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.

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