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

I'm trying to remove the chain from my 1970 ariens snowblower. How do you do this? I can see that the connecting  link  retainer can be spread apart slightly , but I'm not sure if you push the pin thru while it's slightly spread apart or if you remove the link somehow.  Is the retainer reusable? At this point I'm using 2 screwdrivers to spread the retainer just slightly. It seems if you use only one screwdriver the retainer is not fully disengaged from the groove in the pin. Am I on the right path or is ther another technique.  Thanks Rich B.

You're doing fine. The link is called a Master Link, and the clip sits in two grooves in the pins. You need to carefully pry the clip out of both grooves. It may take some fiddling around. Some clips shoot out easily with a gentle prod from pliers. Others seem to take some persuading. Watch out that it doesn't fly off under the workbench!

Remove the outer plate  - then the rear plate with both pins will push out the other side.

When reinstalling the clip, the open end should face away from the direction of motion, to help keep it from coming loose if it should contact a fixed part of the machine.

The master link is reusable IF you don't mess up the clip. If in doubt install a new one - they are cheap.

John Davies
Spokane WA