Persistent, multiple issues

Suggestion and Feature Requests
1

We’re having issues with your Yarbo. In minus 5 to minus 15 celsius weather, and right after a snowstorm. All these occured within a four hour time frame.

Map Issues. It did work under manual control however. Then we had an auger issue as snow was getting caught in the auger.

We took it back to recharge as the battery didn’t last that long. Maybe one or two passes out of our entire driveway. Before it dropped to 27%.

Then the chute froze. Our app shows minus 10celsius as the chute temperature.

We took off snowblower module to bring inside to thaw. In that time the battery had issues so it had to warm up. I guess we have the core off the charger a bit so it wasn’t getting the full charge maybe. So we waited to warm it up. THen the chute froze again. So we brought it in, leaving teh core charging on the pad to keep it heated, and thawed it. Took it back outside.. made sure no moisture.. dried it with towels even put blowdryer to it to make sure all the moisture gone. And it stuck within 2 minutes of being outside. So, after work we going to bring in the whole unit into our house as it is the only place we have heated, take it apart, find why it’s getting stuck.

This is our third Yarbo. As the prior two cores had to be returned because the battery wouldn’t charge. We got our Yarbo in between seasons so it sat until summer to do lawns. It stopped working after about 4 or 5 uses. They replaced it, after some time, then that went down for same reason, then they sent us another.

This issue with the chute being stuck is just another of many issues we have had to deal with.
We are now waiting for support to figure out how to fix it.

We bought a small heat trace wire to wrap around the chute. Hopefully that works. Temperate on app still says minus 10 though. So probably didn’t work.

2

Where do you see the chute temperature in the app? I’ve never noticed that before.

2 Likes
3

Hi there,

Thank you for taking the time to explain the situation in such detail. We truly understand how frustrating this has been, especially with multiple issues occurring in a short period of time and in challenging winter conditions.

First, please allow us to apologize once again for the inconvenience you’ve experienced. As mentioned in our reply to your other topic, the replacement process for your snowblower module has already been initiated. In parallel, the field service engineer assigned to your case is working closely with our mechanical engineering team to continue investigating the root cause of the chute freezing and the related issues you described.

We recognize that having to repeatedly bring the unit indoors, deal with battery limitations, and attempt temporary solutions like a heat trace wire is far from ideal. This is not the experience we want you to have, and we appreciate your patience while our team works toward a more reliable and long-term solution.

If you encounter any further issues or if the replacement does not fully resolve the problem, please feel free to update us here at any time. I will personally help follow up on your case and make sure your feedback is passed along to the appropriate teams.

Our goal is to provide you with a much better and more dependable user experience, and we remain committed to supporting you until this is fully addressed. Thank you again for your patience and for continuing to work with us.

1 Like
4

Impeller broke again. This will be my second Yarbo replacement of the snow blower module… coupled that with two replacements of the core durnig the summer… in the year I’ve had it.. it’s been off for repairs more than its been used for what it’s purpose is.. I have no trust in this machine at all. I am in a high senior area where people would have bought this had it been shown to work. But I’m fixing it way too much.. frustrated with it way too much…it can’t be anything I’m doing as this will be my fifth replacement of a major component in less than a year… less thana year…

5

For what’s it’s worth, I owned and operated a snow removal company for 10 years.

I have used snow blowers of all types, Walk-behind self propelled, tractor mounted, skid steer mounted, single stage, etc.

I have yet to see a snowblower where where the chure doesn’t plug occasionally. The chute plugging is a function of the snow’s consistency, the outside temperature, and the speed of the equipment.

My skid steer was a 75 horse diesel high flow machine powering an 82 in two-stage hydraulically driven snowblower.

In the spring we get heavy, wet, snows here in Minnesota. If I got impatient and moved the machine too fast my chute would plug up. I had to climb out of my machine and clean it out.

If I didn’t clean out my chute after using my machine each time, ice would build up.

If temps were consistently below freezing between snow events and the ice didn’t melt, I’d have issues the next time I went to use the machine.

One thing I found that helped, and I learned this from a dump truck operator that used to haul snow here in Minnesota, you coat the surface with a lubricant.

We used to use old antifreeze or diesel fuel. You can also use WD-40 or something similar.

I used to spray my snow plows, skid steer buckets, augers, chutes, and dump beds.

It made a world of difference when it came to snow. Snow would slide off the coated surface like ice cream on a hot summer day. It prevents the snow ice from bonding to the surface of your equipment.

2 Likes
6

I used a high quality ceramic coating on mine this year and it seems to have made a big difference. The wipe on, wipe off kind (Adams Graphene Ceramic coating). Although, I just wiped it on and let it cure for several days. It’s not a car, no need to buff it and make it look pretty. I did a couple of thick coats. On my other snow blower that isn’t ceramic coated, I sprayed it with a silicone lubricant and it helped considerably as well. Anything hydrophobic really helps.

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7

So how much better has the ceramic coating been versus the spray lubricant? And which one would you use going forward next season?

I had planned on applying a ceramic coating to mine before the season started but never got around to it. Guess it’s better late than never. Something to do the next time I pull Yarbo into the garage…

8

I use PAM cooking spray at a buck per can, lol

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9

I think I’m going to use both. Have to admit that it’s much easier to just spray something on it like @steve is doing. I’m just lazy and don’t want to do that frequently. :joy:

I think both work about the same from what little testing I’ve been able to do so far. Just one lasts longer, I believe.

@steve how often are you applying your PAM?

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10

If the snow’s wet enough to stick, basically.

I’ve got some lanolin (Dillon case lube) that I might try, later. That stuff never goes away.

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11

FWIW - I found that repeated use of PAM caused a sticky residue over time. I never used it on the Yarbo but I would expect the same issue. Have you not experienced this? I use PAM as well in a pinch but not regularly anymore. I switched to silicone spray.

I’ve used ceramic coatings in the past but didn’t see an improvement over silicone spray. Plus I’m lazy and the spray is much more convenient.

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12

After applying the ceramic coating on one, brand new at the time, I know what you mean. It was a pain. My older one, I was in a hurry and getting prepped for winter storm Fern and just used a silicone spray. Took all of a few seconds to spray the inside chute, discharge, and all inside the intake and box.

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