# Troubleshooting help Toro 521



## Rlinthicum (Jan 13, 2019)

I am a newbie and need troubleshooting help. While using 521 today I hit some dirt and rocks, heard what I thought at the time might be a shear pin snapping as blower stopped blowing. After melting all snow and ice out of blower, I cannot manually turn either the auger or the impeller. If it was a shear pin wouldn’t one or both of the auger blades spin easily? The shear pins both appear to be in place. The auger blades just rotate by hand a little bit in each direction. The impeller does not move at all. Am I in big trouble?


----------



## Lottstodo (Feb 16, 2018)

Check belts as you may have detonated a belt and it wrapped around things that a belt is not supposed to be around. As well it could have just jumped off and is binding between pulleys and housing or other things. Also check for rocks and dirt between the back of the impeller and the back of the blower housing. I have seen them wedge in there under load and lock it up tight.


----------



## JamesReady (Mar 5, 2012)

Sounds like shear pin(s) to me...…

I've blown a few in my days and they always act like you describe.... The bolt, when sheered, "smears" it self when breaking. They do not snap clean at a 90* angle.

That "smear" makes it hard to turn. Just drive one out..you'll see.

Good luck man.

John


----------



## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like something (rock, etc) jammed in the impeller to me. Especially since you said the augers will wiggle a little, but the impeller won't move at all. If you'd just broken & smeared the shear pins, that wouldn't do anything to the augers. 

I'd grab a flashlight and take a close look around the impeller. Something stuck between the blades and the housing is your best-case scenario. Something stuck "behind" the solid part of the impeller would be worse. 

By all means, check the shear bolts. One way to see if they're still intact, without needing to remove them, is to put two wrenches on one shear bolt, and twist the wrench that's on the bolt head, and see if the other wrench wants to turn as well. 

The belts are also worth checking, in case they jammed up the impeller pulley. 

If you do find a jammed rock, I'd be inclined to try turning the impeller "backwards" to remove the rock, opposite the normal direction it spins during operation. You could use a piece of wood to push on the impeller.


----------



## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

Lottstodo said:


> .... Also check for rocks and he shutedirt between the back of the impeller and the back of the blower housing. I have seen them wedge in there under load and lock it up tight.


Excellent suggestion-my 521 does this occasionally at the start of the season and will lock up like a bank vault.I have a 3 foot crowbar I keep next to the garage door that I stick down through the shute to knock the impeller in whatever direction necessary to free the stone.There's quite a gap between the impeller and housing,but the thing throws wet snow so well,I've never seen the need to put an impeller kit on it.


----------



## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

need the TORO model number 37??? or 38??? and serial number.

if it a 2 stage toro, stands alone with using grade 5 bolts on the auger


----------



## Rlinthicum (Jan 13, 2019)

Thanks for all of the replies. I will try all of them tomorrow morning. 

My model is 38052, serial # 6906856. Original owner, so this puppy owes me nothing!


----------



## Rlinthicum (Jan 13, 2019)

If the shear pins smeared what is the secret to getting them out?


----------



## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

thank you for the model information, 
as normal for most all toro's your model fails to use auger shear bolts like on the other brands.toro uses a way stronger steel geared auger gear box. for the auger, in place of auger shear bolts it uses the grade 5 bolt with a locking nut, the part number is 321-10 for the bolt and 3296- 10 for the nut, something one can get in any hardware store as a 5/16 x 1 and 7/8 long 
here's a link to toro's website were you can find the information and download your shop manual 
https://www.torodealer.com/en-us/Pa...mK+qW&defaultTab=parts#toro-parts-lookup-tabs


as to why it stopped i would carefully look in the impeler area to see if you have something left stuck in there ,as thats a big reason i have gotten many a toro traded in to the poe shop i work at. one time it was a paving stone. good luck,my bet is on a rock stuck deep in the impeller area


----------



## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

heres a shot of the bolt toro uses in your model and others, as can be seen it a normal grade 5 bolt


----------



## Rlinthicum (Jan 13, 2019)

*Thanks*

Thanks for all of the helpful advice. Turns out it was indeed a small rock wedged between the impeller and the housing! Back in business as the shear pins were both unaffected. :smile2:


----------



## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

33 woodie said:


> .....
> toro uses a way stronger steel geared auger gear box.


Unfortunately,no.I also have a 521, 38052 same year as OP's.I assure you,the auger gear is bronze-I've seen it with my own 4 eyes.


Toro certainly has a lot of faith in the strength of their auger gearboxes.The thickness of the aluminum housing on the 521 is substantial and well reinforced.The size of the input shaft is 7/8".By comparison,the gearbox on my Allis(Simplicity) 828 is downright tiny with thin castings and uses a 3/4" input shaft.


I can't count how many times my augers have been re-welded due to contact with rocks,pipes,2x4s-you name it.The auger box is the last thing I worry about breaking on that little Toro.


I got it directly from a Toro technician that the things that look like ordinary bolts that lock auger to shaft,are just that-grade 5 bolts that you can buy at any hardware store.


----------



## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

iiwas going by our dealer shop info mike. had to dig deeper and look for part kit 5-7180 kit on ebay for a photo .first for me too see your right shop manual wrong steel shaft gear brass auger gear still they use a everyday 5/16 x 1& 7/8 long grade 5 bolt to hold the augers to the shaft
never stop learning as the second one is what i'm used to see thanks


----------



## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Mike C. said:


> I can't count how many times my augers have been re-welded due to contact with rocks,pipes,2x4s-you name it.The auger box is the last thing I worry about breaking on that little Toro.
> /QUOTE]
> 
> I suppose, if you were having auger damage, you could try installing "normal" shear bolts. Maybe they'd do their normal job, and in this case protect the augers, rather than the gearbox.
> ...


----------



## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

RedOctobyr said:


> ....
> 
> I suppose, if you were having auger damage, you could try installing "normal" shear bolts. Maybe they'd do their normal job, and in this case protect the augers, rather than the gearbox..


As a matter of fact,I'm actually using stainless steel bolts that will break long before the grade 5s.


The problem is,on the smaller Toros with the drum type augers,they're a very flimsy design.In a perfect world,with no rocks from the plowman or other hidden dangers,they perfectly suitable.In my situation,they're just too easily damaged.But I have 4 other blowers ,so if the Toro dies,it's not really a problem.I got it for nothing,it owes me nothing.It's pretty badly worn at this point and the next costly repair will send it to the dump-minus the engine-that's fairly new.


----------

