# YS1028J...Blown Away !!!



## YamaNewf

Just picked up the new Yamaha YS1028J and I am blown away with this machine! Former Machines I've owned are a hand me down Mastercraft ( MTD ) 10hp33" ( Gave it away ). Ariens 8hp24" ( sold ), Simplicity 1428 ( Gave it to brother ). Currently have a 9 yr old Ariens 926 wheel, as well a 30 yr old Yamaha YS624T!!!( works like a dream still ) , and my brand new Yamaha YS1028J. The Ariens 926 is half owned by my father-in-law who lives next door. We both have huge driveways, double paved 170' and 120' as well as a couple decks to do and the 150' path from my house to ( inlaws ). I bought the old 624 2 yrs ago as we were sharing one machine ( Ariens 926 ) and I wanted the ability to climb the stairs to the decks. Both machines are great performers. The track machine is much easier on the body due to not having to push, pull, lift etc on the Ariens wheeled machine to keep her going through certain conditions of snow. I just broke a drive cable on the old 624 and went to my local dealer to order a new one when I spotted the new Yamaha line-up ( 1332, 1028, and 624 ). I could not stop sizing the new machines up and drooled over the hydro tranny, electric chute and hydraulic assist auger height control. I was wrestling with the 624 or 1028, but seeing as how I have a 624 and have large areas to do I ended up pulling the trigger on the new 1028. At first I was concerned by the weight of the machine, but I seen vids of 100lb Japanese women using them so I figured I could too. Lol. 
The next day, we had the worst snow storm of the year and I could not wait to give the new girl a whirl. I was simply blown away at the unstoppable tank like abilities and the throwing distance. I have never used or seen a snowblower throw snow as far nor as high as this machine does. That includes both my Ariens 926 and Yami 624 both equipped with impeller kits. That also includes my neighbours Honda 928 and Honda 1132. This machine opened up whole new throwing areas in my yard and it's crazy how high the stream will loft. I climbed 8 stairs to do the deck without issue. I also went out tonight and decided to get rid of the end of driveway pile that was several feet deep and had been frozen and thawed several times. The pile contained heavy wet , slushy snow as well as a 4 inch layer of ice about a foot above the dround layer of ice. The new 1028 ate right through it and asked for seconds! It was effortless on my part as I just walked behind and let her do the work. No body input with pushing, leaning into, pulling , lifting etc...the machine done it all with one hand operation while throwing it right across the road. As my title states...I was blown away! The engine is SO quiet, smooth and powerful. The machine is built and feels like a tank and will chew through anything. My old Yami 624 punches WAY above her weight class and performs like a much more powerful machine. This 1028 is no exception and should not be expected to perform like other 10hp 28" machines. In fact this machine will throw a greater distance than Honda 928, is more powerful, moves more tons per hour and more robust with it's extra 110lbs. In fact the Yami has the same throwing distance as Honda's honking 1332 @ 56ft , does move less tons per hour however, but again is more robust with it's 100lb weight difference. It's also a lot quieter. Don't get me wrong, I love the Honda's and they are awesome machines with their own advantages. I'd be happy to own one...just not as happy as I am now.


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## RAYAR

Sounds like quite an impressive machine you have there.


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## YamaNewf

Yes , as impressive as the Ariens and Old 624 are... the new machine is a whole new level of snowblowing. Very happy. Here are a couple pics of my snow eating monsters. The Old Yami is going uphill in my driveway with a frozen drive cable...I just let her go up by herself and took a couple pics.


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## YamaNewf

I'm not sure if I may sell the old girl...something about a hot 30 yr old. She still looks pretty and I put a nice Led light on her. She may not get much use now though with the new one.


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## GregNL

Very nice YamaNewf! Congrats on the new machine, I'd love to own one. I was into Atlantic Rec looking at the lineup a few times, the 1332 is definitely a beast among beasts. You definitely purchased it at the right time with all the recent snow. Personally, I wish they'd bring back an 8HP model, something like a YT826 would be perfect. 

Hard pack is the only area where my YS624 struggles, as the augers are not heavily serrated and they're wore down a fair bit, much like yours, though I plan to upgrade that in the future. Even so I doubt it would chew through conditions like you describe. I keep the area of the road in front of my lawn cleared as well to prevent plow back and because I love using the machine so much but I do have to work it a bit to keep tracking straight or keep her from riding up.

I purchased my YS624 two years ago Nov past though it was no where near the shape of yours, I went through an extensive rebuild, changing all bearings and painting practically everything. It runs beautifully now!

Here's a shot of it with an Ariens 926LE I dragged home a few weeks ago:










After the second round of the storm with drift cutters installed:




















I know you've grown attached to the 624 but if you're seriously considering selling it let me know as I'm currently looking for quality machine for a friend. We missed out on a fantastic deal on a Honda HS828 in central over the weekend. I would have purchased it myself if I didn't already have 2 machines.

BTW, did they give you a price on the drive cable or did you purchase one? I have a spare chute cable I picked up on eBay I'll need to install soon.

Cheers!

Greg


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## jtclays

Man, that is a great picture:bowing: If it was mine, I'd for sure have that as my desktop background:eusa_clap:


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## YamaNewf

Greg nl: I just picked up my cable yesterday at Atlantic Rec. It was $47.00 . I had to order it in. Saw the mighty bulldozer 1332 there and had a closer look. I used the Auger assist and could not believe how light it feels despite it's 538lbs. Also saw the salesman push her around the shop with one arm with the track pins disengaged. It was like he was pushing a small single stage. The big monster is clearly unbelievably balanced. She has a sold sign on her. There was also a clean Honda 928 that was taken on a trade. 
If I decide to sell my old 624 I'll let you know. Although a couple of my buddy's are fighting over her. Lol. An impeller kit on your Ariens will aid throwing distance and it'll never clog in the slush. Mine has the old L-head tecumseh and man is she loud ( like a Harley with no pipes)..not early morning neighbour friendly. My new 1028 sounds like a sewing machine in comparison.


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## GregNL

YamaNewf said:


> An impeller kit on your Ariens will aid throwing distance and it'll never clog in the slush. Mine has the old L-head tecumseh and man is she loud ( like a Harley with no pipes)..not early morning neighbour friendly. My new 1028 sounds like a sewing machine in comparison.


:signlol: Kinda makes me wish I could get a better designed muffler that would bolt in place. I'm wearing earplugs with my 624 now as I noticed some hearing loss after a few hours.

Yeah I'll look into installing one at some point, I haven't even used the machine yet honestly.


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## 69ariens

Congrats, I wish they were able to sell them down here again.


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## YamaNewf

Here's the new 1028 launching wet snow over the treetops.


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## drmerdp

As far as engine noise levels go the bigger yamahas are special. They have an enclosure that reduces a lot of engine noise. Bigger mufflers alone won't make an air cooled engine much quieter. The yamahas enclosure around the engine adds an extra level of sound dampening.

Water cooled engine are quieter the air cooled engines because the water jacket surrounding the cylinder absorbs sound. Food for though.


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## YSHSfan

I really like the YS1028J (to the point that I am tempted on getting one).

I would like to put a Yamaha YS1028J side by side with my "soon to be built" Honda HS1128TAS to see how they perform.

Despite the slightly larger engine on the Honda I think the Yamaha may have the lead do to its larger weight (to me translated as better traction) and also the liners at the impeller housing and chute.

I can just dream some times.... :blush::roll3yes::snow48:


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## Coby7

Your Wowed now and it's not even broken in yet. Mine took about 10 hours of running time before it really started to throw snow like it can.


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## GregNL

Coby7 said:


> Your Wowed now and it's not even broken in yet. Mine took about 10 hours of running time before it really started to throw snow like it can.


Is it that it's "broken in" or that you're more comfortable with the machine and pushing it harder now?

I find my YS624 will throw snow a lot farther the deeper it's buried and the harder I push it ensuring the impeller is continuously feed. Essentially more snow to air ratio keeps the evacuating snow stream channeling better. More air:less snow = more dispersion which equates to less distance.


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## drmerdp

GregNL said:


> Is it that it's "broken in" or that you're more comfortable with the machine and pushing it harder now?
> 
> I find my YS624 will throw snow a lot farther the deeper it's buried and the harder I push it ensuring the impeller is continuously feed. Essentially more snow to air ratio keeps the evacuating snow stream channeling better. More air:less snow = more dispersion which equates to less distance.


I've noticed that my hss928 seems to have more guts, now, that I have about 8 hours on it. Engine break in definitely has something to do with it. These hydro machines have a sweet spot as far as forward speed based on snow conditions. Loading the engine to the point where RPMs droop into its torque peak will yield the most snow capacity + throwing distance.


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## Coby7

GregNL said:


> Is it that it's "broken in" or that you're more comfortable with the machine and pushing it harder now?
> 
> I find my YS624 will throw snow a lot farther the deeper it's buried and the harder I push it ensuring the impeller is continuously feed. Essentially more snow to air ratio keeps the evacuating snow stream channeling better. More air:less snow = more dispersion which equates to less distance.


I had a 524 before I bought the 624 and to be honest, at first I was disappointed in the first storm. It had no guts and was bogging down, then every storm after I noticed it getting better and better, then one outing it started to really bark when getting into deeper snow then I knew the Yamaha had just become a Yamaha, ever since she just gets angry at deeper snow and devours it.


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## YamaNewf

GregNL said:


> Very nice YamaNewf! Congrats on the new machine, I'd love to own one. I was into Atlantic Rec looking at the lineup a few times, the 1332 is definitely a beast among beasts. You definitely purchased it at the right time with all the recent snow. Personally, I wish they'd bring back an 8HP model, something like a YT826 would be perfect.
> 
> Hard pack is the only area where my YS624 struggles, as the augers are not heavily serrated and they're wore down a fair bit, much like yours, though I plan to upgrade that in the future. Even so I doubt it would chew through conditions like you describe. I keep the area of the road in front of my lawn cleared as well to prevent plow back and because I love using the machine so much but I do have to work it a bit to keep tracking straight or keep her from riding up.
> 
> I purchased my YS624 two years ago Nov past though it was no where near the shape of yours, I went through an extensive rebuild, changing all bearings and painting practically everything. It runs beautifully now!
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> Here's a shot of it with an Ariens 926LE I dragged home a few weeks ago:
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> I know you've grown attached to the 624 but if you're seriously considering selling it let me know as I'm currently looking for quality machine for a friend. We missed out on a fantastic deal on a Honda HS828 in central over the weekend. I would have purchased it myself if I didn't already have 2 machines.
> 
> BTW, did they give you a price on the drive cable or did you purchase one? I have a spare chute cable I picked up on eBay I'll need to install soon.
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> Greg







Greg:
I've decided to sell the old girl. It's just sitting there eating up space. I just listed it on NL Classifieds.


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## GregNL

Yeah, I'm looking at it just now and figured I'd check here to see if it was in fact yours. It sounds like a great machine, I have yet to rig up my lights or install a much needed impeller mod as it absolutely dies in slush, clogs up every time. I was looking for a friend of mine, we found a Honda 624 for a good price a few weeks ago. The hydrostatic transmission is definitely an asset, no banging between gears. If I had the space I'd definitely consider it, kinda don't want to pass on it.


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## YamaNewf

GregNL said:


> Yeah, I'm looking at it just now and figured I'd check here to see if it was in fact yours. It sounds like a great machine, I have yet to rig up my lights or install a much needed impeller mod as it absolutely dies in slush, clogs up every time. I was looking for a friend of mine, we found a Honda 624 for a good price a few weeks ago. The hydrostatic transmission is definitely an asset, no banging between gears. If I had the space I'd definitely consider it, kinda don't want to pass on it.


Greg:
I sold her to the first guy who came to look at her yesterday. He currently has a 1992 model but he said mine was in better shape and worked better. He tried her out in the yard and came back with a grin on his face and said " Man she works good, I'll take her". He never even tried to beat me down in price. I'll take the Ad down this evening when he comes by to pick her up. ( He was in a car yesterday ). FYI my phone and e-mail went nuts for the last 24 hrs. I could have sold her 10 times over. 
Impeller kit will give extra throwing distance, and mine never clogged in any conditions since adding it. I'm not sure if I will add an impeller kit to the new one. She seems to throw the slush well right now. I haven't seen her clog yet, but if she ever does, I'll be adding one to her as well.


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## leonz

The number of times I read your posting makes me wonder if I really need the larger model, although the State of New York DOT always, always makes a mess of my road with too much salt and when it warms up during the day it makes for (*&^%^&*() conditions to clear every year.

I am waiting on brochures and more information via Canada post from Kelly Yamaha in Hamilton and hoping I can buy both an owners manual and a service manual before I buy so I can at least read it to think about it some more as I really do not want a Honda due to the plugging issues as I know it would not work well with my road and its salt and snow melt issues. 

I always warm up my equipment in winter with a torpedo heater and melt the snow and ice off the truck and tractor and would do the same with the Yamaha 1028 or 32 if and when I buy one of them. I kept my equipment up and I know they lasted longer because I heated the engines and transmissions up and melted all the snow and ice off my old truck and other the other machines.

I never hesitated to heat up the 25 gallon hydraulic tank on my commercial log splitter even in summer every day I used it to make firewood and it also reduced the amount of time I need to warm up the engine.

I would just love to retire the lawn tractor to just lawn mowing and scrap the junk snow blower I bought with it (JD dealer says you get what you pay for-I said thanks a lot to my self) and I am still pissed at how much I have to spend to maintain it and how difficult it is to change a snow blower driven belt- I got around the huge cost issue by finding an amazon reseller for the expensive belts. The snow plow they have is a joke too!!!

I am on my third chute, third battery, third PLASTIC spout and at $120+ a whack that is really rediculous. $140.00+ for a JD OEM belt that does not last is not an investment in quality. 

I am just curious how heavy are the exhaust fumes on the 1028?

Thanks much from south of the border.


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## dagjohnsen56

Still going strong with the Yamaha?


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