# Home-Made Impeller kit.



## GAR (Nov 7, 2014)

Bored this morning so I decided to make my own impeller kit and install it on my old Craftsman DriftBuster. I used one of my old truck tires and cut out the sidewall, then drilled two holes in the front of each impeller blade. Then cut and shaped the cut out sidewall to fit the impeller and bolted them on...To bad we have no snow to test out this modification.

It dose not look as clean and perfect as a store bought kit but I think it will work, I mean the sidewalls of the tire are steal belted so it should be very durable. There is no gap now from the impeller and the impeller housing. I have seen before and after videos of this really improving throwing distance...So what do you guys think of my home-made kit, will it work or is the tire sidewall to thick. I ran my machine after installing it and everything is smooth, just no snow to test it.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

should work just fine. both my kitted machines have tire sidewall paddles.


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## GAR (Nov 7, 2014)

nwcove said:


> should work just fine. both my kitted machines have tire sidewall paddles.


I put them on all four impeller blades, I watched a video of a guy only installing on two of the blades...Did you put them on all the blades, I figure the more the better to clear the snow right!


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

i only did 2 on a 4 blade, but had to do all 3 on a 3 blade for balance. after this winter is over, i probably will do the other 2 blades tho.


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## Blackfin (Jan 25, 2016)

GAR said:


> It dose not look as clean and perfect as a store bought kit but I think it will work, *I mean the sidewalls of the tire are steal belted so it should be very durable.* There is no gap ...


I could be wrong but I don't think the sidewalls have steel belts in them. Having said that, they're nevertheless going to be very tough; think about the life tire sidewalls live and how much they put up with from potholes to heat and cold and high RPM.


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## GAR (Nov 7, 2014)

Blackfin said:


> I could be wrong but I don't think the sidewalls have steel belts in them. Having said that, they're nevertheless going to be very tough; think about the life tire sidewalls live and how much they put up with from potholes to heat and cold and high RPM.


Ya, I could be wrong about the sidewalls being steel belted. This is an extra piece I cut, looks to have something running threw the rubber. I don't think its steel.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Nice job! The only thing I would offer is you might consider how much rubber is sticking past the bolts, in towards the center of the impeller. 

In the picture, it looks like the rubber inboard of the bolts (towards the left, in that picture) is curving away from the impeller itself (presumably because the sidewall is also curved). This might provide a raised lip for the snow to get caught on. And the thicker the rubber being used, the more of a lip you have to start with, even if it's laying flat against the impeller. 

The snow gets fed into the impeller, then slides along the impeller to the outside edge, so you want that surface to be fairly smooth, if possible. If the rubber bends so it's sticking up even more, that might provide an obstacle for the snow. 

But if you cut it off closer to the bolts (reducing the overhang to the left of the bolts), the rubber would be closer to the impeller, assuming the rubber really is curving away from the impeller. The rubber towards the center of the impeller doesn't really provide a benefit. Unless you were thinking of flipping the pieces around, if you eventually wore out the side you're using now.


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## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

I did something similar last year; but I posted only in the MTD Section last month. Here're my truck mud flap "paddles", with slots instead of holes, so that I can advance them as they wear:










Here they are on my impeller:










The mud flap material is reinforced with fiberglas, and they are performing well.

I won't bore you with the repeat of all the material I wrote last month . . . . it was posted in the MTD section, so probably only MTD people read it; but tt was one of the best enhancements I've made.

Until today, I didn't realize there was a "general" section on this Forum.


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## Chrysler 340 (Oct 10, 2015)

GAR, I did the same thing with old 6 ply truck tires for my Toro & Jacobsen. The older machines had up to 1/2" of clearance between the end of the impeller and impeller housing where snow would freeze & become clogged. I put the curved sidewall paddles facing up when I bolted them through the 1/8" metal of the impeller to help scoop the snow.

Living this close to Lake Michigan and no snow in the foreseeable is difficult, especially with the last two winters we experienced. 

Waiting for snow for a full and complete workout.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

GAR said:


> Ya, I could be wrong about the sidewalls being steel belted. This is an extra piece I cut, looks to have something running threw the rubber. I don't think its steel.


cut a couple more pieces and i'll be over with one of my toro 521's 
looks like you did a very nice job with the home made impeller kit and you are right about the lack of snow


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## GAR (Nov 7, 2014)

Hay guys thanks for the comments, after reading some of your good advice I think I need to shave a bit of the rubber off at the rear of the bolts. It may catch snow because of the high lip on it. I will take them back off and correct this problem tomorrow and re-post a pic.


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