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

I don't remember under which tread someone was asking about using a Honda clone on a snowblower.  And any issues there might be with it not being set up for cold weather.
I'm getting ready to re-power my Ariens 1032 (924084) with an 11HP Greyhound clone.  I've made some modification to it for cold weather based on some on the shields that come on
Honda snowblower engines.  Though they might be helpful to anyone thinking about doing the same thing.






      

I'm going to be using the electric starter.
I made a battery tray and mounted it on the blower. I kind of don't like having the extra weight of the battery on one side of the blower like that.
But not much else place to put it.  The clone sits further back on the blower so there may be some slight weight distribution issues.
But the battery weight should off set some of it.
Have made up as much of the wiring as I can without having
everything in place on the blower.  I love to know what the output is of the alt. on the clone.  But don't know where to find
that info. and haven't had the time to do much searching
I'm hopefully going to get time to do the engine swap in the next couple of days.
Glad to know your clone is doing fine without some mods.

Thank you all, for all the nice comments. I really appreciate it.  I enjoy doing this kind of stuff and it's nice to be able to share it
with others who have the same interests.
Shryp - yes it is the same power with the electric controls and stainless.  After I swap engines and get the electric all hooked up I'll post some photos.
I wanted the battery on board so I can run a larger watt light(s).  Nothing that will burn the paint of things. Probably a 30W Halogen.
Also with the battery on board I can remove the current battery that is running the chute and deflector motors.
At some point I'm going to take off the double belt pulley and put on two single pulleys. The drive pulley will remain the
same size. But I'm going to put on a 1/2" larger impeller drive pulley.  I have that pulley already. Just need to get a 2 1/2"
with a 1" bore pulley for the drive.  If my math is correct that should give about a 200 rpm increase at the shaft. And a impeller
tip velocity increase of about 730 ft/s.  That is one of the reasons I wanted to use an 11Hp and line the impeller housing with stainless.
Here are a few photos of the belt cover that I had to modify because the center of the crank (as you know) is higher on the clones.
I used a material called Sintra it's really easy to work with.  It's also formable when you put heat to it.
we'll see if it holds up.  If it doesn't I guess I will use it as a pattern and see if I can make the cover out of thin aluminum.
I was fortunate to have to have a old blower without the blower.  To do most of the measuring and fitting for the engine swap.
That is what the engine is sitting on.  Now I know exactly what I have to do to my 1032 to make the swap.
Another project I'm thinking about (there is always another project) is mounting a 3" blade to the front of my spare drive unit.
You can see in the photos the rear piece of steel that I cut out of the back of the impeller housing from and out wasted blower housing.
That is what I will beef-up and mount the plow blade to.
What I really want and have been looking for, for about a year is one of the Ariens Broom attachments.
That is why I've hung on the the drive unit I have. I have actually found, just the other day in my price range.
But unfortunately it's 330 miles away, pick up only. Oh well, I really don't have the money to spend right now anyway.
Almost forgot,  chefwong I'm a 3rd generation finish carpenter. So, same processes different materials and tools.
Measure, cut, fit, assemble.
Also my mom sent me to summer school when I was about 11 or 12. It was a class in small engine basics and repair
Thanks Mom !!
(She probably just wanted to get me out of the house and know where I was.)

shryp - Yes, I would think that you should just be able to just use the red to get power for lights.  By the way I made my engine swap yesterday and
I also have the problem with the blower belt not disengaging so to speak. The belt is plenty loose it slides right around the engine pulley when the engine isn't running.
I know what the problem is and have tried 4 or 5things but haven't come up with a solution yet.  Actually it's two problems.
One is that because the engine/crank sits higher the distance between the pulleys is greater. Which changes the angle that the belt comes to and leaves the pulley.
The angle is steeper, the arc that the belt makes over the pulley is tighter.
The other issue is that the vertical center of the crank is not in line with the vertical center of the drive and impeller pulleys.
Which makes the angle of thebelt even steeper on one side. 
An exaggerated way to put it would be that the belt now comes at the pulley from the bottom instead of from the side of the pulley.
The arc over the pulley is simple to small or to tight.  Centering the vertical center of the pulleys would probably fix it. 
But you can't do that without making a mounting plate for the engine so it can be moved to the left or right. 
As you know the holes you have to drill for the engine base are right on the corner of the bend in the tractor housing.
 Moving the engine left or right takes the engine base off into space. That's why you'd
have to make a mounting plate out of probably 3/16" plate.
 Bolt the engine to the plate and then bolt the plate to the blower.  I don't like that the
blower keeps spinning, but guess I may just have to live with it until I can figure something else out, or make a plate.
  I kind of like solving problems like this. We'll see.  If I figure something out I'll let you know.
 Who knows, maybe once the belt gets broken in a little, gets a little glaze or shine on the sides it will start slipping the way it supposed to.

Hirschallan - Well my work space is kind of heated, sometimes.  I have a small propane fired Ceramic infrared heater that mounts on the tank.  It helps raise the
temperature a little.  I live in Michigan and last week I used my infrared thermometer and took the temperature of various things in my shop. Walls, workbenches,
tools.  All read about the same temperature  17°.  It think I've had it up to about 45°.  Felt like summer time.  I wish it was heated, cause your right it.  It would
make it a whole lot more enjoyable.

New Yorker -  Thanks for the info about your HS 928TAS light. 50 watts would be plenty you can run a car headlight with 50 watts.
 It's not like you need to be able to see 20 or 30 yards out in front of you.
 I guess if I really want to know what the 'current" output is on an 11hp engine with a 12V starter system I'll have to call Honda
The new engine came with a new air filter so I took that out.  And I happened to have an old air filter element and cover from another Honda.  So I took the old filter and pulled all of the
paper element out of it through the bottom hole. Then just used the empty cage in the air cleaner box. That way the top cover has the center support that the filter
provides when you tighten down the wing nut.
Using SS bolts and nuts on your skids is a good idea. I used them to hold on my cutting edge as well. I love stainless anything.  I do always cringe a little
though when I buy stainless hardware.  It's so expensive.  I always keep my eyes open for stainless nuts, bolts etc. at garage and estate sales.
I had to laugh, I have some 3M Conspicuity tape on my blower as well.  I have a set of hole punches and I use the 3/4" one to punch out circles of
the tape. Then I just stick them on where ever.  I've got a few on the sides of the bucket and the chute.  That tape really lights up.