# Impeller/blower blade shape and angle of attack.



## Ken05 (Feb 13, 2015)

On my older blower the impeller blade is very flat where it crosses the chute opening and has a mild j bend towards the input side. It intersects with a backing plate at 90 degrees and is a perfectly straight line from the impeller shaft.

I looked at a Honda yesterday and the impeller was much more u shaped where it crosses the discharge chute and had no backing plate. I couldn't tell if there was any angle change fore or aft. We all know the Hondas throw nicely. It would seem the u shape would confine and centralize the discharge stream.

So maybe if one was to break out the welder and start playing.... I thinking of adding some fillet plates between the backing plate and blade and increasing the j bend on the input.

I do have an extra impeller. Any design thoughts?

RAYAR?


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## RAYAR (Mar 7, 2015)

Hi Ken05
The biggest issue is going to be the balance of the impeller. It wouldn't take much to put it out and besides vibration being introduced, the impeller's bearing likely won't last too long. The impeller should be spinning in the 1000+ RPM range, therefore you would need a way to check the balance after modifying it.

The impeller on the Honda you mention sounds somewhat similar to the impeller I recently saw on an Ariens 927LE (2008) not sure if I got those letters right on the model. That one is waiting for an engine, but the fella said they throw real nice which is what I figured by the design of that impeller. I would like to see one of them in action.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Ken05 said:


> On my older blower the impeller blade is very flat where it crosses the chute opening .......
> 
> I looked at a Honda yesterday and the impeller was much more u shaped where it crosses the discharge chute and had no backing plate. .....


My 2015 Platinum 30 SHO has much the same impeller design as you describe for the Honda. My impeller is 14" but I think Ariens Compact 22 (920013) and 24 (920021) have a 12" impeller that looks to be a similar design but I have not seen the cupped impeller close-up on those machines. It may be easier to adjust for any shaft diameter issue than adjust the shape of your impeller. 

Good luck.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Here are some pictures of the cup shaped impeller blades on my machine.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Interesting!

I notice it also has only 3 blades.

I know conventional wisdom says more blades = better, but my personal experience is the opposite. I have owned a few Ariens 'blowers, all with 4-blade 12" impellers, and their throwing performance is "good". But my first 2-stage 'blower was a Hahn-Eclipse with 2-blade impeller and it definitely threw farther than any of the Ariens.

Obviously there could be many other factors at play, including impeller RPM. But one I can say was not in play was engine horsepower, because when I got my first Ariens, the engine that I put on it was the one off the Hahn-Eclipse (a 6HP Tecumseh).


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## Ken05 (Feb 13, 2015)

Good input guys. Looks like three blade cupped impeller is the way to go now. I found a good pic of the newer style here:
Ariens Snowblower Impeller 03835551 Order now for same day shipping. 365 day return policy. RepairClinic.com

Certainly look like it would concentrate more snow in a smaller place. It also has a much smoother blade. The old one has a structural stamping in right near where the snow exits. Might be the next must do mod.


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## jermar (Dec 10, 2014)

I wonder how important that turned up bend is. My impeller mod did not include rubber at the bend. Some people extend rubber to the bent area, some don't.


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## RAYAR (Mar 7, 2015)

That Ariens impeller sure looks like it would do a sweet job. That's the one I saw and was impressed by.  Would like to see that one in action someday.


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## Ken05 (Feb 13, 2015)

Well - I just ordered the 12" 3 blade 03835551 from the dealer today. From the looks of things it might be 2016 before we find out how it works though.


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