# Found a JD 726 on my property



## Findian (Nov 25, 2020)

Good afternoon folks, 

New guy here; I just stumbled upon this site when I was looking for some information regarding a snowblower that I found. Technically, you could say that I bought it... 

I just bought a house and moved across the country to a very heavy lake effect snow area (this ain't my first rodeo, I grew up here). We've been here for a little over a week now. Among some of the "treasures" that I've found on the property, I happened upon a JD 726 snowblower and a JD riding mower sitting under the trees but otherwise open to the elements. 

I hauled out that snowblower, changed the oil, poured some fresh gas in the tank, and fired it up, just to make sure that the engine was good. Overall, it seems to have been well cared for at one point in time, so I feel pretty fortunate and confident that this is still a usable blower. That out of the way, I did a quick peek at the internals today and here is what I found:

Issues/Findings:

1. Only runs at full choke.
2. Auger constantly spins even when disengaged. 
3. Wheels want to move forward even when it's in neutral. 
4. Throttle cable is not connected to anything.
5. Both tires are flat and likely rotted. 
6. Runs regardless of whether the "key" is inserted or not.


It was a big rough running and hard starting initially (makes sense) so I started by looking at the carb. The primer hose had rotted and come off the inlet, and the throttle cable was not connected to anything. I'm not sure how the throttle cable connects to the throttle plate, and it looks almost as if there are a few springs or linkages missing. Here's a pic of what I was looking at:









Does anybody have an pics or diagrams of what this should look like? I can move the throttle lever on the engine itself and it changes the RPMs accordingly. 

Then I moved onto the belt housing. I found two belts, one which was sufficiently taut and the other which was so loose that I was surprised it was still on the pulleys. Check 'em out:








I figure that I should just buy two new belts right away, but what should I be looking for here? I'd imagine that the auger and drive being constantly engaged would be a belt issue, but I'm not sure what or how. 

After that, I tipped it up and removed the panel on the bottom and a huge mouse nest came out; a big 'ole wad of insulation and leaves. Cleaned that all out and noticed that all the chains and gears seemed to be well lubed, which is another indication of faithful maintenance on this over the decades. 

After doing all that it fired right up first pull and runs a lot better than it did. Nevertheless, I'm hoping that I can get this running as true as possible for at least this season, since it's already upon us. This next summer I'll plan on doing a full restoration. 

What are some practical things that I can do right now to get this running right? Specifically with regards to the auger and drive being engaged regardless of lever controls, and the need for a full choke. 

Thanks!


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

The choke issue will be resolved with a carb cleaning or rebuild or better yet, a new carb. You can get one for less than $20.00 on fleabay or amazon. If you can watch some youtube videos on how to adjust the drive and auger stuff that should get you going in the right direction.


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## strtch5881 (Oct 6, 2018)

The key issue is more than likely that the ground wire from the key to the mag grounding block is disconnected.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

It appears that the throttle system has been changed, there isn't usually a throttle lever at the engine plus a throttle cable up to the handles. Someone has changed it. I would pressure wash the whole thing, and air blow it dry. That way you can tell much easier if there are any gas or oil leaks.(also gets rid of the mouse pee smell !!). Then clean and rebuild the carb (see youtube videos). The auger and drive probably have some sort of clutch pulley that is stuck. Did you find a parts diagram yet? what is the full model number ?

tx


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

Findian said:


> Good afternoon folks,
> 
> New guy here; I just stumbled upon this site when I was looking for some information regarding a snowblower that I found. Technically, you could say that I bought it...
> 
> ...



On the full chock... been there done that. Suggest pulling the bottom cup off your carburetor to get access to the main valve. It should look like a nut with a small hole in it and that hole gets plugged with old gas residue. Push a small wire...try a torch tip cleaner.... into that hole and things most likely will be fine after the wire treatment


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

Findian said:


> Good afternoon folks,
> 
> New guy here; I just stumbled upon this site when I was looking for some information regarding a snowblower that I found. Technically, you could say that I bought it...
> 
> ...


Welcome to the site.
Any old motorcycles uncovered yet?


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## Findian (Nov 25, 2020)

Thanks for the responses everyone. I haven't been able to even look at the blower again due to a failing pump in my septic tank which has taken my full attention. I'll get back to it this week.



foggysail said:


> On the full chock... been there done that. Suggest pulling the bottom cup off your carburetor to get access to the main valve. It should look like a nut with a small hole in it and that hole gets plugged with old gas residue. Push a small wire...try a torch tip cleaner.... into that hole and things most likely will be fine after the wire treatment


Thanks! I'll take a stab at that. (no pun intended)




Big Ed said:


> Welcome to the site.
> Any old motorcycles uncovered yet?


Shoot, I wish. No such luck yet, but time will certainly tell on that one. I wouldn't be none surprised at all to find something more substantial out among the trees. I can't wait to get to work on that riding mower though; that'll be a huge blessing (to the kids, mainly) if I can get that to run.


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