# Snapper 10hp 30" Tucumseth drive mechanism jerky



## jsprice2 (Mar 6, 2013)

My neighbor and I share a Snapper 1030SE 30" Tucumseth snow blower. It is quite old ...mid 80s I think. It has developed an intermittent problem of being jerky or barely moving without an aided push at times when in forward speeds.
I have never had the drive mechanism broken down and am not familiar with the type of drive. Any ideas on what may be wearing out?


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Sounds like you have a friction disc problem. Tip the blower up on the front housing and pull the bottom cover off under the wheels. Looks for a rubber wheel inside. Check the rubber for cracks and missing pieces. If that checks out you probably just need to clean the rubber wheel and the metal plate it rides on with some brake cleaner or some clean gas. The other thing to do is check the adjustment for the drive lever handle. The last thing it could be is bearings wearing out down under there making the metal and rubber discs not stay perpendicular to each other.

I don't think he has any snapper blowers, but this guy on youtube has lots of friction disc replacement and adjustment videos. The basic steps and parts should be about the same.
The Small Engine Doctor - YouTube


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## Laker (Feb 13, 2013)

Hello and welcome!
Here's a video of the inside of your blower:




Sounds like either the friction disk is worn or the gap is out of adjustment
Here's a good (non snapper) video of disk replacement





Keep us posted


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## td5771 (Feb 21, 2011)

If it is the friction disc, list your model number so we can find out the right disc for you. there are 2 that fit almost all blowers. 

Depending om the machine they arent too bad to replace depending on your mechanical ability. but the disc itself is only 20 to 40 bucks.

The rubber on the outside should be around 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch thick. Rounded when new, flat when worn and gone when really bad.

Take a pic and post it and we will tell you.

Maybe just an adjustment is needed.


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## FearlessFront (Aug 18, 2016)

If its not the friction disk, check and make sure the axle bushing didn't blow out. Typically on the left side standing behind it because the gears are right inside the gearbox on that side. If the bushing blew, you have to change it immediately or the axle will start eating the frame as those machine's do not have bushing supports. The side of the frame is the bushing support. If you don't repair it right away the axle will eat the frame and then you have to take a grinder and grind down the lip on the frame flat and add a bushing support that is the same diameter from another snowblower for the snapper or a bolt on flat bearing that is thin enough that the wheel will have enough space to slide back onto the axle and lock back in place with the pin. You then have to line it up directly with the hole and drill holes and bolt it onto the frame. That is how you fix that otherwise you have to buy a whole new frame, remove all the parts from the compromised frame put the new frame on and put all the parts on the new frame, big job. That is the one Achilles heel to these machine's. It was the one design flaw, no actual bushing supports for the axle to the frame. Otherwise these are some of the best snowblowers that were ever built.


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