# 2003 Yard Works model # 31BE6C3G515, ser. # 1T173I20071 gear case sideways movement



## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

How much side-to-side movement is acceptable in the augers, auger shaft and gear box?

I was checking the belts and engine rpm recently and noticed the auger pulley wobbling. Looked around at the front end and the gear case was moving back and forth sideways.

There's about 0.025 inches of free play between the transverse auger shaft relative to the gear case (i.e., play in the gear case), and the combined shaft and gear case (along with the augers) can move side-to-side about 0.075 inches.

There's no perceptible looseness in the main auger shaft bearing (at the pulley). The whole auger assembly spins freely when the belts are loose on the pulley.

I've never checked this side-to-side play before so don't have a reference. I suppose there would be some, but is there a point where the transverse shaft bushings or spacer washers should be replaced?

Yard Works is made by MTD for Canadian Tire stores. This one is , . Labelling on the bucket says 27 inch, but it measures 28 inches and uses a 28 inch scraper bar. 

(In case it would be asked, the augers are free on the transverse shaft other than being held in place by the shear pin.)


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

PlOM said:


> There's about 0.025 inches of free play between the transverse auger shaft relative to the gear case (i.e., play in the gear case), and the combined shaft and gear case (along with the augers) can move side-to-side about 0.075 inches.


25 thousanths of an inch (0.62mm) is just a tiny amount of play. I would think that's normal.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

tabora said:


> 25 thousanths of an inch (0.62mm) is just a tiny amount of play. I would think that's normal.


Thanks.

Okay, shaft-to-gear case play is acceptable. What about the overall side-to-side movement of the gear case and augers (i.e., the shaft going to the pulley) that causes the large auger pulley to wobble as well?


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

PlOM said:


> What about the overall side-to-side movement of the gear case and augers (i.e., the shaft going to the pulley) that causes the large auger pulley to wobble as well?


75 thousanths of an inch is still only 1.9mm. It's less than the thickness of a single M8 washer (2mm). Where exactly are you measuring it?


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

tabora said:


> Where exactly are you measuring it?


I set up a dial gauge against the upper vertical side of the gear cage housing above where it goes around the worm gear, and mid-way back so that it was directly above the transverse axle. 



tabora said:


> 75 thousanths of an inch is still only 1.9mm.


Right. Almost 1/10 inch. 

Maybe it's not a concern. Just seemed strange to see the auger gear case moving side-to-side and the corresponding wobble in the large pulley. I hadn't noticed it before.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

PlOM said:


> Maybe it's not a concern. Just seemed strange to see the auger gear case moving side-to-side and the corresponding wobble in the large pulley. I hadn't noticed it before.


If the pulley is wobbling significantly, perhaps the issue is really with your impeller shaft bearing. Part # 941-0309 Ball Bearing, .75 ID x 1.85 OD





White MTD Yardman Yard Works Snowblower Parts Canada


Retail and Wholesale outlet for replacement snowblower and snow thrower parts for brands like Ariens, Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Honda, John Deere, Mastercraft, Murray, MTD, Noma, Sears, Sno King, Tecumseh, Toro, Troy Bilt, White, Yard Man, Yardworks



www.c-equipment.com


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

tabora said:


> If the pulley is wobbling significantly, perhaps the issue is really with your impeller shaft bearing. Part # 941-0309 Ball Bearing, .75 ID x 1.85 OD
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Not sure, but all the flexing of the auger drive shaft in the bucket area didn't reveal any movement at the bearing (as if it were worn out and loose), although I appreciate that might not necessarily be a good test. Also the direction of the pulley wobble is consistent with the gear case moving side to side, and, although this is only a rough observation, it would appear the the pivot point is at the bearing. I had thought these bearings are designed to have some directional flexibility but might be wrong. Guess I'll have to get it up on it's nose and grab the pulley itself.

Thanks for the interest and replies.


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## Clutch Cargo (Dec 27, 2015)

My 2 cents:

1. Check the health of the main drive bearing by first removing the spark plug wire and then reaching down through the chute and grabbing the impeller shaft. When you pull on it, the shaft should have minimal movement. It is tough to say exactly how much, but when one is worn (or wearing) out, you'll know it. 

2. I agree with Tabora, that amount of lateral movement seems normal and should not be of any concern. Unfortunately when I rebuilt my 8/26, I don't remember ever taking note of this. Fortunately, there are a million of those large frame MTD machines around. Check with your local outdoor power equipment dealer. They may have one in for service or one in their boneyard that you can look at and measure. 

Hope this helps.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

Clutch Cargo said:


> My 2 cents:
> 
> 1. Check the health of the main drive bearing . . .
> 
> ...


Definitely good ideas, which I will follow up on. As mentioned, perhaps it's normal and just something that's not often noticed.


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## jerryvvv (Apr 23, 2020)

considering the age of the machine, if i was in your position, i would replace the auger shaft bearing, and also the two plastic "bearings" at each end of the auger shaft,

total cost would be about 40-50 bucks, and would make everything nice and solid again


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

Clutch Cargo said:


> . . . reaching down through the chute and grabbing the impeller shaft. When you pull on it, the shaft should have minimal movement.


There was no discernible movement in the impeller shaft (grabbed where the two impeller roll pins are located) when pulled or I attempted to move it up and down through the chute opening. I rotated the shaft as well to see if that changed anything, but it remained the same.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

jerryvvv said:


> considering the age of the machine, if i was in your position, i would replace the auger shaft bearing, and also the two plastic "bearings" at each end of the auger shaft,


Good idea. Will plan for it at the end of the season. In the meantime, I need to find what the engine rpm is supposed to be on this unit. It's currently running at around 3225 (max throttle lever setting), which puts the impeller at around 1020 rpm(both measured with stroboscope). That's (impeller) lower than specs I've found for other blowers with 11/12 inch impellers, which are spec'ed to run at or above 1100. Might explain why this one has never thrown snow, whether dry and fluffy or wet and heavy, comparable to others. I can raise the engine rpm, but don't know what it's supposed to be.

The engine model is HMSK85, spec 155905C. I have the Tecumseh small engine manual, but there's no rpm specs, and I haven't yet found any elsewhere. (Perhaps I should start a new thread . . . )


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## jerryvvv (Apr 23, 2020)

the HMSK engines max RPM i believe is 3600

i normally set mine around 3400-3500 to be on the safe side


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

agree with jerryvvv on the TEC rpm specs, I go with 3400 to 3500 on my older Toro machines. I haven't see the spec in a TEC manual, only on the machine manual itself. For the HMSK80 in the 824XL blower, the Toro spec is 3300 +/- 150 rpm for example. Same for my Toro 724 with HSK70 engine.

tx


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

jerryvvv said:


> the HMSK engines max RPM i believe is 3600
> 
> i normally set mine around 3400-3500 to be on the safe side


The HKSK85 can run safely at 3400-3500? 



paulm12 said:


> . . . For the HMSK80 in the 824XL blower, the Toro spec is 3300 +/- 150 rpm for example. Same for my Toro 724 with HSK70 engine. . . .


I found this in a Toro Power Max service manual from 2005 applicable to 2004/5 models (model numbers not indicated), and perhaps other years.









That 12-inch impeller speed over 1220 with the engine at 3300 is amazing. That would help it throw a good distance. It's more than 100 rpm faster than today's Ariens Classics with the 12 inch impeller. I really do wish Toro would be more forthcoming with specs, and service manuals like this for their current offerings. 

I'll try increasing the run speed on my machine, and see how it performs. However, 3500 would only get the impeller up to around 1100. I don't think there's enough room in mine to change the pulleys to get above this, but it also begs whether the engine and, especially, the auger/impeller drive can handle higher speeds.

Have you ever measured the impeller speed versus engine speed?


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

@jerryvvv @paulm12 


PlOM said:


> I'll try increasing the run speed on my machine, and see how it performs.


Inspected/cleaned the carb and freed binding linkage at the throttle/speed control. Set engine speed to close to 3500 (~1090 rpm at the impeller) and let it run for a few minutes. Vibration at that speed is very noticeable. Not sure that's good . . ..


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i would suggest putting the engine rpm back to where it was and doing the impeller mod first. the impeller mod will likely make way more improvement to the machines throwing capability than turning the rpm up. mtd machine usually have about 1/2" gap between the impeller and housing which drastically effects how they throw.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> i would suggest putting the engine rpm back to where it was and doing the impeller mod first. the impeller mod will likely make way more improvement to the machines throwing capability than turning the rpm up. mtd machine usually have about 1/2" gap between the impeller and housing which drastically effects how they throw.


It's likely I will ultimately go that route when I have it apart for the bearing and bushings in the auger system in order to, hopefully, reduce the side-to-side movement.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

if you are not going to get to replacing the bearing/bushings till next summer it may still be worth doing the impeller mod now. it should only take a couple hours which is what i do like about these mtd machines. drilling the holes in the impeller is always the most time consuming part. bolting the rubber on is always easy. you do have to trim the plastic a bit on the output if you piece a tiny bit but it is pretty easy to do.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> if you are not going to get to replacing the bearing/bushings till next summer it may still be worth doing the impeller mod now. it should only take a couple hours which is what i do like about these mtd machines. drilling the holes in the impeller is always the most time consuming part. bolting the rubber on is always easy. you do have to trim the plastic a bit on the output if you piece a tiny bit but it is pretty easy to do.


Okay, I started into this and ran into some issues that I didn't expect.

I removed the two piece plastic chute assembly thereby exposing the large impeller housing opening and allowing good access to the impeller area and the paddles (same as in the above photos). 

The lower part of the two-part plastic chute assembly, i.e., the mount section fastened to the impeller housing, doesn't have any material entering into the impeller area, so there's no trimming necessary as I've seen in some videos. However, like others, that mount section is held on the impeller housing by carriage bolts from the inside. In this machine, at the upper end of the housing opening there's an extra metal piece that is presumably meant to protect the lower edge of the plastic mount from wear. The metal piece, seen in the following photo, is held on by the same carriage bolts that hold the chute mount to the housing. The bottom of the metal piece is flat against the inside of the housing, but this still means the carriage bolt heads are even further into the housing than the ones elsewhere. Consequently, the rubber pieces have to be set according to this area, and not the other carriage bolts, and this results in the rubber pieces not being closer than perhaps 1/8-inch anywhere except right at this area. It's still closing much of the original gap, but it's not as ideal as some have suggested, i.e., have the rubber paddles sweeping the inside of the impeller housing.








In addition, it looks as if the back plate of the impeller isn't perpendicular to the auger shaft. As the impeller is rotated, the three paddles have somewhat different positions relative to the carriage bolt heads and the inside of the impeller housing. 

I realized this when doing a dry run with cut rubber truck flap pieces. I had three identical pieces, and fitted each to it's numbered paddle with clamps. For two of them, the end of the piece was pretty well in the same position relative to the bolt heads, but the third was different. This appears to be due to the back plate not being perpendicular, so the paddle positions aren't identical relative to the back of the bucket housing. This raises what might be a more serious question: 

Could the non-perpendicular impeller, like a bent car wheel, be acting as an imbalance when it's spinning and causing the original sideways motion of the gear case? If so, then would adding the weight of the rubber pieces and, especially, the bolts to hold them, make this imbalance worse? (If the following three photos are selected rapidly in sequence the different positions of the impeller back plate and the paddles is apparent. The change in the distance between the back plate and the rear of the bucket housing is about 1/8-inch.)
























I've gone this far, and would like to complete it for the next wet snowfall, but I don't want to go ahead with drilling if the impeller is not correct to begin with. I might as well wait until I remove the auger assembly, and can then replace the impeller.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

ah you got the older style machine. i removed that piece of metal on the only machine like that that i have done the impeller mod to. 

i think i see what you mean about the impeller being a bit bent but i don't think that should be throwing things off balance that much since the shaft is supported on 2 side. i would also not worry about the impeller mod throwing things off balance either. too bad you didn't live a bit closer. got a parts machine or 2 that would likely have all the parts needed to fix that machine


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> i don't think that should be throwing things off balance that much since the shaft is supported on 2 side


I appreciate that, but I see the shaft support differently.

The impeller shaft is supported by the main bearing just behind the impeller, but there's a longer section on the front side going to the auger gear case. That section and the auger gear case itself aren't supported directly; instead the gear case is supported by the transverse auger shaft that ends in bushings at the vertical sides of the auger housing. So the support for the front part of the impeller shaft is a relatively long way from the impeller. 

I started the thread because there seemed to be unusual side-to-side movement of the auger gear case and I did confirm that there is slack at the ends of the transverse auger shaft such that it (along with the gear case) can move sideways. If there is lateral runout (wobble) in the impeller, it seems to me that at speed (e.g. 1000 rpm) it will impart an imbalance effect to the impeller shaft. The main bearing behind the impeller will hold that end in place, but the lateral force of the impeller could cause the other end of the impeller shaft to oscillate to the extent that the transverse auger shaft is free to move sideways.

If lateral runout of the impeller is the cause of the original side to side gear case motion, then adding equal weights distributed evenly at three points (i.e., at the paddles) doesn't increase the lateral runout, but at any one rpm could cause the intensity of the vibrations due to the original runout to be greater. It's this possibility that I would certainly want to avoid.

But then I'm not an expert in motion dynamics, if that's what it's called, and I might have it wrong . . .


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## jerryvvv (Apr 23, 2020)

PlOM said:


> I appreciate that, but I see the shaft support differently.
> 
> The impeller shaft is supported by the main bearing just behind the impeller, but there's a longer section on the front side going to the auger gear case. That section and the auger gear case itself aren't supported directly; instead the gear case is supported by the transverse auger shaft that ends in bushings at the vertical sides of the auger housing. So the support for the front part of the impeller shaft is a relatively long way from the impeller.
> 
> ...



why not just follow the advice i gave you in post #10?

then you won't have to worry about any of this anymore


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

PlOM said:


> I've gone this far, and would like to complete it for the next wet snowfall, but I don't want to go ahead with drilling if the impeller is not correct to begin with. I might as well wait until I remove the auger assembly, and can then replace the impeller.


Honestly, I believe that you're overthinking this... These are not jet engine turbine fan blades, it's just a snowblower impeller. The tolerances are many orders of magnitude less. Just install new auger shaft bushings and an impeller bearing if needed, and then your impeller flaps using the best clearance you can to the carriage bolt heads and be done with it. I would actually do it to the plate the carriage bolts hold on, and let them form fit in use.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

jerryvvv said:


> why not just follow the advice i gave you in post #10?


I didn't disregard it. Splitting the unit is planned for when the blower isn't needed for a while. 

No doubt some can do a complete rebuild of an old auger system in a few hours, even with seized bolts and pulley adapters etc. No disrespect meant, great if it can be done, but it's not me. I'd rather not have to rush it if I don't have to.

The impeller flaps, however, can be done separately, and regardless of how long it takes me,, doing it in stages, doesn't necessarily disable the machine. That's why I took the advice and started into it, but came upon the (bent?) impeller issue. 

If that impeller runout is common and others have applied the impeller flaps on units with the same or greater runout, with no impact (other than improving performance) then I can go ahead. But I'd rather not experiment.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

*RE: Impeller flaps*



crazzywolfie said:


> i would suggest putting the engine rpm back to where it was and doing the impeller mod first. . . .it may still be worth doing the impeller mod now.





tabora said:


> [do] your impeller flaps using the best clearance you can to the carriage bolt heads and be done with it. I would actually do it to the plate the carriage bolts hold on, and let them form fit in use.


Done, but yet to be tested . . .

First, I want to thank everyone for the suggestions and, indeed, the pushes, to move ahead. I might have seemed to be avoiding the job by finding things that didn't look right; it's just my way. Slows the progress, but it usually gets done.

For the flaps I picked up a 30 x 24 x 1/4 inch rubber truck mud flap for my first run at it. After measuring the paddle space, I cut three, 3 x 2-1/2 inch pieces. I held each to a paddle with a small clamp, moved the paddle to that protective metal plate at the top of the opening and set the flap to just barely contact the metal plate. I fastened the flaps to the paddle with two stainless self-tapping screws. (I have the necessary bolts, nuts and washers, but wanted to see how the flaps work out first; with the screws holes already done, it should be easy to drill for the larger bolts.)

The flaps will eventually wear down to accommodate the carriage bolt heads, especially at that protective plate where they are the most intrusive. The two carriage bolts at the lower end of the impeller housing chute opening are less pronounced (by the thickness of the protective plate) so shouldn't be a concern.

Here's photos of the three flaps at the two positions. As expected, at the lower end there's a gap, which also looks to be about the same all the way around the housing except at the metal plate. It's not literally sweeping the inside of the impeller housing, but it is a significant reduction from the original space and I hope will provide the desired improvement. 

The flaps at the upper end of the impeller housing opening (with the protective plate):




















And, at the lower end:




















I ran it, initially at slow speed then raised it (variable throttle) to full speed. There was no unusual noise, and even at the higher speed, no additional vibration; in fact, it _seemed _smoother than before. There was also no noticeable flapping sound as might be expected with the flaps hitting the bolt heads. The material is flexible but also very strong -- it can be bent back and forth 180 degrees without cracking and bounces back when released -- and might just be riding over the bolt heads. I'll have to see if it's too flexible when actually pushing snow and slush. (No significant snow forecast for the next few days . . .)

In regard to the auger system, as reported earlier, there's no noticeable movement of the auger shaft at the main bearing, and when the drive belts are loose the auger system spins quite freely, so the bearing doesn't seem to be worn or seizing. Also, while at a dealer a few days ago I looked at a few similar model used MTD-built models, and they all had some sideward movement in the transverse auger shaft, with gaps at either end. In any event, the parts are not all that expensive, so I will order them to have ready. Can't do any harm, as long as the auger pulley can be removed.

Again thanks for encouragement, and push!


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i think you will be happy with the improved performance of the impeller mod. i have done it to enough machine and been happy with the improvement every time. had 1 machine that would have been parted out or sold for parts just because throwing distance on it was bad at maybe 6-8ft. impeller mod to 2 of the 4 blade got it throwing snow about 16ft and it will throw almost anything including slush. heck my nephew said he could see the snow flying from the backyard the other day but i was using the mtd we built for my nephew instead of the noma beater .


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## jerryvvv (Apr 23, 2020)

the auger impeller and shaft are carefully designed and made to be evenly balanced, just like anything else that is spinning at a relatively high RPM they NEED to be evenly balanced, just like the tires on your car, or the crankshaft in your engine,

adding any extra weight to any of the impeller blades (even the slightest), and doing what you have done, will throw that balance out of whack,

over time, this will cause pre-mature wear of your auger shaft bearing, and your internal auger gear box bushings


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

jerryvvv said:


> adding any extra weight to any of the impeller blades (even the slightest), and doing what you have done, will throw that balance out of whack,
> 
> over time, this will cause pre-mature wear of your auger shaft bearing, and your internal auger gear box bushings


Naaahhh... Please cite an actual documented example.


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## Johnny G1 (Jan 28, 2020)

My neighbor just did 1 scraper on my ole HS828 when we replaced the auger belt last week, he say's the same thing it shouldn't hurt balance as the same thing happen's when blowing snow, shall see if it works without destroying the shaft or bearing, didn't sound good but its a wait and see. was definately out of balance breaking in the new scraper??


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Johnny G1 said:


> My neighbor just did 1 scraper on my ole HS828


I would definitely do the other fan blades to restore balance to the Force!


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

*Pulley ratios, auger speed, and tensioner position*

This is one of those things that initially doesn't raise a red flag, but some time later, not only is the flag up but the lights are on and flashing!

The engine pulley diameter is 2.75 inches and the auger pulley is 8 inches. That should have the engine running at 2.909 times the auger. However, in my earlier posts, I reported measurements of engine and impeller speed (engine/impeller) of 3225/1020 and 3500/1090. My measurements result in apparent speed ratios of 3.16:1 and 3.20:1. If I use an average 3.18, that's a difference (compared to the actual pulley ratio) of about 9%; i,e., the impeller running almost 10% slower than it should. That would have an impact on the blower's performance.

Could this loss be due to auger drive belt slippage? (Note: the measurements are made with no load, i.e., no snow load on the auger system, and the auger pulley, impeller and augers turn freely when the drive belts are not contacting the pulley.)

The unit has two MTD auger drive belts (specified part #) that were installed about three years ago, and look to be in excellent shape. The tensioner idler pulley runs true and spins freely.

When the auger lever is down, the tensioner spring itself is extended (stretched) by about 1/2 inch. Could this tension not be enough to provide sufficient tension? I would think it should be okay, but I could be wrong. Perhaps it needs to be stretched more. (Don't want to tighten the cable so much that it risks breaking the spring.)

Here's a photo showing the tensioner at rest, a yellow mark showing where it's bolt is when the auger lever is down, and another yellow mark showing how far the tensioner could move with the lever down but the belts out of the way, confirming that the tensioner has additional room and that the spring is applying tension to it.








In this photo the auger lever is down, and the tensioner pulley is applied.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

Another observation that I had overlooked earlier, which might explain part of the apparent high pulley ratio . . . part of my learning, and trying to better understand these machines, and get this one performing as best it can.

With the auger lever pulled down (tension applied), both auger belts are below the edge of the 2.75 inch drive pulleys by about 0.08 inches . . .,

Left side of drive/smaller pulleys








. . . but at or above the edge of the 8 inch driven pulleys:

Right side of driven/larger pulleys








Left side of driven/larger pulleys








According to the parts list in the User Manual, whereas the larger driven impeller/auger pulleys (756-0967) are listed as 8 x 3/8, the smaller drive pulleys (756-0569) are listed as 2.6 x 3/8, rather than 2.75 x 3/8. The smaller pulley outer diameters are in fact close to 2.75 inches but the diameter at the belts when they are snug on the pulleys is 2.6 inches. That results in a pulley ratio of 3.076 (8/2.6). It makes up a good portion of the actual, measured 3.18 ratio.

However, it seems odd that the pulley is listed as 2.6 in. diameter, but measures closer to 2.75 in. Or was the unit supposed to have 2.6 in. diameter pulleys but 2.75 in. ones were installed?


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

really seems like your overthinking things lol. some bounce in the belt is normal with a spring loaded tensioner.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> really seems like your overthinking things lol.


I do that . . .



crazzywolfie said:


> . . . some bounce in the belt is normal with a spring loaded tensioner.


Yes, but this was more than I'd seen before. Gave it some thought (there I go again) and wonder if it might be caused by the impeller mod flap(s) hitting that metal piece and its carriage bolt heads at the top of the chute opening. (This is the first time I ran it with the mod and the belt cover off.) When I had it running, I also noticed that the stroboscope didn't display my yellow timing mark on the impeller very well whereas before it worked perfectly; thinking it could be due to the impeller not spinning quite as steadily as it did before the mod. Might need some time for the edge of the flap(s) to wear into this interference point.

I do appreciate your comments and ideas. Keep them coming.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

spring loaded tensioners can be like that which is why if you tighten it enough the bounce goes away.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> spring loaded tensioners can be like that which is why if you tighten it enough the bounce goes away.


I'm going to take off the chute again (getting good at this!) and recheck the flaps relative to that plate at the top of the chute opening. When I manually rotate the impeller, there's a noticeable bind; it has to be pushed past it, whereas when the flaps are elsewhere, the impeller moves freely. With the chute off I can easily adjust the flaps.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

@crazzywolfie _et al_

We had about 2 inches of snow overnight and into this morning. With the temperature just below freezing, it was somewhat wet but nowhere near slush. Although not really enough to require the blower, I wanted to try the impeller mod. I was pleasantly surprised. There was good lift out of the chute, and, as far as I could tell, better distance. Moreover, while the inside panels of the basket and the auger flutes had a layer of snow stuck to them, the inside of the impeller housing where the rubber paddle ends was passing, was bare. First time I've seen that with this type of snow. 

Looking forward to see how it does with a deeper snow . . .


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i am glad you got to try it out. i know it is one of those things that is really hard to believe till you try it out. it can completely change how the machine performs and it a pretty simple thing to do to mtd machines that really need it.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

Quick update.

It performed great all winter. Instead of the snow landing near the driveway I could have the snow shoot up and then fall in a long line across the lawn. End of winter there was a fairly even layer of snow and no piles next to the driveway. Much better.

Over the summer I split the case and refurbished the bucket with all new bushings, bearings, shear pins, and impeller (with the mod added before install). Even with the new bearings and bushings and spacer washers, there's still the same gaps at the ends of the transverse auger shaft allowing the shaft to move sidewards as noted when I started this thread. I'm about to finish, and was debating slipping on an extra 1" ID washer (all new) at each side to reduce the gap. But, I think I'll stay with the original setup. In this regard, the main impeller drive shaft bearing was still as good as the brand new one I had -- free spinning, no roughness and no axial play. Also, the other bearings/bushings on the transverse auger shaft were also not showing significant wear when compared with the replacements. Nevertheless, I replaced them all. 

I also reset the engine valve gaps (the exhaust was pretty well zero gap), and removed the head to clean the accumulated carbon from the interior. Also added a new muffler. But I haven't run it yet -- that will be when the bucket is back on. And I waxed the bucket and chute, inside and out, including the impeller area multiple times over the summer -- every time I had the few minutes it required. 

I was focussed on my Toro lawn mower for the early part of the summer, so only now getting back to completing the blower. Will probably start it up in the next couple of weeks. 

Also, want to thank everyone who posted here with ideas and suggestions. Although I didn't act on all of them last year, I think I've now caught up.


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## PlOM (Nov 12, 2020)

Was looking at the adjustment of the auger drive belt(s) tensioner/idler wheel on my Yard Works blower. I had thought its position on the tensioner lever was adjustable, but it seems not quite. 

With the idler mounted in the original factory position, it looked as if there is a slot in the lever/arm that would allow it to be moved toward or away from the belts. However, when I loosened the nut, it wouldn't slide either way. With the nut off, and then the idler removed, it's apparent the "slot" has only two positions for the bolt to go through, and it was in the forward (closest to the belts) position.






















I thought I had read that the idler position could be adjusted in the MTD-built blowers from late 1990 to 2000+. Was that correct, and/or were there different mounting schemes, including one that was only two positions?


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