$25.00 Marketplace Snow Blower! How Bad is it??? 

One of my favorite channels. Here is a small tip for people who use a utility knife to open plastic bags. Place the tip of the knife blade onto the bag near the edge of the bag, then pull the BAG across the table leaving the knife blade stationary. In my job I open hundreds of plastic bags of parts and other items. The "drag the bag" method saves the knife blade, as well as the surface of the table.

When one side skid is wore out its because the tire on that side is soft and that skid is carrying most of thw weight.

Isn't it amazing how a little bit of maintenance makes it like new.

Diesel creek is bringing out a little Mustie1 in this one.

I was getting jealous about Matt finding these free/cheap snow blowers to tinker with, then I remembered I’m Australian . . .

Good job Matt, like a guy who just lets the stinky axle fluid run on the floor with a pan or rag :-). like some mentioned keep the brass float empty and resolder and easy fix with your capabilities. Some others mentioned extend the worm gear and attach a larger bushing (pipe on inside) on the outside edge to keep it from coming lose. it's plastic, can't weld but JB weld would hold fine if prepped correctly.

I worked at Green Acers Lawn and Garden in Plamer ,Nebraska many years ago and I love work on the Briggs engines mostly on mowers.

Hey Uncle Matt, every nephew needs an Uncle like you. I gotta 14 year old nephew and I'm gonna pass down a 1975 C 160 Wheel Horse tractor. The 16 hp Kohler runs like a top, but the mower deck is rotted out. Your young man will be pleased I bet.

I see the flywheel for the road grader all machined ready to go on!

Love your channel Matt. I really admire that you picked up this snowblower for your nephew to earn himself money next winter. Best way for folks to learn a good work ethic, is to learn it while young. He is a fortunate boy. Good on ya! 😃

I picked up a 1969 Arien's 10962 snow blower for free off the side of the road, excellent shape, but they said it just stopped running. Can you say plugged carb? Yep, ran fine after that... that was until it blew a main seal and seized the engine. BUT! I scored a brand new Briggs snow blower engine for $180 and after some minor adjustments to some of the mechanicals, I dare say it runs just as good as anything on the market today. It'll dig itself a hole in the ground if I let it. I only have about $300 total into it, not bad for a freebie that has been able to chew through anything I throw at it. I changed out axle bearings, put new tires on it with actual tread (they came with these 'turf-saver' style tires), and just did a bunch of standard maintanence on it that would have come with owning one naturally. It's been a fun project :D

There are great videos out about adding rubber ends to the thrower paddles to shoot the snow twice as far.

These are some of my favorite videos, they're relatable. Not all of us have space or use for large equipment, but most of us have a snowblower in the shed or some other small equipment that could likely use a tune up and this is great motivation.

Also, for that shute control, make a plate for that loose end that has a short cylinder welded on it that goes semi-snug into the inside end of that worm. The plate would mount to the front. Test it holding the plate with some vice grips to the plastic first. Then just drill some holes and epoxy some nuts on the inside of that plastic housing to take some bolts to hold the plate

Way back when did the shoot screw have a flange on the front side. Put a steel plug in it.

You need to stabilize the front of the plastic worm gear for the chute. Maybe a piece of metal with a piece of pipe welded to it that fits in the plastic worm gear.

I promise I have never seen a snow blower in person operating, I have seen videos but that's it. I live in the Dallas Tx area and have had a snow shovel for about twelve years. Last week is the first time I have shoveled snow with it. A week ago Dallas had -2 degrees, the lowest ever recorded. We did get five to six inches of snow with it. A bad time for us and was glad to see the eighties for a couple of days early this week. Our normal high this time of year is in the mid to upper sixties. I use the snow shovel for yard cleanup and that has been it.

Ive serviced many a Tecumseh carbys. Ive actually found that sometimes those plastic floats will fail just as much if not more than the old brass ones and I can repair the brass ones as you can bake the fluid out of them and re-solder the pin holes or cracks. I like the older tech too lol

great video. A 25 dollar purchase with a little DIY tinkering and you have a lifetime machine of clearing. Great job.

You come up with some funny sayings'(what's a couple of inches amongst friends.) too funny. 😂

As I tell my kids, "If you take care of your equipment, it takes care of you."

I bought a snowblower for $5 once. A really old Toro, had to clean the varnish out of the gastank and carburetor but then it worked pretty good (when I could get it started) I now have one with electric start...best idea EVER for trying to get those things going in the cold...

Thanks for showing me the ways around a snow blower. This is really appreciated!

He needs to go old school with a snow shovel to make money in the winter! Builds character.

I didn't scan all the comments, but I use a pump with a hose for the gear lube. They are meant for outdrive repairs, but I use it on differentials and anything where access is an issue. They can be had for a couple bucks. Nice snow blower find! 👍😁

The ta-dah when he gets it in the garage is hilarious 😂👍🏽

Matt! I have a mid 90's Craftsman 8/26. I prefer Briggs over Tecumseh, but it always fires right up so I don't fix it if it ain't broke. Like where you are, the snow is hit and miss here, so it tends to sit more then is used. Useful when needed though. I put premium and fuel stabilizer in it to keep the carb healthy. I run it through every once in awhile too just to lube things up. I do that with anything seasonal I have and it has saved me many a rebuild and repair. I keep premium in all my small engines. $20 in premium in a fuel can goes a long, long way - keep the Ethanol out. I've struggled to adjust it's height to where it needs to be. Your tips on how to do that are amazingly helpful to me! Thank you! I reckon that will work great. That odd air valve means there is a tube in that tire most likely - which is good - as you said, those machines don't go fast and that dried tire on that side will go forever with a tube in it. The only thing I have left is trying to figure out how to tighten that dang clutch wheel without stripping a sheer pin (again). It just hates to engage drive properly and wont disengage unless I lift it a touch. Annoying and hard on the back. I love your big toys and small toys and get ideas from all your vids. Keep up the good work!

One thing I learned a few years ago when the pump gas was mandated to have ethanol added to it. A friend suggested using Marine / RV grade gas, no ethanol in it. Yes it cost more but I no longer screw up the fuel system on my snowblower OR lawnmower at the end of the season. I leave that fuel in the machine in the off months and have NEVER had a problem with the carburetor since. Even with the extra cost of the fuel, for the amount that I use it is worth it!!!

Those Tecumseh motors are easy to work on, I have 3 snow blowers with them. 8, 10, and 10.5 hp. Thanks for the video matt.

For thin sheet metal like that I find a large crescent or adjustable wrench works great. Not as much fun as a BFH (Big Friendly Hammer) but it gives you better fine-tunability with thin metal.

The chute worm screw has the end/retainer broken off. That is why it is flopping all over.

Tire pressure will affect The cutting edge make sure they are the same put two quarters in the middle of The cutting edge and drop the skid plates

Don’t forget to give the boy the Starter Warranty. Once you start it up the warranty is null and void! Great job!

Question... how in the HELL does ANYONE give this guy a thumbs down?? Love the videos Matt!!

Easy fix for the worm gear chute adjuster: Cut a hunk of plastic or metal with a U shaped slot, then insert it next to the U joint, so the worm can't hop out of the housing. That is a pretty sketchy design...however it may not still all be there!

I have to take off my hat for you. Any body that takes the time and effort to furnish a used snow blower for his nephew is certainly all right in my book. My uncles never did anything like that for me.

Take a piece of tubing that fits inside the crew, and make a bracket that bolts under the bottom in a C shape to hold screw in place.

Float can be heated to evaporate the fuel/water in it. Bit of scuffing and you can resolder the leak closed. The plastic ones are just as good, but I'm a brass and solder kinda guy.

Good work. $25.00, a couple of carb parts and a little time. You got a decent deal.

Man, I love those $25/€25/£25 deals - the satisfaction of bringing them back to life and into service is priceless - they’re getting harder to find though…..

That was a mint idea for ur nephew to make a bit of money Matt what ever he buys with his money will enjoy ten times better because its hard earned 👍 😎 uncle award 🏆

I have a Craftsman Chipper/shredder with basically the exact same 5 HP Tecumseh engine and it starts first pull as well. I was impressed with that after doing carb work for the same reason as well... Tecumseh closed down in 2009, but parts are still available for them most everywhere.

Weld a piece of sheet metal under the plastic screw for the shoot and capture the end of the plastic screw with UHMW to hold it in place !

I can hear AVE applauding your over the shoulder carb cleaner disposal method

Sir Matt !!! Great going !!! Only comment is to take the shear bolts out and lube the auger shafts so that they don't weld themselves to the augers as had that happen on the blower that I had and had to replace the auger gear box !!!! Thanks for the video & ""KEEP IT SAFE ""!!!!

My dad used to clean the brass float, and solder the hole with his BernzOMatic Torch.

On cracked tires I use that spray insulation stuff. You can’t get it though the valve stem so you drill holes in the side wall and spray the foam in. You need about 6 holes per tire. You still get a soft ride but the tire will last for life.

Got a Toro CCR1000e for $40. Pealed off the black pasti dip to show mint plastics. Needed a $4 spring on the brake/tensioner arm and some fresh gas and she's mint. Already have a CCR2500e and 3000e GTS. Love em.

Your workshop reminds me a lot of mine, ( I retired and sold out many years ago ), Stuff everywhere, workbench always full of stuff. (Mom and Pop motorcycle shop mostly but would take on most things that interested me, never made much money but was happy in my own mess). Had lots of regular customers/friends, more often like a club than a business. Sometimes , mostly in the quiet times, my wife and her helpers would clean the place up, throw out what they classed as junk, hang the tools up correctly, put stuff in cupboards and on shelves. Would take me a few days to find stuff as I needed it, get my own mess back, get working properly again. Was an untidy mess to most, but I virtually could put my hands on whatever I wanted. Great to see you working Matt, just go on enjoying your life, it's reward enough when you get something fixed up and working, the money you make only goes to pay bills and buy more stuff .

Nice. I have that exact snowblower frame, but a 9hp Tecumseh. I've had mine for almost 20 years, I think. They were made by Murray. The chute control has never been a problem for me. I put lithium grease on it years ago and haven't touched it since.

If you add rubber pads to the throwing paddles you will in increase the throw distance and lessen the chute clogging from wet snow build up, also a short piece of pipe with a washer welded on one end and put into the auger screw will work to keep the screw stable

Matt, you want take out the cutting edge, gring it back to straight then back on at 3/16" from the floor. As for the gear lubricant oil fill, flip back the whole thing on it's handle bar so the gear box is +/-vertical then fill. Oh also, lube the shaft side bushings with plenty of white grease. Running dry, they wear fast. Checked it's spark plug ? A quick check and cleaning. Plus an extra one, just in case. Also, show your nephew how to change the safety break bolts (that you've, of course. put in the box with a couple of cheap keys !) Nice find at 25 bucks. The kid will do good with it ! 👍

Nice work Matt. Bumping metal straight works better if you hold a heavier hammer on the side it is bent toward about an inch or so away from the bend. With the other hammer hit on the bend until it moves. Some practice and you will be a body man. 😁😎

Hand pump soap bottle. For the oil in the gearbox

For the wormy chute mechanism, I'd be tempted to use some scrap sheet metal to make a bracket across the "open" end of the worm box, and fashion a cheap bushing to keep the worm end centered. But then, my fabrications skills generally aren't exercised beyond bent paper clips and shelf brackets (not on the same project).

I beat the crap out of a snowblower in Venango County on a gravel parking lot. Destroyed it in a month. I forget where I got it. Glad I live in Fla now.

*- Maybe this will work to extend the worm gear shaft end:* *- Push a 2-3 inch PVC pipe inside the worm gear hole.* *- Add/glue on a PVC collar over the inside PVC pipe with the correct OD diameter so the worm gear shaft so the gear can turn nicely but not back out of the slot.* *- Alternately, lathe turn a piece of hard wood into a plug to go into the worm gear end hole with a collar matching the OD of the gear shaft.* *- Remove the shoot turntable and load up the "race" part with real silicone grease, not a spray liquid.*

Love it when a plan comes together!

Don’t know if you’ll see this or not but next time set the cutting edge on a piece of 1/4 inch plywood then adjust the skids to the floor . Now for the shoot . Put a piece of steel under it, use the two 1/4 ‘’ bolts that hold up the plastic piece.

At 50 degrees it's a combination snowblower and slurpee machine. 👍👍

Bought a $25 Toro single stage snowblower from Craigslist a couple months ago and it's proven to be pretty dang reliable in these harsh PA winters after a simple carb clean!

Put a piece of metal pipe and the worm gear and mowed a little flat washer on the end and keep it from popping out where it sticks out a few millimeters from the edge

Use A little bit of marine grease slightly on the rotary shoot were it turns.& add A couple squirts of WD-40 spray on the grease working it both directions. It will free up smoothly enough to start free turning by itself after doing that to it Matt.

Another nice find!!!! Maybe find a metal worm gear for shoot

I know this is late in the game but, get a piece of PVC pipe that will fit into the plastic auger screw on the shute. Then glue a cap on the end of the short piece of PVC, and glue the PVC pipe into the open end of the auger screw. This should help stop the auger screw on the shute from trying to escape the front fitting. Just my $.02 worth

Good job....always like watching you channel..... never boring.....well, very rarely....lol

Enjoying your channel while in the hospital. Had back surgery on Thursday morning to remove a thoracic disc. Binging on your channel, abom79, Keith Rucker, Keith Fenner, Jeff Bradshaw Hamiltonville and others to keep my mind off the pain

Should have started with the crescent wrench

Get a dowel stick the same size as that worm screw and glue a short piece inside the worm screw so it can't fall out of alignment, a piece 2-3 inches long will do.

Always fun to buy cheap things like this and get them running. Thanks for the video

Cool find on the snow blower. Next on your to do list: make yourself a nice,heavy, steel top work bench. One you got is swaying a bit when you were making the shoe.... My favorite one is made with I beam and 3/8 plate steel for the top. Probably over a thousand pounds but she be stable.

It looks like the plastic flexes on worm gear housing. Find a piece of pipe or conduit that fits inside existing worm gear and weld a washer on the end of it. Insert it inside the plastic and drill through both of them on the inside of the plastic housing. Secure with a roll pin or cotter pin. The longer the piece you can get inside the worm gear, the more rigid it will be. Old farm trick from Wisconsin. Good luck

you could splurge and get a poly-carbonate cutting edge for it. We've just gotten HDPE in 6 ft lenghts, cut it down to size, drilled some holes. our skid skid shoes have HDPE shoes, the metal part stays on the housing, the HDPE is removable.

I had the same exact lawnmower, some years back. Bought it brand new and used it for 12 years in New Jersey. It worked absolutely flawlessly. The only thing I ever did to it was changed to drive belts after about seven years. What a wonderful machine it was.

Chute adjustor could be half an inch longer toward the front. Wooden dowel plug in the end with a fender washer screwed on to prevent it moving as much when adjusted.

Nothing better than coming home from work and have a new video from Diesel Creek. Thanks Matt for making my day a little happier keep up the good work and stay safe out there.

Mustie Creek?? Great video, I have the same motor on my $40 Snapper snowblower that I found on Marketplace. I rebuilt the carb, and it runs amazingly and starts in the coldest of weather with one pull. They are good snowblower motors.

I have almost the same snowblower but without the electric start. Mine leaked too but it was the gas line that rotted away. A cheap fix, just a few dollars for new gas line. The challenge is that the gas line runs from the carburetor on one side of the machine to the fuel tank on the other, snaking under the machine. With a bit of persuasion I got it through. Mine was manufactured by Noma in Toronto, across the pond from you. I live north of Toronto and since we don’t get a lot of snow, I only use it 2 or 3 times a year, so it is in factory condition.

Best Uncle Ever!

Just bought some valvoline gear oil that came in quart bags with nozzles. Made putting new oil in my diff really easy.

Tilt it back and 3 pounder it in the center to bend it slightly up to give it more space.

@27:45 to 27:55 reference the bolts holding chute on. Make a flat circular collar that fits around chute and mount to those bolts. That becomes your load transfer point to push-pull chute which you can do by big blue glue gunning a tongue or 2 on the collar extending up from collar. The screw rod may have to be lengthened/bent to push/pull on tongue to rotate chute which you should be able to do in an approximate 135 degree arc vs the 180 you get with plastic worm gear.

I ran the VIN on CARFAX. This unit was previously owned by NASCAR of Alaska (who run their races counter clockwise). This accounts for the left side wear bar being disintegrated.

put a piece of steel under that plastic bracket that can hold it together so the auger doesnt drop down. A piece looking like this |____|

For easier starting, use a full synthetic oil, say a 5W30. Synthetics don't thicken as much at colder temperatures as conventional oils do, even if they are both multi-weight. Won't make much, if any, difference in the summer, but it will in the winter. Small engines like this aren't picky, just get whatever's cheapest.

My brother picked one up off the curb in the middle of the summer and it worked just fine. He sold it on marketplace for something like $50 that winter

Bought the same model for $50. Previous owner put new belts on wrong. It wouldn't through snow or move and the shaft bolt would spin off. Got them realigned, put a longer bolt in with some loctite and it works great. Only problem I have is the square discharge will plug up easily if you don't keep the auger going in wet snow.

Matt a piece of black iron pipe of the right diameter and weld some steel round bar stock to replace the plastic spiral gear for the chute rotator. Use some larger brass pipe as greased bushings for easy spiral gear rotation. Heat the bar stock to bend around the pipe and tack as you go.

I over came the chute turn problem on my 42inch craftsman tractor mounted snow thrower by fabricating a gear and using a car window motor to turn it, no it was not easy but it is very satisfying to know I made it and it works great

That's funny - I was in my garage tearing my snow blower apart because the impeller is bent and it has some bad bearings and I was just letting RU-vid do it's thing and play whatever video was up next and lo and behold I walk back in and see this video. This snow blower is almost mechanically identical to mine except mine's a Snapper. The Tecumseh engine seems very reliable as long as it's getting gas.

the carburator is GOONA BE PRETTY NICE

Glad we don’t have a need for those type apparatus in our neck of the woods but maybe every 7 years !

Spray inside of blower and shout also keeps snow and slush from sticking,

Man why do I always end up missing stuff like that on marketplace! 😂 The wet snow made me think of something; before you give it to the nephew, put some old mud flap pieces on the impeller; it'll fling snow even further and wont clog up easily on the wet stuff

Perhaps put chute to dead center forward, use small eye bolt toward bottom of "pivot" area of same and fasten small cable or rope continous back to handle area so that you could pull to move chute left or right. This would be much the same as controlling a horse with a bridle??? Might work...??? Good luck and perhaps it would test part of the ability of the kid vs shovel.

Should have added a street elbow to that oil drain tube. That way, you'd never have a problem with the tube coming out of the block, and for an added bonus, the oil would come out straight down.

You can check the inside diameter of that worm drive and add some pipe so that it can not fall back into the Housing when you turn it.

Hi Matt. It is called a discharge chute.

First time I ever seen a snowblower burnout :-)

Hi Matt ,possibly you could put some kind of rotatable piece at the very top of the chute ,and forget the rotating base.