Snowblower repair

[Battis]

Troy-Bilt snowblower, 14 yrs old. Motor works fine, but the blades stopped spinning. Shear pins are intact. Impeller works.
Gear box, housing...? Worth fixing? New ones are approx. $900.

[Mk42gunner]

No idea, snowblowers are a new thing to me. For $900 replacement cost, I would at least tear into it and take a look. it may be something simple.

It may also be something that makes it cheaper to buy a new one.

Robert

[ShooterAZ]

My guess it that it's probably just a belt that wore out, an easy fix.

[MaryB]

If not a belt you may have broke a shaft in the gear box.

[Battis]

Apparently there's only one belt on this machine and it drives the wheels. I called a replacement part company and the salesperson said it's probably the gear box, which is common on those machines. That is my favorite power tool, much more fun than a lawn mower. Yeah, I'll tear it apart and see what's what. .
The good news is that the complete gear box costs between $260 and $369. Maybe I can fix part of it.
Couldn't make it one more month... of course not

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've heard there is a plastic gear in the newest snowblower gear boxes. Since your's is 14 yrs old, I'd think it's a brass gear. I wonder if you can just replace the gear, if that's what it is.

[rbuck351]

I'm not familiar with the troy built but most have a shaft that runs through the center of the drum/blade assembly that feeds snow to the impeller. That shaft has a brass spiral gear on the shaft coming from the motor that has a matching gear on it to shift the power 90 degrees from the motor to the blades. Both of those shafts have key ways and keys in them to hold them to their shafts. Either key can shear and/or the gears can break. Especially if you replace the shear pins on the blade shaft with regular bolts.

I would guess there is more than one belt. One for the transmission and another for the impeller and the blades. As the impeller and the blades are driven by the same shaft going through the impeller to the blade shaft, it appears to be the worm gears or keys in the impeller shaft. If it's the gears, finding the part may be a problem.

The blades and the impeller are both driven by the same belt which drives both.

[Battis]

The impeller still works, the shear pins are good, so it has to be in that gear box. $262 to $369 for a complete assembly will be worth it, unless the installation is above my pay grade (minimum wage when it comes to motors).
I figured it out - over 14 years, I probably used it 3 - 4 times per year, which means I've used it around 50 times. So, instead of buying a new one, I can try to fix it; hope for some serious global warming; or convince my wife that she should get a young boyfriend.

[Kraschenbirn]

Deleted by Kraschenbirn

[white eagle]

My guess it that it's probably just a belt that wore out, an easy fix.

that was my guess as well
belts are easy to replace most of the time
timing is the thing though most often if you
find trouble at the beginning or middle of the season there are no belts to be found

[Battis]

I found a video online that explains what happened and how to fix it. The shaft comes from the motor and out the impeller and meets the auger shaft at a 90 degree angle. In the housing is a brass gear that transfers the power from the shaft to the auger gear. Well, the teeth on that brass gear wear down over time, and if you hit something and the shear pins don't break, the gear teeth disappear, which I'm pretty sure is what happened. The shaft from the motor still turns but not the auger shaft. I got the machine into my basement and started taking it apart. Hopefully that's all it is. I went to Lowes and Home Depot yesterday to check out a new one but they have their lawn mowers out now.
The beauty of snow is that, eventually, it melts.

[MaryB]

I am at the time ofyear where the snow can sit there and melt. I am done blowing/shoveling!

[Battis]

We got 15" or so inches last weekend. Great time for the snowblower to quit. Shovel out the vehicles, a path to the woodpile and the walkways and call it a season.

[Mk42gunner]

I figured it out - over 14 years, I probably used it 3 - 4 times per year, which means I've used it around 50 times.
I've been thinking about this since you posted it.

I have to say that having something major break in as little use as you state does not seem like a good design to me. Unless you are clearing multiple sections of land (640 acres) at a time.

Snowblowers are so rare around here that I bought the old two stroke Toro I have for the opening bid of $17.50 several years ago. The first time we had enough snow to use it, it wouldn't start. I finally got it running this year, and wasn't really impressed.

Robert

[Battis]

The motor is fine - starts every time, even after sitting. There's rust on some metal, but not real bad. The controls work - shifting, blowing snow (well, before this happened). I had to repair a flat tire. But, thinking about it, that brass gear is definitely the weak spot. If something gets caught in the blades (rock, piece of wood, squirrel) the shear pins break and save the blades and the gear. If the brass gear in the housing is very worn, the remaining gear teeth will shear off before the shear pins break.
I've been looking at used snowblowers on Craigslist, but the problem is, I don't trust that brass gear on a used machine.
So, I'm back to fixing it for cheap money (cheap if I do the work). I called a repair shop today and they don't work on the Troybilts - they're not worth it, they said. So, I have a throw away machine that's worked well for 14 yrs.

Here's the gear:
https://www.amazon.com/HandyTek-Replacement-717-1425-917-1425-Snowblowers/dp/B08FD96RRB/ref=asc_df_B08FD96RRB?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80539336640452&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584138868156069&psc=1

[Finster101]

For 25 bucks I'd get a spare just in case. It is also like an insurance policy. If you buy a spare gear and have it on the shelf Murphy's law says you will never need it.....unless you misplace it, then all bets are off.

[Battis]

I could get a new gear box assembly on ebay. The brass worm gear is in that middle housing.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/363653096131?hash=item54ab69e2c3:g:~fYAAOSwkP9htMr c

[Finster101]

For the difference in price I would have to replace the gear. After seeing that gear box, it can't be that hard to do.

[Battis]

It'll be a nice summer job. Grass, hot sun...
One thing's for sure - there's no exercise in the world that can prepare you for shoveling, except shoveling.

[rbuck351]

That brass gear is not supposed to be the weak point in the blade drive. The shear bolts are cut about half way through to break before the brass gear breaks. If you have used regular or even worse hardened bolts instead of the special shear bolts, the brass gear will suffer. This gear is not hard to replace once you get the two shafts and "gearbox" out of the machine but you have to get the drive pulley off the back end of the drive shaft before you can remove it. I don't know if there is room to separate the gearbox housing while still in the machine. If there is, you can pull the blade assembly with the cross shaft out and replace the gear without having to mess with the belts and pulleys.

I had an MTD snow blower that munched the key slot and key that drives the blades and patched it. Those brass gears don't usually wear much but continued pounding of rocks and sticks run through the blades can tear up stuff. DO NOT use anything other than the proper shear bolts. I would tear it down before ordering parts to make sure what is actually broken/wore out.

[MaryB]

Ice chunks do a number on the gear too... In mine the shaft behind the gear snapped when the machine ingested a big hunk of ice pushed up by the plow. Was a pain to replace but parts were available so I tore it down that summer(I broke it in March... hence my philosophy this time of year let that garbage MELT!). Need to swap the carb on mine now, ethanol has taken a toll on it and it leaks.

[rbuck351]

Yes, ice chunks might as well be rocks.

[funnyjim014]

Probably tossed a belt. Split in half and replace the belts and inspect friction wheel

[Battis]

I think it's that worm gear. The wheels still move, the shaft to the blade axle still turns, but the blade axle won't turn. I figure that I have until next November to figure it out.

[Finster101]

Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow!

[Noah Zark]

I think it's that worm gear. The wheels still move, the shaft to the blade axle still turns, but the blade axle won't turn. I figure that I have until next November to figure it out.

Soak all the fasteners and auger blade spools in Kroil.

Noah

[jonp]

I am at the time ofyear where the snow can sit there and melt. I am done blowing/shoveling!

Huh. I planted my first crop of potatos, beets and rutabegas today

[Moleman-]

Huh. I planted my first crop of potatos, beets and rutabegas today

Supposed to snow here again monday.....

[Iowa Fox]

See if you can find a parts breakdown on the net as a assembly reference. Then tear it down. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Let us know what you find.

[rbuck351]

It snowed about 2" here last night. I have a John Deere 500 backhoe but I don't think I could dig a hole with it for another month or two.

I bet you are going to find a broken worm gear or the key that drives the gear. It CAN NOT be the belts as the Impeller is still working. The impeller and the blades are driven by the same belt.

Tear it apart, you have nothing to lose other than time.

[MaryB]

Quarter inch of ice last night then 2 inches of snow on top of it. TONS of cars in the ditch after skidding off the road. Been 3 years since we had an ice storm so most forgot how to drive on it. I shoveled my front steps, rest can melt!!!