# ISSUES ~ Toro Power Max HD 1028 OHXE



## crosis38 (Dec 15, 2012)

Snowblower: Toro Snowblower Power Max HD 1028 OHXE, 302 cc engine
Model #: 38802

New unit but after 5 uses I'm having the following issues:

x Powder Coat within the housing appears to be failing ~ perhaps due to some rocks? but it doesnt appear so
x The auger impeller lever wont stay down when the traction lever is also pressed down ~ it tends to correct itself randomly though
x The chute deflector is not locking in place ~ while blowing the deflector always rotates to the the far right despite setting with the Quick Stick
x Not good with slushy-esque snow ~ it wont stall but it will dribble all the snow right over the housing; almost makes me regret not getting the Ariens Platinum SHO :grin:

Other gripes:

x Their placement of the Quick Stick on the left side is not preferred; it should be positioned closer to the right side for quicker reach by the right hand
x Change the Quick Stick to an electronic thumb-stick similar to Troy-Bilt. All problems solved
x All snowblowers should have their auger housing encased in some tough plastic protecting it from rocks and rust. 
x Muffle the noise on these engines -- too loud
x The skid shoes should be polyethelene by default not steal. I dont understand the point of steel. Concrete driveway owners will thank you.
x Automatically kick up the impeller speed when the going gets tough so as to more likely hurl out heavier, slushy snow
x Be nice if i could adjust the height of the housing / skid shoe height with some ratchet action on either side


I intend on taking it into the dealer as it is under warranty.


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## ourkid2000 (Feb 27, 2017)

Crazy, I have the 928 version of that thing and I have none of those issues. The quick stick is a little far away though, I agree on that point. I think you may be having some improper setup issues and it might be worth a trip back to the dealer to correct them. Some of those sound like silly problems that could be fixed easily.

The powder coating issue is concerning though, if not due to rocks.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

UGH!, I hate problems,

With regard to the auger/impeller lever the snow blower was not set up correctly apparently and is out of adjustment. 



Purchase a couple cans of Fluid Film Aerosol Spray to coat the chute and spout and the cross auger housing and you will really slick it up.

Steel is less expensive and they probably make the same skid for the entire product line that the build. 
You can by the heavy plastic skids for your snow blower from one of the folks on the forum here or through here.

Impeller speed is belt driven and the issue is torque as you need huge amounts of torque to clear heavy snow and ice piles.
You would need or want an engine with a load governed throttle or a larger engine with a centrifugal clutch to run the belt drive for the impeller alone.

You can buy tractor muffler and the pipe fittings to mount on it. one of the members has a link on this issue. Sadly I don't remember where his posting is. 

These machines being all small engines do not have mufflers with packing to absorb noise to minimize the decibel level they simply have baffles in the "mufflers".



Short of covering the chute impeller housing and cross auger housing with slick sheet material they wont do this for a new machine.

You can always purchase slick plate paint from Tractor supply to coat the cross auger housing and impeller housing with a paint that will reduce friction and allow the snow to move faster to the impeller.


As far as the cutting height goes its feast or famine as you have to use wrenches to adjust it. Its better in most cases to just lower the skids and leave them and have snow in the ground in most cases. 



The manufacturers of power equipment recommend that the users wear hearing protection of some type ear muffs, ear plugs, ear muffs with am fm radio in the ear pieces. you can find all these at gemplers and they have very good hearing protection items. my sister in law loves the radio earmuffs she has when she is out mowing as it blocks out the noise from the Kubota 2370 she has with the lawn mower.

www.gemplers.com 


Sorry I could not be more help.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

With my 1128 Power max I get a small reasonable amount of snow on the bucket. My interlock works 90% of the time. I do not believe that there is a perfect snow blower out there. As far as noise the bigger the motor the louder they get.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Sounds like some adjustments could be made to the machine. Hopefully the dealer can address most of those issues. 

Not sure you would be happy with the Ariens either.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

tpenfield said:


> Sounds like some adjustments could be made to the machine. Hopefully the dealer can address most of those issues.
> 
> Not sure you would be happy with the Ariens either.


I think that OP is buckin' for a Honda.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*The BLOODY Paint in the auger intake is the first thing to go. you got a blender type action always going on in there and things are going to get very,very messy in those parts of the country. so you can forget aboot it staying showroom new there.k:k:k:k:k:*


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

928 ohxe here, same issue with the auger/impeller lever, i've double and triple checked every adjustment . works some times most of the time nope! 
snow blowing out of the plastic upper housing is a simple fix. take it off. self sticking insulation tape all around it like they do in one spot. or lay a nice clean bead of ultra seal gasket maker on it all around, let it set up a day no more snow on the housing.

the skids. every machine you look at has metal skids since the days of long gone. cost is the reason, yet toro has optional skids available in cast iron # 38212 about 55 bucks and plastic 38211 - Non-Marking Skid Kit, for $54.98 right from toro on line for those who want something else. 
most new machines issues are simple fixes,readjust this and that, most of the time a few times till what ever stretches or seats 
my own issue with toro is the dealers . if they didn't sell they don't want to work on it,


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## 351beno (Oct 12, 2017)

87 powershift said:


> 928 ohxe here, same issue with the auger/impeller lever, i've double and triple checked every adjustment . works some times most of the time nope!
> my own issue with toro is the dealers . if they didn't sell they don't want to work on it,


 Not all the dealers my friend if you where close to my shop I would gladly take care of you. But I do understand your point some people - dealers should not sell what they don't know how to fix or setup and or like. I don't like husky snowblowers so I don't sell them they can stay with our other store. I do have to fix them tho so I make sure I know how they work. 

On the lockout problem the only time I have seen problems are if they are frozen (rust or ice?) or something like the handle bars are not tight or cockeyed. Sometimes its as simple as loosening all the handle bolts 4 on the frame, 4 in the middle of the bars, also 4 under the dash then wiggly it a bit to line it all up snug the bolts a little at a time starting up top and working the way down.


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## 351beno (Oct 12, 2017)

crosis38 said:


> Snowblower: Toro Snowblower Power Max HD 1028 OHXE, 302 cc engine
> Model #: 38802
> 
> New unit but after 5 uses I'm having the following issues:
> ...


 I just bought the same blower and I sell ariens to so I think once you get the problems straightened out you will be happy.
First problem any coating will fail with gravel. I have a gravel driveway and I have marks on mine and I only used it 30mins so far. I like fluid film in the off season. My old toro a 2005 has no paint left in the impeller housing its rusty but no rot. 
Look at my post above for the lookout problem.
The quick stick needs adjustment or the cable is routed wrong if the chute spins. First check the cables to make sure they are not binding or caught on something also make sure the blue knob is free to move up and down. You can take the round cable/gear cover off its behind the chute at the end of the rod with one bolt holding it down. Lift the cover up and push to the back you will see a cable with a bolt holding it down loosen the bolt and adjust the cable in towards the gear a little at a time till the chute locks when your not on the blue knob ( don't over tighten the bolt). 
The belt may be out of adjustment I have never had problems with throwing snow or slush. Unless the belt is out of adjustment or fried.
The motor on my new blower is 200 times quieter than the 10 horse flat head on my old one. Its hard to say whats loud to some may not be to others. Yours could have a loose/bad muffler but it to hard to say with out hearing it in person.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

That is one nice machine. Seems like Toro undercuts Ariens' prices by close to $1K for a similar featured machine.


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

351beno
that i well know. your at least 100 miles away

these guys by me simply don't want to do warranty work unless they sell the machine. i'm outside the 15 mile by 2 miles, OH that's outside the warranty max it will cost 100 bucks for both ways, the others are way far out more like 30 miles plus each way. funny is the close one sold me my 97 824 powershift, even did some part time work for him,he knows what i can do and that i would not ask for warrantless warranty work took him a month to order in spare not covered parts like a set of belts, again i understand there is a min order for him to get a break on shipping but a month? 
never had a new machine that did not have a few minor hiccup bugs that were simple to fix, this one is no different .


thank you for the heads up i'll loosen them all and give them a wiggle and retorque .


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## crosis38 (Dec 15, 2012)

351beno said:


> The quick stick needs adjustment or the cable is routed wrong if the chute spins. First check the cables to make sure they are not binding or caught on something also make sure the blue knob is free to move up and down. You can take the round cable/gear cover off its behind the chute at the end of the rod with one bolt holding it down. Lift the cover up and push to the back you will see a cable with a bolt holding it down loosen the bolt and adjust the cable in towards the gear a little at a time till the chute locks when your not on the blue knob ( don't over tighten the bolt).
> 
> The belt may be out of adjustment I have never had problems with throwing snow or slush. Unless the belt is out of adjustment or fried.
> The motor on my new blower is 200 times quieter than the 10 horse flat head on my old one. Its hard to say whats loud to some may not be to others. Yours could have a loose/bad muffler but it to hard to say with out hearing it in person.


Regarding the chute. When using the quick stick i do not have to press the trigger cap down in order to swivel the discharge chute; the discharge chute freely moves left and right regardless of the trigger cap being down or not. However, i must press the trigger to move the chute deflector up or down via the stick. The deflector does stay in place once i release the trigger.

Regarding motor noise. I've used my Android phone with a Sound Meter  app to tell me the decibels. Granted it isnt pro-grade but at least it should give something quantifiable. My Toro Power Max HD 1028 is *80 dB*


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## 351beno (Oct 12, 2017)

crosis38 said:


> Regarding the chute. When using the quick stick i do not have to press the trigger cap down in order to swivel the discharge chute; the discharge chute freely moves left and right regardless of the trigger cap being down or not. However, i must press the trigger to move the chute deflector up or down via the stick. The deflector does stay in place once i release the trigger.
> 
> Regarding motor noise. I've used my Android phone with a Sound Meter  app to tell me the decibels. Granted it isnt pro-grade but at least it should give something quantifiable. My Toro Power Max HD 1028 is *80 dB*


 You need to adjust the cable its what locks the chute gear to stop it from spinning.


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## crosis38 (Dec 15, 2012)

351beno said:


> You need to adjust the cable its what locks the chute gear to stop it from spinning.


Thanks 351beno. I will attempt the adjustment today!


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## crosis38 (Dec 15, 2012)

351beno said:


> You need to adjust the cable its what locks the chute gear to stop it from spinning.


*SUCCCESS!*

Your steps for adjusting the chute cable latch was spot on. The chute is working again. Thank you very much!


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

hip hip for 351beno's help 2 machines with very simple fixes


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

87 powershift said:


> hip hip for 351beno's help 2 machines with very simple fixes


He is a Toro guru.


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

RIT333 said:


> He is a Toro guru.


just a good toro dealer who SHARES


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

87 powershift said:


> just a good toro dealer who SHARES


Priceless to the DIY people.


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## 10953 (Sep 4, 2017)

RIT333 said:


> Priceless to the DIY people.


yes for sure, yet in our world sharing what we techs have in our minds helps keep things running . 

kind of like me sharing how to rebuild a ford flathead v8 with a new mechanic who never even had seen one. looks hard but really is not.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Just like the air cooled Duetz diesels, they look funny but the fixing is simple and they last a very very long time if used on the surface.

OH great now I want to build a snow blower with a three cylinder Duetz engine using a Hinowa tracked tractor and a Riest series 1000 single stage snow thrower

Let see here;


Series 1000 snow thrower or the Berta 2 stage snow blower
Hinowa 850 or 1100 mini dumper tractor without dumper attachment
detachable mounting frame for engine and snow thrower
snow thrower will use the Hinowa system hydraulics and lift cylinder 
with a mounting frame for the snow thrower 
Duetz F3L-912 air cooled 3 cylinder indirect injection engine
Duetz Farr oil bath air cleaner
rubber isolated mounting frame feet
electric start with Duetz supplied engine starting system 
steel fuel tank for indirect injection engine 
150 amp Bosch alternator, 
Racor 500FG fuel filter with fuel heater, 
front mounted LED light bars mount on adjustable poles 
rear mounted LED lights 
Twin rotating beacons on collapsable poles, 
Volvo construction equipment operators seat (really nice seats)
1 water exhaust gas scrubber for both the Honda engine and the Duetz engine
Rockwell manual Power Take Off.




My wife keeps telling me I am expensive to keep around haha.


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## automojo (Nov 7, 2015)

Old thread I know.
Love my 928OHXE.
If your interlock is not engaging-the mechanism is located under the left lever/dash
A quick one or 2 shots of silicone spray lube will most likely cure it.
Same way with the speed selector.
Also works great to keep snow from sticking in the bucket, and cut down on rust-especially with a gravel driveway!


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