Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I've been reading the various discussions for a few days trying to see how many of you have totally stripped and rebuilt an old snow blower.

I have an old JD 826 that I bought back in 1987.  It gets lots of use up here in the northern suburbs of Syracuse NY! (about 200" of snow per winter)

This machine has a Tecumseh 8 HP that still runs well.  I change the oil once or twice per season.

I just put new belts and a drive disk on it but was noticing that the bushings on the wheel shafts seem sloppy.  The auger housing has some rust and probably needs bushings as well.  Additionally, I have two busted welds where the discharge chute is welded to the horizontal plate that rotates the assembly.  I put a couple of angle brackets on to hold the discharge chute on until I can get this rewelded.  It wobbles a bit but the snow shoots out just fine.

Overall, it has aged gracefully but it's looking a bit tired.  This machine was built in Moline Illinois before Ariens started building them for JD.

Parts are apparently still available, but are a bit pricey. 

I'm a pretty good mechanic but I'm wondering whether the economics at this point are justified or whether I should bite the bullet and get a new machine next winter.

What do you wrench heads think?  Does the old girl deserve another 20 years or should she be put out to pasture?

thanks in advance!

Here's the wheel bushings from my 1970 Ariens. The new ones were in stock at the local  dealer for $3 each. 

They're pretty standard so I can't imagine the JD ones would be that much more. It's an easy repair, usually. Sounds like with a trip to the welding shop you're good to go as long as the engine is running well.

Here's the auger bushings on the same machine. they were so worn after 33 years of use that  they had worn through and abraded the carrier.

New style steel carriers (they fit both new and old Ariens machines) were available from the dealer  for around $10. The bushings were around $4.



the new ones are installed here.



All that said - sell it and buy a new one if you've got the coin. Used prices are high this time of year, but new prices are flat. You get a lot of snow there.

I have a JD 826...Hard starting for me . Just bought a smaller model.. got a much smaller village home/drive. I'm selling the 826....I live just north of Watertown, ny....would be great for you..lot's of parts. still runs...tire chains... just tough to start! interested? $225.00...please email.....Linda

my email address is lovely13675@peoplepc.com...