# 2021 YT624 1ST FEW MONTHS COMMENTS



## jimwilly (Jan 11, 2021)

As I promised in my intro post here are some observations after receiving my new machine in Nov.
I picked up my snowblower in Abbotsford BC & the dealer helped me load it onto a hitch mounted mobility scooter
carrier. Before leaving he said be sure to remove key! Glad he did as I bet it would have fallen out & got lost on the highway. In the key OFF position there is nothing to hold it in place.
At the dealership I was shown how to lower the machine onto the front skids or raise it & I thought that was all there was to it. Just pull the black handle & let it drop.......wrong!
After driving 3 hours to my place in the interior I starting driving the machine up my 0.8 KM driveway & it didn't go that well, it seemed like the handles were too low & the machine seemed to be driving up on the snow & then spinning the tracks.
Once at my cabin it was now dark but I decided to cut some paths & managed to run over my snowmobile trailer's hitch pin that was buried under the snow. The machine stalled instantly with the hitch pin jammed tight between the auger & housing. Not impressed, I broke it good less than 6 hours after buying it!
The next day I had to loosen the auger bearings & remove the scraper bar & got the hitch pin out.
I played around with the machines height control lever & realized if you lifted up on the handles you can get the rear much higher & it will stay that way if you then release the black handle to lock it there.
I don't feel the owners manual describes this process very well.
Now it was cutting into the snow & not getting stuck! I set the skids at mid height.
Since then I've had the 2nd stage auger stall the machine in the morning because of a chunk of ice that formed overnight in its housing, always check there after each use.
Using the hydrostatic lever at its slowest setting & jockeying FWD/REV I have managed to cut a path through snow drifts 3 feet deep, a bunch of snow falls on the machine so not recommended for a huge area to clear.
I was finding the machine getting stuck in really deep snow & had to yank hard to get it to backup, sometimes a long distance. Today I discovered if you put your full weight on the bars the traction improves dramatically!
Did my 1st oil change today using Yamalube 5/30 oil & found there is a dipstick, the manual shows a fill cap only.
While draining the oil out the Left using the short extension that's there I was disappointed when the oil started also running along the motor bottom & out the rear of the motor deck.
While adding oil the long funnel on the right was nearly horizontal & almost not going in.
By adding a 2X4 under the right track the funnel now flowed much better & I bet the draining procedure will be 
less messy next time (I hope) with the machine tipped.
I added 0.6 Ltrs and with the machine level & only inserting the dipstick (not screwing it in) read FULL
I have always wanted a Yamaha snowblower & now that I've figured out a few things, glad I did.


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## Lunta (Dec 14, 2017)

jimwilly said:


> I added 0.6 Ltrs and with the machine level & only inserting the dipstick (not screwing it in) read FULL


On my machine, the correct oil level is achieved by filling to the bottom of the hole lip:










Does your manual give instructions to use the dip stick?


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## ShedLife (Jan 7, 2020)

The pneumatic auger housing takes some getting used to, but once figured out is pretty amazing. I can go from asphalt, to crushed stone, to grass without missing a beat. It's a fantastic feature.

With respect to the key, if there was something preventing it from falling out in the off position, then it wouldn't be possible to take the key out when not using the machine.

Did you break any shear pins when you hit the trailer receiver? I look at my shear pins and they are just regular bolts with no notches in them like normal shear pins I've seen before.

I love my little Yamaha!

One question though. Does your auger housing sit higher on the right side (operations right) just a touch?

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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Lunta said:


> On my machine, the correct oil level is achieved by filling to the bottom of the hole lip:
> 
> View attachment 175038
> 
> ...


The yt624 has the same picture and it does not mention the dipstick, just take a flash light and look at the level of the oil on a flat surface.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

jimwilly said:


> As I promised in my intro post here are some observations after receiving my new machine in Nov.
> I picked up my snowblower in Abbotsford BC & the dealer helped me load it onto a hitch mounted mobility scooter
> carrier. Before leaving he said be sure to remove key! Glad he did as I bet it would have fallen out & got lost on the highway. In the key OFF position there is nothing to hold it in place.
> At the dealership I was shown how to lower the machine onto the front skids or raise it & I thought that was all there was to it. Just pull the black handle & let it drop.......wrong!
> ...


Wow that's a rough start with a new machine, I'm glad it all worked out.

Snow going over the housing is common for those models and does not affect the machine whatsoever. But for me it drove me crazy so i suggest u get the housing extension, its solid steel and works great. It looks good too. All euro models yt624/yt660 comes with it as a oem part.


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## jimwilly (Jan 11, 2021)

Wow, lots of feedback !


> No the shear bolts didn't break, the motor just stalled. There is a shock absorbing coupling to each of the augers


so that might have helped plus the engine might not have enough power haha. I was given a set of Yamaha shear bolts
at purchase so at least I have them ready.


> The manual never mentions the dip stick, just shows the same picture you showed above. Typically on these kind


of engines the oil level range is bottom of fill cap threads to top.










> I am thinking of adding a Yamaha accessory drift cutter & hour meter/tach.
> I realize why the key is not locked in the OFF position but it would fall out very easily, & being positioned where it


is easy to forget its there. I will probably add either a lanyard or key tag to the key. Having dropped a bare key ring in the 
snow I know how easy this can happen. Too bad the the ignition key wasnt up on the "console" to the left side.


> While draining the oil noticed another oil fill cap on the same side as the drain bolt. Maybe for another application?


Didnt open it.


> Auger housing not level not sure, will check.


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## ShedLife (Jan 7, 2020)

jimwilly said:


> Wow, lots of feedback !
> 
> so that might have helped plus the engine might not have enough power haha. I was given a set of Yamaha shear bolts
> at purchase so at least I have them ready.
> ...


Yeah, I tied a long price of bright Tiger striped flagging tape on my key just in case it falls out for some reason.

The auger housing seems to be just a touch higher on one side on a lot of these machines so it would be great to know if yours is as well.

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## jimwilly (Jan 11, 2021)

Mine appears level, let me know if I took the wrong measurement.
FYI built in Japan.
Useful life only 125 hours? Do they mean the entire engine or just the emissions system?


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## Lunta (Dec 14, 2017)

Nickdatech said:


> The yt624 has the same picture and it does not mention the dipstick, just take a flash light and look at the level of the oil on a flat surface.


Exactly. Which makes me wonder why the OP is using the dipstick to check oil level.


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## ShedLife (Jan 7, 2020)

jimwilly said:


> Mine appears level, let me know if I took the wrong measurement.
> FYI built in Japan.
> Useful life only 125 hours? Do they mean the entire engine or just the emissions system?
> View attachment 175206
> ...


That's great. Thanks. If you look at your scraper bar is it level across the unit and the ground? 

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## jimwilly (Jan 11, 2021)

Seems level to me & the scraper marks in the snow are even depth across. I should point out the scraper bar is raised to max so should be no chance of it sitting higher on side because of misalignment.


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

It's funny how we all get bent out of shape regarding engine size. Here is a beast of a machine that does just fine with 171cc's. Very nice unit!!


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## ShedLife (Jan 7, 2020)

gibbs296 said:


> It's funny how we all get bent out of shape regarding engine size. Here is a beast of a machine that does just fine with 171cc's. Very nice unit!!


It's not the size of the worm....it's how you wiggle it. These blowers are incredible machines.

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