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

I just finished "having fun" changing auger belts. I hadn't done it for a while so I had forgotten the tricks I had worked out that aren't in the owner's manual. Hopefully this will help someone else.

1. Throttle turned off, ignition key out, spark plug disconnected.
2. Remove the belt cover.
3. Disconnect the chute crank from the chute.
4. Use a ratcheting tie down to join the upper handle ( operator's position) with the top of the auger housing and tighten it.
5. Loosen and remove the two bolts at the top of the traction unit that connect it to the auger/impeller housing.
6. Slowly loosen the tie down so the traction unit and auger housing hinge open on the bottom bolts that hold the two units together. If they jam and don't open go back 3 steps.
7. The belts will be pulled to the side but should not be put under too much tension.
8. Pull the auger drive belt toward the auger housing and slowly pull the manual starter handle so the pulley rotates and the belt comes off.
9. The same can be done for the traction drive belt although its normally the auger belt that needs to be changed.
10. Lower the tension on the tie down so the two halves open all the way but keep enough on it so that the tie down is still in place.
11. There are tabs around the outside of the large diameter impeller pulley, they can be bent a little bit to allow the old auger belt to be removed.
12. Place the new belt on the impeller pulley.
13. Use a twist tie or bit of string/wire to tie the top of the belt together above the pulley so that a figure 8 is formed. This will keep the belt on the pulley without you having to hold it. It also helps 4 steps from now.
    
14. Bend the tabs back into place.
15. Start tightening the tie down so the halves start to go back together.
16. Watch the auger idler pulley when it starts to get close to the belt. Engage the auger clutch control. This will move the idler pulley towards the centre line of the machine and cause the auger brake to pivot outwards.
17. Continue tightening the tie down, making sure that the auger belt misses the auger idler pulley ( twist tie) and the impeller pulley misses the brake pad ( engaged auger clutch). If the two halves don't go together the brake pad is probably catching on the impeller pulley, go back to the previous step.
18. When the two halves are together undo the twist tie and put the belt back on the auger drive pulley. This is done by pushing the belt on the pulley while slowly using the manual starter handle to cause the pulley to slowly turn, with enough friction the belt will turn onto the pulley.
19. Make sure the belt is not twisted and is properly seated on both pulleys.
20. Install the top two bolts and tighten.
21. The idler pulley moves inward when the auger clutch control is engaged. This tightens the belt around the pulleys. The increased tension causes the pulleys to grip the belt which in turn drives the impeller and auger. Effectively the idler pulley is the clutch mechanism for the auger/impeller system. The tension must be loose enough so the pulleys slip when the control is disengaged and tight enough so there is no slippage when the control is engaged.
22. Adjust the auger idler pulley as described in the owner's manual.
23. Release all tension on the tie down, remove it and put it away.
24. Install spark plug, insert ignition key, start engine and check for proper operation.
25. Once the belt tension is correct reinstall the belt cover.

Changing the traction drive belt is much the same except the traction idler pulley is spring loaded and automatically keeps the belt tension correct. The clutch mechanism is further along the drive train so no adjustment is necessary. I haven't come up with a good way to hold the idler out of the way while installing the belt. I'm contemplating drilling a hole to allow a bolt or piece of rod to be put in to jam the thing open while the belt is put on. The metal where the hole would go might be thick enough to accept a tap so a bolt can be screwed in for the minute or two it takes to get the belt on. Once the new belt is in place there is no tension adjustment needed since the clutch is somewhere else. It would be nice if the manufacturer put the hole in and welded a nut in place to make this all easier.