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Single Stage vs. Two Stage Blowers


Titan

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I read in the Sunstar infection post below that some actually prefer a single stage blower over a two stage. I had one of the proper snowblowers for a 4041 years ago. It was single stage and didn't work worth a darn, no matter what the snow conditions. It was so useless that it was sold. I prefered to use the front blade instead as it could move a lot of snow. I always said that if I ever had a tractor mounted blower again it would have to be two-stage. The comments in the other thread have perked my curiosity though.
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I can't really argue with that. Everyone has their own experiences and opinions, even myself:):D. However, I have used the Single-Stages for years and I may have only plugged up twice in the last 15 years, and that was because the snow was really wet and heavy. In fact I bought a new 42" single-stage snowthrower for my new Simplicity Conquest. My local dealer told me they sell more single-stages than two-stages. Just my opinion though!!:D;)
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I have both,the 2 stage is out on loan,the single stage throws the snow much farther,so thats my first choice,probably more dangerous,since the auger is spinning so fast,it will throw gravel as well as snow.i haven't seen any new ones that are singles,only 2 stages.
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My experience was that the single stage wouldn't throw the snow any distance. It is interesting to read that others experiences are quite different.
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The only time I've ever used one was last year in very wet melting thick snow. A 42" on my HB212 and I found it to do a great job with very bad snow. It also had about 1/2" of ice on top. The single stage trough it good but I had trouble getting it to feed right with the ice on top. I do think you need to have enough snow to keep a single stage moveing snow in a continuous motion. An inch or two isn't really enough to mess with a blower. Unless you use third gear. lol
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There must have been something wrong with the blower on the Pow'r max for it not to work good. A couple of towns around here used the Pow'r max and blower to clean side walks. I have used both, a single stage on a 7016 and my 7790 and a two stage on a sunstar and prefer the single stage. The single stage will run circles around a two stage. The single stage works better in all snow conditions. I have used the single stage for over 30 years and probably blown more snow in one year than most of you will blow in a life time. My 7790 has over 5000 hours on it and 99% of that is blowing snow. The snow blower has never been off from it other than for repairs. It has worn out 3 blowers and the forth is now on it.
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In my experience, the 2-stage is easier to use, but the single-stage will throw the snow much farther. IMO, there's 3 keys to using a single-stage: 1. Make sure the throat and chute are free of rust on the inside... 2. Run the engine wide-open... 3. Keep the intake hopper full, and vary the ground speed as necessary to do so. If you keep a constant stream of snow coming out, they won't clog, but if you interrupt that stream of snow and it'll clog up on you.... I've pumped slush with them that wouldn't go more than 3' feet or so, yet wouldn't clog if you keep a constant stream of it. In anything but slush, a single-stage will throw the snow 25' to 50'... [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2//attach/Kent/Dcp00793.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2//attach/Kent/Dcp00784.jpg[[/img] [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2//attach/Kent/Dcp00791.jpg[/img]
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I have a single stage 42" on my 917H. I'd have to say it works 50/50. (Generally it throws 50' high and 50' away:D) The mass of the steel auger helps alot compared to those toy walk-behind plastic ones you see at Walmart. I have been nothing but impressed with it. It works 25 times better than my 10hp tracked walk behind 2 stage blower. I find it a little touchy with the ground speed vs. the snow depth and density. The Hydro tranny is a definite must for me as I am constantly adjusting my speed to keep the blower working well. For instance, I can stop the auger if I hit a full width pile of re-plowed snow at full speed ^ (yes, I tried it) I simply watch the output and when I see the distance drop, I ease off the speed. When I see the volume decrease too much, I add more speed. If I happen to clog the chute real good, I stop the PTO and "drop" the unit on the ground once or twice with the manual lift. Then I fire it back up and I'm off to the races. I have only clogged it a few times and then only when tossing slush... I imagine I would have considerable heart-ache with it if I had the 6 speed tranny though...
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Those are some great pics Kent. That's the BIG TEN isn't it. What did you use for snow removal before you picked up your simple tractors. I know you must have used something moterized as that would have been too much to shovel.
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I have a 2 stage on my Sunstar and it seems to work better than the modified single stage I had for my 7014. Before I bought my 2 stage I had talked with several dealers and they told me the 2 stage would move snow quicker and further than the single stage but the single stage was more than adequate for most people in our area. They also said the 2 stage is better suited for deep snow and large accumulations. I believe the single stage was about $1300 and the 2 stage was about $2200(in 2001) but I was lucky enough to find my 2 stage for $950 with chains and only used about 8 times. I'm glad I found the 2 stage as I usually get drifts above the top of the blower and this week I had drifts over 3 feet deep. I had my backhoe out to move most of the big drifts though so the Sunstar only needed to open up the main drive and do the final cleanup that the backhoe missed. Dan
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The comments I'm reading continue to confuse me, not that I don't believe what is being said. The blower I'm referring to wouldn't throw the snow more than 3 or 4 feet high, nor more than 5 or 6 feet away. It just didn't seem to want to get rid of the snow, irregardless of ground speed or throttle setting. I figured that it was due to the single stage design, and that a two stage would have allowed it to move the snow out. Maybe UCD is correct in that something may have been wrong with that particular blower, although I don't know what it might have been. It never saw enough use to wear the paint off the inside of the blower or auger.
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Yes, Dave, that's the Big Ten. Before these tractors, I've had a few different walkbehind snowblowers, both single and two-stage. Probably the best all-around walkbehind I've had was a 7HP Toro single-stage with big, thick rubber paddles that I had in Utah. Worst was a Sears two-stage... jut big, heavy, awkward and hard to maneuver. Titan, how fast were you running it? The pics above show the tractor running full throttle (about 3600 RPM) with the snowblower's auger spinning about 1200 RPM or so....
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I have a 42 inch single stage snow thrower on my Landlord (1996)with a 6 speed manual. I use 2nd or 3rd gear.I went through 10-12 inches snow last Thursday in 2nd gear. I don't care for hydros because you have to move speed control lever all the time to keep speed consistant. Belt between motor and snow thrower wips too much to go any faster. Snow Thrower works great. I will spray Pam on auger and shoot to keep rust from starting when snow thrower is not used. Anything less than 3 inches I will use my blade.
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Titan The biggist thing that will effect blower performance is pulley size. If the driven pulley on the blower had been changed to a larger pulley or the drive pulley on the engine was changed to a smaller pulley it would slowed down the auger speed and the blower would perform as you stated.
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Kent, this would probably have been in excess of twenty years ago that I last used this blower on the 4041. I can't imagine that the throttle setting would have been less than needed to do the job as I wasn't afraid to run the tractor. The blower is long gone, but I still have the tractor. :-) UCD, the blower was purchased new and no alterations to it were ever made. As I remember, but I may be wrong, there was a belt drive from the front electric clutch pulley down to the blower mounting hitch. The connection between the mounting hitch and the blower was through a pto shaft.
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What I found on mine tonight in a two foot snowdrift packed in by winds 45-75mph was I needed a lot more then 7 1/4 horses behind it. Missed my extremly tired 16hp in the B-112.:(
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I'm finding this topic interesting myself. I run a 42" single stage with my 18hp Sov. Originaly, my main reason for buying it was the price diference between the 2 stage and single stage units. But after having used it for 7 winters...I have nothing to complain about. It blows snow very well. The only thing that clogged it up was blowing very heavy/wet snow and the stone guard in the discharge shoot kept clogging up. I removed that, and the problem was solved. (Don't worry, my yard is large, and I always watch which way I'm throwing the snow). To me it seems as though the single stage unit is built heavier than the 2 stage unit. I also think the fewer moving parts are also an advantage.
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