slow and heavy, and require a lot more effort to operate.  Most dealers I spoke to would not even try to sell a tracked snowblower, they just don't want to deal with hearing the complaints afterwards.  They would love to steer you towards a wheeled Honda if you are so enamored by the Honda brand.  I was frustrated with using my Honda tracked snowblower the first month I used it. 

However, after some time of developing my technique and setting skid height and scraper bar, I'm getting more comfortable with it.  This last significant snowfall showed me how powerful and capable this beast is.  In the worse situation is when it does its best.   It will cut through thick heavy piles without riding up on it.  There is so much downforce on the bucket and the serrated auger teeth will cut through the packed snow left by tire tracks.  I have a snow cab installed and did not need to put the recommended weight in front.  In scraping mode, it is even more aggressive, it will cut through solid ice.  And if you're not careful, those serrated teeth will make contact with the pavement, but that will only sharpen the teeth even more.

On light fluffy snow 3 inches or less, its like using a sledgehammer to kill a fly.  For these light snow situations, I wished I had a light single stage snowblower, particularly the ones with 2 stroke engines, as they seem to have higher auger speeds compared to the 4 stroke engines.  In fact, I was considering the Ariens 722 for its 7 HP engine plus the molded rubber auger that comes with lifetime replacement, labor not included of course, but it just a 10 minute job to do it yourself.

I think the 928 is the perfect balance of power and maneuverability, either in tracked or wheeled model.  For me, the 928TCD (tracked with electric chute and 12V battery for starting) would be the perfect machine.  Unfortunately, this model is not available in the US and would have to be imported from Canada for a hefty sum of money. 

aa335 wrote:
Did you have any pull one way or the other before you put on the side mount shoes?  I'd like to order them from my dealer if it'll help and particularly so when I sell the machine I won't be dumping my problem on someone else.

I'll try tomorrow to turn it the way you described.