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

Hello All,

I have a Troy 5524, and while out doing all the neighbors driveways, one decided not to take their paper up from the snow and I hit it.

The machine immediately stopped, I was able to restart it, and it drives fine, but the thrower handle as soon as you engage it, the machine dies.   The paper (and plastic is stuck under the black chute and it appears around a thing that spins (auger?   I've pulled away what I can, but when trying to get the chute off (4 screws I believe) the bottom 2 wont seem to come out, and the top 2 while off the plastic wont budge,  and it's not frozen on there. 

Any ideas how to get the paper off of the thing  (also tried scissors, but it only leaves the really hard to get to stuff)   I can't afford to have it repaired, and don't have a manual which might tell how to disassemble the cute and get to that area without nicking up my hands all over the blades.


I don't think I'm the only one who has ever ran over a paper, but maybe I am   lol. 
I tried to show a few different views.   

1st picture is a close up from the front view where all the paper and plastic is stuck to the top of the thing.
2nd picture is from the top of the chute down into the unit.
3rd picture is a further back view from the front.

Any advice (im a total novice with tools etc.  guess that's why I can't figure out why the screws are loose, but wont come off.

Thank you so much for any help you can offer.

First off REMOVE the spark plug!!! The motor might be storing up compression,when the paper comes loose with your hand in there,look out. As was mentioned use water to soften up the paper. Fashion a hook out of strong wire and work the softened paper out. Keep the paper wet and use the hook. Just a little space between the houseing and impeller will let you get bigger pieces out and free up the impeller.

Hope this helps
T.J.

Thanks for the replies,  I did previously pour very hot water (it wasn't boiling) into the chute and then onto the area from the front, but it only allowed me to get to a little bit.

Thanks Rat, now I don't want to mess with it at all  lol. 

You've already tried hot water, but do it again now that it has soaked for a while.  I hope you didn't leave it outside to freeze!!!  The next step is a big (long) knife. The thing in the back where the paper is jammed is the impeller. It spins counterclockwise and tosses the snow (fed to it by the two big augers) up into the chute. From the pics, that's where the jam is. Try to cut away the paper at the end of the impeller. If you can slice through most of it, the rest will fall off.  The "thrower handle" tightens the belts that spin the shaft the impeller is mounted on, because it can't spin, it dies. Don't worry about engine compression, you've already run the engine with the front disengaged. Just concentrate on slicing off the paper in front of the impeller (to the left of it) from the front. Once that's cleared the stuff behind it will fall off.  Also, you might be able to get a big pair of pliers down the chute and pull some of it out, it's hard to tell from the pics.

I once cleared a jam like this quickly and easily with a torch. But I was going to repaint it anyway   You don't want to do that.

You've already tried hot water, but do it again now that it has soaked for a while.  I hope you didn't leave it outside to freeze!!!  The next step is a big (long) knife. The thing in the back where the paper is jammed is the impeller. It spins counterclockwise and tosses the snow (fed to it by the two big augers) up into the chute. From the pics, that's where the jam is. Try to cut away the paper at the end of the impeller. If you can slice through most of it, the rest will fall off.  The "thrower handle" tightens the belts that spin the shaft the impeller is mounted on, because it can't spin, it dies. Don't worry about engine compression, you've already run the engine with the front disengaged. Just concentrate on slicing off the paper in front of the impeller (to the left of it) from the front. Once that's cleared the stuff behind it will fall off.  Also, you might be able to get a big pair of pliers down the chute and pull some of it out, it's hard to tell from the pics.

I once cleared a jam like this quickly and easily with a torch. But I was going to repaint it anyway   You don't want to do that.

You can probably use a 2x4 and a sledge hammer to spin it out.  Just be careful as troy built/MTD is known to use not the thickest metal.  That impeller looks fairly strong though.  It looks like your biggest problem is the fin that is straight up, so if you spin it backwards a quarter turn you should knock it loose out the chute.  A 4 blade impeller would be easier because it looks like it is turned at an angle that you might not be able to get a good hit in on it.

You might get some more room to work if you unbolt both sides around the augers.  They are usually held in by 3 bolts on each side in a triangle pattern.  You won't be able to pull the whole assembly out since the belt and drive pulley are still connected in back.  I think someone else had to do that to get a door mat out about a month ago.  With the front shaft for the augers unbolted it will give you a little room to move it side to side and up and down.

If all else fails, take it back to your neighbors and tell him either he gets it out or you won't do his driveway anymore :)

Thank you for all the messages,  I brought it inside the garage and will douse it in boiling water.

To the poster about the sparkplug, I wouldn't have a clue how to take the plug out.


The last poster.   I have all kinds of back problems, and I do everyone's driveway in the neighborhood because I want to help and it doesn't really hurt (until I'm done, then it hurts badly)   the guy who's driveway I got stuck in knew about my back problem and saw me with the machine turned upside down in his driveway and he said "howdy neighbor, hows it going"  I said crappy, and he said well that's good  and moved on about his business.

The nice part of me which does all these driveways for no pay (not even if offered) says keep doing his driveway as you are doing it to be nice, the other part of me says, don't do it anymore as he didn't even offer to help you fix it. 

I thought by removing the chute I could have access to that auger and be able to help unwind stuff that way.   Thank you for all the replies, I will get to work on it tonight.



Take care.

He saw you with the machine upside down in HIS driveway with an obvious problem and didn't offer to help fix or pay for anything?

Sounds to me you found out where to pile everyone's snow from now on. :)

To add to the spark plug removal:  grab the wire on top of the plug and twist while pulling up, then get a deep socket and unscrew it.  It is that simple.
They make special spark plug sockets that have a rubber insert in them, but any deep well socket should do the job.  They do have a couple different sizes.

This should be part of your end of season storage since it is a good idea to remove the plug to put some oil inside the engine to prevent rust.

Grapeape, Wish you the best in getting the paper away from the impeller. As far as your inconsiderate neighbor, the kind of behavior exhibited would sure make me think twice about doing something nice like blowing out his driveway in the future. ratd

Grapeape:

First off, the owner of the driveway that had the paper in it should be responsible for removing it from the machine.  Otherwise, no more free snow removal.  Considering you have a bad back and that you're supplying the machine, maybe one of the neighbour's with a stronger back should be doing the work.  Just my two cents. 

Have you tried using a saw blade to loosen up the wad of paper?  Might take a while but it should cut through it.  Even a hack saw blade will remove enough to allow you to pry the rest out.

Hello,

Thanks for all the replies, its so nice to know that people care.

I don't know what to say about the guy who didn't come down, I don't like to judge.   Not sure if this makes a difference or not, but no one in the neighborhood asks me to do this, I just go from house to house until my back gives out, or I run out of gas, and then stop (in the gas case I walk back to the house with the machine and gas it up (so it's the same length walk back with the machine running,  It seems counterproductive, but I dont have a vehicle to push or pull it in)   anyway since no one is asking me to do this, I feel kinda left out in the cold  (oh  bad pun  LOL) about if they should do anything,  they are probably mad as all the paper which I couldn't pick up (I got most of it, and put it on his doorstep as he didn't even bring out a trashcan or offer to help pick it up)

Machine has been in a heated garage all night and hoping that all these ideas will help now that everything has dried up. 

To the poster about the spark plug  thank you so much,  I don't however have any tools like that,  I just have a few screwdrivers and a few wrenches (very small ones).

I'm a computer nerd and can fix that stuff just fine, machines, not so much. 



I will take pictures if it gets fixed as I think that all of you who invested your time answering my problem would be interested to know how it all came out. 
Oh, BTW one guy yesterday offered me some cash,  it actually looked to be a good bit with a five on the outside (could have been all ones under it, but I bet it was like $15)  I turned it down, but it was cool to offer.  One guy in the neighborhood told me to stop he didn't want me doing his driveway and I said I don't charge nor do I accept any tips, he still said leave.   That was last year, and I see him with one of those little tiny snow blowers this year and it takes him 40 minutes or more to do a small driveway, I still offer to do his as this workhorse can do it in hardly any time  (well it could do it  lol)

Anyway,  thanks so much again.     Going out there with the boiling water and a fashioned coat hanger to see what's up.