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

Finally got the electrical straightened out, I hope (with help from some on this board)
and finished up everything else.

Removed the 11hp Honda clone engine that I put on last year and replaced it with a 13hp Honda GX390
with a 10A lighting coil.  Rewired everything.  Added a stainless shield on the front of the blower
Still have to get a new battery.  And hose it down with Fluid Film. But other than that it's ready to go.
Had some snow and sleet today.




Serrated the Augers.  Replaced the auger shaft bushing setup with flange bearings
Replaced the impeller bearing.  Gave everything a fresh coat of paint.




Tapered the deflector 3/8" on both sides to tighten up the stream a little




Fabricated a new belt cover.




Modified the starter cover to cover the Rectifier and wiring.




Removed the old steel shields on the front of the chute and replaced them with stainless ones.
When I had the wheels off I realized that I could thread in some 1/2 bolts from the back side of the
wheel plate to make studs.  Then use car lug nuts to hold the wheels on.  Now all the threads are protected from the
weather inside the lug nuts.  I'm keeping my eyes open for a pair of cheap 8" moon hub caps.

I eventually went with the stainless because it will never chip like the paint would have.
No rusting and it looks nice.
A one piece shield would be harder to make.
But the big reason it that with the two piece you can easily remove a
clog if one ever develops.
Simply shove your fingers into the clog at the bottom and lift up.
It will slide right out of the chute.

I've also noticed that the snow and ice doesn't stick to the stainless.
Like it sometimes does to a painted surface.
It's really noticeable with the piece of stainless lining the blower housing.
No vibrations.
Thanks for your comments

Thanks you, and your welcome.
Most blowers will throw their furthest when they have an adequate amount of snow being fed to the impeller
But too much and they can get lugged down.
With a 2 stage that has multiple forward speeds. You can offset the problem
with having only a couple of inches by traveling faster with the blower.
You also have to run the engine at full throttle to get the farthest throw.
Here is a video of my blower throwing about five inches using fifth gear.
Ariens 1332

I used "Flange bearings" you can find them on ebay or other places.
Mine look like this.
Flange bearing

I have the newer style in a 32"
So I would probably lean towards the newer style 1236.
Especially if the older style 1032 has the older chute design.
I think $400 is a pretty good price.
That 36" is going to be a beast.
Let us know which one you decide to get.

Thank you all, for all the nice comments.  I do appreciate it.
It's still going strong, but think I'm going to need a
new Friction wheel before long.
Put on a new, no name aftermarket one not to long ago. 
But it hasn't held up, it appears.
I'm just about out of adjustment.