ISSUE: Snowblower pushes snow (forward) rather than throwing snow out of the chute

blowersnow

I have an old Craftsman 3/21 snow-blower (Model: 536.884581). The snow-blower starts perfectly, motor runs perfectly and the auger spins when the drive is engaged. When I use it to blow snow, it “sometimes” blows the snow out of the chute but later it stops blowing snow. I soon start seeing a lot of snow accumulating at the neck of the snow-outlet chute.
I initially thought that the drive-belt was lose and hence tightened it. This did improve auger spin-rate but did not solve my problem
I next checked on the internet and many folks suggested that the shear/cotter pin must have broken off in the auger-shaft. However, when I checked my unit’s underbelly, I did not see any shear/cotter pin on either side of the auger.

QUESTION: What corrective action (fix) should I take to make my Craftsman 3/21 Snow-blower throw/blow snow without collecting snow at the chute's neck?

Help!!

Thanks.

Best Answer

My Craftsman 3/21 single-stage, 2-stoke snow-blower now works perfectly and discharges snow from chute as expected/desired. Thanks to everyone that helped me solve this HI/DIY problem!!!

Corrective steps toward problem-resolution:

  1. Replaced drive-belt (specification was 35"; my old one had stretched out by over an inch)
  2. Replaced auger-blades (hard rubber) with new ones. The old ones were worn-out and were not (almost) sweeping past the backboard near the chute. The recommended gap is less than 1/4 inch. My old blade had a gap of almost 3/4 inch
  3. Sprayed snow/ice repellent near the neck of the chute to prevent ice build-up when dealing with wet-snow (as was the case today in Chicago).

BTW, I took this DIY opportunity to replace all screws & aluminum rivets with appropriate stainless steel nuts/bolts/washers. It costed me an additional $6; however, I thought that it will save me a lot of time when it comes time to do maintenance on my snowblower some time in the future ... especially since the screws get rusted quickly as snowblowers are mostly/often used in wet conditions and we (at least I) often do not take the time/trouble of wiping the snow-blower after using it (since it is too cold outside).