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Anemic 42" Blower


tripleguy

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I'm running a 42" blower off the mid-PTO on an 18 HP Sovereign with a 144" NAPPA belt. Belt is tensioned with the lever but blower clogs a lot. Here in SE WI we got a lot of wet, heavy snow and my chute clogged many times. Silicon spray was of no use. Is there a way to further tension the belt or should I get a new one? The motor does not bog when the blower clogs. I need to go really slow and watch the discharge because the engine gives me no warning. The blower will just stop and the belt will slip and I'll smell burnt rubber. Is this belt just glazed to the point of being no good? Belt is about 3 or 4 years old. Would a 142" belt work or would I not be able to get it on?

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The idler under the cone clutch adjusts. Also, change out the pulley on the blower itself to a 5.5 inch and use Pam in the chute. You will be amazed! If that fails, try fine emory to ruff up the belt, or spend the 25 bucks at napa for a new one.

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I blew 10 driveways in the last day, and it was all wet heavy stuff. The ol' Magnum 18 did a whole lotta grunting. Not once did I plug up. Just gotta keep it fed, it's a hungry critter.

Now the belt slipping thing will certainly give you fits. But look at the bright side, you didn't blow the chute off as I did on the final pass this morning! Big tangle of rotator cable and a mess. Now to begin repairs..............

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I will look to adjust the idler some more. Right now, I think I'm relying too much on the colored indicator. If I move the idler all the way back, it's way in the red but I'm assuming you don't worry about that. I would think I'd hear the engine bog if everything is tight but right now, I don't. Chute just plugs with no warning.

Clutch pulley (drive pulley) is outer pulley for blower and inner for mower, correct? If I do end up going with a 5" in front, do I need a smaller belt?

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The chute is important but remember the snow has to be releasing freely from the rotor as well so I would wax that up as well.

If you have any rust or rough surface on the rotor or in the chute that will slow movement down and creates a place for ice to start forming.

I sanded down everything in mine and gave it a good smooth coat of paint to make it harder for the snow to stick and easier to slide.

I have not had much luck with silicone spray. Have not yet tried paste was but it makes sense it would last longer before needing to be reapplied.

On my Landlord the position of the PTO pulley is critical. If too far forward or back it throws off the belt angle and the belt wears quickly. I suspect you do not have that problem on yours but make certain all of the pulleys are turning freely and the rotor spins freely. If any of those have too much resistance you will get more slipage and once it slips the belt starts glazing and is more likely to slip again.

It may just be that the belt tension is too light and needs to be tightened slightly.

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quote:Originally posted by tripleguy

I will look to adjust the idler some more. Right now, I think I'm relying too much on the colored indicator. If I move the idler all the way back, it's way in the red but I'm assuming you don't worry about that. I would think I'd hear the engine bog if everything is tight but right now, I don't. Chute just plugs with no warning.Clutch pulley (drive pulley) is outer pulley for blower and inner for mower, correct? If I do end up going with a 5" in front, do I need a smaller belt?


id="quote">
id="quote">Inner pulley drove is used for both mower and blower, 1/2"W and outer is used for the tiller 5/8". If you're using outer groove for blower , that explains why you are losing it when it comes to a hard pull.
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Thanks BLT - not using the outer (whew!). Was reviewing some schematics of the tractor and it showed the mower using the inner and so I wondered, did the blower use the outer? I do know that the tensioning pulley needs to be swapped out from the mower to blower position though ;)

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I have long learned that keeping the blower belt as tight as a banjo spring, regardless of the markings on the side plate the better off you are. And remember the blower "talks to you" in the heavy snow, in other word, let it clear the chute and not you forcing it. Using a speed up pulley sucks up more horsepower to chuck it farther. But if you are marginal now, speeding things up won't hack it.

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The instructions for the blower is that the gage should be just in the red (front red). Not in the green like the mower.

The belt has never slipped on my 919, and it will pull the engine down and probably kill it if I kept pushing it.

I have plugged the thrower cleaning slush when it was connected to a 12hp. I have never plugged the thrower even when blowing heavy slush since it has been on the 17 or 19 hp.

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I would check the springs used for tension. It has been my experience that the springs lose tension strength depending on rust and age. I am not sure what the original rating was in lbs-force but you would be surprised if you had a new part-for-part spring to compare for strength. Anymore they get replaced whenever another machine comes in.

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My snowblower owner,s manual states, mount front idler pulley on lower tab & install belt on inner groove of PTO pulley. The red & green belt tension indicator would be used for OEM Simplicity belts. May not be able to use for aftermarket, due to belt lengths may be slightly different. Simplicity belts are custom manufactured and may be made to a custom length. Aftermarket belts are made in even inch lengths and may be slightly longer or shorter than a Simplicity belt. This could cause a belt tension issue with out adjustments.

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Thanks for all the responses. I checked all pulleys and auger to ensure there was no binding occurring and adjusted the idler pulley to put max tension on the system. Fired it up and it seems fine but the next snow load will tell. I do know my auger fins are a little bent in spots so once things warm up I'll heat the fins with a torch and get them in better balance.

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tripleguy;

if you have a front PTO as have I try the trick of engaging it, and then brace a 2 x 4 against the pulley and frame. If is smokes and pull the mill down, that part of the problem is eliminated. that's how I did it and if it smokes and pulls the engine down, it is good.

Hope it helps.

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Do you know for sure that the PTO spring is the proper Simplicity part? I don't agree with running the tension out of the green, or even needing to be at the tight end of the green. I have an 18hp Sovereign and have a 36 and 42" blower. Slippage has never been a problem, but I also run the proper OEM belt - it is worth the money. I don't like running extreme belt tension on the PTO because of the added load it places on the needle bearing on the LH side of the bevel gear box. I would rather chance a belt slipping (which I have never had a problem with) rather than chance premature BGB wear.

Make sure your drive pullies are not worn. The pulley on the PTO clutch and on the blower need to be a good V shape - it is a V belt. If they are worn/cupped, the profile of the pulley will be more like a letter U. That lets the belt drop down into the pulley too far and it tries to run on the flat inner face of the belt, rather than having the traction on the sides of the V.

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All good points Tim. Pretty sure spring is OEM. I also now remembered my belt is not a NAPA - it's also OEM. I checked drive pulleys and they seemed to be in good shape with proper V angle. I can grab the auger with gloves and turn it by hand (with some force though) and the belt will not slip and pulleys turn.

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Take a peek at the inside of the PTO clutch cover. I think you can normally see the very edge of the clutch lining. New linings are about 1/8 - 3/16" thick. If it is paper thin, the clutch cone is probably bottoming out in the cover and slipping as suggested above. You could take white or silver marker and put a mark or two on the PTO clutch cover and have someone walk alongside the tractor and watch the clutch spin. It should be obvious if it slows down when the blower performance goes down.

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quote:Originally posted by Bill725

My snowblower owner,s manual states, mount front idler pulley on lower tab & install belt on inner groove of PTO pulley. The red & green belt tension indicator would be used for OEM Simplicity belts. May not be able to use for aftermarket, due to belt lengths may be slightly different. Simplicity belts are custom manufactured and may be made to a custom length. Aftermarket belts are made in even inch lengths and may be slightly longer or shorter than a Simplicity belt. This could cause a belt tension issue with out adjustments.


id="quote">
id="quote">The red and green tension guide can be used with any belt. You just want to adjust the rear idler pulley so that when the tensioner lever is puled to the tight position, that the indicator is in the front red area when using the blower. The adjustment on the rear idler is used to compensate for slight variations in belt length.
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IMO the whole problem lies in the first sentence of the original post. "...144" NAPA belt." I had the same tractor and blower and never had a problem with plugging up.

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I agree with the other posts. I have a Sovereign 18 with an A144 Napa belt and I never remember having it plugged up. Look closely at your clutch.

Here is a video of me with a couple of inches of wet heavy snow we got in April a couple of years ago. Since there isn't a lot of material and it's wet and heavy, this should be prime plugging conditions. This stuff should be the hardest to blow that there is. When I have deep dry snow, I can blow the snow half way to my neighbors and there are no modifications to the tractor or blower.

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