# HS522?



## rwh963 (Nov 21, 2019)

know nothing about it yet, worth pursuing in general? pro and con??


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

I didnt know they made a 522 like this. any Honda is worth it to me. probably has the same problems as the 622 if it has an enclosed transmission. leaking axle seals which are easy to replace. 

I dont like the 622. even though beltless there seems to be too many problems with them. I think that is why Honda discontinued it. 

Maybe someone here knows much more about these. @ST1100A probably does but he hasnt been around lately.


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## rwh963 (Nov 21, 2019)

Yes beltless and direct drive.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

orangputeh said:


> I didnt know they made a 522 like this.


Yeah, the HS522 was Honda's first try at the direct drive concept back in the late 1980s. The HS622 replaced it in the 1990s.


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## rwh963 (Nov 21, 2019)

i like honda stuff, but maybe too outdated. plus i believe it is single stage.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

rwh963 said:


> plus i believe it is single stage.


Nope, that's a 2-stage, but your other thoughts are sound...


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## Northeast Dave (Apr 29, 2020)

I saw a 622 on Craigs for $250 here in CT. I’m a Honda fan but didn’t like the no belt system and really didn’t like the single lever auger/transmission control.


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## rwh963 (Nov 21, 2019)

well it sold for $50. no giant loss i guess. back to the snowbird!


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## Northeast Dave (Apr 29, 2020)

Keep looking, there’s deals on good machines out there, you just have to find them. Off-season is the best time to find equipment.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

That was an early very simplified 2 speed 2 stage machine that used 1 control lever to work both the wheel/track drive and the auger assembly both at the same time with 1 lever with 2 cables connected to it. One was for the main clutch which was a mechanical oil bath motorcycle type multi disc, the other cable controlled an engagement dog that made the drive axle turn for the wheel/track.
It was a very simple set-up using no belts. It did use a small chain internally for the reverse of the drive transmission.
The wheel drive model used another drive chain to connect the main transmission to the wheel axle. The track drive model used a different output shaft that mounted the track drive sprockets directly to the output shaft that came out of both sides of the main transmission, the wheel drive output shaft only came out the 1 side, the other side was capped off.
None of the drive system components were exposed externally, they were all enclosed in the transmission housing in an oil bath. The main clutch only had like 6 separate discs almost like a motorcycle clutch but it didn't use clutch holding springs. The control lever applied the closing force through a fork and throw out bearing to create engagement of it.
The whole machine was a small unit that was good for tight areas but it didn't have quite the speed adjustments with it, it only had 2 speeds, which was either too fast or too slow, plus reverse, and wasn't designed for deep heavy snow, it was a small light weight machine that didn't take up a lot of room.
It wasn't a popular machine either. The 522 model was available in both wheel and track drive. The later 622 model was available only in track drive, it had a 1 horsepower larger engine on it and a few cosmetic and minor changes to it. That model was not a popular model either and was discontinued.
Both of those models were designed to compete with single stage non self propelled machines, but they were 2 stage and self propelled and a little bit more expensive.
At the time they were out, about the only problems we had with them was a broken shear bolt. They didn't have belts to wear out or friction discs to wear out. If they ever wore out their main clutch, they were very easy to replace, but we never had any wear them out at the time.
Some people are having oil seal leaks on them now, but look at how old they are now, they haven't been made in years now and are an old model.
The transmissions were very easy to work on if they ever had to be opened up. They were just a small simple machine designed for lighter snows.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

ST1100A said:


> That was an early very simplified 2 speed 2 stage machine that used 1 control lever to work both the wheel/track drive and the auger assembly both at the same time with 1 lever with 2 cables connected to it. One was for the main clutch which was a mechanical oil bath motorcycle type multi disc, the other cable controlled an engagement dog that made the drive axle turn for the wheel/track.
> It was a very simple set-up using no belts. It did use a small chain internally for the reverse of the drive transmission.
> The wheel drive model used another drive chain to connect the main transmission to the wheel axle. The track drive model used a different output shaft that mounted the track drive sprockets directly to the output shaft that came out of both sides of the main transmission, the wheel drive output shaft only came out the 1 side, the other side was capped off.
> None of the drive system components were exposed externally, they were all enclosed in the transmission housing in an oil bath. The main clutch only had like 6 separate discs almost like a motorcycle clutch but it didn't use clutch holding springs. The control lever applied the closing force through a fork and throw out bearing to create engagement of it.
> ...


I always wondered why it didnt catch on since it had some very good points, that is beltless with no friction disk. people that have them love them. It may be because the bucket and size is small and the machine is only good for perhaps one purpose.......smaller areas;

I don't like them. I think the shifting of gears is a pain. The older friction disk systems have the controls handier on the control panel. The HS724 that came out after the 622 , I believe . is a vast improvement being a bonaifde "double duty" machine. Great for decks, walkways , smaller areas and driveways , yet big and powerful enough to do all driveways. I can not keep them in stock. They either sell in hours or are presold for people on a waiting list.

All in all , I'm glad the 622 is rare in these parts. I don't like working on them even though they are easy to work on as you say. really can not pinpoint the dislike. It's just a weird looking Honda , I suppose.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Like I mentioned earlier, the 622 is close to the size of a single stage, but it is 2 stage with self propel.
Some areas they are great, others not so great.
The friction drive also has a shift lever that you are supposed to stop propelling the machine to shift, same as the 522/622.
It was kind of a weird looking thing compared to others, a totally different design that people weren't used to.
The 624/724 are a great smaller machine, the 622 being a little bit smaller for tighter areas. the 624's and 828's became the 724 and 928, just from a 1 horsepower larger engine on each, the overall machine size remained the same.
The little 622 was a well built rugged machine that many people loved, they were just not as popular as the larger 2 stage or the smaller single stage machine, they were somewhere in between that most people figured they wouldn't spend the extra money for. They would either go cheaper with a single stage or go more money for the bigger 2 stage machine for the bigger deeper snow, there was just not enough of a market for something for the 622's size.
The 'Smart' or 'Intelligent' people bought them knowing of the well built design and ruggedness of them compared to a cheaper 'Friction Disc' equipped machine, they wanted something that was going to last them a very long time without having problems all the time with the friction disc that had to be replaced quite frequently for the type of work they were going to do with their machine from all the stop and go with it due to the machines clutch design. They also wanted something 'Self Propelled' instead of something they had to manually push, they got used to the slower speed of it and it didn't bother them because they learned how to use it properly for the price they paid for it.
Most of us are used to the bigger machines and when we went to use one of them, we had to learn how because it was different than our multi speed or hydrostatic drive machines. But they cleared the snow very well for their size and were very easy to maneuver around small tight areas. They weren't meant for large areas like a bigger machine was.
People either wanted something 'Small' that didn't take much space to store or they wanted to go 'Big' for the big snow storms, not enough wanted something 'In-Between' that was built with the Honda quality and reliability that the 622 had.


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