# Bent Impeller Vane Craftsman C950



## weston19 (Jan 5, 2013)

I was recently removing some snow from my driveway when i hit a peice of gravel. Stopped the snow blower dead, so i cleared the chute and impeller housing and restarted the machine. There was a slight rubbing noise from the housing, so i shut it back down and inspected closer. One vane on the impeller is bent 20-30* causing the entire backing plate to slightly come in contact with housing. Im planning on removing the entire impeller shaft, i dont believe the shaft is bent however i would rather straighten it at my machine shop in which i work, so i will be checking it none the less.

Ive seen the impeller scraper kits and can easily fabricate on in a short amount of time. I dont use the snow blower on gravel driveways, but my driveway is split, half concrete and half gravel, so despite my efforts to keep it clean, once in a while it might eat a small rock. I would figure the impeller kit would help alot in preventing jams from small rocks. While the shaft is out im considering doing this as well.

Sears no longer sells new impellers for my model anyways. I'll have no problem getting everything straight again. The snow blower is an 1987 and is practically brand new, and for the small amount of snow we see in south western ontario theres no worry about down time. 

Anybody else with c950's ever have to fix the impeller or install an impeller kit? It throws great now, i dont really need more distance but the rock jamming prevention is very lucrative, if just to prevent damage.


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Hi weston19, welcome to SBF. Sounds like you have a good handle on everything. From the sounds of it, you're planning on installing a slightly different version of an impeller kit, one with rubber paddles that are slightly longer than most, to gain a little extra space between the hard parts of the impeller and the housing so rocks aren't as apt to wedge in between them if I understood your description.


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## weston19 (Jan 5, 2013)

That is correct. A impeller kit will prevent most small rocks from wedging between the housing and impeller and prevent damage occuring again. I would imagine its still possible however would be much less likely as the gap as already small and with the rubber paddles most debris will be swept out of the chute immediatly. I measured the impeller diameter and it is a 10", and once i remove the impeller i can properly spot out the holes. Ive seen some youtube videos with people using self-tapping screws, this may work however i do not ever take shortcuts and would prefer 3 small bolts and a nice plate to distribute pressure to hold the rubber in case I end up swapping impeller pullys down the road. I will be rebuilding the entire front end of the blower from bearings to a fresh coat of paint on the inside. The outer housing i will paint this summer as im about to rebuild an ancient moto-mower snowthrower as its single stage is very good for the amount of snowfall we usually get. Its also indestructable, so its very deserving of the rebuild.

But as i said, im sure somebody else has had this happen on a c950 series blower. With that said, has anbody had to remove the impeller to repair vanes and if so what was your method. I would like to do some additional welding around the vanes however i fear it would begin upsetting the balence of the impeller and while im a skilled machinist, i have no idea how to balence an impeller.

It really sucks around my area, as average snowfalls are usually less than 6" at a time and most of the time it can be shovelled. But the next year we can get 24" in less than 2 days and more ontop of it. A few years ago our city had spent its entire budget for snow removal the first week of febuary, as the fluctuations are insane. It is why i have a single and a dual stage, and for now the craftsman can be repaired at a leisurly pace unless a blizzard is bestowed unto me.


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## weston19 (Jan 5, 2013)

Got the impeller shaft removed and as i thought the impeller vane was fine, it mangled the thinner steel backing plate its welded to. Checked the shaft and it was within .02" so its straight. Took a large sledge hammer and finessed the impeller back into shape. Once again using a lathe just to check i went over the impeller to make sure it was all square. Drilled 12 holes to mount the impeller seals to, and the impeller had another hole further back so i can put a large washer there. Gear case grease was putrid, seperated back to soap and oil, otherwise the main auger pully came off by hand and the auger halves were greased well and slid apart. I will upload some pics later on


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## uhall (Dec 17, 2012)

weston19 said:


> Took a large sledge hammer and finessed the impeller back into shape.


Would that be some type of an oxymoron? A large sledge and finesse used in the same sentence, I love it. Glad to hear you're getting it fixed


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