xcskier

Thanks for replies, guys. Regarding the harbor freight engine, according to my owner's manual, my engine is 691 cc displacement? Wouldn't the harbor freight be way underpowered compared to this?

Hello everyone. New user here. Sorry if this has been answered in previous discussions, but I haven't seen anything when using search function. I have an older Troybilt 824 snowblower, circa 1999. This machine is from "back in the day" when the Troybilt brand was owned by Garden Way, and before MTD acquired them. As several of you correctly point out, they don't make them like this any more. My machine has the Tecumseh 8HP engine. The particulars are: Snowblower Model No. 42010 Snowblower Serial No. 0209862 Info from Tecumseh engine sticker (in case this is useful to someone) HMSK80 155550U (H) DOM 6288A I am about average in mechanical aptitude. Between myself and a local small engine repair guy, I have kept the machine in great shape. It starts, runs and works perfectly right now. My concern is the increasing difficulty in locating spare parts. Naturally, more generic parts like belts, shear pins, some bearings, friction discs, are not hard to find. However, specific parts like augers and impellors are impossible to locate in my recent experience. The problem is compounded by the fact that Tecumseh is also out of business. When I last cleared snow, I hit a rock or something and bent the end of the auger into a 180 degree hairpin, which was rubbing hard on the housing. It was pretty difficult to get access in order to hammer/bend it back into position. After 2+ hours of monkeying around I finally got it fixed. Before I started the repair, I considered cutting off the bent end with a metal blade Sawzall. It would have been a 10 minute job. At that time, I asked myself, "What if you don't like the result? Can you get a new auger?" After an extensive internet search and speaking directly to MTD, I determined that there were zero augers available anywhere. So, I was somewhat lucky to get the old one adequately repaired. One of these days, something critical is going to break, and there will be no replacement part anywhere. At that point I'll be dead in the water, and making a hasty purchase of a new machine. Depending upon timing and luck, the inventory of new snowblowers could be picked over for the season. So, I'm pondering a few options: 1. Find a reliable source for spare Troybilt parts that fit my old machine. I have tried this multiple times already and had no success. Does anyone here know of a place? I believe that MTD direct is not useful in this regard, and does not usually have the specialty parts needed. 2. Buy a used Troybilt, same model and size, and use it for parts. This would possibly work, assuming the right machine at the right price is out there. I'm not too thrilled with having two machines taking up space in my garage, but it's worth consideration. 3. Make a pre-emptive strike and buy a replacement machine now, so I can be sure to get the model I want. After research, I have decided upon the Ariens Professional 28 model, with wheeled drive and friction disc transmission. Model number is 926038. This seems to be the closest match to my current Troybilt. It's right around $2000, so it's not something I am eager to do. I understand that it will not be as heavy-duty as the Troybilt, but it'll be new, under warranty, and easy to get parts. The advantage is that several of these are available at local retailers, so I could have it delivered literally in a couple of days. If I did this, I suppose I would sell the Troybilt for a few hundred dollars on the used market. Someone would be getting a good deal, but they would obviously be signing up for the same scarcity of replacement parts that's worrying me. I would happily repair my Troybilt for 10 more years, if I believed I could get the parts needed in the future. I just don't want to be forced into an emergency purchase mid-winter, and get stuck with a second or third choice machine I don't really want. I welcome any advice or input from the users here. I'm especially interested if someone has a source of replacement parts other than MTD for these Troybilt blowers. Thanks in advance.