# 521 won't blow



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I think there's either an impeller bearing or bushing dried out or? Tractor part is fine, belts are good. I try to engage auger and impeller and it kills it. They both can be turned by hand and I can't seem to feel any play in the shaft. If my memory serves me correctly this is a somewhat common problem with these units. Is this right? What all will I need to order? I've never had on of these apart. 
Thanks


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Not familiar with this model but I would inspect belt if applicable.?


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

It


orangputeh said:


> Not familiar with this model but I would inspect belt if applicable.?


It's a small, two stage blower. Very popular machine in Its time.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*Might Just Be A Safety Switch. Or Some Thing With That Gutless Wonder Of A So Called Engine. Besides It Has Been In The 60's 70's There You Won't Need It Anymore This Year.







*


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## arienskids (Jan 26, 2018)

No safety switch on those models, they use a bronze impeller pushing that will fail with age I’ve never seen one cause the engine to stall though. I would check for ice buildup and gearbox damage, if it still stalls it may be an engine issue.


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## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

How is the belt tension? I recently had to place 2 washers above each engine mounting bolt

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

UNDERTAKER said:


> *Might Just Be A Safety Switch. Or Some Thing With That Gutless Wonder Of A So Called Engine. Besides It Has Been In The 60's 70's There You Won't Need It Anymore This Year.
> View attachment 191524
> *


Todd, we're under a winter storm warning right now. Supposed to get 6". There are no safety switches on the old girl. It's something in the auger/impeller driveline.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

arienskids said:


> No safety switch on those models, they use a bronze impeller pushing that will fail with age I’ve never seen one cause the engine to stall though. I would check for ice buildup and gearbox damage, if it still stalls it may be an engine issue.


No ice in it. Been clear for days. Definitely not the engine. It's very possible it is gearbox problem but it does seem to be something not wanting to turn in the driveline. When I begin to engage the auger it begins to make some noise and if I continue it stops the engine. I'll just take it apart and find the problem. I really want to keep it. I want nothing bigger.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

when i got my HRT 521 it had a bad auger bushing but it didn't stall the engine. i only found out about the bushing because my buddy wanted to install an impeller kit on it to see if he wanted to offer the service to his other customers


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

Seems like a block in the gear train. Hope it is a belt.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

detdrbuzzard said:


> when i got my HRT 521 it had a bad auger bushing but it didn't stall the engine. i only found out about the bushing because my buddy wanted to install an impeller kit on it to see if he wanted to offer the service to his other customers


I'm not going to mess with it till it gets warmer, now. Stay tuned...


Tony-chicago said:


> Seems like a block in the gear train. Hope it is a belt.


I really hope a belt is all it is. When it warms up I'll get in to it a make the needed repairs


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*Nothing But BLOODY FREAKING Cold Weather Here. 6 Above Right Now.







*


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Really blowing HARD.


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

When it snows and your blower doesn't blow, it sucks!


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Coby7 said:


> When it snows and your blower doesn't blow, it sucks!


Coby.. How are you doing these days? Yep! You're right about the blower. I'm grateful I have my Ariens 522 SS for backup. I used it for today's snow. These were taken early. We got 6-8" total so not too bad. The wind is FIERCE, though.


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Back is better this week after spending better part of 5 days last weekend in bed. 

Intriguing pictures. Is that a home made weather vane? What's the pulley for in the second pic? All that white stuff looks good on a Christmas card.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Coby7 said:


> Back is better this week after spending better part of 5 days last weekend in bed.
> 
> Intriguing pictures. Is that a home made weather vane? What's the pulley for in the second pic? All that white stuff looks good on a Christmas card.


That pulley is part of an ingenious counterweight system that holds the outside basement door open. The guy that built this house bordered on genius. He even built an elevator in it. I got that weather vane from a local guy. It had blown over and he had all new blades fabbed and welded. It pretty interesting to watch the wind shift. You have a pretty good eye.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

micah68kj said:


> That pulley is part of an ingenious counterweight system that holds the outside basement door open. The guy that built this house bordered on genius. He even built an elevator in it. I got that weather vane from a local guy. It had blown over and he had all new blades fabbed and welded. It pretty interesting to watch the wind shift. You have a pretty good eye.


What did you do to your back?


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Oh! I thought it rolled up the front steps when you looked your doors for the night. lol


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Just abuse over the years. Stupid stuff, like picking up the back of a Volkwagon Rabbit and swinging it over to help an old lady out of a bad parking spot. I was strong then, paying for it now!. But this last injury I got from a prostate exam would you believe...


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

detdrbuzzard said:


> when i got my HRT 521 it had a bad auger bushing but it didn't stall the engine. i only found out about the bushing because my buddy wanted to install an impeller kit on it to see if he wanted to offer the service to his other customers


This is the same blower I *finally* got around to repairing, last week. I'd forgotten about this thread I started months ago. Anyway, if you've been following I have it repaired and cleaned up.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

so was it the impeller bushing after all? I love that machine, perfect size for our suburban driveways.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Looks really nice ... I just serviced my neighbors Toro 521 .. Nice little machines. ... The 21-inch units sell really quick, as the single ladies like them for their easy maneuverability.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

micah68kj said:


> This is the same blower I *finally* got around to repairing, last week. I'd forgotten about this thread I started months ago. Anyway, if you've been following I have it tepaired and cleaned up.


at least you updated......now i can go back to bed.


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## Toon (May 11, 2021)

Please let us know what the root cause of the problem was, and the repair required. Pictures of the damaged part and repair process would also be nice.
We love pictures. Thanks.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Toon said:


> Please let us know what the root cause of the problem was, and the repair required. Pictures of the damaged part and repair process would also be nice.
> We love pictures. Thanks.


Well, this is a weak point, apparently, in these little 521 blowers. Impeller _bushing. _It should probably be a bearing. To repair the machine needs to be split in half and the auger/impeller assy. has to come out to gain access to said bushing. It's really not a hard job. If I hadn't had so much trouble getting a shaft key removed the job probably wouldn't have taken more than 1 1/2 hours from start to finish. Pic of the failed part.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

paulm12 said:


> so was it the impeller bushing after all? I love that machine, perfect size for our suburban driveways.


They are a really nice little machine. Only wish their impeller was a couple inches larger diameter.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Actually, that impeller bushing does not look all that bad ... I have seen way worse than that.

Yeah, the hard part is the dismantling and reassembly, especially with frozen rust welded parts ... all part of maintaining our older, and even sometimes newer equipment.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Oneacer said:


> Actually, that impeller bushing does not look all that bad ... I have seen way worse than that.
> 
> Yeah, the hard part is the dismantling and reassembly, especially with frozen rust welded parts ... all part of maintaining our older, and even sometimes newer equipment.


This machine is actually in VGC. There is no rust on it, anywhere and the scraper bar and skids show minimal wear. I believe they're original to the machine. You're correct. That bushing doesn't look nor feel bad but every time i tried to engage the impeller it screamed so i just replaced it and its now quiet. Pics show condition of blower.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Many times, that initial "scream" you hear engaging augers is coming from the belts ...


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Nope. I put a stethoscope on the machine. Bushing. 
Something else. If it was a belt squeal the bushing stopped that. 😉


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

Been there lol


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

JJG723 said:


> Been there lol
> View attachment 201833


😂 I try to take care of items like this *BEFORE* the snow flies. Dang. Why didn't you take it to the barn to do this? That couldn't have been fun.


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

micah68kj said:


> 😂 I try to take care of items like this *BEFORE* the snow flies. Dang. Why didn't you take it to the barn to do this? That couldn't have been fun.


Yup, my machines are gone though well before the snow flies. This wasn't my machine. It was the neighbor of a co-worker who asked if I could do the repair for him. This was back in 2015 and the gentleman who owned it was in this late '70s early '80s if I remember correctly. Besides working on the machine, I wanted to work on my tan 😂🤣🤣. Surprisingly enough, the machine came apart really easily. I think I was finished in 1.5hrs.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

JJG723 said:


> Yup, my machines are gone though well before the snow flies. This wasn't my machine. It was the neighbor of a co-worker who asked if I could do the repair for him. This was back in 2015 and the gentleman who owned it was in this late '70s early '80s if I remember correctly. Besides working on the machine, I wanted to work on my tan 😂🤣🤣. Surprisingly enough, the machine came apart really easily. I think I was finished in 1.5hrs.


I spent the better part of a day, trying to remove that doggone key from the shaft or I would have had that job done in a short time. I use a Milwaukee 1/4" impact to disassemble and to restart fasteners and it saves a huge amount of time.


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