# Murray 522 soup up



## LightBulb (Dec 22, 2012)

The Murray 522 single stage has plenty opportunity for “souping up.” As is, it is a fragile machine that wears quickly, but offers a good framework to retrofit into a super-single stage. The MURRAY is sold as many brand names including CRAFTSMAN.


The 522 has a super Tecumseh 5HP 4cycle engine that is easy to increase rpm and output. The 22” wide cutting stance offers the largest of single stage throwers. It has a steel impeller with riveted rubber strips for “road contact.”


I experimented with mine by adding heavy duty home cut rubber to the impeller and rebuilt the excessive wear on the plastic “bearing supports,” and with a little tweak of the engine, this machine pushed snow like a bear for me for a year. I will try to share my experience with this machine with you with upcoming video and pictures.


-1) steel impeller needs to be re-welded and reinforced at critical points
-2) find a source for rubber belting and use old rubber strips to cut new ones
-3) replace plastic bearing at non-power end with a real ball bearing
-4) reinforce plastic “bearing supports” with rubber wear material 
-5) tweak engine to get more torque
-6) eat snow!


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

hot rodding a single stage? i have heard of newer craftsman single stage snowblowers having poor housings but you are the first i've heard talk about the bearings


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## Jweber76 (Feb 5, 2015)

I'm interested in the engine tweak details. I also have a Murray/tecumseh machine that I'd like to modify.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

Jweber76 said:


> I'm interested in the engine tweak details. I also have a Murray/tecumseh machine that I'd like to modify.


Increasing the RPM's will definitely add a performance increase at the cost of engine life expectancy. All engines and especially 4-stroke engines have a MAXIMUM RPM setting and exceeding that figure (usually 3600 RPM) will result in a catastrophic failure of an exploding engine. A 2-cycle engine is more forgiving when it comes to increasing the RPM's, up to a certain point. If you need more power, a larger horse power engine or different snow blower are the only way to achieve that and have a reliable\safe machine. IMHO


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## zumpa21 (Feb 8, 2018)

I have a Murray 5/22 that doesn't seem to run fast enough. I'd like to check my RPM's and up them if possible.

What's the easiest and cheapest way to check RPM's?


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

zumpa21 said:


> I have a Murray 5/22 that doesn't seem to run fast enough. I'd like to check my RPM's and up them if possible. What's the easiest and cheapest way to check RPM's?



Usually an optical tach is easiest IMO. Usually takes a white mark or tape on the pulley and tach should be table to read it in most cases.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

zumpa21 said:


> What's the easiest and cheapest way to check RPM's?


Or one of the digital tachs that's under ten bucks on ebay. Just need to wrap a wire around the ignition wire for installation. Doesn't have to be permanent if you don't want it to.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-Displa...ash=item36281581f1:g:1bUAAOSw4PxaNz0X&vxp=mtr
They also have ones with replaceable batteries. I get those for stuff I'm going to keep to try and maintain hours over the years. So far the cheap sealed units I have have gone 3+ years
As for that picture showing a U.S. flag, I think the seller was in the U.S. but I'm pretty sure the unit itself comes from China, I know mine did.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Are you


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