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

Lots of packed snow drifts, 8 to 36 inches high. -20C

I go into unheated garage, push the throttle forward, turn key, va va va , second attempt, va vroooomm, starts, we are off and running!

I just spent 2.5 hours with this beast, cleared 3 driveways, and the curve to the main road, so about 500ft, by 25ft wide.

Used almost a whole tank of gas. The pictures are from my phone! so excuse the quality!!

First off, at 373lbs, this thing is a tank, and it drives through snowdrifts like butter. No riding up, and very little slip. The biggest problem was I could feed it too fast, and actually slow the engine down. a quick adjustment oh the Hydro Drive, and I found a nice pace.

Having used a wheel drive for the last 14 years, I can say that the track drive is a bit of a challenge, and will take some getting used too. I was able to turn it 180 to make next cut, but definately not as easy as a wheel drive, not terrible, but definately more of a challenge. I found that leaning the auger back to take the weight of the front made it a lot easier to turn.

Were the tracks did work well, was pushing through the drifts, no riding up, once I set a nice pace, just held on with one hand, and let it eat and throw through, much easier than my previous snow blower. I really like the Hydro Drive, makes it real easy to find the speed that you want, anywhere from a crawl, to a brisk walk.

Throwing snow for this Yamaha works very well, I could easily throw to the other side of the road, I would estimate I was getting around 40 feet at times.

The electric direction change for the chute works very well, moves it quickly, without struggle, even after 3 hours, and buildup of snow and ice. The deflection on the Yamaha is manual, cable, 2 stage, and built into the same control for direction.

Unfortunately, when I did my neighbors driveway, he had an area were the rocks were loose, and I did catch a few of them

So there are a couple of dings in the impeller, and a few scratches in the plastic guard, so it looks like there is no returns now

I am very happy with the performance of this Snow Blower. It made short work of the packed snow, easy to start, easy controls. My only concern from using it for 3 hours, was the turning, which got better with time.

Overall though, I am way less worn/tired as I have been in the past with my previous unit. With out a doubt, I know I would still be out there, lifting up on handle bars, backing up, pushing in, etc.

Good review!

When you say it bogs down in heavy snow does it ever feel like it's going to shut down or stop throwing snow? I throw rocks and gravel with mine all the time. I try NOT to do that but at the EOD up by the mailbox no way to avoid it. So gravel is nothing but 2" rocks worry me a bit. Still it sounds like your Yamaha is true blue all the way through.

I had a Honda 928TAS and the tracks on that were significantly harder to turn than my Toro. But for your needs the tracks will help a lot with the heavy drifts.

Hope you can get some videos and post them. <hint hint>

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Hey Steve!

When I hit heavy pack, I could hear it work harder, and Rev up, then as the drift got higher, I could hear the rpm start to drop, did not seem like it would shutdown or stop,However, I didn't give it a chance. I don't like to work them that hard, esp when breaking in, so I backed off on the track speed, and it was good.

I was able to keep it to a slow walk, except when taking full width and height, then I had to slow almost to a crawl. When I was taking a half cut, it worked very well, could keep it going at a regular pace.

The rocks are unavoidable out here, just tough to get those first few scratches and dings in a new toy!! 

As for a video, will try, that will involve my wife, and that won't happen till it warms up. She will not stand out there in -20 to film me, that I know

rubinew wrote:

Well it is supposed to work harder when it hits the tough stuff. But it's good that yoiu didn't push it too hard and you can always slow it down even more. My Toro is usually used in 1st for heavy stuff and always in first anytime I'm near the natural rock wall (BIG & small rocks) or the small fence in the ground (ate a few of those this past storm ) The EOD and mailbox have a lot of gravel so going slowly just makes sense. But afterwards on the long stretches especially going down the driveway rather than going up I can clear the remaining blown stuff in 6th gear! I did almost the entire driveway today in 6th gear as it was like 2 inches. Then the wind picked up and now we have another 2 inches out there.

My wife would go out in -20F -20C is like what it was when we did our current videos with the wind blowing like that and film me and she's from the Philippines she had only seen snow on TV before she came here. She's a real snow bunny now.

She gets out there in the snow and cold and has a blast. Her commentary is pretty good too.

I get almost 2 driveways done on a tank of gas which seems to be about a gallon or so and that is with breaks so we can set up a shot and sometimes a few do overs. How thirsty is the Yamaha on gas. I'd guess mine at full bore is just under 3 hours per tank.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Your wife likes the cold! Mine however, does not! She is more of a sun and beach girl

The tank was about 1/8 tank shy of full, I had it running for about 3 hours(full throttle about 2 hours), and there is about 1/8 tank left, so I am guessing it would be about 4 hours to a tank, which holds 6.7 liters, about 1.5 gallons.

@rubinew

I'm really "blue" with envy now.  Nice machine.  I might have to look into his big brother.  :)

I like the lines the scraper bar leaves behind.  Kinda like a groomed ski area.

rubinew wrote:

Oh my wife loves the beach and warm weather. The Philippines never gets below 78F even at night unless you are in the mountains. Most days are 85F-95F Most nights are comfortable enough to go swimming outdoors at any time of night. She also liikes the snow, she's just that way. Many of her friends hate the snow and cold.

It sounds like you get pretty good fuel economy with it considering it's such a big & heavy machine. I'm always at full throttle, too much bother to stop and slow it down for a few seconds to move something.

rubinew,

I am not trying to go jugular here as you are enjoying the honeymoon phase but do you think your Yamaha YS928 is underpowered?  Your description sounds very similar to my HS724 experience when I encountered heavy load, which propelled me to HS928.

MN_Runner wrote:

The Yamaha has a 9 hp motor, similar to the 9 hp in the Honda. So if you take a full cut of packed snow, at average speed, drifted stuff, not light and fluffy, do you not hear the engine start working, slow down in RPM???

I had another member mention his 928 Honda will bog down if he takes a full cut of heavy snow too quickly.

I found if I backed of on the forward speed, probably around 1 on my MTD, then the engine handled it just fine!

I will admit, last night, I was concerned, but then after clearing 3 driveways and 250 feet of road, I am okay with the Power.

Sweet!!! Thanks for the pics!

rubinew,

I had an engine bogging issue on my HS724 but not on HS928.  I had a problem with EOD when we got 8 inches of snow for HS724 (engine did not die but it sounded a bit meek) but with HS928 when we got 18 inches snow I experienced no engine bogging issue at EOD.  I also smelled some engine oil when HS724 was bogging down but not on HS928.  Did you smell any oil burning?  I am assuming your oil level is good.  But I do miss the super quietness of HS724.

MN_Runner wrote:

No smell of oil burning, I checked it today, level still good. Almost 4 hours on it, will likely change it this weekend.

If you look at the first picture, that is about 12-14 inches, it went at a good pace. In the second picture, were you can see the scrapper lines, the snow is higher than the bucket, at full cut, I had to slow it down, or the engine would slow, could tell it was working. If I took half cuts, then I could pick up the pace again.

I would love to drive up to where you are and do a side by side comparison so I know what challenging environment you are dealing with - who really knows may be my Honda will crap out before yours. Too bad as you are more than 4 hrs from where I am.

Sounds like a good breakin.  Give yourself some time to get used to turning with the tracks. There are  nuances.  My HS928 definitely bogs down when making a full cut of 14 inches of snow. No question. I just slow the hydro's progress down to a crawl until I hear the engine running without stress.   Its slow going sometimes, but I keep myself entertained by shooting the geyser of snow over cars, treetops and my neighbor's roof.  

You should be punished in some way for hitting that rock. Shame.

When are we going to get video (HD)?

MN_Runner wrote:

I took a honda 928TCD for a couple test blows, just in stuff pushed around in parking lot. I think your Honda will do just fine. I found them very similar, in fact, I almost took the Honda home.

It was the lack of Shear Pins, the Plastic Liner, and the closed in Body(very Quite) that pushed me towards the Yamaha. Both are excellent units, and could be bought for the same price.

The environment out here is that most of the snow, blows in from a farm field, so it is granular and well packed. You can walk on it, and only leave foot prints a couple inches deep. My 8hp 24 inch MTD would bog right down in this stuff with a full cut, actually stop throwing snow. I would have to back it up, and let it clear itself.

Underdog wrote:

Wow, is that a steering controlled Track on that Yamaha???

HD video, when it warm up enough to get someone to film me
Thanks for the update on the engine slowing down in full cut, I kinda thought a 28 inch cut at 14 inch high would slow down most units!!

And yes, I love the way it throws snow!! Could never do that with my MTD!! Shooting it clear over to the other side of the road

Underdog wrote:

I am punishing myself  I keep looking at the scratched paint and dings in the edges of the impeller, and realize, can't take it back now

It was not  'a' rock, it was a hand full of 1/2 inch rock, I was going along, then...rattle rattle, chunck chunck, tink tink, arrrggggg. Last week Phil had a bobcat in there, must have stirred up some of the gravel. It was in the snow, couldn't see it.

rubinew,

at least you did it and no one else touched the snowblower.  I got some dings and scratches on my Honda too and I am the culprit.

rubinew wrote:

Be thankful it wasn't 2" rocks or a 3" piece of granite! I hate the rocks but they seem to come from nowhere. It's all ledge under this house and around here. They had to dynamite to put in the basement and even that was so difficulty that they only did half the area as it took too long. Now that you have your first dent you can stop worrying. That auger is a lot tougher than you think.  The paint.... not so much.

rubinew,

Please take some pictures as you change the oil if not too much trouble.  Thanks for your great post and honest feedback (good and bad on your YS928)!

MN_Runner wrote:

Will do.

Just an interesting note, there is no mention of belts in the Maintenance section of the Yamaha, and this model has a 'clutch drive' auger.

Yet when I took of the cover to check the oil, behold, there are two belts. One driving the hydrostatic system, which I suspected would be there. Then a second, wide belt, driving the Auger. The magnetic clutch is used to engage the belt drive, similar to the clutch on a Air Condensor for AC. When you move the lever, you here the click, and the belt starts turning. Which explain why I can't turn the impeller with the engine off

rubinew wrote:

I think you are mistaken. If in fact it has a magnetic clutch then only when it’s energized will it hold the belt from turning so, when the clutch isn’t it should turn by hand aside from the fact it has a safety brake like all snow blowers or a mechanical one therefore you can’t rotate the impeller even when not energized.

hirschallan wrote:

That is what I thought, with no power to engage belt to motor, should spin free. My MTD would spin free, of course no tension on belt.

So for amusement, I just went out and checked it, sure enough, I can turn it, though a lot harder than the MTD. This is likely because the belt is taunt, and the ratio to what parts I am turning on the clutch. I didn't push as hard last time, since I expected it to spin as easily as other blowers.

It is definately a magnetic clutch, when I slide the lever (no cables, just an electric contact) click, then the belt is running.

rubinew wrote:

Ok, yes it has a magnetic clutch. When it’s not energized it’s not the belt you cannot turn but rather a braking mechanism holding back the sheave. If you are trying to move the implement by hand you are better off moving the impeller  (back fan)  than the auger do to a 10:1 ratio where it's much easier to move the impeller than the auger rakes.

hirschallan wrote:

Ok, I think we are missunderstanding each other It is the fans I am trying to turn, not the Auger, I call the fans the Impeller(is that a mistake?). The Impeller on other snow blowers is easy to turn, since no belt tension applied.

On this blower, it is very diffcult to turn, I assumed it is because the belt is always tense. It may have this break you talk about, Would this be part of the clutch assembly?? I will investigate more on the Weekend! Play Time

Beautiful machine.  You're a lucky guy, congrats.

rubinew, did you inquire about a service manual from the dealer (Saskatoon or Regina).   I would imagine they might be able to access one for you. I would be curious to know if pricing  for the manual (through the dealer) would be similiar to what we have heard elsewhere.

Underdog wrote:

Funny you mention that, I was actually going to stop in this afternoon, and talk to the dealer in Regina.

The Operators Manual has no parts breakout, etc. It covers a lot of maintenance procedures and adjustments, but no mention of the belts, that I know are there

I like to maintain my own equipment, so I would definately like the Service Manual. I would be willing to pay for a service manual.

The Yamaha service manuals are ussually very well written in my opinion. 

Can you tell me if this diagram matches your auger?

Underdog wrote:

The Ops Manaul is very good, just lacking what I am used too! It seems they want you to use the Yamaha dealer for a lot, like changing oil in worm gear!

As for the diagram, yes, it matches, in fact I have that same picture in my Op Manual. Here is the description:

1. Shear Bolt Guard

2. Shear Bolt

If any foreign objects become lodged in the Auger, or the auger hits a curb, the shear bolt guard wil run idle to absorb the impact and protect the Auger. If any bigger impact is added to the Auger, the shear bolt will break to protect the Auger and the Auger shaft.

I am still no sure how this 'Guard' runs idle?? It is bolted firmly to the shaft, then to the Auger with the 2 Shear Bolts.

rubinew wrote:

Yes, that is what I was trying to figure out.

 Maybe what they are saying is that upon impact the "guard" continues to move with the rotation from the gear box... and with the shear bolt"s" cut (sheared) by the force of the impact  the auger (impact side only) remains idle (no longer spins).  So the force of the impact would have to break both shear bolts on that guard.  Sounds similiar to the Honda setup but with two bolts instead of one.    Still not sure on this....

Underdog wrote:

My understanding was there is a 'shock protection' system on the Auger. My take from what I could read, and what the dealer explained, is that if you jam the Auger, it wil absorb the shock, but hit again, or harder, and the shear bolts will break.

It may have some type of slip plate in the Guard. I visualize spring loaded bearings, that can slip with enough force, but then pop into the next groove, as they rotate. This would cause a jerking action when jammed up, that would eventually break the bolts.

But without any actual schematics, I am just guessing, not prepared to rip them apart at this point!

rubinew wrote:
I believe it's what Yamaha calls their "power assisted easy turn" feature.  Its only available on selected models...none of which are available to the Canadian market.  The designation is a letter "T" at the end of the model name.  Examples:  YS-870JT, or YS-1070T.  For The Japanese market the feature adds around 50,000 yen to the price...or around $600 Canadian.

Here's a video of the feature in action.

http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/snowthrower/detail/popup/0014.html

Paul7 wrote:

I might have paid extra for that feature! Looks like it works very well.

The 1132 they sell in canada has clutch levers, you can pull to disenage one side or the other, to make it easier to turn.

So lets see, they keep the best stuff in Japan, we get a slightly watered version in Canada, and the U.S. gets nothing! hmmm, strange marketing scheme!

rubinew wrote:
Nothing is stranger than YamahaCanada's Youtube video of their entry back into the Canadian market. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH2fnu1GRNY

Paul7 wrote:

Hmmm, not saying much for their impression on Canadians EH!!

At Least the Neighbor looked somewhat normal!

The first Blower, is the YS928J, the one I bought. Then they demo the 1132. The 1132 is a heavy beast, they should have leaned it forward a bit, and slowed it down, in the demo, it was riding up a bit 

So for those of you who can not wait for my own video, have a look at this Yamaha Video, you can see the 928 throw snow in this video!!

rubinew wrote:

rubinew - I am totally impressed with your description of the Yamaha YS 928 J's performance.  I cringe when I think of 18" deep, wind-driven snow, that's icy and crusted over to the point that you can walk on it without sinking.  My Ariens 11.5 hp 28" machine would struggle heavily with that.type of icy snow...and my Ariens weighs 293 lbs.  Even with normal heavy snow that deep I never go faster than the slowest speed, and even feather it down at times to let the blower catch it's breath.  What you're describing is a type of snow that most blowers would choke on...so the Yamaha being able to clear that snow at a slow walking pace, is amazing, and well worth giving up some maneuverability.

Paul7 wrote:

Well lets be clear, in 18" of packed snow, I had it going very slow, almost a crawl. If I tried to keep it walking, it would bog down, and sound like it was working to hard, did not want to stress it that much.

In 8" of packed, I could keep it at a slow walk, but not 18", then it was slow going, probably  1/3 slower than 1 on my MTD.

Just wanted to clear that up!

But it is an impressive unit, had it out today, in 5-6 inches of fresh snow (not blown), then I could fly, so did the snow, did my driveway and front walk in about 20 minutes.

Understood.  But still whether its 8" or 18", hard packed snow is tough stuff.  Most brands of snow throwers would perform the same as your MDT.   Your Yamaha will likely handle anything that winter throws at you, trouble-free for a long time.  And if you eventually get the driveway paved it will be even easier to snowblow. 

Paul7 wrote:

The first 25 feet is exposed aggregate, the rest (about 40 feet) is gravel. This summer I am going to put a couple inches of crusher dust on top of the stone. It should pack and reduce the problems with loose stones.

I had to raise the scrapper bar, because of the exposed aggregate, so even when Auger is leaned fully forward, the scrapper runs about 1/4 inch above the driveway.

Paul7 wrote:

Look at the next video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfPCBulvKx0&feature=watch_response Just the first 10 seconds, Doug and Donnie are changing oil on their snowblower singing "Tom Sawyer". Hilarious.

I think all that time could be better used to demonstrate the capability of the product as opposes to the silliness of 2 hillbillies with a $5000 machine.

I thought it was a good video illustrating Yamaha's strengths and power and somewhat funny.  It depends on your taste - I am a Pabts Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer guy (hillbilly) and not  a California Merlot drinking person.  I really missed that fine PBR - just like the good old college days. 

Yes that ranks right up there with some guy futzing on the snowblower for 10 minutes and 10 seconds of actual snowblowing.

An Update!!!

The Yamaha is running well, about 20 hours use on it since last post.'

It can take 3 attempts to start in -25 weather, but I am very short on starter time, maybe 2-3 seconds per try. I beleive this is a result of Auto Choke, takes a while to get GAS into the carb.

The big news is I am away this week, and we had blowing snow all day.

My wife had to use Yamaha. I had trained her earlier, but this was her first attempt at long term use, on her own.

Started for her on second attempt, then she was out for 2 hours tonight, and prefers it to our previous MTD wheeled unit.

While she finds it harder to turn, she like the fact that it goes were she wants it too, and does not have to fight to keep it straight, or in the snow.

In order to turn she basically pulls it around while track running slow, she does not take time to change tilt. If it does not turn enough for her, then she backs up, and corrects.

My wife is ~120 Lbs, in good shape, but still managed this 400lb snowblower for 2 hours. It is all about technique. She did not wrestle it, or fight it, but used the hydro transmission, and the track movement to make her turn.

Did it take a little longer to turn than MTD, maybe, but then she could blow the entire pass without fighting it all the way.

While I am pleased with my decision, this make me feel even better, the knowledge that my wife can walk up to this unit, turn the Key, and clear herself out.

Looks like you got the same stuff we did.  My new Honda handled it well, started on the first try (once I remembered to open the shutoff valve) but some of the harder stuff required a second pass cause the blower tended to ride up on one side only, producing a bevelled cut sloping upwards to the unblown snow.  The Honda 928 came stock with both rear and side mounted skids and I am thinking that the side mounted ones may be causing it to ride up on one side only since one skid is always riding outside the cut on the higher hard unblown snow.  This only happens when the snow is super hard.  I believe yours just has the rear mounted skids.  I will try removing the side mounted ones and we'll see what happens.  Probably next year - with a little luck maybe this is the last blowing session for this winter.  Give me some time to get the auger off and grease the shaft etc etc.

Well... you have conquered the final hurdle for all snowblowers!  And you are ahead of me in this respect - all I got so far are polite refusals.  What technique did you use to entice her into training?  LOL

Dr_Woof wrote:

I think he did the same thing I did. We both bought snowblowers that our wives could use.

Most guys just buy what they want without involving their wives in the process. Yep you might like that 400 lb. Ariens with a cast iron gearbox, but if your wife is afraid of using it or can't manuever it you're SOL.

I had a Honda, my wife couldn't use it so back it went. She can use the Toro and she does and Rubinew's wife can use the Yamaha.

Maybe the fact it's blue helps too. Many women like Blue.

"Most guys just buy what they want without involving their wives in the process. Yep you might like that 400 lb. Ariens with a cast iron gearbox, but if your wife is afraid of using it or can't manuever it you're SOL."

OR......

You can buy a nice, light, powerful, easy to start Toro single stage that even a child could use.  

It will take a very heavy snowfall to sideline a 221Q.   I haven't used the Simplicity once since buying the 221 and I'd be willing to bet I won't have to pull it out any time soon.

borat wrote: Rubinew gets hard packed frozen snow so he needs his Yamaha.  Steve might be able to get by with a good single stage except he has a very long driveway the extra width of his two stage saves him a lot of time.   

We got around 7 inches of snow Monday night while I was at a meeting in North Carolina.  Just got back but my son had already shoveled the driveway so I didn't get to use my Toro CCR 3000.  I might play with it in the yard tomorrow...I'm anxious to see what it can do. 

My wife doesn't use my OPE but she is hoping that Sears will come out with a riding vacuum cleaner.

tkrotchko wrote:
IMPOSTERS!!!  The real ones don't wear plastic shower caps, they have toques.  They always drink beer, and they NEVER (well, almost never) eat yellow snow.

borat wrote:

Yeah most people could probably use a single stage. I'm certainly not going to use a single stage on a 2' high EOD that's about 30 feet long at the top. I can do my driveway in a bit over an hour now and even with 18" 1.5 hours. A single stage is actually a good idea for small storms. but 220 feet is really long and it's uphill.

Besides my wife can start the 2 stage Toro with 1 pull as well.

Dr_Woof wrote:

The Technique was leaving for a week at beginning of February, then fagain for 8 days this week!!

Either she learn, or get stuck at home with the Kids, she chose wisely

borat wrote:

I have used a single stage a few times in the past, not a Toro mind you, but I seriously doubt any single stage would tackle 20-30 inches of packed, blown, frozen snow.

Maybe if I kept backing up, going back in, lifting on handle bars, etc etc, 4 hours later, but then, might as well kept the MTD.

My wife liked the fact she could point, set a slow speed, and walk behind with one hand while the Yamaha chewed thru the snow, no hassle, no repeats, fighting, etc.

She would have been done in about an hour if I would have remembered to add gas before I left

She could not get gas can open, had to get help from neighbour to fill it up!

rubinew wrote:

Do you have the same crappy gas cans up there that we have forced on us here by Kalifornia regulations for vent free gas cans? It takes me 3 hands to use one of the damn things. When I take a holiday up there I will probably buy a gas can if you guys have the easy to use ones.

I agree that SS machines can't do it all.  However, I'd be willing to bet that they can do 90% of what most people need done. 

We got about three inches of fine snow last night.  I shoveled it all to one side then used the Toro to throw it up on the lawn and to move the eod deposit.   No sweat.   Neighbour's out of town so I took care of his as well.   These driveways are on a 10% grade, 110 feet long x 18' wide with 35' x 35' turnaround at the top plus I did my back driveway which is 25' x 40'.   All done within an hour and 15 min.    A strong running SS will move a lot of snow with minimal effort in short order.   I've gained a lot of respect for SS machines. 

borat wrote:

No doubt that singles are pretty good for most people if the snow is reasonable. I can only have 1 snowblower, so for me it's a 2 stage as we tend to get a lot of snow. but for 3-4 inch storms there is no doubt a single stage would be better for that.

rubinew wrote:
I have to try that technique.  I envy you, got a nice shiny blue Yamaha snowblower, and a wife that can and will use it too.

Actually I bought one of  these Yamaha YS928J in Feb 2011 as well. While these are very heavy machines, they can be easily handled by using the auger tilt handle to shift the weight, making it easier to turn. My wife (who weighs about 135 lbs) used this machines several times without any problem. Actually, she found it much easier to use than than our old Craftsman 9/28  which weighed about 200 lbs. Yamaha's 373 lbs actually works to the operator's advantage because you don't have to manhandle it to get it to dig into snow and ice. it doesn't bounce off of it but rather chews right through it and spits it out.

Prior to purchasing my YS928J, I used my neighbor's Honda 9 hp. I found the Yamaha a much better machine. It throws a mile, doesn't climb up on the snow, its auger assist is more responsive, (YS928J is about 130 lbs heavier than Honda 9/28), quieter than honda since, the Yamaha engine is totally encased for noise dampening, and the list goes on....

Like the Honda, it's a bit pricey but you'll have it for 20+ years, and you won't feel like you just returned from the Gym after using it. I highly recommend the Yamaha. Honda would be my second choice, as they are very good as well.