Has anyone done the rubber wiper mod to their snow blower impeller? Apparently the cause of clogging and weak stream is due to the gap between the impeller blade and the housing. Im not smart enough to engineer one of these machines but I am smart enough(just barely) to know they were designed with that gap for a reason. I saw a video where a guy claimed it was so that they dont launch debris like rocks.
Snow Blower Impeller Mod
- Thread starter Doughnuts
- Start date
The gap is probably there to make manufacturing easier and less expensive. A tighter gap means the impeller must be made to tighter tolerances. Impellers are usually a welded fabrication, so a little leeway in terms of that gap means a lot.
I haven't done the mod to my snow thrower, just because I'm not too keen on drilling holes through my impeller. That and my snow thrower works well enough without the mod. However, the results of the mod shown on YouTube videos are very impressive.
I haven't done the mod to my snow thrower, just because I'm not too keen on drilling holes through my impeller. That and my snow thrower works well enough without the mod. However, the results of the mod shown on YouTube videos are very impressive.
larry4406
Well-known member
I did the mod on my Ariens and it was night and day improvement.
demarpaint
Well-known member
I'm considering doing the mod as well. Wet heavy snow is the issue, the gap allows it to form what looks like bricks coming out of the chute, which is very annoying. My concern is drilling holes in the impeller and possibly causing problems with balance or rotation of it.
Did you use a kit, or make something out of hard rubber and attach that? Thanks.
I have a older (2003ish) MTD 8hp 25" 2-Stage. It was given to me. Before I used it the first time, I did the auger mod. I had some stainless bolts and locking nuts kicking around along with some used rubber single stage auger paddles. I cut out the rubber strips and mounted them to the impeller. I have used it once. I can't believe how far it throws the snow. The same day I used it I saw two other guys cleaning out their driveways with much much newer machines than mine. < 5 years old would be my guess. Better name brands as well. They were throwing it about 1/2 the distance I was or less.
TooManyToys53
Active member
Did it to my 46 year old 7/24 Ariens a few years ago. Night and day performance. It got a good workout yesterday churning thru over a foot of heavy snow. It did bog down a bit, but never missed a beat and never clogged. Also ran it thru some really slushy stuff where if more or less poured out of the chute rather than being thrown very far. All without clogging. FWIW I do shoot the whole thing down with silicone spray before every use.
I used baler belt from TSC and did every other blade. Might be more concerned doing it to a newer machine, but the old Ariens blades have pretty thick steel. As to throwing it off balance...how critical can it be? It's not like the thing is being fed measured amounts of snow per blade every time it turns.
demarpaint
Well-known member
I gave it some thought, the balance really won't be an issue. A neighbor put that thought in my head. LOL
I'm thinking about cutting an old serpentine belt to size and doubling it up, then attaching it with some flat primed and painted steel cut to size and pre-drilled. Or just buying a kit. There aren't any TSC anywhere near where I live.
chipjumper
Well-known member
Precisely why I keep moving South. Your photos give me PTSD of living in the U.P. eight years...
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
I gotta do this... our snow keeps getting wetter and wetter (and it was already "sierra cement" to begin with) and my once proud machine has become a dribbling fool...
Does someone have a link to this?
Does someone have a link to this?
chipjumper
Well-known member
Do you guys thing it’s worth it just buying the $30 kits in eBay?
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I did the mod to a neighbor's old Ariens in my last neighborhood about 6 or so years ago. It was a night and day difference. I haven't done it to my newer Toro yet but after the couple of wet heavy snowstorms we've had this year I think I'm getting close.
demarpaint
Well-known member
I guess it depends. I had a look at mine this morning, it's an old 5 HP Craftsman. I'm thinking an old serpentine belt [in good condition] cut to size, some flat pre-drilled metal, primed and painted, with some SS hardware to attach it would work fine. The cost would be next to nothing, at least for me.
MarineScott
Well-known member
I did mine. I used a truck mud flap, $11, and bolted mine on. If you make a mistake trimming, you have a bunch more flap. Spray some lube in there before you start it up.
rlitman
Well-known member
Depends on how handy you are.
Years ago, when I was buying tires, I inquired about saving the mandatory disposal fee, and the guy said sure, keep em if you want em, he just passes on his disposal cost. I then asked if I could swap my junk tires for something with a wider sidewall, and he was like "take whatever you want from the pile". So, I went home with two junk tires to cut up.
Turns out that sidewalls cut easily using an oscillating multi-tool. And that sidewalls are the absolute best impeller mod material (though truck mud flaps are just as good).
I cut out two rectangles, and screwed them to my impeller with self tapping screws. The remains of the tires ended up in my trash.
Just be sure to use two, and ONLY two wipers. Two on opposite blades maintains balance, and more than that puts too much stress on your belts. As it is, I seem to go through a belt a season, but that is also probably because my Ariens pre-dates the dual-attachment-belt system.
MarineScott
Well-known member
Make your own. Use a truck mud flap
BonzoHansen
Well-known member
i did it to our old toro 624 powershift (an 80s model). I still have issues with heavier snow so i don't know if it helped. I gave up on it yesterday. I replaced the Tecumseh engine with the bent rod a few years ago with a new B&S engine that on paper had more HP. But i think its under powered. I've put enough time into this machine, and reverse is DOA now. i'll be buying a new one for next season.
rlitman
Well-known member
That's got to be a shifter alignment issue. Should be an easy fix.
Let me guess, on reverse it doesn't even move or even creeps forward? And the forward creep speed is too fast too, right?
BonzoHansen
Well-known member
I think the FWD speeds are ok. I've tried adjusting it in the past, I can try again. But that wont help it through heavy snow.
JRC3
Well-known member
Just used mine after the mod. 4-5"inches of snow, then a bunch of rain, probably the wettest I've ever tried to throw. When I stopped to turn it would clog up in the chute, not in the impellor cage so it was easy to clean out. Mostly the impeller would still feed and it would just dump the slop to the side in front of the wheel when the chute clogged. I want to say this again, this was some of the wettest **** I've ever tried to throw...I figured I'd give the mod a trial by fire type test to see what happened.
The second snowfall was dry and it went flawless. I love the sound the mod makes too. LOL Between the mod and the new skid shoes it's an absolute breeze. Bought the blower back in 1998 and am mad I didn't do both sooner.
The attached pic is of the messy slop. I used my wood deck squeegee to push away the slop in front of the garage door before I started. Look closely at the second pic and you can see there's an opening at the bottom of the chute clog where the impeller kept forcing the slop out and dumping it to the side.
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The mod itself rom another thread, post #115. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8833365#post8833365
The second snowfall was dry and it went flawless. I love the sound the mod makes too. LOL Between the mod and the new skid shoes it's an absolute breeze. Bought the blower back in 1998 and am mad I didn't do both sooner.
The attached pic is of the messy slop. I used my wood deck squeegee to push away the slop in front of the garage door before I started. Look closely at the second pic and you can see there's an opening at the bottom of the chute clog where the impeller kept forcing the slop out and dumping it to the side.
------------------------------
The mod itself rom another thread, post #115. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8833365#post8833365
Attachments
engineer2
Well-known member
I did the mod on my 1982 Toro 521 (now a Predatoro) about 3 years ago and it was night and day improvement. It can pump a solid stream of slush and throw dry snow 30 feet. Before the mod I had to carry a wooden stake with me to unclog the chute several times each snowfall.
Not too bad to install. I used 2" wide rubber belting from McMaster-Carr and some carriage bolts, although *** bolts would be better. Remove the discharge chute and you'll have enough room to drill holes in the impeller blades.
Lots of discussion and pictures on www.snowblowerforum.com
Not too bad to install. I used 2" wide rubber belting from McMaster-Carr and some carriage bolts, although *** bolts would be better. Remove the discharge chute and you'll have enough room to drill holes in the impeller blades.
Lots of discussion and pictures on www.snowblowerforum.com
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Easy to do.
Some sort of 'rubber' flap (tire sidewall, truck mud flap, baler belting, whatever) of the appropriate size and some sort of attachment method (nuts and bolts, self-tapping screws, big rivets, whatever) to attach said flap to the existing steel impeller.
Did the mod to my old snow blower. I used self-tapping screws (three per flap for a safety redundancy factor) and baler belting from TSC. It helped, mostly with the wet slush/glop/mush stuff. It even let the machine throw water! (running through melt run-off at the street curb and it was throwing water as well as mush/slop/glop.)
Balance? Whatever you add, just make sure it is close to evenly added to all the impellers (my old machine had three impeller blades, so I added three flaps).
No TSC nearby? Gee, if only there were some way to remotely communicate your desire to purchase something and then have it transported to your domicile.
Just order baler belting online and have it delivered. TSC does online orders and delivery. Other places do as well.
Some sort of 'rubber' flap (tire sidewall, truck mud flap, baler belting, whatever) of the appropriate size and some sort of attachment method (nuts and bolts, self-tapping screws, big rivets, whatever) to attach said flap to the existing steel impeller.
Did the mod to my old snow blower. I used self-tapping screws (three per flap for a safety redundancy factor) and baler belting from TSC. It helped, mostly with the wet slush/glop/mush stuff. It even let the machine throw water! (running through melt run-off at the street curb and it was throwing water as well as mush/slop/glop.)
Balance? Whatever you add, just make sure it is close to evenly added to all the impellers (my old machine had three impeller blades, so I added three flaps).
No TSC nearby? Gee, if only there were some way to remotely communicate your desire to purchase something and then have it transported to your domicile.
Just order baler belting online and have it delivered. TSC does online orders and delivery. Other places do as well.demarpaint
Well-known member
No TSC nearby? Gee, if only there were some way to remotely communicate your desire to purchase something and then have it transported to your domicile.
I'm guessing you were referring to me.
No need to pay TSC $30 for bailer belt shipped, the serpentine belt worked for my machine. If they were local I would have stopped in to see what they had. I do a lot of business online.chipjumper
Well-known member
Interesting. I keep old serp belts in my cars. I’m curious if they have enough meat on them. There is a TSC not far from me. Do I buy the baling belt by the foot?
Oh - has anyone lost any of the self tapping screws? I’d hate to cause a series of $30-200 flat tires.
Oh - has anyone lost any of the self tapping screws? I’d hate to cause a series of $30-200 flat tires.
demarpaint
Well-known member
I didn't have too much of a gap to fill, so the serpentine belt worked fine. If Tractor Supply was close I would have stopped in to see if I could get bailer belt by the foot, a quick search showed that wasn't the case online. Once I saw the serpentine belt would work, I didn't have to go anywhere.
The jury is out for how long the serp belt will last, but after using the machine this afternoon for about 45 minutes I'm pretty sure it will last quite a few seasons for me.
For my impeller mod, a typical serpentine belt was no where near wide enough. But some 3" or 4" wide baler belting worked for the dimensions on my impeller. YMMV and all that. 
You can get the belting by the foot or I think I just bought a small roll of belting. Still have plenty left. Might add some belting flaps to my 'new' snow blower in the spring.
Again, YMMV and all that, but AFAIK the screws I used stayed where I put them.
You can get the belting by the foot or I think I just bought a small roll of belting. Still have plenty left. Might add some belting flaps to my 'new' snow blower in the spring.
Again, YMMV and all that, but AFAIK the screws I used stayed where I put them.
I used bolts washers and nuts.
Mick56
Well-known member
I tried the mod a few years ago, but wasn't able to drill the impeller blades. Figured they were hardened so I gave up.
BonzoHansen
Well-known member
That's what mine does, the chute clogs.
Super Mech
Well-known member
I have been tossing the idea around for a couple of years. I had all the materials on hand and decided to do it last Saturday in anticipation of the big storm that was predicted. I’m glad I did it! Zero clogging issues blowing heavy wet snow and the machine is only 5hp. It’s a mint condition MTD 5/24 that runs as good as a Honda. Two pulls to start it even in freezing temps. I highly recommend this mod to anyone. I used some reinforced 3/8 rubber sheeting and 1/4-20 SS bolts, washers and locknuts. I took off the shoot and use a 12” x1/4”
Drill bit to get down to the impeller. Greased the housing when I was done and zip tied the auger handle down for 15min to break in the paddles.
Drill bit to get down to the impeller. Greased the housing when I was done and zip tied the auger handle down for 15min to break in the paddles.
astroracer
Well-known member
I have a 1969 John Deere 832. It has no problem throwing snow of any kind. One thing I do right before season starts is douse the chute, impellors and pickup box with cheap spray silicone. This slickens up everything and I have never had a clogging issue.
I do the same thing with my mower decks and have no problems with grass collecting under the decks, it just doesn't happen.
Mark
I do the same thing with my mower decks and have no problems with grass collecting under the decks, it just doesn't happen.
Mark
Jim_No_Garage
Well-known member
So I gave my 1979 Arien's ST350 quite a workout this week. This is a 20" wide 3-1/2 HP 2 Stage machine. I think of it as a 3/4 Scale snowblower.
It was able to deal with 24" of light snow without issue but would clog up when I was near the street dealing with 2" of wet, sloppy snow. I have it apart right now to replace belts and will do the impeller mod at that time.
I bought a rubber strip at Tractor Supply that is a blade for a 1 Stage blower (P/N Toro 23-3730 ). I should be able to make it work with some bolts.
I have attached a pic of "The Little Snowblower That Could" taken as I was chewing away at the pile near the road.
I have a plow service but they had an issue "finding the driveway" despite them installing snow stakes. They had plowed 4' of drive and 4' of grass along a portion of the drive. They got overwhelmed and never got back to "finish the job" so I did it with the blower.
Cheers
Jim
It was able to deal with 24" of light snow without issue but would clog up when I was near the street dealing with 2" of wet, sloppy snow. I have it apart right now to replace belts and will do the impeller mod at that time.
I bought a rubber strip at Tractor Supply that is a blade for a 1 Stage blower (P/N Toro 23-3730 ). I should be able to make it work with some bolts.
I have attached a pic of "The Little Snowblower That Could" taken as I was chewing away at the pile near the road.
I have a plow service but they had an issue "finding the driveway" despite them installing snow stakes. They had plowed 4' of drive and 4' of grass along a portion of the drive. They got overwhelmed and never got back to "finish the job" so I did it with the blower.
Cheers
Jim
Attachments
jonesg
Well-known member
My steel chute was rough and pitted, I hit it with a wire brush on a grinder, then sprayed it with gloss paint, baked it in the sun and sprayed with silicone.
No need to modify the auger after that.
No need to modify the auger after that.
JRC3
Well-known member
I wanna reiterate the only reason my chute clogged after the mod was because the snow was impossibly wet, not soup but that perfect wetness to make it pack and hold in place like cement. And it only clogged sometimes when I stopped moving snow to turn around at the end of each pass. And even though the chute clogged the impellor still wanted to push the heavy snow out of the mouth of the housing where it feeds into the chute. In the past I would've been cleaning out the chute, impeller housing and where the auger feeds the impeller.
I will also keep posted how the self-tappers hold up. I thought about bending them a little to prevent them from possibly backing out. I don't expect any problems, especially after being wet and a little salty applying natural threadlock.
"No need" or "good enough" isn't understood here at TGJF. LOL
I will also keep posted how the self-tappers hold up. I thought about bending them a little to prevent them from possibly backing out. I don't expect any problems, especially after being wet and a little salty applying natural threadlock.
Hmmm, maybe if you fed that nice smooth chute with more snow it might work twice as good, twice as fast and throw it twice as far? You could be going in for breakfast in half the time.
"No need" or "good enough" isn't understood here at TGJF. LOL
That1Guy
Well-known member
Time to awaken this thread for 2022 - lol.
I did this flap mod to both of my John Deere model 46 single stage throwers on my 420 and 430 tractors 6 or 8 years ago. It was all over YouTube and it seemed like a fun mod to try. The improvement was so huge I decided to do it to my cheapo walk behind Troy-Bilt 2 stage as well. WOW! Even a bigger difference on that one. It's comical when I blow the driveway now because the snow shoots so high and so far. I honestly have to keep the chute deflector pointed at least a little downward to keep the snow in my own yard. The wife filmed me one time because I had the chute deflector wide open and the snow was literally going over the second set of utility wires out at the road. It looks hilarious. And no, I'm not exaggerating one bit.
Also, since this mod, I've never once had to clear out another clogged chute and I don't ever bother to spray it with any lubricant either. They just never clog up anymore, regardless of how deep or how wet the snow has been. The first time I did this mod, I trimmed them to allow a tiny bit of clearance because I assumed it needed it. Turns out they don't. For the second thrower and the 2-stage blower, I cut the flaps to be pretty snug and just let it run for a bit to wear the flaps down to a perfect fit. These mods actually work better than the first one - by far!
Rather than use a tire sidewall or a mud flap, I bought a strip of conveyor belt on eBay to do mine and I'm glad I did. It's held up a lot better than my buddy's mud flap did. Conveyor belts are reinforced and use a high quality rubber so it was easily worth what I paid - and no, I don't remember. This has been about 6 or 8 years ago now and as of late, I'm lucky to remember yesterday - lol. I only remember thinking it was worth the cost for the difference it made. The old "buy once - cry once" adage may apply here - lol. I later used the rest of that conveyor belt to do the "squeegee" mod to my plows for those same tractors - another worthwhile mod...
All this to say that this simple modification is ABSOLUTELY worth the time, effort and cost required. Before I did the mod to my 46 single stage, I'd been scouring the web looking to buy a model 47 2-stage for my tractor because the single stage just wasn't cutting the mustard with our heavy Mid Michigan snowfalls. I was ready to spend $1200 to $1500 for a used model 47. Once I saw the difference this mod made to my sluggish, clog-ridden model 46 single stage thrower, I have no interest in the model 47, even at half the going price. This single stage is a BEAST now with this mod. I can't say enough about it. If I knew who the first person to think of this was, I'd gladly treat them to an expensive steak dinner for sure!
An equally "worth it" mod has been the chute rotation mod that increased the hydraulically controlled rotation of the chutes on my 46 throwers from about 180 degrees to a bit over 200 degrees. I didn't actually break out the protractor to check the actual degrees but suffice it to say that I can put the snow where I have to - even "over my shoulder" if need be. You can check out an awesome thread about that mod here if you're interested. One of the members even drew up a detailed .pdf file with photos and a detailed parts list to make it happen. Even if you don't need to make this mod, it is an interesting read. I think all of us at Garage Journal could appreciate the ingenuity of a mod like this, just like this flap mod.
OK, sorry for rambling so long. I just get all long winded when it's a subject I'm passionate about. Again, if you are considering this mod (or the rotation mod) let me just say - DO IT! You'll be so glad you did. OK, I'm done.
Be well.
I did this flap mod to both of my John Deere model 46 single stage throwers on my 420 and 430 tractors 6 or 8 years ago. It was all over YouTube and it seemed like a fun mod to try. The improvement was so huge I decided to do it to my cheapo walk behind Troy-Bilt 2 stage as well. WOW! Even a bigger difference on that one. It's comical when I blow the driveway now because the snow shoots so high and so far. I honestly have to keep the chute deflector pointed at least a little downward to keep the snow in my own yard. The wife filmed me one time because I had the chute deflector wide open and the snow was literally going over the second set of utility wires out at the road. It looks hilarious. And no, I'm not exaggerating one bit.
Also, since this mod, I've never once had to clear out another clogged chute and I don't ever bother to spray it with any lubricant either. They just never clog up anymore, regardless of how deep or how wet the snow has been. The first time I did this mod, I trimmed them to allow a tiny bit of clearance because I assumed it needed it. Turns out they don't. For the second thrower and the 2-stage blower, I cut the flaps to be pretty snug and just let it run for a bit to wear the flaps down to a perfect fit. These mods actually work better than the first one - by far!
Rather than use a tire sidewall or a mud flap, I bought a strip of conveyor belt on eBay to do mine and I'm glad I did. It's held up a lot better than my buddy's mud flap did. Conveyor belts are reinforced and use a high quality rubber so it was easily worth what I paid - and no, I don't remember. This has been about 6 or 8 years ago now and as of late, I'm lucky to remember yesterday - lol. I only remember thinking it was worth the cost for the difference it made. The old "buy once - cry once" adage may apply here - lol. I later used the rest of that conveyor belt to do the "squeegee" mod to my plows for those same tractors - another worthwhile mod...
All this to say that this simple modification is ABSOLUTELY worth the time, effort and cost required. Before I did the mod to my 46 single stage, I'd been scouring the web looking to buy a model 47 2-stage for my tractor because the single stage just wasn't cutting the mustard with our heavy Mid Michigan snowfalls. I was ready to spend $1200 to $1500 for a used model 47. Once I saw the difference this mod made to my sluggish, clog-ridden model 46 single stage thrower, I have no interest in the model 47, even at half the going price. This single stage is a BEAST now with this mod. I can't say enough about it. If I knew who the first person to think of this was, I'd gladly treat them to an expensive steak dinner for sure!
An equally "worth it" mod has been the chute rotation mod that increased the hydraulically controlled rotation of the chutes on my 46 throwers from about 180 degrees to a bit over 200 degrees. I didn't actually break out the protractor to check the actual degrees but suffice it to say that I can put the snow where I have to - even "over my shoulder" if need be. You can check out an awesome thread about that mod here if you're interested. One of the members even drew up a detailed .pdf file with photos and a detailed parts list to make it happen. Even if you don't need to make this mod, it is an interesting read. I think all of us at Garage Journal could appreciate the ingenuity of a mod like this, just like this flap mod.
OK, sorry for rambling so long. I just get all long winded when it's a subject I'm passionate about. Again, if you are considering this mod (or the rotation mod) let me just say - DO IT! You'll be so glad you did. OK, I'm done.
Be well.
DGersic
Well-known member
I did the impeller mod to my Snapper 1030, and was underwhelmed. It never clogged before, still doesn’t. Looking at the impeller and surrounding housing, it’s already pretty close tolerance. I’m guessing that the ones reporting big results are on blowers with a lot of clearance between impeller and housing.
Many blowers only have 3 fins on the impeller.