# blower pulley size



## wildcatter (Nov 20, 2019)

Hi, I have searched the forum and could not find the info I need so am asking the members here for help. I bought a TRS32 second hand and am having trouble with it not blowing the snow far enough.Seems like the blower is turning too slow. I know someone has done some work on the belt drives so I am not certain that the pulleys are original. When blowing snow, it comes out of the chute and falls within about 3 feet of the machine. Engine rpm seems normal.I have checked the belts for slipping(new from JD ) and the pulleys. It seems to me that the drive pulley on the engine may be too small.Possibly from a different machine? My question is : does anyone know the correct diameter of the blower drive pulley? this one is 3" OD and 3/4 bore,with the pulley groove offset to one side. any help or other ideas would be greatly appreciated. BTW , I have been an auto tech for 40 yrs so have a pretty good understanding of how things work. 
Thanks,Dave


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I don't own a Deere, but I would first make sure that the impeller roll pins (or bolts?) are in good shape. Also make sure the auger shear bolts/pins are in good shape.

I would then pull the belt cover, and make sure when engaging the blower, that the belt is being engaged properly with the idler tension, and no excessive play or slop.


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## wildcatter (Nov 20, 2019)

yep, checked all that. Tried shorter belt to make sure it was not slipping. Belt tension is good.
Thanks for the reply.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

It's not the size of your pulley that matters, it's what you do with it! :devil:

Kidding aside, you can calculate the impeller RPM by measuring the OD of both pulleys (assuming the outside of the belt runs approximately at the OD of the pulleys), figuring the ratio, then divide the 3600 RPM the engine normally runs at by that number.

For example if you have a 3" pulley on the engine and a 9" pulley on the impeller shaft, that's a 3:1 ratio so divide 3600 engine RPM by 3 and you'll get 1200 impeller RPM. 1200 would be on the high side - most impellers run around 1000-1100 RPM. If you calculate a speed that's much lower you may have a pulley problem.

Otherwise, oneacer gave good advice... make sure the integrity of the "drivetrain" is good and the impeller is actually getting driven at the proper speed. Make sure the belt is getting tensioned enough when the clutch is engaged. Also if there's no cover over the belt, snow could be getting in there and melting, and the water causing the belt to slip.

Also check the engine speed... if it's actually only running at 3000 RPM when it's supposed to be running at 3600, that could explain at least part of what you're seeing.


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

+ 1 on the Engine speed...... It makes a Huge difference on performance. I always thought, "That sounds about rite"..... until i bought a small engine Tach,,,,,, Hmmmmmm About rite for What?? Engine grenading (Too High) Or low enough so the muffler doesn't glow bright red??? 

Rule out the EZ First when chasing a problem

GLuck, Jay


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## wildcatter (Nov 20, 2019)

good ideas guys. I calculated pulley ratio and the 3 in. pulley should be ok. 3in on top and 8.25 on bottom would give well over 1000 rpm blower speed. I saw a thread about impeller wear and the gap between impeller and drum. this one has nearly 3/8 in. clearance which could be the problem. I will add an impeller kit to close the gap. I have a feeling it's just too worn. Will report back with results asap.Thanks for all the replies.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Even with that kind of gap you should get better than 3 feet of distance!! With the engine off and the switch off and perhaps pull the sparkplug boot off the plug and move it away from the plug, clamp the impeller engagement handle down/engaged and reach in (doesn't have to be with your hand, a broom handle or such would work) and try really hard to spin the impeller around. You'll find if anything is slipping or if the roll pins or whatever holds the impeller to the shaft is still intact. 



Btw my blower had a full 1/4" of a gap between the impeller and housing and probably 1/2" or more at the widest spot (thankfully the smallest gap was on the vertical side/bottom corner before the snow exited the impeller housing. It still blew snow 20 feet or so to the right with the equivalent of a 5hp engine.


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## all3939 (Dec 21, 2014)

It's got to be one of these. Lever adjustment, someone changed belt either wrong length/size or too small and it's sitting in the bottom of the sheave groove with NO grip, or mounted /routed the wrong way around the tentioner perhaps even over the sheave friction stop. Have seen all of the above over the years. Perhaps has someone put the wrong augers on the wrong sides/wrong direction not feeding into bucket but pushing away from ingesting it up through the Impeller. The Impeller will work mostly with constant feed of snow. Not enough it won't pump out. Good luck.


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## wildcatter (Nov 20, 2019)

OK, after checking the drive again I thought there may be too much clearance between the impeller blades and the drum (3/8 in.) so I added paddles and brought it down to nearly zero.Works like a new one. Amazing improvement.Thanks for all the ideas and advice. Great forum!
Dave


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