Snowblower Auger Gear Box Maintenance Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Regular maintenance on your snowblower auger gear box can save you hundreds of dollars in the long run! In this video I talk about some very important maintenance tips you can do yourself.
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![How to Fix a Snowblower Auger Gear [Part 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8A8z76Q92AY/mqdefault.jpg)
![How to Fix a Snowblower Auger Gear [Part 2]](/img/tr.png)
![How to Fix a Snowblower Auger Gear [Part 1]](/img/n.gif)
One of the best channels on TH-cam, thanks Don!
Such tips are so worthy. Only you take time to provide additional useful information for ongoing maintenance. Always a pleasure to watch your videos without having to fast forward.
Good to remember that shear bolts are made of soft metal as you mention, so never overtighten these, in fact, these should stay in place even just little tight because usually they have a crushed type nut that does not turn easily by itself. Snowblowers have spare shear bolts on top of the chute, be sure to lube these before they get corroded. My Ariens takes imperial sockets and also uses imperial sized bearings
Very clear instruction and very easy to listen to voice for training. Thank you.
I blew the gearbox out of my Toro I think. Great tutorial...no wasted time, no bs. Solid , knowledgeable lad.
I appreciate your thorough and concise helpful tips. You deserve 2 pats on the back, making TH-cam work for dummies like me… 😀
You can also buy this grease from a John Deere dealer. It is called Corn Head grease and comes in a tube that fits a grease gun. It is used in corn picking heads for combines.
With your help I repaired/resold 8 snow blowers last season and this year I just passed 20 repaired/resold in Minnesota. One video you have not done is on replacing the drive chain(s) on a Noma/Murray. I got one unit in that the chain was off the gears and the links were rusted solid. I've now determined that there is no master link. I'm thinking it will be a project to get this one properly repaired, but I'm going to try. I can't believe I have to take this all apart just to replace a chain. Love your channel!
i had the same thing happen to my mtd garden tiller!!! i used for about 4 hours, then it stopped working, so i took it apart and found the gear wore like the one you showed. my gear wore because it wasnt hardened correctly. the store wouldnt replace it because i had disassembled the drivetrain, and a new drivetrain cost almost as mush as i paid for tiller. theres a saying here in germany, who ever buys cheap things, buys double.
Great video Don. I educate everyone that brings equipment in the late summer and fall about the shear pins. I tell them to order a few extra ones to have on hand.
Nowhere near any snow or the need of a snow blower, but do appreciate your, Small Engine Repair videos, all the same. Thanks Dony!
I am the same way on the Texas Gulf Coast. Snowed 3 times in 50 years and was gone in a day.
I watch all Don's videos. In this case a shear pin and gear box servicing apply to many other powered tools.
Agreed.
thanks
Thankyou for your video. What most people don't understand is that the day before or the day of a major snow is NOT the time to start your snowblower for the first time in close to a year. I do all my maintenance in sept so if it has to go to a shop, its ready to go when a snow hits. Plus, this is usually a slow time for shops in my area(Cincinnati oh)since summer just ended and the lawn equipt is being put away. Since we don't get a ton of snow here and the thing sits most of the time, I change ALL fluids/grease every year and lube all pulley wheels/moving parts including changing gear grease. It seems to be harder on these things when they sit even though my garage is climate controlled. With both hips replaced and back trouble, I can't take a chance of this thing not working. I coddle this thing like its a baby because it has paid for itself many times over in saving my back.
Thanks donyboy , you help Too much I am waiting for a snowfall and I am preparing my snow blower
the little Honda tillers have a gear like that Donny , I got one that was toasted just like that , The guy did not want to fix it due to cost .. Thumbs up man !!
Your commentary on maintenance priceless Thank you
Thanks Don. I don't think theres a snow blower within 400 miles of me but the 00 grease gave me an idea to use in an older Wheel Horse rear mount tractor B roto tiller with a leaky seal.
Looking forward to your full repair video on this unit. My similar Craftsman/Murray just had this happen the last snowfall. I am waiting for it to warm up a bit so I can try and figure out how to get the belt pulley removed from the shaft. Thanks for your videos!
th-cam.com/video/St-si9RjLCw/w-d-xo.html
Helpful information - lubrication and shear pins are important for tillers also. Thanks and have a good new week!
thanks steve
I have 3 older Tecumseh/Craftsman based blowers. None of them have filler holes on the gearbox unfortunately. I always check to see if the shear bolts have been replaced with hardened steel bolts when I buy them. Repairing the gearbox is a big dirty job. Thanks Don.
looking forward to the repair video. I got a free snow blower and I think this is the problem.
What does it mean if u change the oil in the gear case and it comes out dirty black in color. Does that mean that the gears inside are wearing away? Do u recommend draining all the oil out and putting fresh? Thanks! Love ur videos, u have taught me soo much!!
Don your videos are so awesome I’ve learned a lot keep them coming well done 👍
you doing an awesome job! i enjoy all your videos, just can't believe that grease is 65 bucks on amazon Canada!!!
Great demonstration. Thanks for sharing.
Wow . I hope my old offbranded murry is oil not grease . Awesome videos. Not first one iv watched
You make great videos and I always learn something new each time. My snowblower is a Husqvarna 10527SB-LS with no drain or fill holes. Any hints?
Nice video! I like using gear oil personally. As long as it doesn't leak it's easier to check and lubricates better. Grease sticks to the walls and away from the gears.
What weight gear oil do you use? I’m new to snow blowers and bought a Troy Bilt storm 2460 and it has a rubber plug on top. The manual doesn’t list any lube requirements. I bought a grease gun and Lucas red and tacky grease to do the auger shaft but it doesn’t even have any grease fittings. I’m trying to maintain it and have it last for years
@@swaggerjacker1482 I use 80w90 synthetic 👌
@@jakkbatt4711 appreciate the response
NGLI 0 or 00 is softer (more like pudding than peanut butter) than wheel bearing grease (number 2) and flows around the gearbox but doesn't leak out around bad shaft seals or gearbox gaskets.
Thanks, your videos are terrific.
Hey Don,
Can you do a video on the business aspects of small engine repair?
What paperwork you use, invoicing, work orders, receipts, how you collect money, what you charge, how to price a repair, bad customer experiences, good customers, ect.
Thanks!
Jackson
Great video Don. I use snowmobile grease for the auger housings.
Great video. The 1st stage on my two stage blower won't spin however the 2nd stage is fine. If I turn the blades a bit until the cannot be moved any further by hand then engage the lever they will spin until I put any stress on them in the form of snow, then the stop again. I was going to replace the belt 1st until I saw this video. Any recommendations?
thanks for another good video. great photos and good edits
thanks
dony
just replaced gear on my craftsman 24" snowblower. Amazing how shredded that brass gear was. want to let you know how much help your various videos have been and to keep up the good work. Roy in AK
thanks Roy
Great video Don! All the best!
Hey Donny, i have a 21 year old craftsman with 9.5 Tuchomse. I have not added grease to the gearbox but I have checked with a dipstick and the grease is still very soft. I am concerned about over-filling it bur want to replace grease. The manual says that it does not need to be replaced. Advice?
i don't have a snow blower, but do have other equipment like my lawn mowers which probably could use that grease.
My Ariens auger was seized up, two days of 40F+ weather and hot water poured in did nothing, engaging the clutch just squealed... I poured in some gearbox oil into the gear box, and now it runs! I can't imagine what it looks like in there that just adding oil would release a total seize, I'll be tearing the whole thing apart in the warmer months to inspect and replace worn parts.
Used a borescope to make sure there were no rocks or debris behind the auger too.
Hello and thanks a ton, So how, and what with, do we fill the gear box if there's no plug or zerk fitting, etc? Be cool, freezerburn
The Crafstman manuel stated that the gear box not needs to service ?
Hi Don, love the videos you post. Been trying to find 00 gear oil. Where do you get it from?
Try tractor supply.
It's not a gear oil. It's an NGLI 0 or 00 grease, thinner than your usual number 2 bearing grease. So it flows around gears rather than getting pushed aside.
00 zero zero grease or Shell Alvania
what do you think about ''Snow Blower Impeller Blade Modification Kit''? should I do it, there are there any advantages or disadvantages?
Hello donyboy73. I was just wondering I have a john deer TRS32 blower from 1996 that has been well maintained and is in good condition other than, the auger oil GL5 80W90 that recently started leaking out on one side of the auger box, after being toped up to level, with the plug installed properly. I got a letter from john deere when I first got the blower saying to use the GL5 80W90 instead of the lubricant that came in the machine, saying the old lubricant "may" be too thick to lubricate properly and the thickness makes it difficult to check for proper fill level. Can I still use the 00 Grease 32-9089 from Rotery without any damage being done to the gears? Thank you very much for your reply.
Dony, thanks for sharing your knowledge. My question is, I have a Craftsman 9hp/29 in, what type of grease goes in the Auger gear box. I has a 9/16 bolt on top left of gear box and i was able to insert a toothpick and I pulled out a white substance. Is this white lithium grease? Thanks
NGLI 0 or 00. Standard grease is number 2 and is way too thick. It will get pushed away from the gears and they will run dry and soon fail.
I never understood the concept of thin grease in these gearboxes. The older style cast iron gearboxes like on my Troy-Bilt Big Boy take 80W90 gear lube and are easy to drain and refill. Grease in these things in cold weather sucks.
Donnie, what would you do in the case and with the auger? Gearbox is completely sealed with no fill plug or drain plug??? I have a Twenty four inch cup cadet snow blower. Purchased in 2015, model no 524 SWE. Any recommendations? The only thing I see is a sealed rubber plug at the top of the auger gear box, blue in color.
When all else fails talk to the manufacturer. Cup cadet had a 1800 toll free telephone number. They advised me that the plug is simply a plastic rivet that can be popped out of the top of the auger gear box with a flathead screw driver or putty knife. They also advised me to use 00 grease and to fill it up to the top. Is problem solved. Perhaps your other viewers will benefit from my response.
Hey Din, how about a video(s) on engine small electronics and kill switches such as the clip thst hooks on throttle linkage as well as how to properly wind and seat butterfly springs so the engine choke and idle works, otherwise known as the small needed components for a properly running engine. Ive seen springs that popped out if place so there was no tesion for movement of throttle as well as a missing kill switch/wire that hooks on throttle linkage, that the average Joe wont know how to fix. I myself barely figured it out.
ok
I have a Toro 521 and it looks like the auger transmission with this model presented by you ... do you know if it can be put to me instead of Toro 5-7180 GEAR-WORM, 27T -> Briggs Stratton 1752500YP?
Or instead of Toro 5-7170 GEAR -> Briggs Stratton 53732MA?
The gaskets also look the same: Toro 51-0460 GASKET-CASE, GEAR -> Briggs Stratton 897MA ...
I am from Romania and find cheaper and easier Briggs Stratton pieces ... those from Toro are extremely expensive to us ...
Should you disassemble and clean it out every few years even if it seems to be working OK? On two occasions my MTD 22" blower broke the drive belt instead of the shear pins when hitting a foreign object. At least it was the belt and not the gear box.
What kind of gear oil is yellow metal safe ?
Salut Don, could gear oil 75w90 replace 00 grease or will leak ? (for Columbia 10 28) OR white grease in a can ??
We are also engaged in the repair of snow throwers and other garden equipment in Russia. Respect equipment Corporation b&s. Started buying this mount consumables and rotary belts. As compare quality rotary belts in comparison with the original belts Husqvarna and mtd?
Rotary belts are good quality. Here in canada mtd has matched their belts to the aftermarket ones
Got a question about my tecumseh hm100. the crankshaft has some play,im not sure how much is too much and wonder what the problem could be and how to fix it,thanks.
@donyboy, are you able to give me.some insight please! My snowblower auger stops turn when it comes under gear I wants to replace the worm gear. However, my worm gear does not have a woodruff keyway, instead it has a pin that go through the gear and shaft. The pin is not budging though. How can I get this off, without having to buy an entire new assembly.
I have an old gravely snowblower mounted on a gravely 5665 2 wheel tractor and the seals are leaking slowly. Would this grease be ok to use in place of the gear oil? The snowblower is from the 60's
Hi , I have the same snowblower and just wondering if the needle bearings in the center of the gears are available ,thanks
Good day Sony. Is it hard to remove the bushings from each side of the auger casing halves where the auger shaft goes through the gearbox? On my Toro PowerMax 1028 OXE, it appears as though each sleeve/bushing is plastic. And then there is a rubber and metal seal that sits on the outside where the auger shaft enters the gearbox. How is the rubber and metal seal kept in place. Using loctite?
Dony, do you know where I can get a brass gear for an old (10M4) Ariens snowblower. Can't find one and Ariens was no help. I love my old snowblower and hate to think about parting it out.
Great video Don, my snowblowers is only 6-7 years old, what should I do for maintenance beyond oil and physical condition check?
grease bushings etc, check belts
Thanks, will do, winters coming!
how can you tell if the auger box is damages is there an easy way to tell
I have a 50 year old snowblower that has an oil filled gearbox. The thing never saw a drop of oil before I got it and it's in better shape than this. There is also no shear pins. That or they got rust-welded to the shaft.
the old ones are indestructable
Hi donyboy73. I thought that the auger gear box used gear oil, like in a car's differential. Both my 2014 Ariens Platinum and my old 8 HP Bolans snow blowers both used 75-90 WT gear oil.
Great job ! Thanks !
Hey, Dony. Looking forward to the next video on this machine.
My old Toro has got small cracks in the housing under the motor at the corners where the housing opens for the belts right under the edges of the belt cover. Should I be concerned? Or wait until the cracks get bigger to disassemble and weld it up? I recently repainted parts of the machine and put new skids and scraper blade. It seems solid otherwise.
Thanks.
unless it's getting larger and the belts come off
No, they're just hairline cracks now, about 1 to 2 cm.
Garth Goldberg I would use a very tiny drill bit and drill the cracks at the end. It helps keep them from cracking further. Then weld if u want to.
Great video!
My 2002 Craftsman 9hp just failed in this area. Auger stopped moving. Upon inspection, the worm And gear were fine with plenty of grease. It appears the shaft developed excessive play and simply moved away from the gear and lost contact.
Ohh, and my impeller is equivalent to welded on so I need lots of new parts.
Anyone have any?
Do ariens 1127 snowblowers use the 00 grease or oil? Thanks!
oil
You seem like a smart dude and you know your stuff but I'm kinda surprised you say grease for the auger gearbox. I'm SURE you've heard it before but the manual says no grease only oil...what is your perspective on that whole issue?
Depends on the snowblower. I have a Toro 824 from 1986 and a Craftsman C950 8/27 from 2004 and both manuals recommend using grease in the gearbox. Namely Lubriplate MAG-1 & Lubriplate GR-132 which are both light viscosity white lithium NLGI 1 low temp high-pressure greases capable of operating at -40.
Safety tip: If you cannot find the correct shear pin for your blower, any similar equipment shear pin that is the correct diameter and length is better than a bolt.
great info thanks
I can't believe the parts cost. If that gear was in one of the old machine tools I work on it would be $1500. Then I'd have to wait 6 weeks for them to make it.
I took the gearbox plug out on my 11/30 Craftsman and there was some white grease in there but I cant tell how much. Is 00 grease compatible with the white (lithium?) grease that's in there now? If not, what kind of grease should I use to top it off? Thanks.
did you found the answer, asking myself too,,, can I use white liquid grease in can version ??
Good tip. 👍👍
How do you know if it's a shear pin ? Bought mine used don't know if it's regular bolts or not.
i learn alotthanks
Hey Donyboy73, great videos. I really enjoy your vids. Gotta a question for ya, do all snow blowers have brass gears, or are their some with a harder steel? If there are, do they last longer or are they less prone to break with proper maintenance?
some are steel and seem to last longer. it mostly depends on lubrication
donyboy73 thank you. Would you know off hand which brands have steel gears?
The reason for using copper is to avoid damaging the worm, which is more expensive
Did you replace the gear casing?
YES
@@donyboy73 i liked and subscribed to your page i like your videos. I own an older craftsman 26in electric start model247.883700 which i purchased used in 2015 from my local ma& pa hardware store the owner does repairs on lawnmowers& snowblowers the first owner blew the motor up and left it with the hardware store. They put an exact match new briggs& stratton motor on it and sold it to me for $300. I ve used it a handful of times since the winter of 2016. I haven't done anything to it but think i should do some preventive maintenance on it. I've seen how to grease the auger blades. Can you help me with how to grease or oil the gearbox and what would be a good lube for it. Nowhere in the owners manual does it say anything about servicing the gearbox.i do see a PLUG picture on the gearbox in the parts listing in manual so i believe i can add grease or lube. Just want to know whats recommended. Also is there a way to lube the wheels. THANK YOU!!
Don, never saw this grease before, it looks like it would run like gear oil. Is it runny like gear oil, or like the grease you get in a can or grease gun? I sometimes use a little mixture of grease and gear oil GL80-90, it seems to keep the grease from sticking to the sides of the casing and improves lubrication. What do you think?
good idea, the grease in the video is runny but not as much as oil
By the way, I didden know if you knew, but there is a green paint that pretty well matches the color of those snow blowers. They stock it all the time at my local CTC store. It is by Trimclad rust paint and is called Charleston green. The cap looks almost black.
Gator, have you had success with the mixture on more than one machine? I'm replacing the auger gasket (Toro 824) soon and I'll do the same if your results are positive. The auger currently has/had oil in it. Thanks.
V yes i have had success, but whatever was originally in there then use that and just add a very little gear oil to keep it from moving away fron the gears and sticking to the walls of the casing
thank you for this ...
thanks, any snow in P.E.I.?
not too much snow, but a lot of power outages lately, but back to normal now ...
how close are you doing the video for how to repair this?
Me again. My gear box had grease in it. Why couldn't I use gear oil instead. The gear box grease is very hard to find. Every shop I went to has to order it and it takes a long time to get it.
You cannot use gear oil because the lubrication properties of the oil are not the same as grease, Especially at lower temperatures. Secondly you are wrong about finding 00 grease. You will find it at any tractor supply store across the united states or rural king. Farmers use this exact same grease on are cotton picker gearboxes, which are exactly the same as a snowblower. I reviewed the technical specification sheets and it is safe for any yellow metal gears which contain copper. It must be safe from a corrosion standpoint otherwise, the grease and or lubrication has corrosion inhibitors in it, which will actually corrode the yellow metal because it has copper in it. Go to tractor supply and get the right grease. You're welcome.
nice tip
put john deere corn head grease in
solid wen cold
heavy oil when you work it sum
look it up works great
Is that the green color stuff, I think I have some of that at the lake.
Did that on a rototiller gearbox that wouldn't hold oil. Worked beautifully. Well, it did until the engine crapped out because I didn't know how a governor worked, but that's another story.
Grant W. Whitwam yes
Should say corn head grease
4-horse Briggs IIRC. I got it with most of the control linkage missing, except for the one rod between the governor arm and the throttle. I left that rod there and hooked the throttle cable straight to the throttle (like I was used to seeing on car engines). So not only could the governor not do its job, the governor arm was right in the path of the flyweights and couldn't move. After a few minutes of running like this, one of the flyweights broke (the metal weight actually failed, not the plastic gear it was clipped into) and found its way in between the case and the conrod. There wasn't room for a flyweight between the case and the conrod and the impact punched a hole in the case. To the engine's credit, it kept running until I shut it off.
I learned a lot about governors when I tore the thing apart.
hehe thats why your the man don good vid ... †
Would this explain knocking when the auger is running?
I broke a few shear pins. The pins were replaced with new pins. Now I'm hearing some knocking, but only when the auger turns on.
possible, could be augers hitting snowblower
Could be that the auger shaft bushing has too much play this is common on Toro snow blowers.
We have a 40 yr old toro.....Where can I find maintenance manuals on line? I know the auger uses oil.
I believe that you need to use 90w GL-4 oil since the gears are made of brass. There are other videos here which cover draining and refilling the gearbox. I plan to check mine before next winter it is a 421 about 40 years old.
Can I use ATF in my snowblower auger gearbox
??
gear oil or shell alvania is better
those toro power max blowers do not have shear pins from what i understand...how does that work?
Single stage machine. They have rubber paddles as the auger and it blows the snow right out, no shear pins. A two stage machine typically has metal augers two shear pins and an impeller behind it which throws the snow. The rubber paddles on those machines where as it rubs against the concrete and once they wear far enough down, you have to replace the paddles. Usually two held on by nuts and bolts. Two stage machines usually have a metal scraper bar on the bottom of the bucket as well as two skid shoes on on each side if the bucket that have to be changed when they wear down far enough. A one stage machine is a snowblower a two stage machine is a snowthrower, usually.
Why are they making gears out of brass seems to weak ?
What do you think of the universal shear pins ?
Great informative video as always, thank you.
Hey. Why this gear has now been replaced by steel?
because it wold last too long if it was steel
What ISO VG viscosity is the base oil in this grease? I find it extremely difficult to find actual technical information on these greases...
Yes, could you squirt a little out so we can see how thick it is?
A guy that replaces sheer pins with regular is probably the same guy that replaces a fuse with a bigger one when it burns out...
Hey, just preventing it from ever blowing again.
What a shame, hopefully he will learn from that lesson.
The uk dont get snow and even i know about the protective pin.
How to grease the auger shaft with no grease nipples on the shaft what do I do to grease this shaft
Genius.
🙂👍👍👍👍👍👍
theres no overdrive?
Thornton colorado 4:06
Wouldn't 90 weight gear lube be better than grease?
in the cold areas it might not flow around the parts. ie it would be like mollassis...
100$ for that gear.....wow.
Hi Donny what oil / grease do you recommend for a John Deere trs32 auger gear box ?
shell alvania or "00" zero zero grease
donyboy73 thank you !