Check Your Snow Blower(s)

[timm9]

I thought I would take a moment and give those of you running Snow Blowers a quick heads up and hopefully you can prevent a major break down during a storm.

In preparation for the upcoming season I decided to tear down my Blowers a little farther than I typically do including the Auger and Auger Motor assembly. Upon removing the Auger, I discovered that the 9/16 grade eight bolt which secures the end of the drive block as it engages the Auger was missing. After closer examination, I found the bolt was actually broken off inside the Auger Motor shaft. Fortunately, I was able to drill and extract the broken bolt from the Motor Shaft without having to replace the Auger Motor. The Service Manual indicates the bolt should be torqued to 28 lbs. The only thing I can figure is that this grade eight bolt broke due to being over torqued.

Tim

 

[Spudgunner]

Check the electrical connector as well. The 7 pins in mine looked something less than clean. Last year when I was prepping my blower I noticed that one of the six fan bolts was gone and the remainder were all loose. It never ends...

 

[timm9]

I know exactly what you mean...

We have started checking the fan bolts in between storms when we grease. Also, If you have not changed out your bolts on the shute guides to nylocks you might seriously consider it as well.

Tim