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

Whatever happened to crank controls for chutes on SS blowers? Were they made so cheaply that they all broke prematurely? The one on my 10 year old green Craftsman 5hp 4cycle still works fine. OK, to be honest after a number of years it would tend to turn back to center on it's own when I had it cranked to either side, but it was nothing that $2 worth of Delrin plastic and a few ss screws couldn't fix. That's an issue that any manufacturer could overcome. It seems like a much simpler method than cables and plastic control levers.

Also, the handlebar on my old Craftsman had a nice pipe insulation type cushion on the handlebar that made it much easier to grip, absorbed vibration, AND was a nice alternative to grabbing cold steel when operating the unit. It REALLY made the blower a pleasure to use. It's still in perfect condition after 10 years. I think ALL SS blowers would benefit from the addition of this inexpensive improvement. I'm not a Craftsman fanboy by any means, but just wondering what happened to these beneficial features.

niper99 wrote:

Nah, they've been that way since brand new.  I think it was MTD's first foray into cable-operated shoots and just plain sloppy manufacturing, not to mention sloppy manufacturing on the chute turret itself.  I tried adjusting them six different ways from Sunday, but only small improvements to be had.  Modified the turret to turn a little more, so now I get close to 180 degrees turning as opposed to the 150-160 degrees I got before.  I could really use something closer to 250 degrees turning since my driveway curves a bit and I don't want to be shooting snow onto my shed nor out on the street, but onto my lawn where I could use it.  Been toying with putting some solenoids on there and converting it to remote electric controls, but not sure its worth it - might be ahead to sell it and get a better model.

I absolutely love the electric control on the simplicity.........Right up until it breaks.
I did get it working again by taking apart, cleaning, and re-greasing. I can rip right down the driveway, do a really quick 180* reversal, and at the same time hit the chute to the other direction. It is a great improvement.
One thing I think about when I am using it; I fly what most would call drones. (Really called FPV, but I digress)  We have flight controllers with GPS and mag compasses, and it would not take a lot of imagination to set it up so the chute was always pointed in the downwind direction....AUTOMATICALLY, gimbaled as it were, to always point in that direction unless re-adjusted via the rocker. Who knows? I can see this in the short future.

I'd be happy with a little thumb wheel on the handlebar with an arrow on it.  Point the arrow whichever direction you want the chute pointed, and the chute moves to that position via robust electric motors.

If you have a nice warm space to thaw out your cable controls after every use they function just fine. A lot of people store their snowblowers in the cold in my neck of the woods, and the freeze up on the cables, control arms and linkage makes them a clear second choice to gear driven chute controls for anyone who stores their machines outside.