Snowblower: Blower Doesn't Rotate

The auger belt is what drives the auger. If the auger is not rotating, there is nothing to push snow into the impeller for discharge. Over time and with extended use, the belt on your snow blower might break or stretch, and if it does, it no longer rotates the auger or impeller. Meaning if your belt is stretched or broken, it will need to be replaced. To replace the auger belt, start by removing the belt cover, and rolling the auger belt off the front engine pulley. Carefully tilt the snow blower up to gain access to the transmission, and remove the plate covering the transmission. Next, loosen and remove the shoulder screw, which acts as a belt keeper on the auger pulley. Disengage the auger brake bracket spring from the frame and position a clamp on the drive lever to hold it down. Now you should be able to easily remove the old auger belt. Install a new auger belt around the auger pulley and housing, and reinstall the shoulder screw. Reattach the auger spring to the brake bracket, and remove the clamp from the handle. Reinstall the transmission cover. Carefully put the snow blower back on ground. Roll the auger belt onto the drive pulley and under the tensioner. Finally, you will need to reinstall the belt cover.

The gear box is attached to the drive shaft and it transmits power to both augers in your snow blower. If you hear grinding noises coming from the gear box or if you can feel it jumping teeth, it will require replacement. Please note that the procedure for replacing a gear box will vary depending on model, though it should be similar to the process we outline below. To access the gear box, you need to remove the auger housing from the snow blower, and you need to remove the auger. To start this repair, remove the belt cover and roll the auger belt off the drive pulley. Remove the bolts that hold the front roller bracket in place. Once they are out, set the bracket aside. Disengage the auger drive spring from the idler pulley bracket. Next, remove all the bolts that attach the auger housing to the snow blower. Now you can separate the two halves, so lay half of the snow blower down, allowing it to rest on the handles. Secure the impeller with a piece of wood, which prevents the impeller from moving as you loosen the bolts, securing the auger drive pulley. Remove the washer and pulley with the hub. Remove the bolts that secure the gear box to the support bracket, and remove the bolts that secure the bearing holders on the auger drive shaft. You should now be able to pull out the auger assembly out of the auger housing. Remove the bearing holders, bearings, washer, and spacers. Take out the shear pins so you can pull the blades off. Pull out the pin that holds the impeller in place and remove the impeller. Now you can install the impeller and auger blades onto the new gear box assembly. Put the shear pins back into place to secure the blades. Put the bearing holders with the bearings, washers, and spacers back into the snow blower. Slide the auger assembly back into the auger housing, and make sure you align the rear shaft with the bearing. Reinstall the bolts and bearing holders. Reinstall the pulley hub and the drive pulley with the washer and bolt. Again, you will want to make sure you secure the impeller with a piece of wood while you tighten the bolt. Reconnect the two halves of the snow bower, and secure them by reinstalling the bolts. Reconnect the auger drive cable spring to the idler pulley bracket. Next reattach the front roller bracket to the frame. Feed the belt back onto the engine drive pulley and reinstall the belt cover.

The shear pins protect your snow blower. The shear pins break off if you hit something solid such as a rock or a chunk of ice. This is helps extend the life of your auger and drive system. You can simply replace these pins by spinning the auger around until the hole on the auger lines up with the hole on the drive shaft. Insert a new shear pin with the cotter pin. Use exact-size shear pins recommended by the manufacturer.

The cable runs from the handle bar on your snow blower to the auger idler pulley. When you push the lever down on the handle bar, it moves the idler pulley, applying tension to the auger belt, causing it to rotate. If the cable stretches, it will impact the amount of tension on the belt, causing it to slip. If your cable is stretched, we recommend you replace it, and we’ve outlined how to do that repair below. The process will vary slightly depending on your exact model. To replace this cable, start by removing the belt cover. Loosen the bolts on the rear roller adjustment bracket, you can do this by removing the top bolt, and remove the bracket. Unthread and remove the roller bolt and roller. Remove the front roller bracket, the bolt securing the roller, and the roller itself. Disengage the spring end of the drive cable from the auger idler pulley bracket. Unhook the Z end from the handle and remove the old cable. Thread the Z end of the new cable into the handle. Slide the rear cable roller and roller bolt back into the bracket. Make sure the cable is aligned properly on the roller before moving on to the next step. Reattach the adjustment bracket to the frame and tighten the bolts. Connect the spring end of the cable to the auger idler pulley bracket. Slide the front roller back onto the bolt and thread it back into the bracket, aligning the cable onto the roller first. Reattach the front bracket to the frame and tighten. The tension on the belt can be adjusted by repositioning the rear adjustment bracket. Reinstall the belt cover.