# sears blower with tracks??



## lardness1

im a new member to the forum and was wondering if anyone is familiar with a sears tracked unit like a mini-bulldozer, 8hp 2 stage, i am considering buying one for 485 bucks,seems in good condition,this one lets you tilt the chasis up several ways,rubber tracks are in good condition, seller claims everything works well. any comments here good or bad,honda make these tracked units and yamaha did also but they are....expensive,i had set a budget of 500 bucks max to buy a used unit for,im hoping the tracked unit can climb up one stair so i can blow off my front walkway.id sure appreciate everyones thoughts here on this prospective purchase.


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## nwcove

welcome to the forum lardness !! i do see a few of those tracked craftsman blowers on my local kijiji, but dont get a good feeling about the ones i see. i would do a ton of research on parts availability and price before i made that purchase. would a small ramp for winter and a wheeled unit be an option ?


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## lardness1

thanks for advice nwcove,ill get the model no.from him,im guessing this unit is 10-15years old so im hoping parts are avail,id love a honda tracked unit but they are too much dough.the ramp idea i hadnt though of,it would definitely allow my wheeled unit to climb it but id planned on selling the sears now that it is in good repair.thanks again,love the site and forums.


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## HCBPH

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I have worked on an older unit, can't remember the model but it was gray in color and probably a model 536xxxxx something or other. It was a 10 hp tracked unit with a friction disc drive.
The problem is the wheels and tracks can rust up and when that happens, they're a bear to fix. In particular the wheels that aren't driven can rust up on the shafts. I eventually got them off and found a spot with enough material on the hub of each wheel that I could drill and thread for a grease zerk. Additionally the tracks themselves rusted. IIRC, the tracs for that one are no longer available.
If it was me, I'd either do the same thing if you can or pull it apart and put antiseize on all the shafts with the tread and oil the joints in the tracks.
There is an upside here too, from what I remember it was a wheeled unit they swapped out the wheels for gears and tracks. If something went bad, I believe you can convert it back to wheels.


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## motorhead64

Hi Lardness
I would stay away from tracked units...they are harder to work on and parts are harder to come by. There is a reason why you see so few of them around. MH


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## 69ariens

I would stay away from that, because it made by mtd. They are known to have cracked frames. Only honda and the newer ariens have good track drives. One step, you could build a small ramp out a 2x6 if you buy a wheeled blower.


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## YSHSfan

69ariens said:


> I would stay away from that, because it made by mtd. They are known to have cracked frames. Only honda and the newer ariens have good track drives. One step, you could build a small ramp out a 2x6 if you buy a wheeled blower.


Do not exclude tracked yamahas as well k:


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## lardness1

thanksguys very much for all the input, i will rethink my purchase for sure.the only saving grace here is that the guy selling it has kept it in super shape and everything on machine is either greased or lubricated,this guy has a bunch of old vintage garden tractors too. so hes like all the gearheads on this site.im just discovering the joys of the snowblower world,but like a lot of you i like pretty much anything with a motor in it,a lifetime sickness


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## Oilverland

I saw one on craigslist and it looks almost the same as the "4x4" model I got a few months at a garage sale. It's made by MTD, and parts are available. It ran OK but turned in only one direction. I did have to do a complete removal of the various drive parts, replace the friction drive disk rubber, lube everything, add some shims to remove slop from a drive axle, replace a couple of bushings, and stretch the chassis to relieve some friction in the output drive shaft. I also replaced the carb since it was about $15 + shipping. Seems pretty solid now. Total parts cost $55 but about 16 hours of labor I'd guess, including some head scratching time.


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## lardness1

thanks again to all the posters for feedbag and suggestions,ive consoled myself with buying an older ariens project blower,all there and not running....but ran last year according to former owner,we shall see,again built like a 65 olds 98,ha.that 4x4 that oliverland scoooped for a hundred bucks looks interesting,good price too.


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## Zavie

hsblowersfan said:


> Do not exclude tracked yamahas as well k:


Yamaha! Count me in, I love road trips to Canada. Especially to purchase something shiny and blue.


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## lardness1

hey zavie, there is a tracked yamaha a guy has for sale on kijji in windsor ontario, hes asking about 2000 for unit but with the exhange for us bucks,by the time you change your amurican currency to our canadian beaver bucks that yamahs should cost you about 29.99 lol. i did buy the sears tracked unit after a lot of soul searching,id really like a yamahhaha or honda but cannot justify the cost as most guys want even used for hondas a grand or more depending onthe model/ hp the guy with the yamaha in windsor has had it on kijji for a long time too.


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## nycredneck

I've had a track 8/24 536.884800 for 16 years and it was 3 yrs old when I got it. It is a beast, I keep it in a shed and do regular maintenance. I can't kill this thing although I've tried in deep snow and also ice because I want a bigger one but it keeps going. I am putting fresh belts on it now.


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## Hanky

I had a Sears 8/24 I bought new in 1996 and had no problems with. I traded in on my Toro because I could afford a new blower. Yes it will climb stairs, was told that tracks are no longer available for these machines, mine were still looking good but thought I needed a upgrade.


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## lardness1

hey thanks guys for your input and thoughts,now that ive got this tracked beastie i cant wait to get some snow,because im taking it up to the cottage which is further north and east from toronto they get some big snow up there,i was up there last week and this blower will be helpful blowing the snow off about 800 sq ft of deck that some jackalope built on 24" centres so keeping the weight off is a priority,if there is anything special either of you would recommend doing to the sears with respect to the tracks i would appreciate any tips.thanks again for taking the time to comment.


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## Hanky

I am sure you will like it with the 3 positions on the front bucket in the road one highest one you will be able to blow a gravel drive way no problem. This mine when I sold it Nov, 2014




I had more small problems with my Toro in the first 3 weeks than with my Craftsman in all the years I owned it.


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## lardness1

*tracked sears snowblower pics*

hey thanks hanky for all the pics,yup that is exactly the same unit as i have and i took the little beasty to the cottage and it climbed down a hill really well and i parked it in my basement,will use at cottage,it also climbedthe stairs like a champ,so ill use it to keep the deck clear of snow as well as blow a pathway to 
front door and around to our side door to basement where it will live,we still dont have snow yet,its been avery mild nov and december is the same so far.i am glad to get some positive feedback as there is a lot of negative stuff said about that unit being made by mtd,and the folks on this forum are prtty darn smart and fair so im keeping my fingers crossed on this little unit,if it doesnt work out,ill take my old ariens 32" 924 series down to cottage and put chains on it and hope it can climb the stairs,the deck is about 16x45 ft so its plenty big but some chump built it on 24" centres and 5/4 deckboards so id really like to keep the snowload down,this spring ill reinforce it putting new joists in to split the span,also 2x8s used.anyway the sears tracked unit seems great,steers fine with those little triggers to lock up either side track,i guess time will tell if its durable for the longhaul,at least its stored in a heated basement which should keep it warm and dry when not in use.bob.


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## lardness1

*sears tracked unit sold*

hi hanky, forgot to ask you if its not too forward ,what did you spend when you bought the unit new in 96 and what did you fetch for it used when you sold it last year?? just curious,


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## Hanky

If I remember I spent $1,200.xx with taxes, it was $250.xx more than the wheel model. I traded it in to my dealer last Nov and received $350.xx and the dealer replace the belts and friction wheel then sold it to some one for there lake property. It was and is a excellent unit for gravel and steep ground. If my Toro dies I would buy a tracked unit again. At work we had a John Deere blower 1 year older then mine with same engine and tracks for 5 years and I like it but it was $300.xx more for the yellow paint.


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## Hanky

When you want to make a sharp turn in the yard or where ever just press down on handles and use your steering triggers. works great. Let us know how you make out with your new baby.


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## Hanky

Lardness1 have you had a chance to test your blower yet??


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