How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller

   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #1  

70stang

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
43
Location
Middletown CT
Tractor
John Deere 2720
Still shopping:
I have 1 dealer who will not give me a price quote for a 54 snow blower because sold two Dec 2010 and within a week both had broken impellers.
A 2nd JD dealer reports he replaced 6 plastic impellers between Dec. 1 and Feb. 15 and now tries to keep 3 in stock.

A 3rd dealer tells me he has never heard of any issues with the plastic impeller.

I have two concerns with a snow blower.

1. My current blower plugs up when I hit the half melted snow/salt/slush freezing rain mix we commonly have here in Connecticut?
JD dealer me JD blower do not plug up???

2. The plastic impeller will it break when I hit the ICE chunks at the street? My current 2 stage (not JD blower) is heavy gauge steel and I have had to bend both the auger and the impeller at times. I simply take a hammer and pound it straight Can稚 do that with plastic.

3. Has anyone here broken the impeller?

QUESTIONS

Do JD plug up in slushy heavy wet snow?

Do I buy a 2520 tractor with a snow blower and hope it works good?

Do take the $3600 which I would spend on a snow blower and purchase a bigger tractor to push the snow?

I like the construction and muscle of the 3320 but I sit back and think I might be a little big. But I am unsue if a 2520 or 2720 can push the wet snow we get. If the blower works good that痴 OK, but I hate the idea of swpping between blower and bucket.

Since my wife uses the machine also the rear mount blower is out of the question.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #2  
It sounds like you have a couple of good dealers and it is a good idea to stay away from the plastic impellers.

I will be looking for snowblowers before next summer and will go for a rear-mounted pull type. My neighbour has one and loves it. You don't need to look over your shoulder and you can pull snow away from structures. I know some object to driving over the snow before it enters the blower but don't think that is a concern.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #3  
I've not heard of a plastic impeller on a Deere snowblower. The one I sold last year didn't have plastic, I am sure, but think it was a 47".

I have a plastic impeller in my power flow blower for leaves, and am amazed how well it handles sticks and stones. Sticks like 1" oak. I think it is heavy enough to handle any snow and ice chunks and may be more foregiving than if rigid steel.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller
  • Thread Starter
#4  
The 47" SNow Blower has a steel impeller.

The 54" is plastic.

The 2000 series have a 50" tire width.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #5  
go with the 54 blower and get a steel impeller made for it. any machine shop can do it.

or possibly order the impeller off of a 47" if they are the same sizes??
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #6  
Still shopping:
I have 1 dealer who will not give me a price quote for a 54 snow blower because sold two Dec 2010 and within a week both had broken impellers.
A 2nd JD dealer reports he replaced 6 plastic impellers between Dec. 1 and Feb. 15 and now tries to keep 3 in stock.

A 3rd dealer tells me he has never heard of any issues with the plastic impeller.

I have two concerns with a snow blower.

1. My current blower plugs up when I hit the half melted snow/salt/slush freezing rain mix we commonly have here in Connecticut?
JD dealer me JD blower do not plug up???

2. The plastic impeller will it break when I hit the ICE chunks at the street? My current 2 stage (not JD blower) is heavy gauge steel and I have had to bend both the auger and the impeller at times. I simply take a hammer and pound it straight Can稚 do that with plastic.

3. Has anyone here broken the impeller?

QUESTIONS

Do JD plug up in slushy heavy wet snow?

Do I buy a 2520 tractor with a snow blower and hope it works good?

Do take the $3600 which I would spend on a snow blower and purchase a bigger tractor to push the snow?

I like the construction and muscle of the 3320 but I sit back and think I might be a little big. But I am unsue if a 2520 or 2720 can push the wet snow we get. If the blower works good that痴 OK, but I hate the idea of swpping between blower and bucket.

Since my wife uses the machine also the rear mount blower is out of the question.

I've gotta be honest, I just used my 54 JD snowblower to blow approximately 400 feet of plowed snowbanks into the field to help them melt quicker. They were pretty solid ice chunks and corn snow (ice pellets, slush, and melt) and extreme blowing conditions. The 54 ate it all just fine. The plastic impeller worked fine and I inspected it before and after: no marks. The are pretty stout looking and tend to flex versus bend/break like the metal ones of old. I was skeptical at first but if I just handled what i threw at it, I wouldn't worry for the day to day stuff.

One less thing to paint!

Now one downside with the 54: the hydraulic cover is plastic and I pulled one end of that off by letting snow push over the top of the blower mouth. My fault but I am looking to build a guard bracket that sits in front of it to better protect it. Not really a big deal but easy to remedy as well.

Throws snow a strong 30-50 feet depending on the load.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller
  • Thread Starter
#7  
THANK YOU

This is the kind of feedback I was looking for.
May I ask which tractor you are running this with?

I am still trying to decide between a 3320 and a 2720.

2720 is with 54" SB and FEL.
3320 is just the FEL.

I like the way the 3320 is built but is just night be to big to get into some areas I have wit the FEL to remove snow. I know it would be the better machine for yard work but from whay I have read in this forum the 2520/2720 machines can certainly do a lot of work.

I think the dealer is making me a great deal the two options above are only
$2,000 difference. Spread over 48 months that not much.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #8  
THANK YOU

This is the kind of feedback I was looking for.
May I ask which tractor you are running this with?

I am still trying to decide between a 3320 and a 2720.

2720 is with 54" SB and FEL.
3320 is just the FEL.

I like the way the 3320 is built but is just night be to big to get into some areas I have wit the FEL to remove snow. I know it would be the better machine for yard work but from whay I have read in this forum the 2520/2720 machines can certainly do a lot of work.

I think the dealer is making me a great deal the two options above are only
$2,000 difference. Spread over 48 months that not much.

I have an x749 with 24hp. much different purpose machine than what you are looking at currently, but a strong snowblower nonetheless. I would say if this is your only tractor, go with something nimble first. you can always get something larger minded later and the time you waste backing up to go around things will negate any power gain by a bigger machine. just food for thought.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Actually this will be my third tractor.
My current tractor is 26 years old, still runs good but has seen better days.
For 26 years I have lived with an under size tractor which has performed very well for its size but I beleive I certainly have pushed the limits on this machine.

I told myself I willnot do that again. The 2720 is bigger then what I have now, and I think will do everything I need it to do except maybe some backhoe work which I have decide I can rent a BH when I need it cheaper then buying one.

I agree with you the smaller machineis much more numble and easier to fit into tight places.
My thoughts right now are on purchasing the 2720.
 
   / How good is the 54 Snow Blower with Plastic Impeller #10  
70stang,

What are your uses for the tractor? A little more info would help us help you.



I also have an X749 with TPH and 540 pto, works well with the 110tlb and 4520. So far from what you have listed the X749 would do everything.
 
 
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