RIP 44 years old snowblower

[350Rocket]

I think todays blizzard was the end for my 1979 MTD Snowflite. Snow started piling up in front of it and I realized the auger wasn't turning. Impeller turns and it drives fine. It will turn if I rotate the auger back and start it...until it hits any snow then it gets stuck.
Then I tried to get the backup, a 2005 craftsman that needs a bunch of new cables (I'll never get one with cables again) started and the engine was seized. Spark plug had ice on it. (It was taped up in the back yard with about 10 Bungie cords but guess that wasn't enough). I ended up getting it unseized with a cylinder full of pb blaster and now it runs but it sucks to use with no chute control.
I'm sad to lose the old MTD cause the Tecumseh 8hp ran great, didn't burn any oil.
I'm trying to find something decent in the $600-700 Canadian range but closest I have found is 850 for a newish Ariens deluxe 24.

 

[Brian123]

Sorry to here this, before you get rid of your Snowblower, see who chimes in here 1st

 

[macarose]

Just fix it. Find someone, who knows someone, who may know someone who works on these things.

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

Check Facebook Marketplace to get a quote for repair....

 

[350Rocket]

Check Facebook Marketplace to get a quote for repair....

I have a small engine guy (retired auto mechanic I used to work with) , he serviced it before this winter. It got new belts, everything greased etc. I just thought it would be hard to get parts or a used transmission for it.

 

[CDX825]

Brake a shear pin or is the gear box shot?

 

[daves87rs]

Hope parts can be found!

 

[350Rocket]

Brake a shear pin or is the gear box shot?

Not a broken shear pin. Someone pointed out today that they are bolts which could be why the gear box is shot. I assumed they were shear bolts that just looked like regular bolts. I'm not very knowledgeable with snowblowers. Growing up as had 1000 ft driveway that had to be plowed. Snowblowers are new for me this past couple years and I've had to learn the hard way. I've fixed a broken spring for the one pulley tension, replaced a burned out belt, replaced broken shear pins in the axle, removed the fuel bowl and sprayed it out fixing a fuel starvation problem (2 or 3 times). It seemed like my problems might be behind me when the gearbox grenaded.
It was clearing a huge amount of snow with lots of distance right before it blew up.

 

[RoadDukie]

I think todays blizzard was the end for my 1979 MTD Snowflite. Snow started piling up in front of it and I realized the auger wasn't turning. Impeller turns and it drives fine. It will turn if I rotate the auger back and start it...until it hits any snow then it gets stuck.
Then I tried to get the backup, a 2005 craftsman that needs a bunch of new cables (I'll never get one with cables again) started and the engine was seized. Spark plug had ice on it. (It was taped up in the back yard with about 10 Bungie cords but guess that wasn't enough). I ended up getting it unseized with a cylinder full of pb blaster and now it runs but it sucks to use with no chute control.
I'm sad to lose the old MTD cause the Tecumseh 8hp ran great, didn't burn any oil.
I'm trying to find something decent in the $600-700 Canadian range but closest I have found is 850 for a newish Ariens deluxe 24.

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me.....

 

[Lubener]

Prices are high now. Buy something when it gets warm. Snow in March won't be around long and I would limp along right now.

 

[Pelican]

I think todays blizzard was the end for my 1979 MTD Snowflite. Snow started piling up in front of it and I realized the auger wasn't turning. Impeller turns and it drives fine. It will turn if I rotate the auger back and start it...until it hits any snow then it gets stuck.
Then I tried to get the backup, a 2005 craftsman that needs a bunch of new cables (I'll never get one with cables again) started and the engine was seized. Spark plug had ice on it. (It was taped up in the back yard with about 10 Bungie cords but guess that wasn't enough). I ended up getting it unseized with a cylinder full of pb blaster and now it runs but it sucks to use with no chute control.
I'm sad to lose the old MTD cause the Tecumseh 8hp ran great, didn't burn any oil.
I'm trying to find something decent in the $600-700 Canadian range but closest I have found is 850 for a newish Ariens deluxe 24.

It will be hard to find anything good in a 2 stage snowblower for $ 6-700. I imagine you want a 2 stage machine.
Another thing to keep in mind is that all big box store are ordering mostly electric lawnmowers & snowblowers so if you
want an ICE snowblower you better get one when & where ever you can for thare may not be any to chose from.

 

[350Rocket]

It will be hard to find anything good in a 2 stage snowblower for $ 6-700. I imagine you want a 2 stage machine.
Another thing to keep in mind is that all big box store are ordering mostly electric lawnmowers & snowblowers so if you
want an ICE snowblower you better get one when & where ever you can for thare may not be any to chose from.

Well in the 600-700 range I won't be buying at any box stores unless I want to put it through financing, which I don't because it will affect my credit rating.

I'm shopping Facebook marketplace and Kijiji (like Craigslist for Canada). The Ariens 24 deluxe for 850 looks like a good deal but I'd bet it sold yesterday.

 

[350Rocket]

Prices are high now. Buy something when it gets warm. Snow in March won't be around long and I would limp along right now.

I will be trying to limp along the craftsman with the unseized Briggs and Stratton. I don't feel like it's going to last long but if I can get the rest of the season out of (probably one more snowfall). I finished up with it yesterday but still had to hand bomb or just forget our areas where I'm going to be shooting the snow at the house or wife's car. The chute rotates to either 100 degrees right or 100 degrees left via Bungie cord.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Yearly maintenance should include: Removing the shear-bolts and greasing the auger shaft (thru zerk fittings) and then
spin the augers by hand to spread the grease. Then reinstall the shear-bolts (not to tight).
Doing this will save the gear-box.

Before buying 'new', I would see what the exact problem is.
Then look on internet (ebay) for new or used parts.

Older snowthrowers are like older cars .... they need constant preventive maintenance.
I'm still using the Ariens my father bought in 1977.
It will last the rest of my life .... what the next owner does is up to him.

This guy on YouTube puts out good videos / here's one of them.


Here's another good one.

I ended up purchasing the Heater and Floor Mat.

 

[hemitom]

I think todays blizzard was the end for my 1979 MTD Snowflite. Snow started piling up in front of it and I realized the auger wasn't turning. Impeller turns and it drives fine. It will turn if I rotate the auger back and start it...until it hits any snow then it gets stuck.
Then I tried to get the backup, a 2005 craftsman that needs a bunch of new cables (I'll never get one with cables again) started and the engine was seized. Spark plug had ice on it. (It was taped up in the back yard with about 10 Bungie cords but guess that wasn't enough). I ended up getting it unseized with a cylinder full of pb blaster and now it runs but it sucks to use with no chute control.
I'm sad to lose the old MTD cause the Tecumseh 8hp ran great, didn't burn any oil.
I'm trying to find something decent in the $600-700 Canadian range but closest I have found is 850 for a newish Ariens deluxe 24.

sounds like stripped gear box ?
can you swap parts from the craftsman ?
i have a ariens 24 deluxe its around 10 years old its been flawless ? that ariens sold for around $800 to $1000 new , man used prices are crazy for used blowers too.
that ariens in your pic was sold from a small shop in Cornwall On

 

[JavierH19]

Honestly i think it's worth fixing.

 

[350Rocket]

Yearly maintenance should include: Removing the shear-bolts and greasing the auger shaft (thru zerk fittings) and then
spin the augers by hand to spread the grease. Then reinstall the shear-bolts (not to tight).
Doing this will save the gear-box.

Before buying 'new', I would see what the exact problem is.
Then look on internet (ebay) for new or used parts.

Older snowthrowers are like older cars .... they need constant preventive maintenance.
I'm still using the Ariens my father bought in 1977.
It will last the rest of my life .... what the next owner does is up to him.

This guy on YouTube puts out good videos / here's one of them.


Here's another good one.

I ended up purchasing the Heater and Floor Mat.

I was hoping for an old Ariens like that, but any Ariens is a step up. I did get it serviced. I thought the shifter worked fine before until I got it back and it was like butter. It has no zerk fittings but looked like he removed the bolts and pumped some grease in there?

I just talked to another small engine guy I recognized and he said he had a similar machine to mine fail like that and it was $500 for the kit to repair the transmission.

 

[andyd]

Snow blowers were pretty much Tecumseh engines. Can you take the bad engine off and replace it with the good one?

 

[repairman54]

I've got a '95 MTD 8hp 26''and an '05 Ariens 8hp 24''. Ariens is a tank, best for straight driveway blowing and a champ in the wet heavy stuff. The light MTD is a sports car great for going around buildings and paths but floats up easy on the wet stuff and has less throw distance. Both of them are Tecumseh powered.
Those auger boxes usually have bronze gears in them, probably can find one with the same box or even the same machine with a blown motor for cheap and do a heart transplant.
Ariens will most likely be in my will.

 

[350Rocket]

I've got a '95 MTD 8hp 26''and an '05 Ariens 8hp 24''. Ariens is a tank, best for straight driveway blowing and a champ in the wet heavy stuff. The light MTD is a sports car great for going around buildings and paths but floats up easy on the wet stuff and has less throw distance. Both of them are Tecumseh powered.
Those auger boxes usually have bronze gears in them, probably can find one with the same box or even the same machine with a blown motor for cheap and do a heart transplant.
Ariens will most likely be in my will.

I've found a ton of really old beat up machines but none with a blown up Tecumseh. A few that won't start (likely carb issue). Anyway I bought this one, a 2009 Ariens Deluxe 24. Hopefully I don't have any issues with the Briggs and Stratton. Other than that I'm happy with it.