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Nice! I could make good use of this living the the "snow belt". The snow banks on the edge of my driveway (200' long) are now over 6 feet high.
Dr.Faustus
Minister of Fire
really want some ammo against this brutal winter?
google clarence kit from clarences small engines. its basically an impeller kit. its rubber paddles that bolt on to your 2 stage snowblowers impeller and reduce the clearance between the impeller and the housing. apparently this is the weak spot of a lot of snow blowers.
i took a chance on it because my 8 hp ariens would not throw over the 8 foot piles from previous storms. it wasnt that hard to install but you do work in a tight space.
the results were amazing to say the least. after the install it was like using a snow cannon. i had to lower the auger angle to keep from throwing snow on top of the house or back into the street or from *hitting power lines*.
i still cant believe it. it also greatly helps with the soup the street plow leaves at the end of the driveway. when i was out snowblowing 2 people stopped. one said man what brand is that thing... the other was the town plow guy who said WTF do you feed that thing?
lol.
google clarence kit from clarences small engines. its basically an impeller kit. its rubber paddles that bolt on to your 2 stage snowblowers impeller and reduce the clearance between the impeller and the housing. apparently this is the weak spot of a lot of snow blowers.
i took a chance on it because my 8 hp ariens would not throw over the 8 foot piles from previous storms. it wasnt that hard to install but you do work in a tight space.
the results were amazing to say the least. after the install it was like using a snow cannon. i had to lower the auger angle to keep from throwing snow on top of the house or back into the street or from *hitting power lines*.
i still cant believe it. it also greatly helps with the soup the street plow leaves at the end of the driveway. when i was out snowblowing 2 people stopped. one said man what brand is that thing... the other was the town plow guy who said WTF do you feed that thing?
lol.
smilejamaica
Feeling the Heat
[quote author="Dr.Faustus" date="1296797157"]really want some ammo against this brutal winter?
google clarence kit from clarences small engines. its basically an impeller kit. its rubber paddles that bolt on to your 2 stage snowblowers impeller and reduce the clearance between the impeller and the housing. apparently this is the weak spot of a lot of snow blowers.
i took a chance on it because my 8 hp ariens would not throw over the 8 foot piles from previous storms. it wasnt that hard to install but you do work in a tight space.
the results were amazing to say the least. after the install it was like using a snow cannon. i had to lower the auger angle to keep from throwing snow on top of the house or back into the street or from *hitting power lines*.
i still cant believe it. it also greatly helps with the soup the street plow leaves at the end of the driveway. when i was out snowblowing 2 people stopped. one said man what brand is that thing... the other was the town plow guy who said WTF do you feed that thing?
No disrepect, but you shouldn't have to add a rubber paddle kit to your two stage snowblower to get superior throwing distance. The machine should have been built like that from the factory in the first place. I have neighbors on either side of me that recently purchased the Ariens Pro 28" and the Toro Power Max 1028. These are high end machines, but the thowing distance for moderaly dry snow is only around 30ft. I don't get it??? I have a three year old Honda 928 that throws the same snow 55ft. all day long. Again, I just don't understand why consumers should have to add a clarence kit to a brand new machine.
google clarence kit from clarences small engines. its basically an impeller kit. its rubber paddles that bolt on to your 2 stage snowblowers impeller and reduce the clearance between the impeller and the housing. apparently this is the weak spot of a lot of snow blowers.
i took a chance on it because my 8 hp ariens would not throw over the 8 foot piles from previous storms. it wasnt that hard to install but you do work in a tight space.
the results were amazing to say the least. after the install it was like using a snow cannon. i had to lower the auger angle to keep from throwing snow on top of the house or back into the street or from *hitting power lines*.
i still cant believe it. it also greatly helps with the soup the street plow leaves at the end of the driveway. when i was out snowblowing 2 people stopped. one said man what brand is that thing... the other was the town plow guy who said WTF do you feed that thing?
No disrepect, but you shouldn't have to add a rubber paddle kit to your two stage snowblower to get superior throwing distance. The machine should have been built like that from the factory in the first place. I have neighbors on either side of me that recently purchased the Ariens Pro 28" and the Toro Power Max 1028. These are high end machines, but the thowing distance for moderaly dry snow is only around 30ft. I don't get it??? I have a three year old Honda 928 that throws the same snow 55ft. all day long. Again, I just don't understand why consumers should have to add a clarence kit to a brand new machine.
www_godzilla
Member
My Honda 928 is a great piece of machinery. My neighbor has an Ariens 11.5 HP and my Honda kicks its ass. The Honda is more expensive,but worth every penny.
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
Dr.Faustus
Minister of Fire
Glosta,
I agree with you 100%
It should be built correctly from the factory right from the minute you get it. But they arent, and the majority of them arent. honda's are an exception. they have amazing engines and very tight clearances in the impeller. they also come with a high end price tag. I commend them on providing high end machines to match a high end price tag. Not always the case. when i got my Audi i thought i'd be getting a high end car. What i got was a hot looking car with the reliability of a Pinto. thank god its gone now.
Now, since this was my first snowblower and i had no idea about impellers and whatnot, i got a machine in my budget that had the least plastic parts.
later on, after a few winters did i realize that there are better machines out there. Dont get me wrong, i am not praising ariens because of its abilities after a mod.... i am however praising the clarence kit because i am now stuck with the ariens and instead of being stuck with a mediocre machine, i have a snow blowing beast. When this thing finally bites the big one, i'll know what to look for. a honda :-D
I agree with you 100%
It should be built correctly from the factory right from the minute you get it. But they arent, and the majority of them arent. honda's are an exception. they have amazing engines and very tight clearances in the impeller. they also come with a high end price tag. I commend them on providing high end machines to match a high end price tag. Not always the case. when i got my Audi i thought i'd be getting a high end car. What i got was a hot looking car with the reliability of a Pinto. thank god its gone now.
Now, since this was my first snowblower and i had no idea about impellers and whatnot, i got a machine in my budget that had the least plastic parts.
later on, after a few winters did i realize that there are better machines out there. Dont get me wrong, i am not praising ariens because of its abilities after a mod.... i am however praising the clarence kit because i am now stuck with the ariens and instead of being stuck with a mediocre machine, i have a snow blowing beast. When this thing finally bites the big one, i'll know what to look for. a honda :-D
smilejamaica
Feeling the Heat
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
Dr.Faustus said:
I looked at that kit for my Snapper. Just wondering how long the rubber holds up rubbing against the chassis. Also was it a PITA to install?
My Snapper has a Briggs OHV engine. Loads of hopup parts for the motor in the carting sceen. I changed out the connecting rod with a billet rod(has a real bearing now) and put in a aftermarket cam. I upped the RPM to 4500 and she throws snow like the dickens now. Sounds sweet too! Might put a tuned pipe on it next.
Dr.Faustus
Minister of Fire
the rubber looks like conveyor belt rubber. seems strong enough. mine is only on storm #2 and still looks new. install wasnt rocket science but it was tedious.
you take off the chute and work through the hole and through the front. i guess if you measure and marked the impeller first you can then take it off and drill that way, i have no idea how hard it is to get the impeller off so i didnt.
what did help was to have 2-3 drill bits and a 10 or 12 inch flexible shaft for them. had most of that already. home depot sells bits that fit in the shaft. i believe its ryobi speedload or quickload or something like that. i've been told my particular snowblower is a hard install but it wasnt too hard. you'll also need some wrenches and nut drivers that fit in the flexible drill shaft help too.
i brought the whole snowblower inside for the install since it was 0 degrees out. i work better when comfortable. didnt make that much of a mess.
if you try it, after you install it smear grease or dishwasher soap over the paddles since they will at first rub the sides until they break in 5 minutes later. dont wanna smoke a belt.
the hardest part was the incessant pug barking. apparently he feels the snowblower doesnt belong inside the house and barked the entire 2 hours at it.
you take off the chute and work through the hole and through the front. i guess if you measure and marked the impeller first you can then take it off and drill that way, i have no idea how hard it is to get the impeller off so i didnt.
what did help was to have 2-3 drill bits and a 10 or 12 inch flexible shaft for them. had most of that already. home depot sells bits that fit in the shaft. i believe its ryobi speedload or quickload or something like that. i've been told my particular snowblower is a hard install but it wasnt too hard. you'll also need some wrenches and nut drivers that fit in the flexible drill shaft help too.
i brought the whole snowblower inside for the install since it was 0 degrees out. i work better when comfortable. didnt make that much of a mess.
if you try it, after you install it smear grease or dishwasher soap over the paddles since they will at first rub the sides until they break in 5 minutes later. dont wanna smoke a belt.
the hardest part was the incessant pug barking. apparently he feels the snowblower doesnt belong inside the house and barked the entire 2 hours at it.
Fsappo
Minister of Fire
btuser
Minister of Fire
www_godzilla said:
I can't say mine is worth the money but the junk Ariens has been spitting out for the last 10 years isn't worth 1/2 what they charge (yes, I had one of those "pro" models). I guess there's no point making something that's going to last for 20 years.
What do you figure, about 5 gallons in gas per storm? I'm all for a little whimsey but really, why not just point the exhaust at the driveway and melt the snow?
Dr.Faustus
Minister of Fire
what i dont get with these snow blowers is they have got to know the impeller clearance makes a difference. being a snowblower company and all i'm sure they are aware of clarence kit's and whatnot. i can imagine it wouldnt take much for a better designed impeller or one with changeable rubber tips, probably cost them pennies yet they could charge more and make profit.
i dunno what the deal is. its a win win situation. customer wins by getting a better working machine and company wins with more profit and better reputation.
what could be the only issue i see is that the clarence kit takes the paint off the impeller housing in a hurry. this was not an issue for me because the paint came off in 2-3 yrs anyway.
i dunno what the deal is. its a win win situation. customer wins by getting a better working machine and company wins with more profit and better reputation.
what could be the only issue i see is that the clarence kit takes the paint off the impeller housing in a hurry. this was not an issue for me because the paint came off in 2-3 yrs anyway.
FordMastertech
Feeling the Heat
I have to agree about the about the snow blower impeller mod but I was once again to cheap/frugal to buy Clarence's kit. I made my own kit out of a old rubber truck mud flap, some band iron and bolted it to the impeller. The 1974, 8 HP Areins snow blower I have has never worked so good. My snow blowers impeller was so worn there was about 3/4 to 1 inch of space between the housing and the impeller. This mod is especially good for the wet sloppy snow that usually just plugs the discharge chute. I have also used this to clear the standing water that accumulates at the end of the drive way.
I extended the discharge chute about 12 inches to allow me the clear the snow around the hot tub with out blasting it on the sides of the tub. This had payed off this winter with the snow banks we have this year.
I extended the discharge chute about 12 inches to allow me the clear the snow around the hot tub with out blasting it on the sides of the tub. This had payed off this winter with the snow banks we have this year.
ChandlerR
Minister of Fire
Years ago, I found an old Bobcat snowblower at a Farm equipment dealer. They were having a spring cleanout auction and I bought it for $75. I had it for 15 years and boy, did it move snow! It had a cast iron B&S 8hp engine and was all muscle. What I liked about it was the paddle impeller. It threw snow a mile and sounded very unique as the paddle pulsed the snow out. I sold it five years ago and downsized to a smaller Toro.
Here's a link to a pretty cool site. Scroll almost to the bottom to see it...
http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/snowvintage.html
Chan
Here's a link to a pretty cool site. Scroll almost to the bottom to see it...
http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/snowvintage.html
Chan
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