J.D. E120 Snowblower attachment works very poorly

[davis2]

A tape measure used by tailors and seamstresses would be very accurate.

And record the measurements when you find one that works!

 

[spammeblind]

John Deere prints their part number onto the belts to eliminate confusion. You simply check if the number on the belt matches the part number sticker on the cardboard holder. You don't have to measure the belt. This thread is a mess of clickbait posts, exhausting and confusing with all the talk of aftermarket and shorter belts and adding brackets. I'll get some hate for that comment, but after reading all this, I'd want to throw the thing off a cliff out of sheer frustration. Haha. If the OEM belt isn't working, there is a reason, and your local dealership is your best resource for a machine that new. If there is a known issue, Deere has a whole department called CCMS (used to be DTAC) that the dealer can use to contact Deere engineers to figure out the problem. I'd search the database myself, but I don't work at the dealership anymore, but I can affirm that M158130 fits both serial ranges of snowblowers for the E120 tractor.

I would’t be surprised if my local dealership charged me over $1000 to do the work you mention above. If a simple Tailors tape and 5 minutes resolves my issue, I’m going to start there. Thank you for your response.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I would’t be surprised if my local dealership charged me over $1000 to do the work you mention above. If a simple Tailors tape and 5 minutes resolves my issue, I’m going to start there. Thank you for your response.

The local John Deere dealer charges 2.5 times more per hour than I do. They normally do good work, however the labor rate charge is ridiculous.

 

[StarTech]

Oh the local JD dealer has a rep that they are hiring inexperience techs.

About 12 years ago I had to go offline due my mother developing dementia so one of my customer was needing a Hydro fan replacement. That dealer had an inexperience tech. They charge the customer 8 hrs of labor to do a 30 min job. I knew and live close to the JD dealer manager so I called for my customer and wanted an explanation on why they billed 8 hrs for 30 minute job. Well needless to say I got the bill reduced to one hour plus the part.

And since moved to a new location I had change dealership store. Well they are no better on repairs. One customer here had a flashing oil pressure light. They just told him just keep using the ZTR as the engine had no pump. Well it clearly did. It turn out just to be a bad oil pressure sender. Then he running problems with the same ZTR that would just randomly shutdown again they couldn't find the problem. It was a loose after fire solenoid wire.

Then I had a Stihl hedger under warranty that was racing. I ask for a pressure vac test to be performed. The tech had no idea of how to do one. Well he finally found another tech that did. Well after three weeks in the shop it was returned. First the spark plug was disconnected. Then after I reconnected it I took the hedger out for an after service test run. Guess what it still had the same racing problem. So I took a run at it. While it was racing the tach indicated no rpms. It turned that the hedger was dieseling at full throttle and it was cause by a failed spark plug.

So do I confidence in the local JD dealer shops? Nope.

As in this case the blower may simply need a slightly shorter belt than it originally came with. I got a couple different MTD built mowers that is the case. A Troybilt series and a Toro series.

 

[slomo]

The local John Deere dealer

So Deere has been putting computers and all these electronics all over the equipment. Killing the farmers and basically everyone that buys their over priced junk. When one part fails, costs thousands to get it going again. Stop buying Deere products. Make them hungry for our business. Maybe price gouging will fall? Everyone even Deere used to make reliable equipment 50 plus years ago minus a supercomputer onboard.

 

[qmark]

The outside circumferance is not the actual belt length, but it is reasonably close and a good belt dealer such as a commercial bearing shop could have the belt listed both ways.

 

[StarTech]

The outside circumferance is not the actual belt length, but it is reasonably close and a good belt dealer such as a commercial bearing shop could have the belt listed both ways.

It depends who doing the measuring. Here it is common prectice to do outside circumference as that where the top of the belt rides in the pulleys. But belt belt A150 and B150 are sold by the inside circumference so a A150 is actually a 151" belt and a B150 is a 152" belt.

In this case the JD belt is spec'd at 9/16 top width so a "A" belt would need to be shorter and a "B" belt would need to be longer. Even they are 1 and 2 inches shorter than the labelled size. Now some sleeves will have the outside circumference printed on it too. Basically we are looking for the effective length.

 

[Honest Abe]

how about starting at the beginning, i.e. - did you buy this tractor and snowblower new, and do you have the manuals?
- - - link - - -

OMM177515

that thing should handle 3' of snow with ease if working properly.....

my 40+ year old Case 108 - 8hp 38" snowblower can/has spit out more snow than you could imagine!

 

[spammeblind]

how about starting at the beginning, i.e. - did you buy this tractor and snowblower new, and do you have the manuals?
- - - link - - -

OMM177515

that thing should handle 3' of snow with ease if working properly.....

my 40+ year old Case 108 - 8hp 38" snowblower can/has spit out more snow than you could imagine!

I bought it new and have manuals for both the tractor and the snowblower. The issue is the belt is so loose it just doesn’t provide enough tension to turn the pulley when there is resistance.

 

[skiwithjohn]

Provide the snowblower model label (1M044SBB) is correct you definite got the wrong belts. As 60" is no where near 150"

View attachment 70259

I would find a diagram showing the correct routing of the belt and make sure you install the belt following the correct routing. Make sure the belt tensioner is working properly and the tensioner's spring is attached properly on both ends.

I do not have the same models as you, but my experience on my JD equipment is the tensioner springs often become unattached from the tensioner. When I install a new belt it commonly seems too short and is a bear to get installed correctly. After some use the belt stretches and becomes easier to install.

Is there any chance you may have lost the tensioner spring for the snowblower's belt when removing the snowblower and storing it for the summer?