# Freebie! 2003 JD 826D in beautiful condition!



## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I connected with someone on a local neighbor website a month ago who was looking for suggestions for a new snowblower because his snowblower, 2003 John Deere 826D made by Ariens, was on it's last legs and not worth fixing according to the owner of a repair shop. I reached out posting brand suggestions and offering to pick up his old snowblower (hoping for free). No response. A month went by and he sent me an email last Saturday saying I could have it for free. Not wanting to wait and lose it, I picked it up yesterday.

He, after spending hundreds of dollars for servicing, it still ran like crap because of a dirty vanished carb, possibly because the shop missed the broken primer house at the carb, he not realizing the two shops never adjusted the skid shoes and I had to replace the scraper bar because there is no metal left for me to weld to. And, he couldn't control the machine due to severe creeping. The two shops told him he would have to live with the creeping as it could not be adjusted out. He felt another reason to get rid of it. What good is it if every time he starts it and it moves? There is no neutral. He can't stop the machine. You have it in gear, high gear, slip and fall, goodbye the machine! Maybe in to the road! Yikes!

So I brought it home yesterday and went through it. 

First, the carb was disassembled, the welch plug was removed, so so very important! The carb was put in a dunk tank to sit while I explored and worked on other things, then reassembled. It runs great now! Welch plug $1

The primer hose was broken at the carb, a snip of the scissors at the end of the hose and put it on.

One skid shoe was worn. I welded metal on to the bottom of both shoes.

The scraper bar was junk, any more wear and the auger housing would have been scraping. A visit to the John Deere dealer to replace it, $21 plus $5 for the gas.

Missing a shear pin. Replaced both for $3.

The plastic wheels leak air and brought them to the tire store for tubes, $30 installed.

Missing two 5/16" bolts that hold the chute tilt mechanism to the chute.

I tightened just slightly, the auger belt idler pulley against the belt.

The drive and auger belts of course have use on it but I wouldn't replace them. They don't look in any danger of breaking, besides I have backup blowers.

The oil was changed using synthetic oil. $5

Lastly, the creeping was fixed. I put the shifter lever in the lowest, R2, loosened the two nuts at the shifter arm, moved the hex axle to the far right holding it while moving the friction wheel to the far left.

What a pleasure and feel of accomplishment when it starts, runs well even purring, no hesitation, no surging or hunting, and no creeping! Ready to grab it, not knowing, if it will start moving!

For $65 in parts I got myself a nice blower. Picked up yesterday, brought home, fixed in one day, and today the expected rain snow slush mix has been upgraded to 3"-5"!

Keep it? Sell it? For how much? Not until I get another in this great a condition. I have a 1995 Murray Craftsman 10/29" I like and will keep that. Eventually selling my real 1993 John Deere 10/30"; selling my 1986 Ariens ST522, I like it's size and maneuverability, as this John Deere will replace the Ariens. I hate to sell my Murray Dynamark 8/26" because of its weight, the auger housing has a lot of weight, the whole machine has weight.


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## Mountain Man (Oct 14, 2018)

Sad that a actual repair shop would miss so many basic adjustments and repairs. Pre season should always have skids done, and check all fuel carb lines. I still see modern machines that have fuel degrade the lines in a few years.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

It's just infuriating to me to need some help and to turn something over to a supposed professional or expert and find that you knew more than they did. Or did they know and it was just a matter of them not caring ??

.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> It's just infuriating to me to need some help and to turn something over to a supposed professional or expert and find that you knew more than they did. Or did they know and it was just a matter of them not caring ??


I say to my wife, something is wrong when I fix things around the house and for others, that I do this on the side, it's not my profession, I don't do this full time for a living, and I know more than most contractors.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

Wow, that is mint !! I understand when a user/owner doesn't know much about machines, or care to know much. But there is no excuse when a supposed pro is that sloppy.


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## jeffwoehrle (Oct 30, 2018)

Nice machine!

Sadly, repair shops have really gone downhill in recent years. Old time owners long ago retired or passed on. With rare exceptions, you just don't see the kind of care (or competence) that once was.

Hope you get lots of years out of it. My 1032D just banged out another one with this storm. Still going strong after nearly a quarter century...


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Just tell the homeowner it needed a new engine or some other expensive part so they don't get mad/sad that you fixed it so easily. I usually put a fully adjustable carb on things I own if it's cheap enough as some things are too jacked up because of california emissions stuff.

I'm thinking that the primer hose being off might have leaned it out a hair or?? And what did the welch plug cover up or just seal a passageway?


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

notabiker said:


> Just tell the homeowner it needed a new engine or some other expensive part so they don't get mad/sad that you fixed it so easily. I usually put a fully adjustable carb on things I own if it's cheap enough as some things are too jacked up because of california emissions stuff.
> 
> I'm thinking that the primer hose being off might have leaned it out a hair or?? And what did the welch plug cover up or just seal a passageway?


I called him up and offered the machine back to him for the cost of repair but he wasn't interested, he had bought a HD Cub Cadet to be delivered 2 days later.

As many on here do buy a replacement carb that is adjustable for the older Tecumsehs.

Good call on the primer hose but the carb was vanished and needed to be disassembled and cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner.

The side Welch plug hides 4-5 orifices and needs to be removed for cleaning.


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