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

Hi all, Looking for your valuable assistance in diagnosing this issue. I have a 5HP 2-stage MTD snow blower, and it was not working well when I took it out for the first time this season. Here is what I observed: - The auger turns only when there is no load or very light load. If I push it through more than 1 inch of snow it stops spinning. - The impeller is spinning just fine which leads me to think the auger belt is probably ok. (I did tighten the control line on the clutch thinking it was the problem before I realized that the impeller is working just fine.) - (With the engine off) If I turn the auger by hand, I find that it does not spin freely, suggesting that the shear pins are in tact. - There is some resistance when I turn by hand, but I can turn it slowly. My speculation: - Something wrong with the gear assembly? I did have to replace the gear-worm (the cog part) a couple of years ago because it got mashed by a stone. Anyway - much appreciated for any help provided. I enjoy fixing these things myself. The parts manual for my blower is listed here. Model number 317E610E088 http://manuals.mtdproducts.com/mtd/DocGetter?doc=770-97-9c.pdf Happy holidays, Tim.

From your description it looks like you'll have to go back into the gearbox.  It could be a sheared key on the worm.

Thanks - I should have some time this afternoon to pull it apart.