DUEL BETLS SUCK ~ YardMan SNOWBLOWER Auger Belt Issue SIMPLE FIX Tips & Tricks! Why I Don't Use Them Simple Auger Belt Issue Fix Explanations as to WHY I Don't Like or Use Them
Arch, Love this video. Punched the bell and the thumbs-up. My 30", dual belt, Yard Works unit also keeps throwing auger belts. Your video has helped to diagnose: - Small 1" crack on the drive body, near the top mount hole, where the auger housing mounts. Both sides. - Main auger shaft bearing has about 1/8" (3mm) play allowing it to move front to back but not up down or side to side. - Outboard auger shaft bushings (where they mount to the auger housing) worn where the auger shaft can be lifted up and down about 3/8". This allows the auger belt pulley to tip front to back. Planning on repairing all issues and going with the one belt.
Nice,,, thanks for the story and the likes!! I will leave a link for some slow motion footage I took, this is one of two videos on it. You may wanna see it. I have a nice machine up on the table now with 2 belts,,uuugghhh Better to have one good belt with the issues like yours fixed!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Osp3WwwG1Sw.html
Nice video Arch and yes you are correct the last belt on always seems to be looser than the one further in towards to engine. The big issue here is the plastic belt cover is used as a belt guide and when we check them they are always grooved out from the belts rubbing on them and eventually they allow more play and then a belt jumps. The new upgraded belt covers and who woulda guessed have a metal insert installed to eliminate this wear condition. We have been ordering them from MTD by the case because we have changed so many recently. Donyboy73 just did a video on these belt covers but you need to be aware there are more than one replacement for different models.
I forgot to mention that,,I showed a quick view of a repair I did on this belt cover.. A simple piece of metal is all that is needed! Your absolutely correct,,,,,, I can't imagine how many covers there are. & Yea, they are so often cut up
I have a question. As a divorcee with two herniated back discs who just finished shoveling heavy snow along several paths for my little homestead, because my snowblower keeps bucking its belts, my question is: WHAT SIZE SLEDGEHAMMER DO I USE TO REDUCE THIS 🤬🤬🤬🤬 TO A SCRAP HEAP? I’ve sent it several times to the repair place, who charges full car mechanic rates for their small engine repairs. A $1,000 snowblower with $200+ in what should be $50-75 belt repairs, and as soon as I try it the belt pops right off before I’ve driven it one foot. Mine has a separate belt for drive and auger. I’m tired of this crap, and with all my landscaping and chicken coops I can’t use a plow here. I REALLY need a snowblower!
If ya have some time, watch my live show from last year, about 48 minutes in I ran the footage on slow motion to see the belts on a snowblower. Customer had the same issues. I did fix this machine too.. Not sure if I showed that here but I can look later! Its probably on my channel under the folder for snowblowers. I hear yea,, It can be fixed if the mechanic knows what he's looking for! There is another snowblower I fixed last year as well that needed the pully aligned.. Things move after years of use. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Osp3WwwG1Sw.html
I’ve only been doing this about 18 months, but I’ve learned a few things. One is never assume an OEM part is actually correct or will actually function as intended. Some are defective right out of the box. Next, never assume even a high end, new machine was engineered correctly so nothing malfunctions. I’ve had to modify bits and pieces to make things work right. As for parts, any time I order anything, if I can find a good price for multiples and I can afford them, I go for it. Little by little I want to be able to spend less time sourcing and waiting for parts as my stock increases. Of course the flip side of that is constantly having to accommodate more parts storage and figure out an inventory system. 😉
100% correct since Eliminator is an Incorporated company and we offer 1-2 day service we carry around $15k in parts inventory basically have everything needed for equipment we have worked on. The storage is a problem but i hate taking the inventory which takes 2 days minimum. Luckily old stock does not need to be inventoried but we still maintain it when some of the older equipment shows up and we need parts.
@@waynestefinashen239 I have soooo much old stock now! Slowly upping inventory on new stock now.. You guys have been at this a while,,,I'm trying to figure out where to keep all of this stuff!
@@TheNovaJohn If I’m not mistaken, Eliminator keeps some of their parts inventory in a shed out back. Maybe empty one of your used machine sheds and move it alongside your shop wall? Just a thought. As for me, I have limited resources and finite space so eventually it will become a question of only stocking most-used parts.
@@Rein_Ciarfella Yup,,,I have been dreaming of that for years!! Actually, on my property blueprint, it shows a small 3 foot kick all along that wall. Probably for larger cars back in the day. And there is the original Outhouse (potty house) which my neighbor still has as a pool supply shed. AND a small shed in that area as well! I just cant afford shit,,too many life issues the past 12 or so years but slowly trying to get back!
_dual_ and your tire is on backwards ;p I never heard about the plastic rims blowing up, that's gotta be people putting 40+ PSI in their snowblower tires. I know mechanics are seeing cars come in with 100+ PSI in their car tires due to those tire pressure warning lights new cars come with. People keep adding pressure to attempt to make the light turn off. That angled piece on the right is the "safety brake", it's suppose to stop the auger from turning when you disengage it. There should be another holder on the left side, but I've only seen the single belt models, so I don't' know what the dual belt model would have there. On single belt models it's a short stubby bolt that you typically have to remove to get the belt off. I see other people already talked about the problem with MTD using the belt cover also as a guide. Potentially, since the engine will have the mount holes, you could just make a belt retainer, or salvage one from another blower. The only question is will it fit under the cover. Those blowers cracking there is also pretty common. I don't know if it's true or not, but I've heard people claim that some snowblower companies intentionally use odd sized belts so you can't just go out and buy a generic belt. Most blowers only have single belts and a 26" machine isn't that big, so it will probably be fine with one belt. If that was a 28" machine, or 30"+, it could get a little iffy. And dual belts don't double the power transfer, so it's not like the machines capacity would be halved. People can look info on that up if they really want to on their own. I also like kevlar belts, but I'm not saying they are better or not. I had a machine that had freezing problems so I'd put kevlar belts on because they seemed to be harder to burn off.
Ohh WOW,, I can see how people that arent understanding pressure would over pressure their tires! Sooo freekin Dangerous! Yea, Sears has a Running Recall on the older small snowblowers that had the plastic rims! I picked up a set about 2 years ago I guess,,,I don't remember but they may still honor this.. I just had a Rim Blow Apart while the pressure washer was in my garage! I had just went over the machine and aired up the tire to the proper pressure and put the machine in the garage,, I didn't hear it but I could be a pressure change from temperature changes in the garage! Yep,,,,Pieces all over and the tire and parts were ALL Over! I think the plastic dries out, any damage/ nick, scrape could be a point of failure in the future! Yes its true, many of the tractors use weird belt sizes as well! Some of the better designs have nice shoulder bolts along the bottom pulley and this is where the reel issue is! Your right,, 2 belts really aren't better or deliver better power transmission on these machines. They do on other machines but on these, they can cause issues! Thanks fer watching!
@@TheNovaJohn Plastic can get very brittle with age, I did not think about that. Some plastics also basically disintegrate with UV exposure, so I guess even 10-15 PSI could potentially break them in that instance.
@@l337pwnage Yea,,age!!! Its a thing lol Its not for everything fer sure Not sure about Kevlar,, I have used it and seems fine but it may be useful but not for everything.. I will look into it.. Sometimes belts are used to absorb some shock and other issues so a more rubber like flexible belt provides this and also grips well. harder belts have other applications. Hmmmm,, definitely deserves more research
@@TheNovaJohn I just watched another snowblower channel, "Eliminator" something and he went through 3 basic types of belts. "Kevlar" or "aramid" belts are tougher, but they only come in 1" size increments so you cannot always get the "special" size some snowblowers need. Sometimes you can "cheat" with the wrong size and sometimes you can't. Basically if it is a constantly engaged belt, the size is less important than a belt that is engaged and disengaged by using an idler pulley to tension it. It also matters whether is your personal machine or a customer machine. Obviously it's more ok to "customize" your own machine because you will know it has been done and how to fix any issues.
Belt harmonics would be bad pullies, angles, tension issues, or improper belt sizing, etc. Dual belts work great for systems that have inconsistent torque loads. Perhaps one pully channel is wearing a belt faster than the other. Dropping down to a single belt seems like a troubleshooting cop-out to me.
@@TheNovaJohn I listen pretty good 1:30 ... 2:10 ... yeah supply chain issue, but it's not a design problem. Something has failed or incorrect. Simple fix but I don't like half-@$$ fixes most of the time.
@@TheNovaJohn 27:45 I think RU-vid recommended this video because I was shopping for spares incase my blower needs replacement parts. Was also going to get a friction wheel... getting replacement parts ahead of time is always a good idea. 👍
@@xephael3485 Unfortunately I didn't and really couldn't get a shot of the 'Design issue' here but I tried to explain it. I checked pully misalignment/condition, all of that. I spoke of these and spoke about the design issue here, hard to describe it. All of what you say can be true, just not in this case and as I mentioned, cheaper machines especially some of the older ones have design issues. How many times have we seen this before, kinda like Fords Better ideas!" I'm working on the one I show on the lift table, I shot some high speed footage of what I call "belt harmonics" There are NO lower belt guides and as I mentioned that here as well, I do a better job of explaining and showing this issue. In this case, there is no real fix for this, like you said, all we can do is correct for pully alignment (that is one of the issues here on the lift table machine) wear and proper belt replacement and adjustment. That said, its LAME, better machines have better belt setups and yes, as I mentioned some of those are more expensive like Ariens and others dual belt or not. Thanks fer watchin and chatting!
James, Just saw this. Hopefully you have resolved but if not, here is what my 30" has Model # 31AE6B3H515 BUT, there is another number under it which MTD specifically uses 060-3754-4. This will help get the manual and help with part numbers.