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Troubleshooting Why Your Snow<br />
Blower's Auger Won't Turn<br />
There’s nothing more frustrating as a snow blower owner than when<br />
you venture out into the cold to clear your property after a winter<br />
storm <strong>and</strong> your machine doesn’t work. Not only are you stuck with a<br />
whole lot of snow to clear <strong>and</strong> nothing to clear it with, but now you’ve<br />
got to figure out what’s wrong with your once-trusty snow blower.<br />
If the problem is that your snow blower’s auger is no longer turning,<br />
there are a few potential causes <strong>and</strong> we’re here to help you troubleshoot<br />
the issue. Thankfully, a few of the causes can be fixed if you have<br />
the proper replacement parts on h<strong>and</strong>. Check out this list of snow<br />
blower replacement parts so you know which ones you should keep in<br />
your garage or shed, just in case.<br />
Here are six parts that may be the cause of your snow blower’s auger<br />
trouble:<br />
Belts<br />
The snow blower’s auger is driven by a belt that is engaged by the auger<br />
control lever on the machine’s h<strong>and</strong>les. If the auger belt becomes worn<br />
down or breaks, the auger will fail to turn when the control lever is<br />
engaged, <strong>and</strong> the defective belt or belts will need to be replaced[1] .<br />
Shear Pins<br />
causing further damage to the machine if a chunk of ice or a rock<br />
becomes lodged in the auger housing.<br />
Found along the main auger shaft, shear pins attach the augers to the<br />
shaft <strong>and</strong> when the shear pins break the affected augers will no longer<br />
turn. If you find that one of your snow blower’s shear pins is the cause<br />
of your auger issues, you’ll have to install a new pin or pins[2] to get<br />
the auger working again.<br />
Auger Assembly<br />
If you’ve checked the shear pins on your snow blower <strong>and</strong> they appear<br />
to be intact, then inspect the auger blades <strong>and</strong> auger assembly.<br />
Your snow blower’s auger blades can become damaged or bent <strong>and</strong><br />
may need to be replaced. On certain snow blower models, auger blades<br />
are separate from the assembly <strong>and</strong> can be changed out individually<br />
when necessary. However, some auger blades are attached to the<br />
assembly, meaning if a blade is damaged then the entire assembly may<br />
have to be replaced.<br />
You might also need to replace the entire auger assembly[3] if it has<br />
become worn out, so check the whole of the assembly for wear <strong>and</strong><br />
tear.<br />
Snow blower shear pins are made to break (or shear) in half to avoid<br />
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