How well should snowthrowers work?

bodyman922 · #1 01-11-2011, 10:12 PM

I have a QA42A snowthrower and it only throws the snow about 6 feet out in any direction. Some of the pictures I have seen have others throwing snow about 15 feet out. My thrower also plugs up easily and I have ez-slide in the chute. Are these two problems related? The thrower is mounted on a 129 with the stock engine. Any suggestions on what could be wrong? Pictures of the thrower are posted in the: help identify my snow thrower thread. Thanks

Matt G. · #2 01-11-2011, 10:20 PM

Are you running at wide-open throttle, as is the engine speed set properly?

You have to vary your groundspeed such that thrower is full and the engine is just tugging on the governor.

red56turbo · #3 01-11-2011, 10:56 PM

My QA42A will throw the snow as far as WildBill's does. Mine is on my 169 and that 16 horse really barks if the snow is deep. Great thing about a hydro, pull the lever back till you're through the deep stuff then speed up. I don't have any slip plate or such in my thrower or chute. I agree with the others, really depends on the type of snow you're moving.

JayBrd · #4 01-11-2011, 11:07 PM

Fluffy/dryer snow throws real good..

Wetter stuff is less than half of in the pics

bodyman922 · #5 01-12-2011, 09:08 AM

Thanks guys. The chute is all the way up and it doesn't matter what rpm I run it at it still comes out of the chute looking like a snake. We just got 5 inches of nice fluffy snow in minnesota and even if I go slow it still wants to choke the engine down. The thrower itself is pretty beat up but not sure if that would be an issue. The 14 tooth drive sprocket is wore out but I can" replace it now since I need the thrower. I thought of going to a larger sprocket maybe 18 tooth to speed up the auger but that will be next summer when I try and restore it.

Matt G. · #6 01-12-2011, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodyman922

Thanks guys. The chute is all the way up and it doesn't matter what rpm I run it at it still comes out of the chute looking like a snake. We just got 5 inches of nice fluffy snow in minnesota and even if I go slow it still wants to choke the engine down. The thrower itself is pretty beat up but not sure if that would be an issue. The 14 tooth drive sprocket is wore out but I can" replace it now since I need the thrower. I thought of going to a larger sprocket maybe 18 tooth to speed up the auger but that will be next summer when I try and restore it.

Have you actually verified the engine is turning 3600 rpm at full throttle? If it's set at like 2400 rpm (the 1450 I used to throw snow with was) it is still going to be terrible, regardless of where the throttle is. Also verify that the governor spring is in the right holes, carb set right, timing set right, etc. 5" of light fluffy snow is nothing, so I'm suspicious the engine needs a little tuning.

There is no need to go to a larger auger sprocket...many of us have the same snowthrower set up the way it came from the factory and it works fine. When trying to make something work that doesn't, the idea is to find the problem and solve it, not circumvent it. Do you have E-Z-slide in the area between the paddle and chute, as well? That's another area that gets rusty and will clog it up, too.

Edit: Also, if it's coming out 'looking like snake', reduce your groundspeed. Part of the problem is you are trying to overfeed it. Bill and I mentioned this in previous posts.

steve59 · #7 01-12-2011, 08:30 PM

Bodyman, your overfeeding it. Here's a pic of my 2 stage blower. It's 78 inches wide and my Gehl is cranking a 65hp diesel. I can cut through 5 ft. drifts but I still have to give it time to feed. I can throw snakes with this if I push it to hard. Slow down and let the blower do the work, not the engine on your cub. That's the great thing about using a hydro with a blower.

bodyman922 · #8 01-12-2011, 10:11 PM

Matt I have not yet had the chance to verify the engine rpm's as I do not have a tachometer but I think you might be on to something with that. I am not over feeding it because I am barely moving, if I go any slower I don't throw anything. What kind of tachometer do you recommend?

Matt G. · #9 01-13-2011, 07:26 AM

You have many options...I have an inductive tach that works on single and twin cylinder engines that I got used cheap, but they're probably expensive new. The vibra-tachs are pretty cheap and are supposed to work good. I imagine some other people will have some suggestions, too.

Methos · #10 01-13-2011, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt G.

You have many options...I have an inductive tach that works on single and twin cylinder engines that I got used cheap, but they're probably expensive new. The vibra-tachs are pretty cheap and are supposed to work good. I imagine some other people will have some suggestions, too.

Here's a thread that has some tach and links for you to check out.

http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=7953