# Replacing both belts on 31AE611D120



## gossamer (Apr 25, 2015)

Hi, I have an aging MTD snowblower with what appears to have model number 31AE611D120 based on the sticker on the chassis.

Last winter, the auger belt started to slip under heavy snow load, so thought I would replace them. They've never before been replaced, to the best of my knowledge.

The replacement auger belt I've identified on amazon is cogged, but the one currently on the snowblower is not. Does it matter?

The part numbers are 954-0343 and 954-0430C. Does the "C" mean cogged? Would the 954-0430 work?

I've started to remove the six bolts that connect the auger housing to the engine frame, and have already run into a problem.

The first is that the bolts don't really have heads on them - they have notches on the inside of the head that presses against the chassis to keep it from spinning, and two of them have come loose, so there's no way there going to go back on easily.

The second problem is that I've identified a video on amazon from MTD that says I don't even have to separate the two parts of the chassis, but can instead get to the belts from underneath by taking off the bottom cover. Is that correct? This is opposite of what every youtube video I've seen says.

Here is the cogged belt from the manufacturer that is supposed to fit this snowblower:








Amazon.com: LTA Cogged Auger Drive Belt 3/8" x 35" for Snowblower Thrower MTD 754-0430, 754-0430A, 754-0430B, 754-0431, 954-0430, 954-0430A, 954-0430B, 954-0431, Two-Stage snowblowers, 1992-2002 : Patio, Lawn & Garden


Amazon.com: LTA Cogged Auger Drive Belt 3/8" x 35" for Snowblower Thrower MTD 754-0430, 754-0430A, 754-0430B, 754-0431, 954-0430, 954-0430A, 954-0430B, 954-0431, Two-Stage snowblowers, 1992-2002 : Patio, Lawn & Garden



www.amazon.com





Here's a link to the MTD video showing how to replace the belt by tipping it up on its front, then removing the belts from below.








Amazon.com : MTD OEM-754-0430A 22-28-Inch Widths Parts Snow Thrower Auger Belt-for Two-Stage with 22-28-I, Brown/A : Lawn Mower Belts : Patio, Lawn & Garden


Amazon.com : MTD OEM-754-0430A 22-28-Inch Widths Parts Snow Thrower Auger Belt-for Two-Stage with 22-28-I, Brown/A : Lawn Mower Belts : Patio, Lawn & Garden



www.amazon.com





Ideas?


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

have you tried adjusting the cable tension? if you have the dual belt setup and they are both there but there is slippage it sounds like the cable may be out of adjustment.

you don't need to pull the bucket from the machine to change belts. tie the drive handle down and the belt should fit between the drive and auger pully. you may have to push on the auger engagement arm to disengage the belt brake to get the belts fully of the pulley but it is a fairly easy job. i like the the dual 3/8" belt setup over the single 1/2" belt. might also have to remove the 1 bolt from the side or back it out enough to get it out of the way


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## gossamer (Apr 25, 2015)

crazzywolfie said:


> have you tried adjusting the cable tension? if you have the dual belt setup and they are both there but there is slippage it sounds like the cable may be out of adjustment.


I only have the single belt. It's very likely I could have gotten away with only tightening it, but I didn't want to be stuck in January having to do it. It's 22 years old and has never had the belt replaced.

Can I use the cogged belt on this? If not, where do I find a non-cogged belt?

Also, as I mentioned, I already started to pull the bolts off that hold the bucket to the machine, so I might as well continue. However, they have no heads on them. Here are a few pictures.


















The ridges in the first picture are supposed to be enough to keep the bolt from spinning, but it did, and so it's unlikely I'll be able to secure it while I'm trying to tighten it when I put it on. Now what?

There's also now one that's half on and half off, and I can't keep it from spinning. Perhaps if I heat up the bolt itself, the nut will come free? I've already soaked it in WD-40.

Ideas on how to solve these problems would be GREATLY appreciated.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

Are you sure you are looking at the right belt then. I don't think it would matter if the belt is clogged or not. If it is only a single belt setup it should be 1/2". I think you should need a 754-04204 belt for it. 

I have never had that happen with a machine so not sure the best way to deal with that. You could try unbolting the pulley and auger assembly and hope it is not stuck to the impeller bearing and pull the whole impeller/auger assembly out of the way to make getting at the studs easier


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## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

gossamer said:


> There's also now one that's half on and half off, and I can't keep it from spinning.


Needle nose vice grips on one side or the other on the threads to start with (if you cant access the heads themselves from inside the bucket). Some real penetrating oil should help as well.
Try and work the nut by tightening it a turn or two, then try removing again, back and forth and you should be successful.



gossamer said:


> Ideas on how to solve these problems would be GREATLY appreciated.


Once you have the bucket off, augers and impeller out, you can either use the same bolts (after wire wheel cleaning) or new ones (carriage bolts if possible?). Put the bolts into their proper place with a nut on other side and tack weld the bolt heads...see pic.

Hope it helped you out.
I agree with wolfie, 1/2" wide for auger and 3/8" wide for the drive belt.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

Almost seems like it may be defective welds from the factory. While you got it apart may also be worth doing the impeller mod. Every mtd machine I have seen could definitely benefit from it. Doing one on a machine similar to your today.


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## gossamer (Apr 25, 2015)

crazzywolfie said:


> Almost seems like it may be defective welds from the factory. While you got it apart may also be worth doing the impeller mod. Every mtd machine I have seen could definitely benefit from it. Doing one on a machine similar to your today.


Can you explain more about what you mean? What did you have to modify? I'm trying to straighten the bucket and try to reinforce it after many years of hard use running into curbs, etc. There's even gouges of steel taken out of the edges. I've also taken off what was left of the scraper and plan on replacing it the best I can with a new one, but some of the mounts in the back are rusted away.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

here is a pic of the impeller mod installed. i the other post i was mainly just showing how large the gap is. making that gap smaller helps throw the snow farther and helps deal with the wet snow better.


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## gossamer (Apr 25, 2015)

crazzywolfie said:


> here is a pic of the impeller mod installed. i the other post i was mainly just showing how large the gap is. making that gap smaller helps throw the snow farther and helps deal with the wet snow better.


Do you have more info on how you did that? Perhaps a youtube video? Did you have to take the auger blades out to get to the impeller? What material did you use to attach to the impeller? Steel? I don't see a very significant gap between the impeller blades and the outside frame on my snowblower.


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## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

gossamer said:


> Do you have more info on how


This link should aid you, I believe there are a few posts on the forum concerning impeller mods. Hope it helps.









Impeller kit, does it really help?


So I keep seeing guys talking about these and I'm curious how much it helps with slush. I often get slush at the end of the driveway from salt on the road and by slush, I mean horrible to move even with a shovel. It's the slush you get that looks almost clear from the amount of water in it...




www.snowblowerforum.com


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