Single Stage Thrower Clogging

[Nitrohorse 6]

I purchased a used 42" tall chute snowblower yesterday and woke up to 12" of wet snow this morning. The blower seem to clog very easily, in fact, I was very disappointed in it's performance.

The gentleman I purchased the blower from included a green "kevlar" belt which was too small to route over and under the tensioner as normal. I had to run the belt direct, which I may believe caused some of the issue. Do any of you know the belt type and size for the blower belt? I have a Tractor Supply a stones throw from my house. Also, any tips or trick to keep the snow from clogging in the chute? Thank you from a newbie.... 

[lynnmor 7,479]

 

Find your snowblower in the Manuals section, then Google the part number for sizes and suppliers.

 

If the belt or PTO clutch is slipping the auger will slow down and clogging will follow.  Always run the engine at full speed when blowing snow.

 

I see that you and I are in PA and that recent snow was unbelievably heavy, so some difficulty can be expected.

[Wayne0 707]

to Red Square! All you'll ever need to know about Red (or some times grey) Horses!

Make sure you have the right belt, routed correctly. Sticky snow in the chute is helped by a liberal coating of silicone, oil, or furniture wax.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,176]

Drive belt 9750 (5L x 69" or 5/8" x 69")

If the green belt is a Gates belt it is designed to bend backwards over a flat idle pulley as this application requires.

 

[Lane Ranger 11,069]

The Ariens Company in Wisconsin made some of the first snowblowers.  They also made good riding lawnmowers similar to the Snapper riding mower.

 

 

i used Sno Jet which Ariens still makes and sells for application on snowblower augers.   Acts like PAM on a skillet.  It won’t solve all the clogging but it does help !

 

Edited February 17, 2024 by Lane Ranger

[doc724 925]

Wet snow will always clog in the chute.  I had it happen on a 416H and a 5xi (which is 20HP).  In addition to the snow jet suggested above, take smaller bites with the blower and go a bit slower than you would with powdery snow,

[ebinmaine 69,710]

 

 

I'd add to make sure the paint inside the chute is as clean and shiny as practically possible.  

 

[wallfish 17,193]

The correct belt with the PTO adjusted correctly.

Any slipping of the belt or PTO will slow the blower speed and therefore less snow blasting out the chute. Throttle wide open. Go FASTER with the ground speed in wet heavy conditions. Loading the blower will definitely keep it from clogging as much in those conditions. Just as slipping will cause, there isn't enough snow blasting out to keep it clear when going too slow or not taking big enough bites. Dry snow doesn't matter but you should notice going fast enough to keep it loaded will also achieve better performance as well.

Experiment with different ground speeds with the different snow conditions and you will eventually get the hang of it and dial in on the conditions. Don't do the same thing over and over again if it ain't working.

Sometimes it's just too sloppy wet and will clog anything no matter what but I found that to be a rare instance.

What tractor are you running the blower on? The bigger the engine the better performance in my experience. I've run them on 8 10 16 and 20s through many New England winters. They all work

Another thing to look for on the single stages. The edges of the auger in the center where the snow exits can get bent back from stones, debris and such. Make sure those edges aren't bent back. You can use a crescent wrench to straighten those back to shape if they are bent.

Edited February 18, 2024 by wallfish

[peter lena 8,970]

@Nitrohorse   have any access to a SHORT CHUTE ?  live in a  50-50 area on snow / sleet , short chute , always  got it done , dry fluffy snow is great with a tall chute . have also  lubricated my chute slide areas . have also gone after , every belt driven spot for rotational movement ease , that  TYPICAL , COLLECTIVE DRAG , slows down the entire function . my blowers , moved easily , by hand , at the PTO  belt drive point , verify what's going on in belt ease movement , would not be surprised if , mule drive bearings , and related movement areas , are dragging . pete

[Nitrohorse 6]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have a C-160 which has a 10hp diesel on it. The original Kohler was junk and I replaced it with the cheapest option. I think the belt that came with the blower is shot and possibly too short. It also came with a WH replacement belt that has seen it's better days too. I cannot route the belt the proper way as I will never be able to get it over the pto pulley. Something isn't right. I also noticed that the previous owner never adjusted the skids to touch the macadam. The blower rides solely on the wear bar. I will adjust them today and I will buy another belt. Also, yesterday the chute clogged so back that it stalled the auger and the clutch started smoking. Are these clutch plates done once they smoke or do I still have some life in it?  Again, thanks to everyone who is helping this newbie get things sorted out. 

[pfrederi 18,180]

I have made them smoke once or twice still worked may have to tighten the trunion  turn or two.

Make sure you are in the outer (smaller) sheave on the PTO

 

Edited February 18, 2024 by pfrederi

[ebinmaine 69,710]

1 hour ago, Nitrohorse said:

10hp diesel

What's the PTO pulley size and RPM of the diesel?

[wallfish 17,193]

51 minutes ago, Nitrohorse said:

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have a C-160 which has a 10hp diesel on it. The original Kohler was junk and I replaced it with the cheapest option. I think the belt that came with the blower is shot and possibly too short. It also came with a WH replacement belt that has seen it's better days too. I cannot route the belt the proper way as I will never be able to get it over the pto pulley. Something isn't right. I also noticed that the previous owner never adjusted the skids to touch the macadam. The blower rides solely on the wear bar. I will adjust them today and I will buy another belt. Also, yesterday the chute clogged so back that it stalled the auger and the clutch started smoking. Are these clutch plates done once they smoke or do I still have some life in it?  Again, thanks to everyone who is helping this newbie get things sorted out. 

10 hp diesel should have plenty of torque for throwing snowing snow.

Mine always ride on the scrape bar because I want the asphalt cleared off as much as possible. Leftover snow will melt during the day and leave ice patches from freezing overnight if there's too much leftover so the more that's shot off the better.  Of coarse everyone's situation is different so use what works best for you.

Slipping the PTO can overheat the clutch material and slipping can glaze it too so it could end up with a much smoother surface than you want it to have. Friction is what grabs the bell to spin the pulleys so a good surface on the clutch material and the flat of the bell also helps with performance of the blower. I use a belt sander for the flat steel of the bell and a sanding block on the clutch material.

If you remove the bell off of the shaft which is fairly easy to do, you can typically see just how much of the intended contact area is making contact between it and the clutch material. The less contact area equals the less friction between those pieces. They don't necessarily need to have a 100% contact area connection but only 10% will allow it to slip under loads and overheat. Just kinda throwing this out there since you don't have much time with that tractor or know what the previous did or didn't do. 

One way to check if the PTO is slipping too much is to touch it after using it like on a blower or deck. If it's too hot to touch then it's been slipping

[Nitrohorse 6]

18 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

What's the PTO pulley size and RPM of the diesel?

The PTO is the original WH style. The rpms are 3600.

[Nitrohorse 6]

I bought a new belt and have used anti stick spray on the blower housing. My last "stupid" question is which way should the auger rotate? I would think the auger would rotate CW as to scoop the snow upwards and discharge up and out the chute. But if I'm understanding the belt routing and engine rotation correctly, the auger rotates CCW, just as the PTO does on the engine. This rotation would be counter productive as it would have a tendency to throw the snow forward out the front of the deck, wouldn't it? Obviously I'm missing something. 

[wallfish 17,193]

35 minutes ago, Nitrohorse said:

I bought a new belt and have used anti stick spray on the blower housing. My last "stupid" question is which way should the auger rotate? I would think the auger would rotate CW as to scoop the snow upwards and discharge up and out the chute. But if I'm understanding the belt routing and engine rotation correctly, the auger rotates CCW, just as the PTO does on the engine. This rotation would be counter productive as it would have a tendency to throw the snow forward out the front of the deck, wouldn't it? Obviously I'm missing something. 

You're missing how the chain is routed to the auger which changes the direction.

[Nitrohorse 6]

On 3/1/2024 at 8:01 PM, wallfish said:

You're missing how the chain is routed to the auger which changes the direction.

I forgot the chain, thanks for the response!

[Nitrohorse 6]

[peter lena 8,970]

@Nitrohorse  COLLECTIVE DRAG IS WHAT KILLS THE PTO DRIVE SET UP , its not one movement point , its EVERY MOVEMENT POINT . often refer to spinning a blower drive BY HAND ,AT PTO DRIVE TO MUEL DRIVE . YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO EASILY DO THAT . those IDLER PULEYS , and the related rusty mount frame , need a detail lubrication service . when I first went after mine , hardly anything moved easily , RE GREASED every bearing , changed pulleys to same size / type  , BUT WITH LARGER REPACKED BEARINGS . went after every movement point / improved  / corrected it , of course , THIS IS NOT IN THE BOOK . moving it by hand , will show you wat to change / correct . never burned opt a  PTO DRIVE CLUTCH , due to collective drag . good off season project , pete