Snowblower Snowblower plugged up - 51" meteor

[swedish-fish]

This is great. I appreciate all the insights!
After double checking (and actually measuring) the clearance between the fan and the shroud, .200" is the best case. Because the wall has been dinged up, some areas are more like .250"-.375" clearance!

I just purchased from a local plastic supplier a .125" thick scrap of UHMW PE sheet. So as an experiment, I'm going to try lining the shroud housing with it which will close up the gap and provide a slippery surface. I also got enough to line the chute if I want. Any ideas on how to attach this stuff? It doesn't bond all that well so I'm thinking I'll drill some holes in the metal and countersink some stainless flat head bolts into the polyethylene with a nut on the backside of the steel.

While I've got the impeller off I think I'll clean it up, prime and paint it. Since it's small enough to take inside and can do it in the warmth.

I'm fairly inexperienced when it comes to painting previously rusted surfaces... is it better to thoroughly clean off every speck of rust, prime and paint or use a rust converter? Someone mentioned good enamel paint. I've also heard of epoxy paints and powder coat paints.

Thanks!

 

[turnkey4099]

Never used a big blower so the following observations apply to the smaller walk-behinds. I would think they would also apply at least somewhat to the big ones.

I too was disappointed with mine the first time I used it.

I found that it has to be crowding the snow to get a decent plume. The closer I can keep it on the governor, the better the plume. I did my drive yesterday in about 4" and had to run in top gear (6 speed). Any slower and the plume wasn't going very far. Keep the auger full.

The wetter the snow, the shorter the throw (and of course the quicker it will plug up).

I am on a state highway and they plow my drive in with snow off about 20 feet of their property and just leave the berm for me. My dinky little blower doesn't like that stuff that at best is packed powder. If it was wet when plowed, it is almost ice. That stuff will just barely go 2 ft or less.

Harry K

 

[dillo99]

My experience is that blowers work great when moving lots of snow....with less snow they don't throw as far and there is "fallback" of snow into the chute. When the snow is wet/heavy this quickly forms a plug that can't be thrown out of the blower.

I would think 5"s of snow is 'enough', but it probably depends on the size of the blower and some of the other conditions that are being discussed here (fan clearance, rust/other build up, etc.). Try it after we get a more significant snowfall and see how it does.

 

[MadReferee]

My experience is that blowers work great when moving lots of snow....with less snow they don't throw as far and there is "fallback" of snow into the chute. When the snow is wet/heavy this quickly forms a plug that can't be thrown out of the blower.

I would think 5"s of snow is 'enough', but it probably depends on the size of the blower and some of the other conditions that are being discussed here (fan clearance, rust/other build up, etc.). Try it after we get a more significant snowfall and see how it does.

My 64" Puma blower on a Kubota B2710 will throw snow just as far whether it is 1" deep or 5" deep or 12" deep. Of course heavy wet snow doesn't go as far but it should go alot farther than the original poster experienced. As I said before, you have got to run the engine at whatever RPMs are necessary to get 540 RPM at the PTO. If the engine needs to run screaming at 2800 RPM then run it at that RPM to get optimum results. You will not be hurting the engine one bit.

 

[rbargeron]

I just purchased from a local plastic supplier a .125" thick scrap of UHMW PE sheet. So as an experiment, I'm going to try lining the shroud housing with it which will close up the gap and provide a slippery surface.

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene is a terrific material, very slippery and abrasion-resistant. Screws would probably hold it in place better than 2-sided tape, especially when little stones are in the mix. Take care, DickB

 

[swedish-fish]

Here's an update on the blower tweaks...

I've lined the blower housing with some 1/8" UHMW polyethylene to reduce the clearance and to provide a non-stick, abrasion resistant surface. I've also lined the circular tube on which the chute pivots. This is where the snow plugged previously. What a difference! I scraped all 3" of fluffy lake effect snow we got today into a pile about 16" high and backed into it at full 2540 RPM which gives me 540 RPM at the PTO. The blower worked much better! The snow went a good 20 feet. Now I'm looking forward to a real snowfall of a foot or more!

I've already promised my daughter that if we got a foot or more I'd blow all the snow in the backyard into a giant pile for her to climb on.

Here are some before and after pictures. I should also mention that I knocked down some of the rust in the chute with 36 grit sandpaper and threw some turtle wax on the chute and fan. Next summer I'll strip the wax and paint it with POR-15.

Pray for snow!
Craig