OT: Snowblower Feet/skids

[clare]

The owner/writer of that page called them 3 stage. (AMF,Jari, Lommbard and MotoMower Snow Shark) Doesn't mean they were sold as such. And while you are looking at that page, did you notice all the big old single stage blowers?? I remember those blowers being sold as "drift busters" and the "drift buster" was an option on some.

I remember a lot of those machines as new or relatively new.

On the other hand, Cub Cadet DOES build a 3 stage blower - gather, break up, and blow. See

Not sure why they call this one a 3 stage

Not like this one -

which is a standard dynamark with the optional drift buster - and notice the rollers instead of sliding shoes.

In investigating farther, it appears they WERER sold as 3 stage - at least the dynamark in the USA -

[DerbyDad03]

Perhaps you weren't reading the same part of the site that I was. In the section entitled AMF, there is a picture of the machine I linked to earlier. The text says "On the right is a 6 horsepower 26-inch machine that is a prime example of what was sold as a 3-stage machine mainly in the

1970s. The shaft of skewed disks churned high banks down for the main auger to digest. "

...interesting links snipped,,,

[Paul Franklin]

I put a set of the rollers shown in the link above on my Cub Cadet 2 stage last year.

Two observations...they work well and don't have to be adjusted freqently like the old guides. I was worried about durability but they have held up so far.

But because the wheels are fairly wide, they will climb up any packed down snow (like from car tires) rather than cut through it like the narrow steel guides will. So it doesn't clear those areas quite as well. Probably work pretty well on gravel though....

I try to clear the drive before driving on the snow, but that's often not feasible.

On balance, I like the wheels better than the stock guides.

A craftsman blower I had many years ago had big (maybe 3" diameter) but thin steel wheels as guides. they were the best...didn't wear down fast but cut through packed down snow. If the plastic wheels ever break I may jury-rig a set of thin steel wheels.

Paul F.

[Dean Hoffman]

Some cut.

I wonder if something like a single groove pulley would work. Example:

(Surplus Center)

[Jeff Wisnia]

The skids on my 1964 Airens SnoThro (2 stage 4 cylinder) were getting pretty thin about 15 years ago so I welded a couple of strips of 1/4" thick steel stock (about 4" long by 1.5"wide) to them and there's still plenty left.

They sure knew how to build them back then, those skids, a couple of spark plugs and a rubber shift/clutch disk are the only things I've had to replace in all those years. I fired it up last weekend (120v electric starter) and it worked as well as ever.

Though, I refer to mine as "The widow maker" as it hasn't got a single safety feature on it. If you slip and fall and lose hold of the handles it just keeps moving on, and you'd better get up pretty quick in case it decides to turn around and head back down my sloping driveway toward you. DAMHIKT

Jeff

[Stormin Mormon]

Reminds you a bit of a land shark? Pirrhanna?

Would that be Jaws, or Blows?