# 2004 Craftsman auger question



## Cliff K (Feb 22, 2021)

Hi to everyone! This is my first post so thanks ahead of time for listening to my problem and any light you might be able to shed on it. I bought my Craftsman 536881550 24 inch dual stage snow thrower in 2004. I live in Sterling Heights, MI. and have a corner lot. It has given me great service over the years. I've had a few problems along the way but have managed to keep it humming along. One thing I cannot control is rust! The bottom of the auger housing on one side has rusted thru and the side effectively became disengaged. It came to my attention the other day when we had that big snowstorm (about 10 inches or so). The shear pin on the left side (looking from behind) had broken so I pulled it into the garage to look closer. That's when I noticed the rusted out bottom. Because it was detached the two sides became more distant from each other and the auger shaft popped out of the bearing flange. I re-attached the shaft and pulled the two sides tightly together with some tension wire across the outside of the auger box. I extended it far enough outside the box to give me about 1.5 inches clearance from the spinning auger. I know this is a temp fix and plan to have the bottom welded in the spring when things warm up. I fired up the blower and the auger works and it blows the snow just fine. But I noticed something I don't understand. With the blower off I cannot turn the left auger in either direction (as it is supposed to be, right?). But I can turn the right auger by hand- but only in one direction: toward the engine. It will spin freely on the shaft. If I try to turn it toward me it won't turn. Is this normal?? If I'm missing a sheer pin on that side, than why does the auger move freely in the one direction and why would the auger work at all when the engine is turned on and the auger engaged?
If anyone has any words of wisdom I'd sure be all ears. Thanks for listening....
Cliff K.


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## oneboltshort (Dec 16, 2019)

The pins shear in one direction or rotation. The broken part has a slag or smear so it'll rotate with the smear but catch on the other direction like a hangnail. Corrosion friction allows it to turn with the auger shaft under power, but not under load/snow.


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## Cliff K (Feb 22, 2021)

oneboltshort said:


> The pins shear in one direction or rotation. The broken part has a slag or smear so it'll rotate with the smear but catch on the other direction like a hangnail. Corrosion friction allows it to turn with the auger shaft under power, but not under load/snow.


If I understand that correctly, there's still a portion of the old pin in there. I need to get it out and then put in a new pin? Then I should be good to go under a load?


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## Husqvarna_10530SBE (Oct 9, 2015)

Can you post some pictures?

Try rotating the auger until the hole in the auger lines up with the hole in the auger shaft. See if you can push a wire all the way through the hole. If not, use a nail punch or something to clear it out.


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## oneboltshort (Dec 16, 2019)

Yeah, typically the section inside the auger shaft itself stays in and you have to knock it out by aligning the auger flighting hole with the auger shaft hole as mentioned above by Husq105.


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## Cliff K (Feb 22, 2021)

oneboltshort said:


> Yeah, typically the section inside the auger shaft itself stays in and you have to knock it out by aligning the auger flighting hole with the auger shaft hole as mentioned above by Husq105.


 Thanks guys, I believe that it is fixed now - at least until I can get it welded. The first image shows the edge that became disengaged at the bottom right of the box. The 2nd image shows the flange where the auger shaft came out and the 3rd image shows my tension wire temp fix. Hopefullly spring is just around the corner and I can get a more permanent fix. Thank you all for your wonderful help, it is much appreciated! Cliff K.


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