Poor Snow Thrower Performance?

[DenisM 3]

So far this winter, we have been extremely lucking as far as snow is concerned. I live about 20 miles north of Baltimore and we have only got dusting until last night. Snow ended up about 3 or 4 inches so I was able to use my snow thrower for the first time. It's a 42" with side boards mounted on a B-80. It does not throw the snow but a few feet. The clutch and belt are not slipping; but it seems the auger is not spinning fast enough. Changed the belt to the larger engine pulley with only a slight improvement.

My questions:

Was the snow deep enough for the thrower to work properly?

How close to the pavement will these throwers clear; seems like a lot of snow was left on the driveway after I went over it?

How many teeth are on the jack shaft and auger shaft chain pulleys and what is the proper diameter of the belt pulley on the jack shaft?

How can one measure the auger itself to tell if the edges are worn and causing too much clearance inside the thrower?

Thanks for any help. My wife is a bit mad after all the braging I did about how good this Wheel Horse is. She was watching and made some comments about how poorly the thrower performed.

[mattd860 162]

I don't have most of the answers to your questions but 3-4 inches of snow can be tricky for the thrower. If you have the runners set so the thrower sits low to the ground and drive in 2nd-3rd gear then you should be alright. With a single stage thrower you really need to load up the auger for it to throw snow effectively. Otherwise it will only throw 4-6 feet.

[cmsmoke 0]

It should clean down to bare pavement on an area that hasn't been driven on. Check to see that the cutting edge is on the ground, if not raise the height pads on the sides of the blower to lower it down.

I assume this is a single stage blower. If you don't travel fast enough, it won't blow very far with that amount of snow. I travel as fast as my 520 will go in that depth of snow and it will throw it around 15' depending on how heavy the snow is.

The trick with a single stage is to keep it loaded. I hope this helps.

[DenisM 3]

My blower is an older one that has wheels not skids. They are about as low as they can be adjusted.

[Forest Road 594]

3 - 4" isn't enough. Find a big pile from the snow plows and drive into it slowly. If all is well you'll see 15 - 25' of snow chucking.

[mattd860 162]

My blower is an older one that has wheels not skids. They are about as low as they can be adjusted.

Then go faster and/or do what 'Coles Dad' says. Let us know.

[MaineDad 87]

One thing to check is the chain. Is it real loose? You may need to take a link out to tighten it up if it is. 3 or 4 inches is too easy. What gear are you using? Something is off somewhere. It's a learning experience and once fixed, your wife will see how it really works. Let us know.

[DenisM 3]

The chain is a bit loose but has never jumped on the socket.

I did run through deeper pile of snow at the end of the drive way where the county trucks had plowed. The thrower seemed to push the snow rather than throwing it.

After looking at the auger center where the two sides come it seems a bit worn; as there is quite a bit of clearance between the auger and the housing. Any body have an idea what the clearance should be?

[mattd860 162]

My auger is a bit worn as well but it still throws 15-20ft. Measure your clearances and I'll measure mine tomorrow and let you know.

[can whlvr 994]

with small snow falls like that i will windrow it to one side witht the plow and blow the wind row after i move it all to the side

[Docwheelhorse 2,790]

3-4 Inches of snow isn't really enough and then when you do get end up with alot of snow the little 8 will be the next problem . Single stage blowers like a decent amount of snow and the more HP the better.

Tony

[mattd860 162]

Here are picturs of DenisM's snow thrower:

[MaineDad 87]

The middle part of that auger looks very much worn! It almost looks like two sections were carved out. I'd guess that's why you are not chucking snow too well. The auger spins the snow towards the middle so the middle paddle can throw it up the shoot. If the paddle area is damaged, and yours is, it will not work well.

Can you bend the middle part back up straight?

[MaineDad 87]

Take at look at this thread and see the picture of the blower;

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=23408

[DenisM 3]

Looks like I need to do some metal work on my auger and housing. Will probably wait till the weather warms and hope our luck holds here as far as the snow is concerned.