Basic tuning up of snow blower

[Honey]

What are the basics that need to be done to a snow blower? Plugs, oil change, greasing, change out old fuel for new, am I missing anything pertinent?

 

[JDgreen]

What are the basics that need to be done to a snow blower? Plugs, oil change, greasing, change out old fuel for new, am I missing anything pertinent?

Single stage, pretty much the only thing to do is new plug, maybe adjust carb settings (1 or two jets) and maybe adjust auger belt. Local shop charges $60 and parts. RIPOFF. Dual stage, same thing as single stage plus change oil (less than a quart) and adjust 2 belts. Maybe grease 2 fittings on auger in front. Local shop charges $90 plus parts. RIPOFF, BIG TIME.

 

[jhwentworth]

Single stage, pretty much the only thing to do is new plug, maybe adjust carb settings (1 or two jets) and maybe adjust auger belt. Local shop charges $60 and parts. RIPOFF. Dual stage, same thing as single stage plus change oil (less than a quart) and adjust 2 belts. Maybe grease 2 fittings on auger in front. Local shop charges $90 plus parts. RIPOFF, BIG TIME.

I'd agree that maintenance on a single-stage blower is minimal, but there's a lot more to service on a two-stage blower than spark plug, oil, and belts, at least if you want a reliable snowblower. The first priority for most people is that the machine not fail during a big storm. They would rather pay a bit more to prevent a possible failure than to save a buck by taking a chance. Any decent service of a snowblower requires inspection, cleaning, and lubrication of the wheel drive mechanism inside the chassis. Most machines use a rubber drive disk to power the wheels, and that will need replacement if worn. Changing the drive disk on some models is time consuming; Murray made some machines for Sears that are a real PITA to work on. The wheel drive belt will usually last a long time, but if you are in heavy snow country plan on replacing the auger belt regularly. I can now hear some regulars here saying that they've been running their snowblower with the same auger belt for 20 years. I''d agree that the old Ariens, Toros, and Simplicitys will be fairly easy on belts, but a new MTD with a 10+ hp motor that blows a foot of heavy snow in 4'th gear won't be. The new engines make a lot of power, but the wheel and auger drive hasn't gotten stronger.

I think you have to decide if you want to fix-as-you-go or do a heavy preventative maintenance at the start of the season. Do you replace a worn gear on the snowchute crank shaft that may or may not fail, or do you replace it during a snowstorm in February when it does?

Here's some things I think you should look at:

Spark plug. Probably okay for several years, but a good indicator of engine performance.

Carburetor. Shut off the fuel and drop the bowl. (fuel will leak out so use something to collect the fuel) Is the bowl clean? Any sign of water? Many blowers have a spring-loaded drain valve in the base of the bowl, but I like to drop the bowl. If you use ethanol gasoline in your area look very carefully for water in the fuel; if you can see separated water then the gasoline is saturated with water. When the cold weather comes the water will freeze, and the engine will not run. Don't add dry gas with ethanol-gasoline fuel; you're just adding more alcohol to a fuel that already has 10% alcohol. As for the various "miracles in a bottle" that are sold to cure ethanol issues; I guess some might work and some won't. Keep the machine as dry as possible, use fresh gas, and hope for the best.

Belts. Check for cracks or worn spots. Replace if badly worn. (if the belt cover is covered with belt dust plan on early replacement). Wheel drive belts usually last much longer than auger belts. My motto: if in doubt, swap it out. Be aware that on many machines you have to split the chassis and tub to replace the belt.

Oil. Replace oil after running the engine for several minutes using 5W-20.

Wheel drive. Drop the inspection cover to check the drive disk, and clean and lubricate the shaft that holds the disk. Use a very light oil, never use grease or you won't be able to shift speeds when it's 0ｰ. Lubricate drive chains and gears. Replace rubber drive disk if worn. If the metal disk that contacts the rubber disk is covered with rubber marks, plan on replacing the disk often. Don't wait until the rubber disk is completely worn or it will be metal-to-metal contact and that's expensive. The best way to do this inspection/maintenance is to set the machine on its nose (lift the handlebars until the machine is balanced on the tub). Make sure fuel doesn't leak from the tank through the vented cap; use a plastic baggie under the cap.

Skids. A lot of blowers from the big box stores still have the skids in the fully raised position. They'll last a long time there, but aren't doing a lot of good. If the skids are worn, replace them. You'l want to set the skid adjustment by what kind of driveway surface you have. A paved driveway would allow the scraper bar bar to be maybe 1/8" from the ground, but a gravel driveway might require 1/2". Many people with paved driveways leave the skids up to allow the scraper bar to touch the pavement in order to get a very clean driveway. That's okay, but plan on replacing the scraper bar sooner, and when it's gone replace it before the tub contacts the pavement.

Shear pins. Inspect the shear pins and if bent, replace them. Don't use bolts as shear pins; you want the pin to shear if you hit something. Replacing the auger box is expensive. Buy some spare shear pins, and if they keep breaking find out why. While you're in here, take a look at the auger box lubricant level, and grease the collector shaft if there are grease fittings.

Snow chute. Does the crank work right? No jams? Does the chute have excessive play on the collar it sits on? Is the deflector frozen solid? If the chute is operated with cables, do the controls work freely? Sometimes you can free up a cable with a good penetrating oil, but replacement is often the fix.

Wheel and auger drive cables. Most cables provide for adjustment of the engagement point of wheel and auger drive. Some machines also allow auger adjustment to be done on the idler arm inside the belt cover.

These are a few things to check. A good source of information for annual maintenance is your owner's manual, at least some owner's manuals are anyway. Many times the manufacturer will have instructions on their web site.

A snowblower isn't the space shuttle, but when it has a few years on it you do have some annual maintenance that should be done. Or, you can wait until 11 o'clock Sunday evening during a 14" snow dump to replace that auger belt. I agree with the first response to the OP that $90 to change a spark plug, change oil, and adjust a belt is too high, and I wouldn't do it, especially if the blower were only a year or two old. But, if you live in a real snow zone and the blower is 5 years old I'd want someone to go right through it, and that's going to take 1.5-2.0 hours. I hate working on stuff outside in a snowstorm.

 

[KennyV]

Well since my snow blower is my ZTR mower.
I mounted the snowblower yesterday, took about 10 minuets.

Gave the PTO shaft a couple shots of grease, greased two pillow block bearings. Oiled the auger roller chain and the discharge spout rotating points and hooked up two hydraulic lines.
Turned on the heat in the cab... restricted air flow to the radiator, Toasty...
Done, and all set to go. The engine is a 4 cylinder Kubota Diesel so no plugs, and its not due for an oil change till after April...
I am figuring that now the blower is mounted and ready, we should get no snow... :smile:KennyV

 

[indypower]

CHECK TIRE PRESSURE!!!!! The tires may look like they are not flat when they are. Get out your tire pressure gage and check them. Depending on tire size, you should have 8-15 lbs. The snowblower is not heavy enough to make the tire look flat like they do on a car. Properly inflated tires make the snowblower roll so much easier.

 

[JDgreen]

I've got one of those Sears brand made-by Murray jhwentworth says is troublesome. REALLY??? Mine is 21 years old, has NEVER required disk drive service, still had ORIGINAL, OEM drive belts until I replaced them this fall, they were still good. In 21 years, only thing I have done is replace those belts, annual oil change, new spark plug every 4-5 years...plus a few carb gaskets and fuel line replacements. Have NEVER needed to adjust disc drive nor control cabels, have lubed the chute a few times. If EVERYTHING I owned were this reliable I would be overjoyed. :wink:

 

[jhwentworth]

I've got one of those Sears brand made-by Murray jhwentworth says is troublesome. REALLY???

Didn't say that. I said that it was a PITA to work on the wheel drive.

I'll take your word that you've enjoyed 21 years of trouble-free operation from your snowblower, but I'd add that most people don't, at least the people who live around me. What's the annual snowfall where you live? How much area are you clearing? How fast do you operate your snowblower (what gear), and do you adjust the speed for snow conditions? These things all influence the reliability of the machine at least as much as the design and build quality. The old Toros used a drum-like collector that limited the amount of snow that would be pulled into the second stage impeller. Typically, those old Toros had excellent belt and drive disk life. Most blowers will load up with heavy snow until the engine bogs and the drive disk spins.

 

[JDgreen]

Didn't say that. I said that it was a PITA to work on the wheel drive.

I'll take your word that you've enjoyed 21 years of trouble-free operation from your snowblower, but I'd add that most people don't, at least the people who live around me. What's the annual snowfall where you live? How much area are you clearing? How fast do you operate your snowblower (what gear), and do you adjust the speed for snow conditions? These things all influence the reliability of the machine at least as much as the design and build quality. The old Toros used a drum-like collector that limited the amount of snow that would be pulled into the second stage impeller. Typically, those old Toros had excellent belt and drive disk life. Most blowers will load up with heavy snow until the engine bogs and the drive disk spins.

Annual snowfall in Mid-Michigan is a huge variable, I've gone winters without even starting my blower and winters where we got three feet per month, and there are a LOT of drifts in this area. We got an actual 7 inches on the flat the last storm but drifts were as deep as 3 feet in places. I clear a 700 foot long by 10 foot wide area for our driveway, plus other neighbors driveways if needed. I run my blower in second gear 90% of the time, in first the other 10 percent. It's only 5 hp (my single stage is a 2004 and also has 5 hp) so I don't rush it. It will throw knee deep snow in low gear if I only do half a width at a time (one foot) and will throw foot deep snow at full width. Only an idiot would run his blower until it tends to bog down.

 

[KennyV]

The small blowers are really very simple to work on... There is nothing to the drives, or the auger systems.
Tune ups are similar to any small gas engine .
If you aare going to do belt changes or friction drive repair, it's very simple, easy tinkering work.
Easy to describe step by step, but I figured there had to be a youtube already covering them, and there is ...
YouTube - PART 1 HOW TO replace friction Wheel Disc on MTD Snowblower
donyboy on YT has got it already well covered... :smile:KennyV

 

[Stevie-Ray]

As for the various "miracles in a bottle" that are sold to cure ethanol issues; I guess some might work and some won't. Keep the machine as dry as possible, use fresh gas, and hope for the best.

The miracle I found was Sta-bil gas stabilizer. Never used it til a friend that worked on my original snowblower and lawn mower told me about it. Since I started using it, no more problems. Some say it doesn't matter and if gas is over 45 days old it needs to be tossed. I say BS, since I use gas older than that and it has a different smell if not stabilized, but if stabilized, it still smells fresh. Last year was the first year I tried without Sta-bil since I started using it, due to the "45 day" statement. It was the first year I ever had problems with my MTD 2-stage. Back to Sta-bil, and no more problems.