1, 2, 3 stage is all about the snow, not the drive wheels.
A 1-stage tries to compress all the snow at its mouth into its chute. Like all compressors at too-high compression ratio, it don't work too good. This is for some powdery nuisance snows. Recent designs are better, I see George does West Virginia with one, and I have cleared some paths in Maine.
A 2-stage typically has slow augers to crunch the mouth snow smaller, then a fast impeller which packs and flings it out the chute. This IS the standard anyplace you have Real Snow. It seems to be rationalizing down to a Standard Design globally. Pick your engine, add some frills, slap your brandname on it. In the USA you want most parts to trace to MTD who does a lot of this work and the parts can be ordered (though my shift-cable has been stuck in the post-office over a week).
3-stage is a specialty thing from a few makers. There is an intermediate snow-smacker between the impellers and the flinger. May be an auger, may be a bar. May be some about patents and looking powerful in the store. These of course cost more. I would want specific advice from neighbor or a local dedicated dealer.
If you know air compressors, or even compound steam engines.... single stage works for small compression. Preferably some under 10:1, but it is not worth a 2nd stage to make 147psi (10 barr). If you need over 20:1 compression you certainly need a 2nd stage. Over 100:1 you won't get without a 3-stage. Clearance and leakage.
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The V Twin on my ( retired ) JD is in fact the 22 hp Intek, but it hasn't given me any trouble, and has outlasted two decks. The cursed Ariens zero turn with a big Kohler V twin has replaced it, but the Ariens is so troublesome I'm thinking of getting deck 3 for the JD.
I have a throw away push mower, with the cheap throw away aluminum 3.5 hp Briggs on it, that hit a rock so hard it seized the engine. I thought sure it was finished, but a couple of hours later it freed up and ran, although it shook like a dog pooping peach pits. I treated it to a new blade and an oil change and it is still in service.
It snowed some Thursday and will probably snow tomorrow, but I get by here with an armstrong single stage shovel.
I have a throw away push mower, with the cheap throw away aluminum 3.5 hp Briggs on it, that hit a rock so hard it seized the engine. I thought sure it was finished, but a couple of hours later it freed up and ran, although it shook like a dog pooping peach pits. I treated it to a new blade and an oil change and it is still in service.
It snowed some Thursday and will probably snow tomorrow, but I get by here with an armstrong single stage shovel.
My "Southern States" branded riding mower was in the garage of the condemned house that we tore down. The garage had about 6 inches of mud in it completely covering the mower deck. A good bit of digging, a come-along, and a chain on the trailer hitch of a Ram truck snatched out of the garage.
It has an Electrolux tag under the seat. Electrolux (the Swedish vacuum cleaner company) used to built a lot of mowers in South Carolina. They are now AYP (American Yard Products) and 15 years ago AYP built most of the mowers sold in the US including JD.
I got the old mower going, but it made a serious rattling sound. OK, it's a free 48 inch riding mower, so we just used it...for nearly a year until the big bang. The rattle turned out to be bad bearings in two of the three spindles. They were so bad that two blades hit each other at full throttle and parts came flying out of the mower.
I went to the Farmers CoOp that originally sold it to see about parts, but they no longer sell equipment. One of the old timers said "just stick your model number into Google and you will find everything you need." He was right. The same mower was sold as a Craftsman, John Deere, Poulan, and Husqvarna. The only difference was the paint color.
It is now a multi brand mongrel with parts from all of the above names. Once all of the mud was removed with several wire wheels, the deck revealed some holes and two cracks. A new bare deck was $600, so my deck got an aluminum window screen, JB Weld and Rustoleum rebuild. The deck has been trouble free since then. At the end of the mowing season in November the belt broke. I already have a replacement.
Both the "throw away" mower and the cheap snow blower are MTD machines. I did treat the mower to a new blade last year due to some serious convulsions that started when I hit the a buried brick. There was a good chunk of metal missing from one end. Got the new blade off the shelf at Walmart.
It has an Electrolux tag under the seat. Electrolux (the Swedish vacuum cleaner company) used to built a lot of mowers in South Carolina. They are now AYP (American Yard Products) and 15 years ago AYP built most of the mowers sold in the US including JD.
I got the old mower going, but it made a serious rattling sound. OK, it's a free 48 inch riding mower, so we just used it...for nearly a year until the big bang. The rattle turned out to be bad bearings in two of the three spindles. They were so bad that two blades hit each other at full throttle and parts came flying out of the mower.
I went to the Farmers CoOp that originally sold it to see about parts, but they no longer sell equipment. One of the old timers said "just stick your model number into Google and you will find everything you need." He was right. The same mower was sold as a Craftsman, John Deere, Poulan, and Husqvarna. The only difference was the paint color.
It is now a multi brand mongrel with parts from all of the above names. Once all of the mud was removed with several wire wheels, the deck revealed some holes and two cracks. A new bare deck was $600, so my deck got an aluminum window screen, JB Weld and Rustoleum rebuild. The deck has been trouble free since then. At the end of the mowing season in November the belt broke. I already have a replacement.
Both the "throw away" mower and the cheap snow blower are MTD machines. I did treat the mower to a new blade last year due to some serious convulsions that started when I hit the a buried brick. There was a good chunk of metal missing from one end. Got the new blade off the shelf at Walmart.
Speaking of MTD and color. MTD started as a tool and die company in Cleveland so I've met some of their folks.
They had a bunch of lawn mower decks from China which were powder-coated their trademark red, but owing to lack of UV protectant these turned orange under the sun. They tried to sell them to Home Depot, but it didn't work.
4-6 inches of light snow overnight, turned to rain by about 4am. When my wife and I got out to clear the snow around 8 or so, it was 1-2 inches of slush.
I pulled out the 56v cordless 2-stage snow blower to give it a real workout. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. Better than my gas blower certainly. It would throw very little for a few feet then forcefully eject the built up mush throwing it FAR! I thought it wouldn't be able to handle today's mess but it did admirably well.
It also did it quieter and with no mess or local emissions. I'm a believer that we have a better chance of managing emissions at the power plant level than in the back yard. Plus, one day I'm hoping to move to solar which will make both the snow blower and the 56v lawn mower as close to zero emissions as possible.
I pulled out the 56v cordless 2-stage snow blower to give it a real workout. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. Better than my gas blower certainly. It would throw very little for a few feet then forcefully eject the built up mush throwing it FAR! I thought it wouldn't be able to handle today's mess but it did admirably well.
It also did it quieter and with no mess or local emissions. I'm a believer that we have a better chance of managing emissions at the power plant level than in the back yard. Plus, one day I'm hoping to move to solar which will make both the snow blower and the 56v lawn mower as close to zero emissions as possible.
Fired up the blower for the first time today. It's been soft and slushy since Christmas. Raining for a few days.
It has been -29C here. I don't relish seeing that again. It should be a mild winter this year with next week in the -4C range.
I have three bags of pellets for the stove in the garage, but don't like to use them unless it is below -7C.
Stupid forsythia has yellow flowers on it already.
I have three bags of pellets for the stove in the garage, but don't like to use them unless it is below -7C.
Stupid forsythia has yellow flowers on it already.
Good Morning,
today the cloud base is among us again...
today the cloud base is among us again...
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When it comes to snow, North spain is currently
up to 50 cm wide ;-) in front of us.
up to 50 cm wide ;-) in front of us.
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