Snowblower usage question

[supton]

My Toro 521 seems to always eat auger belts. I've asked about it in the past; couple years ago I shimmed the engine out to try to get more belt tension. Snow wasn't bad last year so I didn't use it; used it last weekend for an hour and at the end the belt was slipping. I think it was new when I started.

[of course I didn't think to order more belts! and now I've got another foot to move. With no place to throw it I'm really wanting this infernal contraption to be working!]

But am I the one at fault here? I just take whatever amount of snow it will handle, until the engine bogs down. Which it rarely does. I'll run it into snowbanks a foo taller than the machine, so as to move the bank back.

Maybe the belt is the weakest point, and I'm just over using the machine?

I try to buy genuine Toro belts. I tried some cheapies once and they lasted an even shorter time.

 

[ronbo]

Sir, a great forum for help and info is http://www.snowblowerforum.com/

 

[eljefino]

Maybe your pulley ("sheave") is glazed or misaligned.

I wish the darn things took toothed belts, like a motorcycle drive. Stall the motor! The shear pins will take any abuse.

 

[supton]

No kidding. In 7 or 8 years I've broken but one pin. No pavement either! Belt is what gives. I leave the bolts off the plastic bit, and can change the belt in about two minutes.

Assuming I have a belt... Wonder if HD or Lowes has any.

 

[supton]

Oh, and I just compared the old belt to the new drive belt I have. The V is the same thickness at the thickest spot. But the narrow bit has lost a quarter of its thickness.

 

[BigCahuna]

Are you using belts designed for snow blowers, or are you using a cars belt?. I tried to save a few bucks by using car belts on my riding mower and they don't last. First, they seem to stretch faster, and broke before one season of relatively light use. If you have any dents or scratches or rust on either pulleys, you might want to sand them smooth. And when you get a new belt, don't bend it in the opposite way it left the factory, "IE" inside out. That can break the cords and cause it to fail.,,,

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Are you using belts designed for snow blowers, or are you using a cars belt?. I tried to save a few bucks by using car belts on my riding mower and they don't last. First, they seem to stretch faster, and broke before one season of relatively light use. If you have any dents or scratches or rust on either pulleys, you might want to sand them smooth. And when you get a new belt, don't bend it in the opposite way it left the factory, "IE" inside out. That can break the cords and cause it to fail.,,,


+1 It took less than one season to learn that lesson. My belt broke, and I needed one fast. I went to AAP and grabbed a belt that fit. Less than a season and that belt was trash, but it lasted long enough for me to order two replacements made for snow blowers.

 

[SHOZ]

Why not get an OEM one? If going aftermarket at least get a kevlar one.

Here's what the OEM looks like.

Here's an aftermarket kevlar one.

 

[supton]

Good point. I think I have been buying Sten or Oregon, based on what I see at Amazon. Perhaps I ought to order four this time.

 

[supton]

Hmm, can't find my previous orders. Looks like I ordered but a single belt from partstree.com in 2008 for a "TOR 37-9080" which sounds like a Toro belt.

I looked on Amazon, and the OEM belt is $16, with one review saying it worked great, and one indicating it stretched in short order.

 

[SHOZ]

ebay has a bunch and even the OEM one too.

]Toro 521 37-9080 belt

 

[jeepman3071]

I buy my OEM belts off e-bay and only buy the Toro belts. I tried a few aftermarket ones that claimed to be the correct size, and even brand new I could get them to slip a little bit on my Toro 826.

You mentioned shimming the engine. Is everything lined up nice and straight? If the belts are crooked that will definitely tear them up. Do you have the original engine or a replacement?

 

[daman]

I have the same blower its a tank!(1974) and never had that problem, make sure the tensioner is pulling the belt tight when engaged.

 

[supton]

Original engine. I tried to move the engine upwards to get more tension. With the rod at full tight I can't get a reasonable tension. When I get a new belt I'll check alignment.

 

[DaHen]

Originally Posted By: ronbo
Sir, a great forum for help and info is http://www.snowblowerforum.com/


Hey, thanks for the info & link. I signed up already.

 

[JTK]

Yeah, like said, if you're going through belts that quickly, they're either the wrong belt, or there's an issue with one of the rotating elements associated with the belt.

I've seen well-used snowblowers with 10yr/old belts on them that still look and work like new.

 

[Lubener]

I get about 5-7 years to an OEM belt and I work the thrower very hard.

 

[Vikas]

After adjusting the cable tension to very high, the augur does NOT instantly stop spinning when I release the handle. Does this mean my augur belt is shot? I needed to adjust the cable tension high otherwise it was slipping under load.

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
After adjusting the cable tension to very high, the augur does NOT instantly stop spinning when I release the handle. Does this mean my augur belt is shot? I needed to adjust the cable tension high otherwise it was slipping under load.


It likely means that the auger belt is glazed or too long, and now that you have the cable at the end of its travel the little brake pad is not contacting the auger pulley and stopping it like it should.

 

[old1]

^ what he said