# Impeller Mod for a Toro Powershift 824



## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I did an impeller mod on my 'new-to-me' Toro Powershift and did a few things different than typical impeller modifications. So, I thought I would document the mod.

The first thing I noticed with the Powershift impeller housing is that the impeller has less clearance at the top of the housing than it does on the side near the chute. On my machine it was about 1/8" less. So, probably best to measure the clearance all around the housing.









I found that it was best to measure/size the rubber paddles at the top of the housing, rather than the side.









Another thing that I decided to do was to install the paddles on the back side of the impeller blades, rather than the front as most folks do. The reason being to leave a smooth surface on the front of the impeller blade for the snow to 'slide' off as it gets ejected out of the housing and into the chute. With the paddles on the back side, I can have minimal obstruction of the flat blade surface.

I used 1/4" stainless steel panhead machine screws with a washer and nylock nuts on the back side. Here is the tape marking the drill hole locations (3 on each blade).

















Access for attaching hardware is always a bit tough with the older machines, but here is one of the impeller blades with the paddle on the back side.



















Here is another angle of the paddle installation.









The impeller was a bit tight within the housing once the 3 paddles had been installed. I sprayed some PAM in the housing and then ran the auger/impeller for a few minutes to 'break the paddles in'. 

I did some initial testing of the impeller mod by chewing up an old wet snow bank at the end of the driveway. All seems good. :smile2:


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

I too thought the back side of fan would be a good choice.:nerd:


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

One additional thing about mounting the paddles on the back side of the blades is that with a tight fit to the housing, the paddles 'bend' back slightly to lessen the resistance.

Paddles on the front of the blade tend to cause a fair amount of resistance if they are not sized right.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

thanks for the info and pics, Ted


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

tpenfield said:


> One additional thing about mounting the paddles on the back side of the blades is that with a tight fit to the housing, the paddles 'bend' back slightly to lessen the resistance.
> 
> Paddles on the front of the blade tend to cause a fair amount of resistance if they are not sized right.


It don't take much operation before the rubber wears down to the smallest impeller gap, so the resistance will get to zero pretty darn quick. I still like them on the front side for longevity.

I'm thinking of using Rubber All-Weather Flashing Tape to line my impeller area. It will help to fill the gap, and also protect it from stones from my crushed stone driveway. I have used it inside my chute for a liner, and then spray it with ArmorAll, and it seems to work very well as both protection, and less friction. Besides, i have a lot extra laying around from my new home, so it's free.

https://www.diyhomecenter.com/typar...MIi5KG2t6i2QIVBbXACh2VUgh0EAQYBSABEgJMhPD_BwE


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Never thought of flashing tape on the impeller housing to close up the gap. Sound like a nice idea.

Maybe also use it on the metal chutes to prevent paint chipping.


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## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

You might want to consider a large fender washer under that outermost nut to make it a little more resistant to being quickly ripped out when you actually get into using the paddles with heavier material.


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

Having the rubber paddles on the front means that the rubber is supported by the paddle, vs just the washers/nuts when it's on the back. I suspect that you'll see the rubber paddles starting to bend back away from the paddles, and you'll find failure starting at little moon-shaped fractures around the washers. If you decide to leave the rubber on the back, consider adding a backing plate the same dims as the metal paddle to better support it.

In our discussions so far, there hasn't been mention much of failure modes and the potential for consequential damage. With the paddle on the front, will it go out the chute with snow? Better or worse chance of it exiting directly from the rear face? Perhaps more important, if it doesn't exit, will it wedge between a paddle and the housing?

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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

RIT333 said:


> It don't take much operation before the rubber wears down to the smallest impeller gap, so the resistance will get to zero pretty darn quick. I still like them on the front side for longevity.
> 
> I'm thinking of using Rubber All-Weather Flashing Tape to line my impeller area. It will help to fill the gap, and also protect it from stones from my crushed stone driveway. I have used it inside my chute for a liner, and then spray it with ArmorAll, and it seems to work very well as both protection, and less friction. Besides, i have a lot extra laying around from my new home, so it's free.
> 
> https://www.diyhomecenter.com/typar...MIi5KG2t6i2QIVBbXACh2VUgh0EAQYBSABEgJMhPD_BwE


I think gravel will take that off the chute quick
i like mine on the front as well for the same reasons
after its worn in 10 min there is lil to no drag i think the rubber from the pads helps bucket not rust
its the chute i want to line
let me know how the rubber works i have some myself


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

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1132le said:


> I think gravel will take that off the chute quick
> i like mine on the front as well for the same reasons
> after its worn in 10 min there is lil to no drag i think the rubber from the pads helps bucket not rust
> its the chute i want to line
> let me know how the rubber works i have some myself


For the chute, I tried out some Zip Tape - it is used to waterproof/connect between the green 4x8 sheets of house sheeting. It is similar to the window flashing, but a but thinner. To be honest, it has held up remarkable well clearing 12", 12" and then 6" on a 550' gravel driveway. I could hear some gravel through the auger, but the chute's liner is still unscathed. I had planned to line it with a plastic sled as people had discussed, but this worked so well, I will probably stick with it. I put it on while my snowblower was about 10 F, and it has not peeled at all. I will probably rip it off and do a better job in the summer when it is warmer. I will line the auger impeller area too. In fact, just thinking, I have enough to do the whole bucket's inside. Wish I had done that when it was new. The window flashing tape is designed to not let water penetration, so it seems like this product is perfect for this application.

Maybe I will even do my SUV ! LOL


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Interesting discussion so far.

FWIW - the material that I used to make the paddles is 4” round marine exhaust tube it is about 5/16” thick with about 5 ply of reinforcing fiber. 

I’ll keep an eye on them, but I figured three attachment points would suffice. We shall see how it goes.


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## RSole (Aug 27, 2018)

I'm about to mod my old Toro 8-24 and will put the rubber paddles (farm equipment belting, free from local farm equip dealer) on the back side of the vanes. To support them on the back I will craft 1/4 in aluminum plates with the outer edge filed into a curve to avoid a sharp bend in the rubber as it folds back over the rear plate, and hopefully have longer lasting paddles. There will be no galvanic action between the steel vanes and aluminum backing plate since the rubber is an insulator and the carriage bolts will be stainless steel. The SS carriage bolts (nice, smooth, rounded head) will go into holes drilled into the vanes slightly smaller than the squared shank of the bolts. As I tighten the bolts, the square shanks (just below the smooth, rounded head) will dig into the steel of the vane and prevent bolt rotation and will hopefully seat flush against the vane. 
Hmm, I wonder if I should drill slots into the rubber and aluminum to allow adjustment for original fit and eventual wear....


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome:to SBF RSole

I don't think you need to worry about wear but should something like the impeller bearing go out and the rubbers flappers get worn you can always turn them around. I'd worry more about them moving after a few years if they were slotted. Either way the material to make new ones is cheap.

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