# DIY Impeller Kit



## Relli1130 (Jan 23, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

I own a 1979 Ariens ST504 2 stage snowblower. I need to put new belts on it, and want to add an impeller kit. Currently there is about 1/4" gap between the impeller blade and the housing. The machine is currently laboring with heavy wet snow.

Here is my machine in action. only about 3-4 inches of snow here. Its throwing the dry stuff but not as far or efficiently as I would like.





 
So I tried a DIY solution using rectangular cuts of tire sidewall with self tapping screws to secure the rubber to the impeller blades. I thought it would work well until I turned the machine on and tried to engage the auger/impeller. The rubber from the tire wall must have been too thick because the impeller stopped turning. It was catching on the impeller housing.

So I'm back to square one. Wondering if mud flaps or old toro rubber paddles are preferred? Has anyone had success with either? Sharing of pictures/processes is greatly appreciated!


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Maybe you just put them in too tight? Could also try only doing 2 opposite blades.

Rotate your impeller around and find the tightest spot, then use that as your guide of where to screw them in at. On mine I ground a bit of the weld off around the chute opening as that was kind of bumpy and stuck out the most.


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## motorhead64 (Dec 15, 2013)

Or maybe you can trim them a bit and they'll fit better. Make sure they are "pushing" the snow and not "pulling" it. You want the rubber to be the first thing on the blade to contact the snow. I have some bathroom vinyl floor molding I'm going to try. Saw somewhere where a guy used it and it worked well. It's also easy to cut and cheap. MH


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## HJames (Oct 28, 2013)

I used the tire sidewall for mine. You will notice that around the inside diameter of the tire is the thickest part of rubber, I trimmed this off until I was left with rubber that had uniform thickness. I did have to trim the size after the initial installation as I couldn't rotate the impeller by hand after the first paddle was installed. The tightest areas for mine were around the chute opening. I also only installed them on 2 opposite blades and it works great!!


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## Smolenski7 (Nov 24, 2010)

When I installed a DIY impeller mod. on my father's snowblower I found an old rubber strip I had left over from an old repair I made to my lawn tractor. I sized and cut each piece of rubber one impeller at a time, then turned on the snowblower to make sure that it would still function. Sometimes it did and sometimes it didn't. On those occasions when it didn't, I simply trimmed the rubber until it allowed the impeller to circulate. Most of the time it started off a bit slowly, but then it would go faster and faster and pieces of rubber would fly out of the chute until the piece was "auto-trimmed" by the machine itself.

I can't say that this was a great mod. for my father. He reports that the snow certainly flies a bit further, however, it still clogs in wet/heavy snow/slush. Maybe my expectations were a bit high.


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## Relli1130 (Jan 23, 2014)

I'm trying to locate an old toro flat auger paddle commonly found on single stage blowers. Having difficulty locating one. So I'm thinking of trying a mudflap or just ordering a new paddle off amazon. 

I've also seen where some people just use a self tapping screw. Others use bolts and nylon nuts for added safety. Any input there?


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## Geno (Nov 29, 2011)

*mud flaps..*

I've made three kits in last 4 years and I used mud flaps. I used the fiberglass backed kind and put two pieces together per blade. Works well. also lubricate your impellor housing with lots of grease so rubber can wear in as needed. I installed mine so rubber was resting on side of housing maybe 3" down from opening. I drilled and installed each one in that area. used stainless bolts with lock nuts.


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## MnJim (Jan 26, 2014)

Lots of You tube vids available.

1/8-1/16" engagement.

I used conveyor belt from Fleet Farm purchase by the foot think it was about $5-6 per ft..

_______/ When I cut mine I did so the edge had a slight bevel so it would wear in faster.


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## MnJim (Jan 26, 2014)

Stopped by Mills Fleet Farm on the way home today I needed some Cherry Slices and Spearmint Leaves

Anyhow while there I checked prices on Baler Belt purchased by the foot.
Its not smooth rubber but has a finish more like coarse duck denim.

10"wide $5.79pr foot
4" wide $2.79pr foot so for $3 I am not wasteing time trying to cut sidewalls out of a car tire.


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## Relli1130 (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks,

I'm trying to locate a truck supply or farm supply shop near me. Hoping to find the baler belt or even a rubber truck mud flap. So far having a hard time locating one near me.


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

What part of the world are you in Relli?


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## Relli1130 (Jan 23, 2014)

Pittsburgh PA. Near the Airport. I think I might have found a trailer supply place on Neville Island. They might have a rubber mud flap I can purchase. Otherwise, I guess I'll just buy online. 

Also, I was thinking of using a flat metal bracket (with pre-drilled holes) placed on top of the mud flap. This might secure the rubber better than just drilling a screw directly on top of the rubber flap....make sense?


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## Geno (Nov 29, 2011)

*metal bracket..*

Yes Relli- That is a good Idea. Done that to all of mine. I put my brackets with a slight curve on outer end so I could cover most the way across the rubber.. but not sure that was necessary. I 'think' Clarence kits come with what your talking about too. -Geno


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Yes, the official "Clarence Kit" comes with metal plates. The instructions say to cut it to the length of the flat spot on your impeller, but I bent my metal brackets around the curved edge.


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## MnJim (Jan 26, 2014)

Tractor Supply Co.


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## Relli1130 (Jan 23, 2014)

So I purchased the rubber mud flap. Cut to length, and drilled/secured one flap (only on the flat area) on an impeller blade. I made sure the leading edge of the flap was flush with the housing. Fired up the engine, let it run, and saw bits of rubber flying everywhere! This meant the flap was forming to the smallest part of the housing.

Once I shut the engine of and inspected the rubber flap, I instantly noticed that the flap was now practically flush with the edge of the impeller blade. In effect, the flap had no measurable effect on improving the impeller blade length. Further inspection revealed that the housing near the chute had much less clearance in relation to the blade. So in essence, when the impeller blade is horizontal, there is nearly a 1/4" gap, but when vertical, the gap closes to about 1/8".

So in the end, I'm not entirely sure that the impeller kit will improve much at all. that said, I want to make sure my machine is throwing as much snow/slush etc when in use. I still need to replace the auger/drive belts, so maybe that will help a little.

When you watch the video earlier, does this amount of distance look reasonable for a 3-4" snowfall?

Thanks,

Jeff


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

On mine I spun the impeller around and found that the welds around the chute were the tightest spot as well. I took the gearcase out of the bucket when I was painting and ground the welds down as smooth as possible.


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## paedbo (Feb 23, 2014)

heres a video of my 5.5hp machine with a home made impeller kit installed. I noticed that there was a carriage bolt from the inside out holding the chute on that I needed to grind down a bit so the rubber impeller blades wouldn't hit it. Otherwise it was an easy install and against all recommendations I still installed it on a plastic impeller. However I used stainless steel bolts and I used locknuts and just snugged them down so that I didn't squish and crack the impeller.





 
I used a truck mud flap and aluminum plates that I countersunk the holes for the screws so they sit flush with the top of the plate.


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