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

I just purchased a Crafstman snow blower from my neighbor that was moving.  I went to use it for the first time and it appeared to be working fine.  When i was getting close to being done with the driveway the unit stopped throwing snow.  I took it int the garage and began to read the manual.  Please keep in mind the neighbor only used this unit two times, it looks brand new.  When i started reading the manual to find out what could be causing this i started to look for the Sheer pins, I cant find them!!  It appears that on the auger there is a bolt and nut by a grease fitting, I am curious if this is where the sheet pins are supposed to be located?  I wonder if the previous owner replaced the break away sheer pins with nuts and bolts.
When i engage the auger it moves very slowly.  I started looking at the pully and when the unit is running and I engage the auger it looks like the auger pully it bent, once it is fully engaged it appears to not be bent, is this normal?  Also the two bolts that attach the pully were very loose so I tioghtned them up.  I need some help so any advice is much appreciated.  Thanks

OK first mistake you made was running the thing before you read the manual. I know its not manly unless it has pictures but it does save time.

First thing to do before sticking any body parts into the blower is to remove the ignition key and disconnect the spark plug. I also like to put a 2x4 down the impeller chute but then I wear a belt and suspenders. The motor is not on when you do any of the adjustments below.

1. Shear Pins

They're actually shear bolts and they go through holes in the auger arms and matching holes in the auger "axle". Sounds like those oare the bolts near the grease fittings. These are what drive the augers. If the augers hit something that causes a jam the shear bolts are supposed to break before the auger transmission does. If you can find the holes and there are no bolts then they have been sheared, they can also still be there sheared off. If you got a rock, branch or frozen newspaper caught in the auger you would know. The remains of the bolt may still be caught in the hole in the "axle", it can be knocked out with a centre punch, drift pin or reasonably large nail. Replace them with shear bolts, you can get them at lawn and garden and many hardware stores. If they sell snowblowers they should have shear bolts. Make sure you know what size you want before you go there. Make and model  of the blower is also a good idea. The nuts that go on the shear bolts are quite tight so they won't vibrate off, you'll probably need a crescent wrench and a socket wrench to tighten them up.

2. Auger Belt

The "clutch" on the auger system is simply how tight the auger belt is. When the auger control is disengaged the belt is loose and the motor pulley slips. When you engage the auger control an idler pulley is pivoted into the belt so that it is now tight and the motor pulley drives the belt. The idler pulley is mounted via a bolt that fits into a slot in the pivot arm. You can adjust the belt tension by moving the pulley in and out in the slot and then tightening the bolt. The way I adjust it is to make it so tight the auger system is engaged and then to back it off slightly until the system is just slipping when the control is not engaged. To test you can start up the engine but make sure all bolts are tight before reconnecting the spark plug etc and remember to take the 2x4 out ( I forgot ... once). Once its "just right" turn off the engine and put the cover back on.

When the auger is working properly it isn't moving that quickly, maybe 60 to 120 RPM. Its main purpose is to shovel large amounts of snow back to the impeller which is moving at a high speed. The impeller is the thing that makes the snow go somewhere else.

From your description it sounds like the auger belt might be too loose. To check if the auger shear bolts are sheared you can try pushing the augers around with a stick with the engine off. It they spin around then the bolts are sheared. If they don't then the problem is probably with the belt.
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There is some information here that might help. The 536 Craftsman is listed as a AMF Murray. Maybe you can find something on the Murray website or contact their technical support folks.

Thanks for the help.  I did take the spark plug off before i stuck my hands near the auger, but thanks anyway for the advise.  Based on what you have said the original owner has removed the shear BOLTS and used a regular nut and bolt.  I will replace these with Shear bolts.  I also think the belt is loose.  When the auger is engaged should the pully look bent?  When it is running at full spead it looks straight but not when it is running slow.  Please let me know.  Thanks

I suspect you may be confusing the pulley with the belt.

A pulley is a hunk of metal that looks like a wheel with a "V" like groove around the edge. It can be connected to another pulley by a "V" belt.

It is unlikely that the metal wheel is changing shape while it is turning. Either it is bent and you can't see because it is turning so fast or you are refering to the "V" belt that connects the pulley on the engine to the pulley attached to the impeller drive shaft.

Assuming it is the belt then yes it is bent and more so when you engage the auger control. See my expalantion. The idler wheel pushes against the belt causing it to get tighter. This cause the pulleys to engage and start turning if everything is tensioned properly. Its not hard to tension it properly you just loosen the bolt holding the idler pulley and move the pulley in to tighten and out to loosen. From the sounds of it you want to move it inwards. Tighten the bolt and try engaging the auger control. The belt should start turning the auger. When you release the control the belt should start slipping and come to a halt. If you have the idler all the way in and it slips with the control engaged then either the control needs to be adjusted or you need a new belt.

To adjust the control you folllow the cable down to where there is a threaded linkage. You can sometimes tighten it up a bit but normally you need to get a new belt at this point.

Replacing the belt is fairly complicated to describe. Hopefully its in the manual.

If the pulley is actually bent then it needs to be replaced and then you get to tension the belt.

Hi there

I was using my snoblower yesterday and noticed that it wasnt throwing the snow like it should of been

So, today I checked the shear pin and one was missing, so I used the pins that came with the snowblower when I brought it!

I just finished snowblowing earlier today and was cleaning the bucket of the thrower ,and noticed that one side of the auger was bent pretty bad.

I was wondering if you could help me here

Thanks

Tim

Can you post a picture of the auger?

If the main strut isn't bent, you might just have to straighten the auger spiral.  If it's just the spiral, it shouldn't be too much of a job to fix.  Post a pic so we can have a better idea of what you're up against.