# Craftsman drift buster 536.909800



## awg1983

536.909800 craftsman drift buster need owners manual and help with drive pulleys. I just got this machine recently. went through the carb seems ok it starts and runs fine. however, the auger and five pulleys never stop spinning. the clutch cable moves as it is suppose to. I did notice the belts are old and kind of sticky... would this be the issue or is there an adjustment that I'm missing? also does this model have an air filter?


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## detdrbuzzard

hello awg, welcome to SBF. if the belts look old to you then change them cause they won't break until you go blow some snow


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## Blue Hill

Welcome to the forum awg. Pull up a chair by the fire, someone will be along with an answer to your questions before long.


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## awg1983

Hey thanks guys, I am needing help and looking forward to this site!


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## Shryp

Most likely no air filter.


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## awg1983

Ok that solves that issue of no air filter. how about my drive and manual issue?


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## dbert

Forum member (and moderator) HCBPH is the resident expert on those machines. He should be along soon. He has your manual also. In the meanwhile...if you have the belt cover off the top, does the idler movement look like it's going full travel when you operate the cable? I have a similar machine, but the auger is controlled by a crank/lever and not a cable.


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## awg1983

Yes the idlers seem to have full movement. Belts go lose when unengaged and tighten when engaged. Is there an adjustment for the belts? I am looking for to hearing from HCBPH. As soon as get it up and going correctly I plan on giving it a fresh coat of paint.


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## dbert

Still hoping Paul steps in soon.
How thick are your belts? Mine are only about a quarter inch thick. I think that is normal. I have been avoiding getting a spare because I thought about looking for a regular kevlar v belt locally. The thin murray belts are available online but are not cheap. One reason I haven't is my fear of a deeper belt being grabby in the pulley when disengaged. If that makes sense.
Mine doesn't say driftbuster on it anywhere, but it has the same auger(s). It is different from yours in the drive side. It has a friction disk where you have a transmission.
This is what mine looks like.


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## awg1983

that actually looks very close to mine... but there are some differences. I'm going to check locally for new belts they aren't very thick... maybe a quarter as well. but they are worn and really sticky lime they have a river goo on them. I'm going to try to post pictures tonight or in the morning. I aappreciate the help guys!


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## awg1983

I have a friction disk as well.


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## dbert

Sorry. I thought the 909800 was a tranny type for some reason.
I think this is my drive belt pn
Sears.com
And my parts list for the auger belt says
http://parts.sears.com/partsdirect/part-number/41740MA/0071/536
Yours the same by chance?


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## awg1983

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...ower-drift-buster-536-909800-picture666-a.jpg

That is mine. 
My auger belt number according to the manual is 49581


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## awg1983




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## awg1983

Ok, took off my old belts last night. Took them to a local store and they both measured 37". Since they was previously tight to the point where there clutch was disengaged the pulleys would still spin as they was engaged so i went with a 38". I put them on today. The auger belt seems fine maybe a little lose but I think it will work and it is all the way adjusted to tighten it up. So as it stretches I wont have adjustment room. The drive belt is very lose still and I noticed the the drive pulley is smaller. Should I go with 2 37" that was on it originally on it or one 37" and one 38".


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## Simplicity Solid 22

If it was me I would go with the original type of belt used. The lesson I have learned the hard way trying different non original brands. Even when double measuring and checking the original is always best.

Therefore: V-belt 49581MA
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-number/Craftsman-Parts/All-Products-Parts/49581/0071/536/Model-536909800/0247/1507000?keySuffixId=&pathTaken=partSearch&pathRender=modelComponent&documentCompId=00009829&diagramPageId=00002&productTypeId=&searchModelNumber=536909800&subCompDesc=Drive%20assembly&brandDesc=CRAFTSMAN&modelDesc=CRAFTSMAN 26 INCH SNOW THROWER&blt=11&shdMod=&keyId=43


and drive belt 49570MA:

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/par...embly&brandDesc=CRAFTSMAN&modelDesc=CRAFTSMAN 26 INCH SNOW THROWER&blt=11&shdMod=&keyId=51

Best way to go. Go with original. Best of Luck!


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## dbert

Cross reference on MY belts seem to indicate a 1/2 by 37 for the drive and a 1/2 by 38 for the auger. 
How are your belt guides down below. Perhaps they are too far away from the lower pulleys and allowing the belts to fall into the engine pulley when relaxed. 

Is there any pad material remaining on the auger pulley brake? FYI my brake is pretty much worn away but the auger stops ok when it's disengaged.


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## dbert

Oh, and I want a 71 Chevelle SS to park next to my snow blower now too.


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## dbert

Sorry, one more thing. I don't think mine has or ever had a clutch for the drive. If you don't want it to go anywhere while it's running you have to put it in neutral which backs the friction disk off the plate. When the engine runs the drive pulley turns. Makes me want to pull the cover off and verify, but I'm pretty sure.


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## dbert

I would just edit and add to an earlier post instead of starting new ones, but you have to be quick to edit. 

I found your belt lengths (couldnt find them earlier) 
NOMA Belts Listing


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## awg1983

Well The brake on the auger is nearly shot if not all the way shot. I do believe by looking at it that the drive pulleys are not suppose to turn unless the clutch is engaged. I mean it does have an idler pulley on a tensioner that does move in relation to the clutch handle. When you squeeze the clutch it moves the idler pulley in to tighten the drive belt and when the auger is engaged it does the same for it. Maybe im seeing it wrong that is just my assumption. seems to me it could be in gear and not move unless the gear wheel is touching the friction disk. same with the auger shouldnt move unless engaged by the clutch. Kinda a safety thing?


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## dbert

No I believe your clutch operates both. It makes sense now why HCBPH (where is he?) went to all the work on one of his to split them into two separate controls.
Ours are different, that's all. I can drive mine around without the auger spinning. My drive has a shorter belt and fixed spring tension on it's idler and my lever controlled auger clutch is only operating the auger idler. Managed to get a pic tonight before it got dark.








The belt numbers I believe were Noma numbers before they became Murray numbers with the ma added on the end. So if you look at your belts using the Noma belt list you will see your 49581 shows a 36.7 inches and the 49570 lists a length of 37


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## HCBPH

*Misc*

I'm around, just been working on vehicles the last couple of months.
Looks like something of a hybrid, older drive with newer auger controls.
If you don't like having to engage both the drive and auger (even if in neutral) at the same time, here's a thread I put together on how I did it to mine: http://restorationmen.lefora.com/topic/6160005/Splitting-drive-auger-controls-Craftsman-Snowblower
The axel and intermediate shaft bushings (based on the one I did) are standard auger bushings.
The bushings on the drive wheel shaft are the same bushings that are used in the auger gearcase for I think the 3/4" shaft model.
If you need a friction disc, that's a little trickier. Toro has one that has the right diameter and thickness but the wrong hole layout. You have to redrill the disc to match your hub.
The auger housing etc is the same as the large engine 536.882xxx models, so parts should interchange.

I'd uploaded most of the manuals I had to Snowmann's site and this last year I lost my hard drive and I haven't found any copies yet so that's not good.

IIRC the auger adjuster cable is still available but not the drive engagement cable (or the other way around) but with a little creativity, something can be figured out.

That's all I can think of on this one at the moment. Got a little more car & van work to finish then maybe I can get back to blowers (I still have 3 or 4 in the shed to rebuild for this year).

Paul


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## awg1983

Ok, I got to looking around at the undercarriage of the blower...found out i was missing an E key on the shaft that the pulleys are attached to. Replaced the key and set the belt guides per manual specifications and it solved all my issues. Now i can have it running and the auger does not spin, i can put it in gear and it wont move unless i engage the clutch and the auger wont spin unless i engage the lever and the clutch. works like a charm. so i took it apart sanded it down taped off my orginal labels and and gave her a fresh coat of paint.


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## awg1983




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## HCBPH

*Disc*

I forgot to mention that the Toro friction disc to use on that blower will need to have the center hole opened up via a metal lathe. Good to hear you got your issues taken care of.


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## Musicdiscostudio

What type of engine doe it have? If it is a Tecumseh engine, look at Vintage Tecumseh engines on Facebook. There are a lot of members in that group !!! Bet you will find everything !!!!


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