# Do you keep spare parts?



## Tony P. (Jan 9, 2017)

Following posts on snow thrower issues got me thinking about potential issues with mine. Unlike my mower and other equipment, my snow thrower conking out could leave me in the cold, literally. So, I started wondering what spare parts I should keep on hand - perhaps, an auger belt or a drive belt, maybe a spark plug. Of course I have several auger / shear pins and a bunch of cotter pins. What do you guys keep on hand?


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

Personally, I check over my machines yearly and replace parts as nesessary at the end of the season. No spare parts other then shear pins and spark plugs.


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## Sid (Jan 31, 2014)

I have a few wear items, but for the rest I don't what will go next. I rely on some pretty great web sites, and of course those shops that have a yard full of old machinery. The new stuff will have no usable old parts as they are made so flimsy.
Sid


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I keep extra running blowers...I have about 20 at the moment...LOL. Can't sell any without snow in NE. Seriously, anything I depend on that is equipment, I try to have a backup machine. IN the cranberry business the window for certain cultural practices is very narrow....harvest and sanding etc. If a machine goes down you can't wait to fix it...no time. Same thing with blowing snow.....got to get cleared. Of course I've got loaders, and tractors with plows, but I like the job the blowers do better. I would want two blowers ready to go at all times. Fixing a broken belt or such during a storm, or crunching an impeller gearbox means shoveling with out the backup machine. If for some reason I couldn't have a second machine...I would at the least have an extra set of belts and extra shearpins.


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## mrfixit (Dec 3, 2016)

My blower stock.
Belts, plugs, oil, gear lube, stabilizer and Sea Foam.


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## mrfixit (Dec 3, 2016)

My vehicles.
Oil, filters, save the old serpentine belt, goes in vehicle for emergency. Brakes, plugs order from Rock Auto before needed, cheaper than local auto parts. Wiper blades always bought on sale at Costco and keep 2 sets for each vehicle. Windshield washer fluid, always 2 gallons in stock, use one replace it. I like Rain X, the orange stuff. That's all I can think of right now.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

2 or 3 snow shovels.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

Belts, spark plugs, oil, shear pins, carb kit(s) and the service/parts manuals for the machines and motors. 

Spare paddles, belts a scraper bar for the single stage machine.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*Yeah sure you betcha i keep a running overhead of parts for THE BROTHERS. because oot here in the frozen tundra you never know what might just happen in a NEW YORK minute.:icon-doh::icon-doh:*


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## guyl (Jun 12, 2016)

At least one of every belt type (2 machines = 4 belts), shear pins, and a spare friction disk rubber ring. But the best prevention is just having that second machine ready to go. In fact I alternate their use when I can.


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## Tony P. (Jan 9, 2017)

I think an extra 19-20 snow throwers may be overkill for my situation, but it got me thinking. Perhaps I'll keep an eye out for a smaller machine in the off season. It could be an interesting project and I happen to have plenty of room.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Extra Gasoline !


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I'm going to give you two answers.

I fix and sell equipment on the side so I always have extra parts and extra blowers.

However if I did not fix I would always have 2 or 3 blowers. Right now my blowers I plan to keep are a 10/29 Craftsman, a 10/32 real John Deere, and a Ariens 5/22. I'm going to restore a mid 70s Yardman, 24", and put a 8hp engine on it.

About the only thing I would carry would be shear pins. I check the belts and would only carry a belt if the old one was getting worn.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

guyl said:


> ...But the best prevention is just having that second machine ready to go. In fact I alternate their use when I can.


Until my main and only blower snapped a clutch spring that took 2 months for the part to come in, I didn't think I had a need for a 2nd machine. 

After 2 months of hand shoveling, I found out how important keeping a No.2 ready to go in the wings is. 

Less stuff in the garage vs. always ready to clear snow :tempted:


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## Prime (Jan 11, 2014)

I run 2 hs 928 and clear 15 drives per event. I stock wear parts : shear bolts of each type, belts, spare drive and auger springs top and bottom, one of each cable, spare light bulb, I use one machine with the other as back up. One goes down take the other and do the repair between storms. Stocking the normal wear parts is pretty much required for me. My dealer is 40 miles away and stocks no parts. So I order all parts online, takes about 2 weeks to get um.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

JLawrence08648 said:


> ...if I did not fix I would always have 2 or 3 blowers. Right now my blowers I plan to keep are a 10/29 Craftsman, a 10/32 real John Deere, and a Ariens 5/22. I'm going to restore a mid 70s Yardman, 24", and put a 8hp engine on it.
> 
> About the only thing I would carry would be shear pins. I check the belts and would only carry a belt if the old one was getting worn.


Right on, good plan!


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Prime said:


> I run 2 hs 928 and clear 15 drives per event. I stock wear parts : shear bolts of each type, belts, spare drive and auger springs top and bottom, one of each cable, spare light bulb, I use one machine with the other as back up. One goes down take the other and do the repair between storms. Stocking the normal wear parts is pretty much required for me. My dealer is 40 miles away and stocks no parts. So I order all parts online, takes about 2 weeks to get um.


Doesn't get any better than that. Great way to roll in life if you ask me. Take care of the Eastern Seaboard for us (or Atlantic Canada for the right way to say it?) :smiley-char060:


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

Stockpile of Ariens Parts and Machines Here.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Jackmels said:


> Stockpile of Ariens Parts and Machines Here.


When I get around to buying and restoring a great piece of Americana, it will be an Ariens...you guys have convinced me.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Prime said:


> ...I stock wear parts : shear bolts of each type, belts, spare drive and auger springs top and bottom, one of each cable, spare light bulb...Stocking the normal wear parts is pretty much required for me. My dealer is 40 miles away and stocks no parts. So I order all parts online, takes about 2 weeks to get um.


Not everyone will buy two identical machines, but your list of parts should be a sticky for every Honda snowblower owner. There should be one for every brand of blower.

Thanks for that post.


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## Prime (Jan 11, 2014)

I used to run 3 MTD machines n the same principles for spare parts. Worked well but they were not all the same model , so keeping spare parts was a bit more hassle. Working with the same model makes life much simpler.


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## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> *Yeah sure you betcha i keep a running overhead of parts for THE BROTHERS. because oot here in the frozen tundra you never know what might just happen in a NEW YORK minute.:icon-doh::icon-doh:*


'Shift-what is the specification for the length of a "New York minute"?I know several blokes from NY and THEY don't even know.


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## Mike C. (Jan 28, 2016)

I have four blowers and amazing how quickly back-up machines can fail at the worst possible times-or how long one can neglect repairing back-up blowers as they fail.

I used to keep a good supply of replacement parts by visiting the local waste transfer facility(formerly "the dump") regularly and pulling any good parts that would fit my machines.I had a big plastic storage tub for each of my blowers.

Those were the good old days as the local anti-picker Nazis running the place now won't let you take anything from the scrap metal section.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

Same way at my transfer station. I Like to go on monday mornings because the service they hire does get get there until the afternoon and usually the town people are in there doing something and leave the gates open. They don't pay attention to that area when there doing other **** so I just grab what I want. My transfer station isn't even a mile away from my house


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

I keep a few that can fail and cause delays if you can't get them right away:
For a Toro single stage:
Drive belt
Spark plugs
Fuel filters
Spare cleaned out carb

Every 5 seasons or so replsce the paddles and scraper bar


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## Tony P. (Jan 9, 2017)

Mike C. said:


> 'Shift-what is the specification for the length of a "New York minute"?I know several blokes from NY and THEY don't even know.


Having grown up in New York and working in NYC most of my life, I can tell you a New York minute is less than 60 seconds. So if it takes two people a minute to do something, the New Yorker will finish first.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Mike C. said:


> 'Shift-what is the specification for the length of a "New York minute"?I know several blokes from NY and THEY don't even know.


*I think it is just a saying, but if i had to guess it would be a second or two..:icon_whistling:k:k:k:k:*


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

I have a Crafstman 536.881800 with the B&S PowerBuilt OHV 12E114 0268 E1 engine. This model has a hex bolt in the drive system that breaks at least twice a year. It seems to function as a shear pin even though it is not called that. Even though I don't hop curbs and try to engage the drive gently, it still breaks every year.

I replace this at the beginning of each season and always keep an extra with me. I have a small pouch I carry in my pocket with a set of augur shear pins, a drive pin, and the box ratchets and wrenches I need to make those repairs. I also have a rubber stopper that is the right size to plug the gas tank. I have to put the machine on its nose to change out the drive pin and replacing the gas cap with the rubber stopper keeps the gas in the machine.

Other than that I keep both red and green stabilizer, seafoam, starter fluid, carb cleaner, and silicone spray. I keep the last set of belts as I change them every other year.

The drive bolt has all the earmarks of a system that has been re-engineered to fail regularly in order to prime their parts and repair service. My old Ariens had no such part, or if it did, it didn't break once over 30 years of use.

*LMHmedchem*
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...n-536-881800-running-rough-mixture-issue.html


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

there are some sparkplugs for the 521's and there is some gasoline but that's all folks


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

May not be relevant now, but a "New York Minute" was described to me as long long it takes 4 guys to strip 4 wheels of an abandoned car in New York......ya, THAT Fast!!!


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> *Yeah sure you betcha i keep a running overhead of parts for THE BROTHERS. because oot here in the frozen tundra you never know what might just happen in a NEW YORK minute.:icon-doh::icon-doh:*


This.

Three seasons +/- worth of everything every machine and vehicle at the Hill wants, because you never know. Plus a fair stock of stuff that I know the neighbors need and often stop by for. Plus it's a pain in the keester to run out for stuff all the time.

Plugs, belts and hose of various sizes, gaskets, filters, fluids... etc. Why not. Gonna use it someday anyhow.

By definition, "stores" originally referred to goods kept on hand for present and future use, not a sketchy warehouse named Wallyworld down on the corner where the prepubescent kid at the counter doesn't know the difference between gas and diesel, except for the price. Maybe.

:nicetopic:


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Yanmar Ronin said:


> ...not a sketchy warehouse named Wallyworld down on the corner where the prepubescent kid at the counter doesn't know the difference between gas and diesel, except for the price. Maybe.


Is this true in Japan also?


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## Florin (Jan 23, 2017)

What spare parts do you think are necessary for a new Honda HSS 760 ?


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## Elt31987 (Sep 6, 2015)

I keep a spare traction belt, attachment belts, shear pins and a spark plug. I always have extra gas and oil since my Generator uses the same.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

I've a number of spare parts, having parted out a few machines and trying to specialize in one general model. I also keep at least 2 working machines at any time and there's the trusty show shovel as backup.


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