Snowblower John Deere 54" front-mtd blower for 1023E

[Redfox2]

When I first got this snow blower ( 5 yrs ago ), it would hurl snow 25 - 30 feet. Over the winters since . . not so much. I know that the ' wetness ' of the snow has a big effect, but I'm also wondering if the ( fiberglass ? ) impeller hasn't worn down. I have a long gravel road and have always picked up a certain amount of gravel. Today I'm going to clear 2.5" accume from last night. Snow is dry and cold . . .

 

[leonz]

Fluid Film Spray helps a great deal to decrease the amount of friction in the impeller housing.

The fiberglass impeller is a bit of an impediment for the JD snow blowers.
I keep hoping that mine which is a 44 inch belt drive will be stolen.

If your going to keep this mule it will be of some benefit to invest in a metal impeller
and an impeller kit to enable you to cast the snow further as the impeller kit will sweep
the impeller housing clear and the fluid film will double your casting distance.

Putting the impeller kit in the 3 paddle fiberglass impeller will not work as it will break the
molded fiberglass and weaken it.

The last I knew you can purchase a 4 paddle metal replacement for your snow blower.

Does your mid mount PTO have a grease fitting for the bearing or is it oil lubricated from the
transmission?

If you use the mule a lot for mowing it would not hurt to chat with your deere dealer and ask about
the PTO and its age and the reduced casting distance issues. Talking to your deere dealer costs you
nothing so it would be worth it as there may be a service bulletin for your snow blower.

MY )(*&^%^&*( JD dealer assembled my 44 inch snowblower short of parts and never told me that there was a service
bulletin from JD about it as RAD shipped several hundred snowblowers to them short of parts in 2011.
I stopped using it because every year I lost belts and a chute and spout and it ended up costing me $300.00 every time
it happened.
It takes almost 4 hours to replace the stinking V belts and another 90 minutes to change the chute out so
I just stopped using it 3 years ago and set off to the side.
I refuse to spend anymore money on it especially when I can invest in a Toro 1428 track drive snow blower and have better reliability.

In 42 years my toro snow pups have never failed me; it takes longer to clear snow but they are so simple to use and maintain I will never sell them.

The biggest marketing mistake JD made was eliminating the single stage snow blowers for their lawn mowers.

 

[CobyRupert]

Take a look at the gap between the blades and the housing. Too much space will reduce throwing efficiency. Some people here have added fins to metal blades to close up spacing.
If you have stones, I would think metal blades would be a lot more durable.
My first blower was a Cub Cadet single stage blower. Could never turn it fast enough to blow snow more than 10’. Hated it.

 

[Redfox2]

Thank you, Leonz, for your valuable input. So far I haven't seen any availability information on a metal impeller blade . . . ( the $$$ for a direct JD fiberglass replacement is $ 144 !! )
At best, this 54" snoblower is Mickey-Mouse in it's design . . particularly given all the u-joints between the mid-ship, belly PTO; ie, there's one at the PTO , there is another one at the opposite end of the drive shaft where the thing is ' supported ' by twin bearings at the front of the tractor, there's another one between the PTO shaft and the drive shaft of the blower, and another one connecting that shaft to the chain sprocket drive on the blower! You can try and lube each u-joint but they are hard to reach, particularly in the snow!
Whoever assembled my rig ( which I bought new at the local JD dealer ) apparently failed to properly torque the PTO front support bearings and midway thru the second winter, that whole assembly was well on it's way to self destruct. Of course, being out of warranty, a new PTO shaft and front bearing assembly were considerably pricey + installation. Last winter we never had a snow that was deep enough or ' dry ' enough to use the blower. So I bought a 54" front plow blade as a backup. It took me most of the season to finally get the ' angling adapter kit ' hydraulic line installed where it wouldn't leak fluid. ( more Mickey-Mouse )
So here I am about midway thru a moderate snowy winter . . . and the drive shaft is beginning to make ominous rattling noises . . . like maybe those front support bearings are self destructing again?
Aside from the wear on the impeller, one of the things that will cause a clog is the buildup of snow at the base of the chute where it connects to the top of the blower housing. If the chute is aimed at either extreme left or right, the snow will build up on top of the blower housing to the point that the accumulation will clog the chute. It's a nuisance to get off the tractor and clear that snow away every couple hundred feet.
I bought some spray stuff which supposedly ' lubricates ' the impeller and chute, but it makes little difference.
As a final alternative I have had a rear scraper blade to plow with . . but riding side-saddle, contorting my body, and twisting my neck is a real drag!
I replaced the original scraper blade with a Land Pride 1560 which accepts skid shoes! I'm never going back !