I see I'm not the first to post these sorts of things ...

My snowblower (Craftsman) has worked fine this season, like a champ after the first blizzard of 2/5 - 2/6, although it needed a carburetor cleanout. But when I went to use it this morning, the auger wouldn't turn.

* The engine starts without trouble.
* The first time I engaged the auger, it wouldn't turn and the engine immediately stopped.
* I cleaned out snow just in case. There was a small amount of ice on the inner mechanism that pushes snow up and out the chute, but clearing that didn't fix the problem.
* The second (and subsequent times), the auger wouldn't turn and smoke came out of the belt housing.
* Off came the belt housing, and I examined the belt while the engine was running. The auger engager roller correctly pushes the belt taut when engaged, and then releases when not engaged. The belt looks ok to the eye.
* But when engaged, the auger pulley simply doesn't move.
* It's hard to see the bottom of the belt, but with a flashlight I think I could see that the belt was properly on the pulley.

Summary: The belt mechanism appears to be working; the auger seems to be clear of obstruction; but the blinkin' thing won't move.

Help?

Thanks,
Jeff Cagle

You either have to find a way to warm the machine to make the ice melt or you have to apply pressure to the fan and try to break the ice bond that is preventing it from moving. Covering the entire blower unit with some blankets or a tarp and then putting a heater underneath in a way that it cannot touch the covering is my only suggestion.

The larger the heater, the sooner it will thaw out but I caution you to be very careful when doing this. You don't want to cause a fire. This will only happen if flammable material directly contacts the heating device. As long as the complete heater is several inches away from the blanket, you'll be ok.

While checking the shear pins (both intact, and the augers don't turn freely), I noticed that (as one looks into the mouth of the machine) the left side of the auger axle was disengaged from the fitting attached to the metal frame.

First, why would this left-side disconnection disable not only the left side auger but the right side auger and upper stage auger from turning, too?

Second, if the disengagement is the sole problem, is it something I can fix on my own?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Bill (Maine)

If so, try turning the impellor while holding your auger still. They have pins too. If not that, maybe the set screw came loose on the pulley that drives the auger assy. Maybe the V belt broke.