# My HSS1332 today



## tonysak (Dec 24, 2013)

Heavy wet snow here just north of Boston. I couldn't push this blower forward half the time. Snow would pile in front of the auger but not go in. Snow was clogging in the neck. The treads had no traction what so ever
. I definitely see a difference in the tracks from the HS to the hss. What should have been a quick run of 2" snow was a real ..... I just left it outside and will shovel by hand later. I've always considered the hydro track pro. That thing is so heavy I doubt the slipping would have happened, I'd switch if I could talk to someone who owns it.


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

tonysak said:


> I couldn't push this blower forward half the time. Snow would pile in front of the auger but not go in.


Broken shear pin. And the reason why there was no traction is because with the broken shear pin it was acting like a plow and not a snowblower.. The tracks are great, they're not your problem here.

Go outside and have somebody engage the auger for you while you get a front on view(or if you have nobody to do that, little trick is to slip your glove over the lever to keep it engaged). Most likely only one side is spinning. Or, the shear pin could be gone in the impeller as well. Either way, no big deal very simple to replace. Once you get it going, set the drive speed all the way up and you'll have no issues with the wet heavy stuff.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Hopefully, the shear pin is the answer for you, Tonysak. I had 6" of the same stuff here in southern Maine and the HSS1332 just ate it up. Had only two clogs, and both times just turning into some deeper snow for a couple of seconds cleared it.


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## AriensPro1128 (Nov 9, 2014)

Ten inches of the stuff in NH. You expect too much from a snowblower. I have a commercial 28" Ariens and it did exactly the same thing. The snow is balling up in front since it is so wet. It is more like wet sugar than sifted sugar that flows. I did my fair share of shoveling as a youth before snowblowers became popular in the mid 60s. Start shoveling it and then see if you appreciate the Honda.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

tonysak said:


> Heavy wet snow here just north of Boston. I couldn't push this blower forward half the time. Snow would pile in front of the auger but not go in. Snow was clogging in the neck. The treads had no traction what so ever
> . I definitely see a difference in the tracks from the HS to the hss. It was an absolute cluster f. What should have been a quick run of 2" snow was a real **** show. I just left it outside and will shovel by hand later. I've always considered the hydro track pro. That thing is so heavy I doubt the slipping would have happened, I'd switch if I could talk to someone who owns it.


PM me a price, and I'll risk taking a chance on it.


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## dadnjesse (Nov 24, 2015)

My HSS1332 went through the slush and a lot of water at the bottom of my drive today no problem didn't throw it 50 feet but still moved it, no clogging.


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## 524SWE (Jan 20, 2017)

WOW! All we got was rain in Syracuse NY, could you post some pictures?
:icon-wwp:


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

tonysak said:


> Heavy wet snow here just north of Boston. I couldn't push this blower forward half the time. Snow would pile in front of the auger but not go in. Snow was clogging in the neck. The treads had no traction what so ever
> . I definitely see a difference in the tracks from the HS to the hss. It was an absolute cluster f. What should have been a quick run of 2" snow was a real **** show. I just left it outside and will shovel by hand later. I've always considered the hydro track pro. That thing is so heavy I doubt the slipping would have happened, I'd switch if I could talk to someone who owns it.


Definitely check your shear bolts to start.

Just out of curiosity, are you lifting up on the handlebars to set the tracks at their most aggressive position? 

It's places only the tail end of the tracks on the ground. By Spreading the ground points farther apart the bucket has way more down pressure, and you can actually apply down pressure to the handle bars for increased traction. I've had the same or worse snow you are experiencing without any problem.


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

We got 3" of the same wet slop that you did Tony. My neighbors Ariens Platinum 24 was all clogged up after every pass he made. I think most two stage machines struggle with this slop. There so much moisture you almost can't call it "snow". I broke out the Honda HS520 single stage and was shooting water like a fire hose. I swear by single stage machines in rain soaked slop like this. The rubber paddles act like a squeegee and the snowblower transforms into a rolling water pump. My kids came out and wanted to pitch coins in the "water fountain".


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

drmerdp said:


> Definitely check your shear bolts to start.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, are you lifting up on the handlebars to set the tracks at their most aggressive position?
> 
> It's places only the tail end of the tracks on the ground. By Spreading the ground points farther apart the bucket has way more down pressure, and you can actually apply down pressure to the handle bars for increased traction. I've had the same or worse snow you are experiencing without any problem.


I find the opposite. If I am losing traction, I'll use my thumb to raise up the bucket a bit, then once she starts moving again I'll thumb the bucket back down. Poly skids help to lessen ground friction as well which will make it less apt to lose traction. 

To me, the reason why he was losing traction is because he was pushing the snow, and not chewing it up and spitting it out.


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## tonysak (Dec 24, 2013)

Not a sheer pin, that was the first thing I checked. It didn't clear anything on a flat surface. The tracks couldn't get under the 2" of slush. The "scraping" position was actually worse as the front half of the tracks were off the ground. 
Wheels would have been better as they? would? have cut thru the slush. 

Asking the snow blower to travel and clear 2" of snow/slush isn't unreasonable.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I'm sorry to hear your machine wasn't performing as expected  

For a reference point, I am also north of Boston, by the NH border. We got 3-4" tops, but it was incredibly dense and heavy. It started as snow, then was rain and sleet for a while, then back to snow. It may as well have been concrete. 

I have a 10hp 24" Ariens Pro, with chains, an impeller kit, and about 25 lbs of weight mounted to the bucket, to help hold it down. I had to lockout the differential to make it behave like a locked axle, for better traction. My driveway has an incline, the bucket still wanted to ride up over the areas that we'd driven over. But a second pass of those areas, going downhill, got down to pavement. 

It did well, I cleared in 2nd or 3rd gear. Faster that that, and the engine would begin slowing down. The throwing distance was good, and it never clogged. The impeller kit may be responsible for some of that. Keeping a decent ground speed also helped keep a good amount of snow flowing through the machine, which helps avoid clogging. 

It's a big sacrifice, but I'll happily trade machines if you'd like. I'll even deliver mine  Seriously, I hope you can figure out something that will help it perform better with this stuff in the future.


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

tonysak said:


> Asking the snow blower to travel and clear 2" of snow/slush isn't unreasonable.


I can't understand what the problem would be. I have cleared that type of snow several times without issue.

Can you post a video? Install side skids if you haven't already.


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

I had the same storm today in eastern Mass and my HSS928 was excellent. The trick seemed to be to scrape right down to the driveway surface so that the tracks were dealing with a wet surface only. And as was already mentioned, just the lightest pressure on the blade at rest then lean into the handles a bit as needed. 

If you don't have poly side shoes, you should get some for next season since they reduce drag friction significantly which in turn helps with traction. A poly scraper blade helps a lot too since it drags/flexes over the driveway surface without adding friction.


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## tonysak (Dec 24, 2013)

SB83 said:


> I had the same storm today in eastern Mass and my HSS928 was excellent. The trick seemed to be to scrape right down to the driveway surface so that the tracks were dealing with a wet surface only. And as was already mentioned, just the lightest pressure on the blade at rest then lean into the handles a bit as needed.
> 
> If you don't have poly side shoes, you should get some for next season since they reduce drag friction significantly which in turn helps with traction. A poly scraper blade helps a lot too since it drags/flexes over the driveway surface without adding friction.


Yeah I have polys. I think the 28" might have gotten down better thru the crud with a narrower bucket. I'm in Andover, ma. No video. The thing just couldn't get under or thru anything. It was fully operational. It's not like I didn't try other bucket positions. In flat, up hill or down no clearing. I think they charged the auger position from the hs model. I don't think the slush was hitting the augur, just piling up under. The poly shoes which I generally a fan of, seemed to be plows pushing wet cement. Not really looking to a solution. If the other guy had a hydro track pro id be interested in native trading.


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

I have a 32" as well, never had any issue like you're describing and that is the most common type of snowfall I deal with. So I highly doubt the size has anything to do with it. 

Next time take a video if possible, would love to see what it's doing.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

there must be something amiss. have never had a problem using a 828-928 or 1132 in this kind of stuff.

but then again, I have never used a HSS.


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

tonysak said:


> I think they charged the auger position from the hs model. I don't think the slush was hitting the augur, just piling up under. The poly shoes which I generally a fan of, seemed to be plows pushing wet cement. Not really looking to a solution. If the other guy had a hydro track pro id be interested in native trading.


I can't tell you exactly what made your experience so difficult. But I can tell you that an Ariens hydro pro would not have faired any better. Arguably, the track design of that machine would have been at a deficit. Standard Tires even worse.

The augers on my HSS are super close to the ground. So much so that they nick off little pieces of blacktop off The irregular high points on my driveway.

Here's the thing. The shave plate is adjustable just like the skid shoes are. When the shave plate is in its most retracted position the augers will be at their closest point to the ground. 

I recommend you take a look at your configuration. Make sure your shave plate is fully retracted, then set your skid shoes to give the shave plate an 1/8" gaps from the ground. (Paint stick is easy)


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## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

Two stage snowblowers are usually not as effective as a single stage on wet, slushy snow. The way weather works the conditions you experienced may be peculiar to your exact location. You may never experience this snow condition again for years. Personally I wouldn't be too concerned with this incident.


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## CalgaryPT (Dec 7, 2016)

Freezn said:


> We got 3" of the same wet slop that you did Tony. My neighbors Ariens Platinum 24 was all clogged up after every pass he made. I think most two stage machines struggle with this slop. There so much moisture you almost can't call it "snow". I broke out the Honda HS520 single stage and was shooting water like a fire hose. I swear by single stage machines in rain soaked slop like this. The rubber paddles act like a squeegee and the snowblower transforms into a rolling water pump. My kids came out and wanted to pitch coins in the "water fountain".


I love my HSS724CT but my HS520 is my go to machine as well. I love it (except for how sore it makes my arms). Good to hear it works on slush too. We don't get much of that in Calgary, but I will remember your advice when we get spring snows in the weeks to come. Thanks.


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## tonysak (Dec 24, 2013)

It wasn't the shave plate. I think on the HSS they may have raised the auger height and pushed it out a little to match the increased impeller size. The snow wasn't getting pulled into the chute. It'd hit the back of the bucket and too much weight would build up in front of the bucket for the little traction the tracks could get. Going down hill was no better. The hydro track weights about 100lbs more, so I was thinking the weight would help. 

I was just venting, I know the HS wasn't like this in this type of snow. The HSS was like a duck on water just not going anywhere. All my neighbors with 24" wheeled machines had no problem, again narrow tires. I couldn't even do my walk way. Maybe I'll put chains on my tracks . 

There are people who have similar complaints on these machines. 
Just because you love yours and have no problems, doesn't mean it must be user error or there aren't design flaws. Snowblowers are realitively basic machines. A lot of us have owned many machines including the older style HS models. Ive posted a review compairing 2 high end models in the past. All machines have pros and cons, especially new model years, but usually when you update a design you take more of a step forward with pros, then a lateral step trading pro with cons. That's how I feel anyway after using it for 2 seasons now and having a HS1332" prior. I agree with the chute mod that one guy made. Yesterday what little snow which made it thru the machine prematurely ejected (  ) out the side, like a blender with the lid off. It was a circus. We shouldn't? have to make a custom mod for something obviously needed. 

At least should all melt today.


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## AriensPro1128 (Nov 9, 2014)

It was cold enough last night that all of the very wet snow froze. I just came in from blowing what was almost slush late yesterday. The ten inches from yesterday noon is now compressed to two to three inches of manageable snow. The blower iis actually digesting the snow now instead of just plowing it. My driveway and end of road cleaned up nicely.


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

tonysak said:


> It wasn't the shave plate. I think on the HSS they may have raised the auger height and pushed it out a little to match the increased impeller size.
> 
> There are people who have similar complaints on these machines.


The auger height on mine at its lowest point literally scrapes the ground(the concrete slab in my garage has the scars to prove it LOL). If' yours is too high, adjust it. 

And I haven't seen any other complaints on here about these snowblowers plowing the snow. Clogging - yes. Plowing - no. Just saying. I also haven't seen any complaints about these lacking traction. Your lack of traction is directly related to plowing. It's not designed to plow, any snowblower will lose its traction like that no matter how much it weighs. I've seen 80,000 pound city plows lose traction in the wet stuff.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

tonysak said:


> It wasn't the shave plate. I think on the HSS they may have raised the auger height and pushed it out a little to match the increased impeller size. The snow wasn't getting pulled into the chute. It'd hit the back of the bucket and too much weight would build up in front of the bucket for the little traction the tracks could get.


Unfortunately for me, I don't have any experience with a Honda. And I haven't seen any in our neighborhood, to even just observe how they fare. So I'm just trying to understand what you're describing. 

You're saying the gap between the auger and the bucket is too large, and the snow is sticking to the inside of the bucket, because the auger isn't close enough to sweep it off? Or that the gap straight down, between the auger and the ground, is too large? 

I've never paid much attention to auger gaps on my machines (an MTD, and a pair of Ariens). I was happy with how mine did in the mess, probably in part because of the impeller kit helping to close that one gap around the impeller itself. After putting the machine away, I *did* notice snow stuck to the inside of the bucket, which the auger wasn't fully sweeping away. It wasn't very thick, and of course the snow was extremely sticky. I've never tried to get a sense of how large that gap is, and it would be a somewhat academic exercise anyhow, since I can't easily change it. 

I've had 2 different gas single-stage machines, but I ended up selling them. If I had enough storage space available, I'd like to have one around, as they were great for certain light storms (quick, easy to maneuver, and cleared down to pavement). But given my space constraints, it's more practical for me to just have one gas machine, which for me means a 2-stage. I do wonder how a nice single-stage would have done with our snow yesterday.


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## tonysak (Dec 24, 2013)

Marlow said:


> The auger height on mine at its lowest point literally scrapes the ground(the concrete slab in my garage has the scars to prove it LOL). If' yours is too high, adjust it.
> 
> And I haven't seen any other complaints on here about these snowblowers plowing the snow. Clogging - yes. Plowing - no. Just saying. I also haven't seen any complaints about these lacking traction. Your lack of traction is directly related to plowing. It's not designed to plow, any snowblower will lose its traction like that no matter how much it weighs. I've seen 80,000 pound city plows lose traction in the wet stuff.


Mine is the lowest I can go, it will hit parts of my driveway. I was referring to problems in general. My neck was clogging, and it was spitting out the side. The collar mod helps with both. People have had transmission issues. My right side clutch stopped working 3 storms ago. It doesn't have the same power as the last hs1332. Things like that. I had a 420cc simplicity, but it had no hydro and the drive belts would slip, and no tracks. I'm glad you are happy with yours.


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

Firstly,



> Maybe I'll put chains on my tracks .


lol 

I can't quite understand why the snow would build up and not get ingested by the auger and impeller. There is an inch maybe between the impeller and auger. Oh well. You won't likely see many snowfalls like that again.

Most of us snowblower enthusiasts also have a single stage machine that do very well in small accumulations of saturated snow. In my case, I have a 16" toro for my deck, walkways, and stairs. And a 520 simplicity for my driveway. There is a tool for every job. You might want to use this time of year to add a nice used single stage to your bag of tricks. 

Everyone and their mother has their snowblowers for sale this time of year.


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

tonysak said:


> Mine is the lowest I can go, it will hit parts of my driveway. I was referring to problems in general. My neck was clogging, and it was spitting out the side. The collar mod helps with both. People have had transmission issues. My right side clutch stopped working 3 storms ago. It doesn't have the same power as the last hs1332. Things like that.


You were clogging because you weren't getting any volume of snow to go through, that's what will happen under those circumstances with ANY two stage. You said it yourself, it was pushing the snow and not ingesting it. Of course that will cause it to clog. Now, as for why it was pushing it is beyond me. Nobody else in this thread seemed to have that issue.

Any transmission issues and Honda will fix it free under warranty. '16 model year was the first of a redesign, everybody knows what that means.. I highly doubt any manufacturer out there has released something new without first year bugs.


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