Snowthrower improvements

[slufoot733 70]

Just wondering if anyone out there has made modifications to their D-series snow throwers to improve their efficiency? Mine works but the snow only flies about 10 feet. I would think it should go further. Of course it boggs down quite easily in wet, heavy snow but the light fluffy stuff doesn't go go much further. Or is this the norm for a single stage unit? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[cleat 6,198]

Any single stage I have ever owned has done exactly that.

 

If you want to really throw it, get a 2 stage. 

[JackC 617]

Super smooth and slippery internals should help.

I am going to refinishing the inside of the shoot on one of my single stage snow blowers to make the snow slide out better.

I will be sanding and repainting the inside.  The blower is not for a D however.

I also picked up some 4" wide stick on Teflon that I plan to try at some point.

I found it on eBay and it was used by the Russian Army.

You may be able to change the pulley diameters to get it to spin faster.

[squonk 41,226]

Depends on the snow. Powder my single stage tall shoot will throw it 30-40 feet easily.

[MalMac 1,331]

I am with squonk on this one. In the light powdery stuff my single will go between 25' and 35' with no wind assist. In wet heavy snow non of them are worth a darn in my opinion. I have a single short chute, then got a 2 stage. I also bought a single tall chute. It did almost as good as the 2 stage. So I got rid of that monster 2 stage. To me not enough difference between the single tall chute and the 2 to warrant having that heavy cumbersome thing in the way. I suppose the 2 stage has its place if you get 4 feet at a time with 6 ft drifts. If it's that bad I have a FEL. More than likely  you will find me staying in side drinking some turbo charged hot chocolate watching all the young pups removing snow.

[can whlvr 993]

I agree with whats been said,depends on snow,heres my short chut throwing about 30-40 feet

[tommyg 152]

Are you sure your belt is tight enough? Are you sure your clutch isn't slipping? I just moved 10" of wet snow with my D180. I'd say I got 20-25 feet away from the tractor. No issues at all. Here's a link to a blowing session from last year with about 5" of wet snow. I really think the 10" I moved a couple weeks ago blew even further.  

 

[JoeliusZ28 77]

Make sure your PTO clutch is adjusted such that there is no slip.  I used mine this week on the wet heavy snow and i quickly noticed the extra weight of the snow was causing the PTO to slip and make the chute clog up.  Unless its coming to a stop it may not be obvious the PTO is slipping.   A quick adjustment and my tractor was launching that wet heavy crap no problem.  I also spray the cute and auger down with pam / cooking spray before i run it.

Edited February 26, 2016 by JoeliusZ28

[can whlvr 993]

I have 3 single throwers,the one in the pictures is the best of mine,i have another 42 single that will only throw the snow 10-15 feet,the auger is worn and it just doesn't work as well as the newer one,using a lubricant such as pam,or I use silicone spray really helps,even on rusty chutes

[Retired Sparky 526]

On 2/21/2016 at 10:23 PM, cleat said:

Any single stage I have ever owned has done exactly that.

 

If you want to really throw it, get a 2 stage. 

Big 10-4 there Buddy.

[857 horse 2,581]

2 hours ago, Retired Sparky said:

Big 10-4 there Buddy.

Over the last 3 years i have found 2    single stage blowers to go on my 857..........they both look almost new////maybe there is a reason...i plan on mounting one for next years snow.....i hope i dont discover why they were never used..........But i hope my hunch's are wrong.....

 

[Retired Sparky 526]

11 minutes ago, 857 horse said:

Over the last 3 years i have found 2    single stage blowers to go on my 857..........they both look almost new////maybe there is a reason...i plan on mounting one for next years snow.....i hope i dont discover why they were never used..........But i hope my hunch's are wrong.....

 

I've had a single stage blower for 30 yrs. on my 310 .     Don't know about other parts of the country, but we get our share of snow in the winter. 

                As long as the drive way is clear, I don't care how far it goes.            

9 hours ago, JoeliusZ28 said:

Make sure your PTO clutch is adjusted such that there is no slip.  I used mine this week on the wet heavy snow and i quickly noticed the extra weight of the snow was causing the PTO to slip and make the chute clog up.  Unless its coming to a stop it may not be obvious the PTO is slipping.   A quick adjustment and my tractor was launching that wet heavy crap no problem.  I also spray the cute and auger down with pam / cooking spray before i run it.

  That sounds like a good ides. 

[slufoot733 70]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I guess I should take another look at the belt and clutch. They seemed OK earlier but a second look can't hurt. I recall the snow flying further in past years so I should double check.

Tommy, great video. I noticed your snowthrower, when lowered, touched on the left side first, then the right side. Mine does the same thing. I thought maybe mine was either bent or out of adjustment.....maybe they're just a little heavier on the left due to the drive mechanism. 

 

Thanks again everyone. Have a fun winter!