looking for blower chute advice

[Rustyiron]

I'm new to blowing and need some advice from veteran blower's. My problem is the cloud of snow created off the chute that virtually blinds me. I understand that the chute might be built for all types of snow, wet vs dry, but I'll never use it in wet snow, ever. My use is mostly to clean up windrows & banks, generally after the storm clean up (plowing).
As you can see in the pic, the inside or radius side is completely open. Would fabricating up a removable closure for most of this opening help with the fine dust that blind's me?

 

[FatTire]

Yes, closing off the side of the chute will help. How much clearance do you have between the ends of the fan blades and the housing? More clearance = more dust. Looks like a nice blower, who made it?

 

[leonz]

Adding the front closure will help but ideally you want a long chute long enough to clear the cab roof as the column of snow will be discharged above the roof line of your mules cab.

Short of that. simply keeping the spout below 90 degrees in angle may be the better option for you as the snow that is discharged will have no chance of becoming a wide spray.

I would contact the manufacturer or the implement reseller to see if a chute extension is available as the chute extension will solve this problem.

 

[Rustyiron]

You 2 guy's were imho the blower guy's and hoped you'd answer:thumbsup: It's a Loftness blower that I bought 2 years ago and re finished. Mechanically it's cherry along with the sheet metal. IIRC there's maybe 1/2 in fan clearance, I just brought it in the shop to melt off. We're looking at 2' in the next 24 hrs. and I'm gonna need it on some drive's. We've just about run out of room and the banks have some serious ice in them. leonz, I'm just looking to improve my visibility and if I could just keep the dust from occurring or minimized from the top of the spout to the ground I'd be really happy. In use, the dust just billows out of that open face. As you can see, the chute is open completely (bottom to top) on the one side. (in the first pic) Bottom pic is when I picked it up.

 

[leonz]

You 2 guy's were imho the blower guy's and hoped you'd answer:thumbsup: It's a Loftness blower that I bought 2 years ago and re finished. Mechanically it's cherry along with the sheet metal. IIRC there's maybe 1/2 in fan clearance, I just brought it in the shop to melt off. We're looking at 2' in the next 24 hrs. and I'm gonna need it on some drive's. We've just about run out of room and the banks have some serious ice in them. leonz, I'm just looking to improve my visibility and if I could just keep the dust from occurring or minimized from the top of the spout to the ground I'd be really happy. In use, the dust just billows out of that open face. As you can see, the chute is open completely (bottom to top) on the one side. (in the first pic) Bottom pic is when I picked it up.

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It looks brand new my friend, very, very, nice.

I have quick and hopefully easy remedy for your Loftness blower(that is until you add clarences impeller kit to make it so much more powerful to use to cut down the snow dust)

If you can find and buy a couple of those roll up kiddee sleds you can rivet them to both the sides of the chute and the snow will continue to be funneled up to the spout.
(if all else fails a solid plastic sled would work with the bottom facing the snow stream-you will need a lot of tie wraps to hold it in place but that would work in a pinch.

Clarences impeller kit will let you keep a solid stream of snow coming out of the chute and spout and the rubber paddles scrub the impeller housing clean.

For now though a one or two kiddee sleds and riveting them to the sides of the chute will work by concentrating the snow stream and reduce its ability to disperse as it exits the chute and spout.

Short of the roll up Kiddee sled idea perhaps using the polyester coal bags or a super sack or two wrapped around the chute 5 or 6 times and tie wrapped 2 inches apart with the heavy black tie wraps ment for outside use would be worth trying if you have them since it is Sunday.

if your local tractor supply store is like the rest of them they will be open until 8 PM your time and you should be able to find the heavy black tie wraps there.

I will give Clarence a shameless plug here, The impeller is removed in most cases and the paddle extensions are installed after the corresponding holes for the steel that holds the rubber conveyor pieces in place on the impeller paddle.

He has a herd of neat before and after videos from the folks that have bought the kits and installed them on their snow casters.


Some of the folks have removed the chute from their snow casters and installed the paddle extensions that way by blocking the impeller in place and doing the drilling from the discharge hole

I am sorry I am not closer to help you ;^0.

 

[Rustyiron]

I've got the materials on hand to close up that big hole with metal. Would you make it removable and if so, how bad would it be to have 4 bolt heads in the chute (a place to catch snow)? I'm thinking removable might be handy vs welding it on. I'll shoot out to the shop and get a pic or 2. Now I'm wondering how high (towards the top snow exit) to run this cover and if it should have any special shape?

 

[FatTire]

Wow, impressive job with the restoration, I thought it was new equipment. Nice touch with the DOT reflector tape too. Closing it up should make a big difference and is easy to try out. Since you are not going to deal with wet snow, I sorta doubt that a few bolt heads are going to make any difference, and if you started to suspect they were having any impact you could pull them and weld.

If you do ever get any plugging, you could try coating the chute and housing with Fluid-Film until you get around to adding sheets of poly. I don't care for the way it smells, but it does work well. The first time I asked our local NAPA if they carry Fluid-Film, the guy went and got some and then said, "So you're one of those guys." I never have figured out what he meant, but they do stock it.

Does someone have a link to the impeller kits??

Did you sand blast, or just spend a sh*tload of time with a wire wheel or something???

 

[leonz]

Hello Rustyiron,

If you follow the pronovost example their chute extensions are a door that can be removed if needed.
they are set up with a narrow edge on the sides-essentially making it a piece of thin channel iron.

These chutes are typically a little more than half the height of the chute so you will have to make a judgement call on that.

The bolt heads are a zero concern as long as they are tight and or you use blue Loctite if you have it or an impact wrench for a larger bolt for that matter. if you can weld small strap of metal to the exposed nuts that will stop them from vibrating loose if you are without loctite or an impact wrench and grade 8 bolts.

If you are concerned about unplugging it you could simply cut a slot for each bolt on the short sides to allow the door to be pulled out when the nuts are loosened-provided you weld the bolt heads to the chute.

I don't think you will need more than four bolts to do this. You could weld the 3 bolts together with a small narrow piece of strap iron top hold them in place and just loosen the nits to remove the door as needed as long as you use fine threaded nylock nuts or loctite the fine thread bolts and nuts provide more strength in use and greater holding power.

Another option would be to use just 2 fine thread nuts and bolt sets with washers for the top and hold the bottom in place with a wrap around bungee cord as the cord would not be exposed to wear stresses.

you could leave the top bolts close enough to the top of the chute to allow them to be tight and also be able to loosen them a little to raise the door to make it easier to remove any snow plugging the chute.

 

[Rustyiron]

Here's the chute, 15" dia. at the bottom. About 30" to that notch by the top.


As for the paddle clearance, it's about an inch to the side at the last point before the chute,(9:00) and about 1/4" on the opposite side (3:00).:confused3:

 

[leonz]

Yyou can google search for "Clarences small engines" he is in Sault St. Marie Canada and he accepts plastic money for payment for his impeller kits and the last time I checked he had a 30 day guarantee on the impeller kits he makes.