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

The belt in my Craftsman single stage unraveled so I had to replace it.  During inspection, I noticed that the rear portion of the motor mount had cracked and the engine/crank shaft  had a fair  amount of movement to it which, in combination with higher power being put out likely caused the belt to come apart.   I repaired the motor mount and everything is good and solid again.

The machine takes a 3/8 x 35" belt.   I called Sears and they wanted .... wait for it..... $38.95 plus $7.00 shipping for a belt they claim is 3/8 x 34-3/4" part no. 760928 - 2150.  I suspect the belt on the machine was original equipment.  It had the same part no. 760928 - 2150 printed on it. I went to NAPA and found an FHP belt  for garden equipment coded as a 3L350 which is 3/8 x 35" and fits the machine perfectly.  The NAPA belt was only $6.00.  

Is this a suitable belt?  Will it hold up? 

Even if it doesn't hold up, as long as it doesn't take too long to replace the belt, so maybe you have to do it twice as often. How did you repair the motor mount?

I don't know about that one, but the green kevlar belts (power rated) cost more but last a lot longer than standard belts. TSC carries them (I don't know if you have TSC up there).

I fixed the motor mount by fabricating a crude but effective brace.  It would have been nice to weld it but not having a welder nor the skills I opted for what I had available.  I don't want to put any more money  than necessary into this thing.  So, I made the brace out of a piece of steel that I had.  I made a couple bends, ground out a cut out to clear the crankshaft, drilled a few holes to line up with existing mounting bolts.  Then I found some longer bolts, a couple suitably sized spacers, got out the blue Locktite and put it all together.  It's much better than it was.  The bottom pic shows the crack in the motor mount on the bend.

To change the belt is a bit of a chore because the top has to be removed.  However, I've found ways to speed that up and it's not that big of a deal.  Probably 15 to 20 minutes, if all goes well. 

No TSC outlets around here. 

Looks great.  Looks like it was made to go there.

@borat

Can you post picture of the whole snowblower?  What's the age and who makes it?  Thanks.

aa335 wrote:
It's a Craftsman made by Murray.  I think it's a 1998 model.   I took it out for a test run this morning and it worked great, governor over-ride and all.   It's impressive how much power can be squeezed out of these little 139cc Tecumseh two stroke engines.  The big question is, how long can it last.  Time will tell I guess, but from my experience, most two strokes I've used can take a great deal of rpms/load without letting go.  Just make sure there's lot of oil in the fuel.  I like 32 to 40:1 ratio. 

This Craftsman is one of the underdog models.  They are frequently sold on Craigslist at modest prices.  I've seen videos of them working, it doesn't have the longest throw distance, but they move decent volume of snow.

aa335 wrote:
See that piece of string from the handle going into the housing?   Pull that string and throwing distance is increased three fold.   It's amazing to see what that thing will do at 6000+ rpms.

By the way, I bought that one used real cheap.   I'm still waiting for the Toro lady to drop her ridiculous price to something more reasonable.  Then I'll scoop it up.  In the meantime, I'll be having fun with the Craftsman.  If it lets go, it won't be much of a loss.  I bought it more for something to play with than actually depend on it for serious snow removal.  However, it's been so impressive that I haven't had the Simplicity out in weeks.

Hmmm...and I thought that was a wire for the tachometer.  :)

Looks like you got a little Q-ship there. 

I thought about putting a governor bypass and throttle control on mine, but the last time I played with increasing the top RPM, the engine didn't seem to like the extra RPM.  Too much shaking.

What's a Q-ship?

borat wrote:
It's an ordinary looking car that is stealthily fast. 

I have a similar vintage John Deere TRS21 which was also built by Murray.  The engine is a Tecumseh HSK850.  It looks like you have the original black rivets on the impeller which means you have the original paddle rubber.  For better throwing performance you may want to replace the paddle rubber.  Problem areas include the hose from the primer bulb to the carburetor (hardens and cracks over time) and muffler bolts loosen over time.

borat wrote:
Glad you found some appreciation for single stage.  They can do a lot of work for their size and power.  I find operating them is quite fun, especially on medium weight snow less than the intake height.

The 2 stage also has its place, it makes quick work of heavy crusty snow or when you need to loft the snow a long distance. 

Horses for courses. 

"For better throwing performance you may want to replace the paddle rubber. "

Or, just put a piece of string on the governor control arm.  This thing throws snow when the revs are cranked up.  Probably 20 to 25 feet. 

I really appreciate it's light weight and portability.  If and when necessary, I can haul it down into the basement with ease to work on it.  That alone makes me appreciate single stage machines. 

One other thing I forgot to mention.  This particular auger and chute configuration is prone to clogging as the moisture content of the snow increases.  Every time I have change the paddle rubber I have noticed a significant decrease in clogging.  I realize that the Craftsman is an experiment but new paddle rubber will reduce your need for running the motor at higher rpms.

borat wrote:

Kind of like the snow removal equivalent of a buggy whip!

Marc

borat wrote:
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
The term dates back to WWI when the RN would hide guns on merchant ships to lure in, then sink, U boats. Fascinating stuff if you are at all into naval history. UK and US did it again in WWII. Since then there have been suggestions it might be the best way to stop the Somali pirates today. If anyone is doing it, it's probably secret. The name comes from where they were first built in Ireland, at the port of Queenstown. You see a lot of them in science fiction.

Well, there you go!

A free mini-history lesson.  That was informative and interesting Bill. 

Impressive power can be had just by the addition of a piece of string.  I don't understand why manufacturers limit the engine speed so much on these two cycle machines.  My two stroke Toro Power Shovel runs at 7 to 8 thousand rpm.   This Tecumseh doesn't seem to mind running at 5000 to 6000 rpm.  I don't recommend revving the engine unnecessarily with no load on it.   I run it at normal speed until I get it into the snow then open up the governor.  That way, the engine is working but not screaming.