# Finally! A good workout for the new HSS



## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

My area hasn't had any more than a few inches at a time up until now but I was at least able to get used to the machine. This time though, about a foot of wet sticky snow to play in. 30 degrees and it started on 1 pull with full choke and the throttle set at idle. I'm still getting used to the 928 verses my previous 1132 as I can actually blow the driveway differently since it's so easy to reverse; either powered or by just pulling in both levers. I have plastic side skids, UHMW covered rear skids and a UHMW scraper, so there is hardly any friction to deal with. I don't even need to lift the bucket to drag it back. 

Anyway, I was able to fully load the bucket and although I don't think it throws quite as far as my 1132, it was still very good. Power was never an issue and working hard on the packed EOD snow, it never dropped below 3200 RPM and felt really strong. I did clog the chute once when I stopped the machine with a bucket full of snow. I couldn't force clear it, but it cleared easily with the provided tool. 



I just love the new turning feature. I still like to hip-steer the machine on the circular part of my driveway (that's easier too with the higher bars), but it's great for quick direction changes, even with a partially full bucket. 

The 12 year old boy in my head loves making these...



Minor quibbles... I wish the clearing tool had a shovel end like the MTD machines as the two blunt ends are pretty useless for clearing sticky snow off of the augers. The chute rotation is rather limited on the left side and the two piece chute doesn't throw snow close enough for walkway work. All fairly easily remedied in the laboratory (AKA the garage) before next season. 

Here are a couple of videos; the first is a time lapse from my garage and the second is an oddly mesmerizing shot of the girl working. 











Bob


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## murf (Jan 30, 2016)

put a deposit on mine for next year, **** shovels are on stand by!


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## 88racing (Jan 20, 2016)

Wow that Honda makes quick work out removing snow...lol


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Sweet new machine, glad you were able to put her to work. Well done vids!


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## S_trangeBrew (Jan 12, 2016)

Nice vids, thank you!


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## rosco61 (Dec 8, 2014)

Can you tell me more about these please. 
UHMW covered rear skids and a UHMW scraper,
thanks


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## Advocate (Nov 29, 2015)

Nice review, photos and videos. Glad you got a chance for a workout!


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

rosco61 said:


> Can you tell me more about these please.
> UHMW covered rear skids and a UHMW scraper,
> thanks


Sure. First I wanted to reduce the occasional pulling/darting due to surface friction so that the machine would track better. Most folks go to side mounted skids which helped a lot with my last machine (Honda 1132) but it could still catch a little. So this time, along with the plastic low friction side skids I kept my rears on as well and covered them with 1/8" UHMW PE to spread what little weight I still have on the bucket. I also wanted to scrape down to the driveway surface without adding friction back in with the scraper blade, so I fashioned a 1/8" scraper and sandwiched it under the metal one. 

I'm really pleased with this setup. With the track releases, I can turn it with just a light touch on the bars and it tracks perfectly in a straight line when it has traction. If slipping (I have a steep driveway with an off-camber circular drive) it's still very easy to steer and control. Another nice thing is that I can pull in both levers and reverse with very little pulling effort even though the bucket is still down, which for short back and forth runs is quicker than engaging reverse.

I've posted these before but this is what it looks like. It's holding up great so far. The scraper is showing some light wear after 6 hours use but I made a bunch of them and it takes <4 minutes to change. My cost was about $5 per blade. I don't think that I try this though if you don't have a fairly smooth driveway.


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## HS724TAS (Jan 27, 2016)

Again that is an excellent mod! Would you not recommend this for a paver driveway? Do you recall how tall the scraper is? What type of saw/cutter did you use to cut the material so straight & clean? Thank you for the illustration.


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

Very nice! Look at the rooster tail! The UHMW skids and scraper make it slide like snot on a door knob.... I have made a few of those now and it's fantastic. Also doesn't leave rust stains!!


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

HS724TAS said:


> Would you not recommend this for a paver driveway? Do you recall how tall the scraper is? What type of saw/cutter did you use to cut the material so straight & clean?


I have pavers on my walkways and it works great on those too. My only hesitation on uneven driveways is if you have sharp transitions that will grab the scraper. That said, it's better than the metal scraper if you hit one because it gives a little, as long as you accept the fact your scraper is now a wear item and you will need to replace it seasonally at least. You can also just raise the bucket a little on bad areas like the end of the driveway. Worse case it can chip a little but still works fine. 

I cut mine to expose 1/2" of material with the metal scraper adjusted all the way up. Not so much for wear adjustments, but to give it some flex. So 28"x2.5". I made these with my table saw and a general purpose carbide tipped blade. It cuts like wood when you work out the right feed rate. Go too slow and it will melt a bit and too fast will chip it. You also need to support it like you would with thin plywood by cutting it with a piece of scrap wood on top to hold it down against the blade.


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## HS724TAS (Jan 27, 2016)

Thank you for that detailed information, my pavers are mostly level so I might give this a try you hand enough clearance to just raise the metal scraper all the way up and insert/sandwich the plastic and bolt it up? I've never replaced the scraper bar before but it seems like a tight fit (trying to imagine gaining 1/8" thickness). One last question. .how did you create the bend on the shoe with the plastic..Heat gun? Looks great.


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

Sure, happy to help. And yes, I used an adhesive backed material that I shaped to the skid with a heat gun. I then sealed the edges with a pliable hot glue adhesive. 



It is a very tight fit but you have just enough room. There is probably still 1/8" clearance installed. The tricky part is installing it as you have to get the augurs in the exact right position to allow you to get all of the bolts in place. Not too bad, it just takes a bit of fiddling with it.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

I would offer 1 suggestion. The vertical portion of the poly is mechanically held which is good. However, the feet is taking on the beating *load forces*, ontop of the curve it makes. I would not trust the PSA that is on it. The coefficient of the 2 materials is quite a difference. I would use some alcohol, remove the PSA in this area, and at least use some level of epoxy. But then again, nothing really sticks to UHMW. So it's still a gamble, just a better gamble IMO


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

Thanks very much for the suggestion... I've actually been expecting to have to invoke a "Plan B", but so far it's been holding up perfectly to use. Part of that may be due to the fact that forward motion and weight on the shoe is always pulling the material tight against the resistance of the mechanical fasteners, and that forward motion is the most likely scenario to hit something and stress the bonding. 

I took care to preheat the metal shoe and to also heat the UHMW slowly and evenly up to temp and into shape, with an extended cool down to room temp (still applying some heat) so that it would better retain its new shape. Regarding adhesive, I've had surprisingly good luck using a hot adhesive with a good 80 watt gun. You're right about nothing wanting to stick to the polished surface but the hot adhesive applied to rougher cut edges of preheated heated UHMW sticks tenaciously. I applied a heavy bead to seal and adhere all of the edges and the adhesive does have some flex to accommodate thermal expansion. My concern with epoxy is that it has no flex at all. 

I'm just going to let it run until failure and I'll make up another set when needed. It's actually pretty fun stuff to play around with.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

SB83 -

It's all just a matter of time. If you look at Yamaha's implementation in the chute, they have a bracket where it slides in, and there are screws on the top and bottom just to hold it in place. Since it's just a sleeve...it can expand/contract as well as easy maintenance on removing and cleaning up any salty stuff that may get behind it..

FWIW. I did a test and it did ~grow~ about 3/4- 1"+ longer if I recall.....


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