Sno Blower Belt Broke

[Sandmannd]

I have a yard machine 8 horse, 24" blower. I was cleaning up after the plow went the other day and the belt or my auger snapped off. Is this hard to fix? I'm not very mechanically inclined so curious where I would go to have this fixed or if it's something pretty much anyone that's handy can figure out.

[Norsky]

Are you sure that you didn't just break the shear pins that keep the augers from turning on the shaft? If those are ok, you can usually just set the machine up on the intake end and take off the panel on the bottom, this will give you easy access to the drive belts-easy to change out. $5-10 yourself or $50-100 at a repair shop.

[Sandmannd]

Pretty sure it's the belt as it came out with a cut in it.

[iffwalleyes]

It shouldn't be hard to do. But that does all depend on how handy your are. If you aren't take it to a shop and let them fix it. Otherwise there will most likely be a cover or two that you need to remove to get to pulls. Go to the back of the motor between the back of the motor and and the chute. you should be able to fish the belt onto the impeller shaft and then spin it onto the pull on the motor. There will be some slack in the belt. Make sure to get it on the right side of the tensioner. The tensioner pulley is the one that when you pull down the one hand lever will slide against the belt and put the tension on belt. So there is the long and short of it. For me it would be a snap but for you you might have to decide if it is something you think you can do.

[echotrail]

Sandmannd, if you are near a Fleet Farm, try to get the replacement belt there as the price will be fair. If you go a hardware or engine repair shop you will usually pay close to twice as much. Bring the old one with you as it may help selecting another.

[luckyc]

Do you have the owners manual? That should tell you exactly what steps to take to replace your belts. If you don't, go to their HSOforum and it should have a owners manual you can look at. I can change mine in about ten minutes, pretty simple. Make sure you get the right belts though, they are power rated belts not regular car belts. Also you might as well change the other one also, cause sure as my name is luckyc it will break on you shortly.

[Sandmannd]

Thanks for the advices. I'm close to the Fleet in Oakdale, they are always cheaper on that type of stuff. I am going to their HSOforum to see if I can find the manual. Good advice on changing the other belts as well. It's only three years old, but might as well tackle it now.

[john.wells]

A word on belts- be sure to spend the extra money on a good one! You will have a few choices anywhere you go. I can't remember what Mills carries, but to be sure, ask the person who works the area which belt is the best. They aren't on commission, so they should give you an honest answer. There is nothing worse than spending the time to do a job and have a premature failure due to using a lower quality part-and when it comes to belts, believe me, they will fail VERY prematurely. Also, if the belt was cut, it would be wise to check for a root cause (loose or broken parts) that could have caused the failure. It could have just cut from rolling off the pulley, but just be sure to see if there is something that doesn't look right.