Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Noma Snow Blower Question

Have a Noma Snow Blower and the aguer does not disengage when the handle is released I backed off the idler pulley as much as possible but still
the auger continues to to turn. I thought the belt might be the wrong size as the previous owner says he replaced the belts Any suggestions ?? would be greatly appreciated

lol get a new snow blower :P :gmorning: :gmorning: :gmorning: :gmorning: :gmorning:

Have a Noma Snow Blower and the aguer does not disengage when the handle is released I backed off the idler pulley as much as possible but still
the auger continues to to turn. I thought the belt might be the wrong size as the previous owner says he replaced the belts Any suggestions ?? would be greatly appreciated

It could be the belt or missadjusted belt guides or a worn out auger brake shoe or the cable could be to tight on the handle or a lot of other things. We could help more if we had the model & serial number.

AJ

Numbers would be helpful but try this.

Most snow blowers the auger belt is loose and then tightened when lever is squezed and idler pulley tightens belt to engage auger.

There should be belt fingers, either 2 or a u shaped over the top. These need to be close enough to the belt to apply pressure to push belt up off the top of the pulley if that makes sense. Without this adjustment gravity takes over and weight of belt brings it down onto the pulley, thus turning auger.

I hope this makes sense and helps. Hopefully previous owner did not remove belt fingers.

It is a 827 1033 Noma snow blower does that help ?

Those are two conflicting SERIES numbers, one indicates you have a 8-horse, 27-inch path machine and the other indicates you have an 11-horse, 33-inch. What we would like is the model number off of the ID tag (sticker) from the chassis just below the engine. My bet is that you have the incorrect belt on this machine. Post back with the model number!

Hi, I have the same machine, now about 6-7 years old with the same problem. The source of the problem as someone else mentioned is that the plastic brake shoe on the spring-loaded arm inside is worn out. It is grooved so far down it no longer functions properly and must be replaced.

The other guy who advise about the two guides above the drive pulley is "right on". If they are not adjusted properly this will lead to the belt engaging lightly on the drive pulley. I just discovered this fact and now the auger stops, mostly.

I have another problem - my auger belt only lasts one snowstorm. I buy the good GATES belts and cannot figure out why this is happening after so many years of no problem. The belt literally stretches a full 1/2" after one run. You cannot adjust sufficiently to compensate for it. I tried buying the next size down (1/2" shorter) but it will not fit over both pulleys. HELP!:confused:

Actual "Belt stretching" does not happen. What happens is the sides of the belt wears causing it to ride lower in the pullies.
I would take a close look at the auger bearing to make sure it spins freely. Remove the belt, then spin the impeller and listen to it and feel it. If it sounds like it is "growling", you need a new impeller bearing. Another thing to look for is worn bushings on the auger. Since the auger is directly connected to the impeller, anything in that system can cause the belt to wear. Also, check the gearbox lube.

Hi,
Thanks for your response. It makes sense because the one thing I forgot to mention is that I discovered belt fibres inside the drive train compartment when I had to change the shear bolt in the drive train for the millionth time this winter. (How does it shear a grade 8 bolt anyway???). I think you may have something as far as the impeller bearing is concerned. I will check them out Sunday (it is actually supposed to break freezing for the first time in a week - was 4 degrees these last two mornings!) The impeller spins freely, but checking it without the belt will allow me to see if there is wobble - and I am betting there is. Also, would rust on the inside of the pulley cause this same issue? I noticed that the impeller pulley is pretty badly rusted where the belt runs in it - which was surprising as I thought it would be shiny - like a snowmobile pulley normally is....that would cause shredding too.

First of all, you shouldn't be using grade 8 bolts in the auger. The "shear pins" are soft and made to break. Otherwise, you would take out the gears in the gear box which run $50 or more each. A shear pin for $2.00 is a lot cheaper and less work to replace.
A rusty pulley will act like sand paper and wear the belt. Clean the pullies with fine grit sand paper or scotch brite.
Is the snowblower left outside? That can cause rusting.
Your snowmobile pullies are aluminum and there for do not rust.
Your snowblower pulley is steel and does rust.

First of all, you shouldn't be using grade 8 bolts in the auger. The "shear pins" are soft and made to break. Otherwise, you would take out the gears in the gear box which run $50 or more each. A shear pin for $2.00 is a lot cheaper and less work to replace.
A rusty pulley will act like sand paper and wear the belt. Clean the pullies with fine grit sand paper or scotch brite.
Is the snowblower left outside? That can cause rusting.
Your snowmobile pullies are aluminum and there for do not rust.
Your snowblower pulley is steel and does rust.

Hi - Yes, I know I shouldn't be using Grade 8 (or stainless) bolts for the drive. (I actually am an engineer), however the fact of the matter is when I put in a shear bolt it won't make it down the driveway once before it shears. There is definitely something going on with this system too. I think that the problem is the drive chain is really worn and has a lot of play in it. On my motorcycle I can adjust for the gradual wear and stretching that naturally occurs. There is no binding on any part of the system and I have always kept all shafts and bearing well lubricated. This Spring I am going to see if I can replace the chain and eliminate that possiblity. The snowblower is normally stored in a shed, but last year I tore the shed down and it took me 4 months to get to building a new one and a very wet summer it was here in Maine.:mad:

For the impeller drive belt wear problem I will add inspection of the impeller pulley to my Sunday plan of the day.

Hi - Yes, I know I shouldn't be using Grade 8 (or stainless) bolts for the drive. (I actually am an engineer), however the fact of the matter is when I put in a shear bolt it won't make it down the driveway once before it shears. There is definitely something going on with this system too. I think that the problem is the drive chain is really worn and has a lot of play in it. On my motorcycle I can adjust for the gradual wear and stretching that naturally occurs. There is no binding on any part of the system and I have always kept all shafts and bearing well lubricated. This Spring I am going to see if I can replace the chain and eliminate that possiblity. The snowblower is normally stored in a shed, but last year I tore the shed down and it took me 4 months to get to building a new one and a very wet summer it was here in Maine.:mad:

For the impeller drive belt wear problem I will add inspection of the impeller pulley to my Sunday plan of the day.

Reading this info, sounds like you have a problem with the augers binding. Look to see if the augers are scraping the side of the scoop. Is your drive paved or gravel? If gravel, sounds like you are picking up rocks. If paved, you have other problems.
"a shear bolt it won't make it down the driveway once before it shears."
The augers are definatly hitting something. May be bent on the end and scraping the sides.
You probably have even more problems now since you have been using grade 8 bolts. Now when the bolts should have sheared, they didn't. And something has to give. Most likely the gear in the gearcase is stripped, which will cause your other problem of wearing the belt. The gear that turns the auger is on the end of the shaft of the impeller. The gear in the gearcase is brass or aluminum. When the auger gets stuck, the soft gears will wear quickly. I had 3 in the shop this season where the gear looked more like a washer.

Hi, I think there is a little confusion. The bolt that is shearing is the wheel drive axle/chain gear shear bolt. The augers are fine - believe me I would never use anything but a shear bolt on those guys, I have too much experience hitting rocks, power cords, and chunks of ice at the end of the driveway.:eek:

Yes so this machine has two separate problems - wearing drive belt on the impeller and shearing bolts continuously on the wheel drive system.:(

The bolt in the drive train should be a grade 8 bolt! But it must be partially threaded and long enough so that no thread is in the sprocket use a lock nut on the bolt. The bolt should spin freely. If it is tight vibration will cause the nut to continue to tighten until it breaks. The correct part number is 01X193MA

AJ

Hi, I think there is a little confusion. The bolt that is shearing is the wheel drive axle/chain gear shear bolt. The augers are fine - believe me I would never use anything but a shear bolt on those guys, I have too much experience hitting rocks, power cords, and chunks of ice at the end of the driveway.:eek:

Yes so this machine has two separate problems - wearing drive belt on the impeller and shearing bolts continuously on the wheel drive system.:(

Sorry. Yes I did get confused. Auger belt lasting 1 storm and can't get to the end of the drive without shearing a bolt. I thought you were talking about shearing the auger shear pin.
I agree with AJ.