# Yardworks 30" snowblower auger pulley and belt issues



## Ricketts (Feb 25, 2014)

Hi folks - first post here, never thought I would see the day where there is a website dedicated to snowblowers...glad I'm here!

So...my issue: I have a new in Oct 2012 Canadian Tire Yardworks 30" snowblower. Doesn't have the usual Tecumseh engine, it has a 357cc OHV powermore engine, not sure who makes it. Same machine as MTD, etc. Multiple warranty trips on this machine. I usually buy a new snowblower every 5 or 6 years to avoid issues, but this machine has been in the shop longer than I have owned it (almost). Now this winter it keeps throwing the auger belt. Upon inspection I see the pulleys on the crankshaft and the auger are misaligned by at least 1/4 inch (see picture). The warranty repair shop says the belt is worn and belts aren't warranty. I have never had to replace a belt in my life on any other machine I have owned and this machine has only 6 hours of use on it.

I finally got the warranty guy convinced it is a misalignment issue, but now my snowblower has been there over a month...the final rub is that the guy has been sent out to the city to hospital and no one has keys to get in his shop. I feel bad for the guy (not sure how good he is doing) but this is the worst winter on record and I am tired of having to pay someone to plow our driveway.

So I am assuming that the machine is a write-off for this winter, but if I ever do get it back from there, is there an easy way to shim out the crankshaft pulley to align it with the auger pulley? Hopefully you can see the misalignment in the picture, the crankshaft pulley would need to be shimmed out 1/4 inch if possible. I don't know how much thread is on the end of the crankshaft to allow me to shim out the pulley. Actually, now that I look at the picture, both drive pulleys are out of alignment, maybe the whole engine needs to move forward in the chassis. Is there adjustment in the engine bolt holes?

Thanks for any thoughts and assistance!

Rick


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## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

that would be a pretty easy fix.

remove the belts and the end bolt for the pulley. pick up spacer, should be 3/4 ID and a bolt that is longer than the original. add what ever length you new spacer is for the new bolt or as close as you can get.

I just did it on a engine swap on a craftsman.

Dont know what store are near you but at a home center/hardware store they have the plastic or cardboard boxes for specialty hardware. thats where you will find the spacer.

bolt is probably going to be 5/16-24 , fine thread. bring the old with you.

only other thing I did was when you move the crank out it will leave a gap in the end of the pulley between the bolt and the inside of the pulley. it will be fine as long as you tighten the bolt but it made me more confident using 5/16 washers with an OD of 3/4 so the stack opf washers fits inside the pulley. use as many as you need to be flush with the pulley/ 4 or so should do it.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

The other things to do is make sure the engine is tight and straight as well as making sure the front scoop is bolted tight and straight to the drive section.


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## Ricketts (Feb 25, 2014)

Wow, thanks for the quick replies and the thorough information guys, that's great. I actually thought about the shim idea awhile back but I thought it should be warranty so now I suffer until I can get my snowblower back from the repair shop. To back out the crank bolt I assume I need an impact driver, would the bolt be RH or LH thread? i.e. would I turn the bolt in the usual direction to remove? Don't want to find out the hard way that I was turning the wrong direction 

Thanks again. Other than that, the new OHV engine seems to work way better than the Tecumseh that they used to use. Quieter, more torque, idles better. Makes me wonder if the alignment issue is simply that the crank on the new engine is 1/4" shorter than the old engine? The rest of the machine looks exactly the same as my last one, maybe something got lost in translation...but then a lot more people would be having problems I guess.


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## InfernoST (Feb 12, 2014)

It looks as if the motor isn't square to the Auger & Drive pulleys. You may just need to loosen the motor bolts and re-align the motor and square the crankshaft pulleys tone auger & drive pulleys.


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## Ricketts (Feb 25, 2014)

Thanks. Its hard to tell, but the engine actually is directly in line properly, I tried to take the picture to show the fore/aft misalignment of the pulleys and I think with the perspective of the shot and the fact that the engagement pulley is also kind of wonky makes it look twisted.

Really though, I regret taking it in for warranty work, I should have just tried the repair myself. Who would have thought though that the guy would be medevac'd out to hospital in the city. Just my luck, with a terrible winter to boot. Sounds almost like a Seinfeld episode...

I will double check that when (if) I get it back. Thanks!


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## Ricketts (Feb 25, 2014)

Finally got my snowblower back from warranty repair on March 29th...then we had a big dump of snow April 1st. Almost finished the driveway when the auger belt came off again...and now the headlight doesn't work. The bulb is OK but there is no power at the connector near where the wiring comes out of the engine...not sure when to admit the machine is a POS or whether the repair man doesn't have 2 brain cells to rub together. Its the principal of the thing now. I think I will buy another snowblower, but keep using this one and keep bringing it back to the invalid that does the warranty work. Then I'll use the new one while waiting for the other one to come back.

A snowblower just shouldn't be this difficult.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the machine. 

For a similar price to a new MTD-type machine, could you buy a recent-year used Ariens, Toro, or similar? A lightly-used older machine from those brands could also be nice. 

A well-built machine should last a lot more than 5-6 years without real trouble. I'd expect just normal maintenance and wear items. 

I had a used MTD which served me well for about 9 years. No real issues with it, primarily just replacing wear items. But after getting a used Ariens (about the same age, '94), the differences in design and build quality were apparent.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

if i were you, i would sell that or return it and go on craigslist and pick up an older ariens with a cast iron gearbox, a toro 824, 826, 1032, or 1132(i love toros) and you could install an impeller kit, it will last forever. or you could buy a bare frame and slap a predator on


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Ricketts,
my advice: sell it and buy something new..you got a lemon.
and *dont* buy another MTD! 
when its this bad when its new, its not going to improve with age! 
you can only look forward to more of the same..

With the powermore engine, you probably got a 100% made in China machine, very low quality, very poor quality control. the things are basically junk when they are brand new. A 40 year old Ariens would be more reliable..

sell it, depending on how much money you get for it, buy a new Ariens Sno-Tek (starting in the $500 range) or buy a 5 to 40 year old used Toro or Ariens..even buying used, it will be a much better machine that your new Yardman..

Scot


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

In the picture it looks like a lot of play in the belt on the far side of the engine pulley. I don't see any belt fingers to hold the belt in place when it's loose ?? Any chance you can pull out the manual and see if there is supposed to be one up on top ??

I'd look it up but I don't see your model number posted.


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## Ricketts (Feb 25, 2014)

I found an MTD manual online. There does not appear to be any belt retainer in the parts manual (snapshot attached), and definitely nothing on the machine, but I am not sure if my last machine had one either.

For all I know maybe the alignment has now been corrected, but the belt might need replacement, as it has probably stretched because of how many times it has fallen off. The warranty repairman doesn't provide a copy of the service order, either, so I have absolutely no idea of what he has/hasn't fixed, and what he charges MTD for the repair...crazy. But I refuse to pay for another belt when it was caused by a warranty issue. Eek.

I kinda assumed the engine is now China-sourced, but it actually has pretty decent power, until it breaks, which will probably be soon.

Regarding buying an Ariens or something, aren't all the bottom-feeder models from Ariens, Husky, Toro etc all made by MTD?

I attached another pic of just how much snow we had this winter, lol. Might be normal for some folks on here but not us!

Rick


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I would start out beating on the Corporate MTD door about the problems you're having with their product. I would also politely demand copies of what was done to* YOUR* machine under warranty at so and so's shop as they refuse to give you a copy of the work performed. I would send a copy of the correspondance to so and so as he should know that's not acceptable when doing warranty work and anything I have ever brought in for a warranty issue I've always received a copy of what was done to it, parts & labor.
MTD Customer Support

This guy should have the machine set up to specs but is there a way you can take some of that slack out of the auger belt ?? Can the tensioner pulley be moved closer to the belt, as close as possible without it actually engaging the auger ??
The less slack in the belt the less likely it will be to jump out of the pulleys.
Does it fail while it's throwing snow or does it throw the belt when you release the handle ?? When you pull the cover is it off the top or bottom pulley ??
Any chance the auger housing is cracked where it bolts up to the body ?? I had that problem and didn't know what to look for until I saw a youtube video on a machine throwing auger belts. If a mount cracks it allows bending and belt deflection that can cause it to toss the belt.


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## Ricketts (Feb 25, 2014)

Yeah...gonna be a battle with this machine for sure. The pulley adjustment looked like it is in as far as it can go, which makes me think that the belt has been stretched by the original mis-alignment and now needs to be replaced, which hopefully won't be another battle to have covered under warranty. 

It threw the belt when I let off the handle (at least this last time, as I had been watching for it). It comes off the bottom large pulley.

I would hope the housing isn't cracked, being basically a new machine. The original issue was the drive pulley on the crank was 1/4" out of alignment with the large auger pulley, so I am hoping it is still a misalignment issue or the belt is stretched.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

My Ariens has some fingers to keep the belts from moving too much when I let off the handles. These fingers go into some of the holes near the crankshaft. Kind of like the ones that the bolts for your plate, item 75, would go into. 

Perhaps you could add something to help retain the belts using something similar? Mine are shown in the attached picture, items 4 & 43. 

Regarding brands, I'm not certain about Ariens' lower-end Sno-Tek line. If they're actually made by someone else, I was unaware. Likewise for Toro. I was under the impression that both companies made all their own machines. The engines do come from different sources/brands, depending on model, at least for Ariens. 

Husqvarnas are made by either AYP (American Yard Products), I'm pretty sure. They're another company like MTD. 

Personally (not intending any offense), I would put Husqvarna machines in a different category from Ariens and Toro. 

If it were me, I'd rather spend the money once for a better-caliber machine, than plan to replace an MTD/AYP periodically. It doesn't have to be new, either. Buy a good machine with low/reasonable hours, and it should last you a long time. And be less of a headache, too.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

i meant an older snowblower, not a newer model


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## RAOUL225 (Jan 24, 2020)

Hope you are still here after 6 years. My yardworks is preforming well after 12 years. Replaced 1 belt and a drive cable so far. The powermore engine is troublefree...too bad your blower was not properly put together at the factory. The only thing I added was an impeller kit to throw the snow further.


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