Snow Blower Rebuild

The 40 Year Old Craftsman Snow Blower Project

Many thanks to my father-in-law for handing-down his Craftsman Snow Blower to me. I have had eleven years of use with only minor problems.

Winter 2015-2016:

Last winter was the worst time for the need of repairs. Just before a big storm (22+ inches of Snow), the carburetor needed to be rebuilt and the gas line needed replaced.

I completed these tasks just as the snow reached 18".

After the last significant snowfall, the pull start rope broke. Lucky for me, the engine started. I was able to clear the snow and drive the blower to my shed.

Summer 2016:

I disassembled the Snow Blower.

First, I removed the engine and replaced it with a

$99 Harbor Freight 6.5HP engine.

See the running video on the Running Blower Page.

The engine mounting was a perfect fit. I did have to make some minor adjustments to the drive belt cover and use longer mounting bolts to mount the engine.

I sanded and painted all of the augers and housing parts. The scrape blade was worn to half it's normal size, so I replaced it with a piece of 3" steel from Lowes.

(A $7 piece of Steel rather than a $45 replacement part.)

Everything was reassembled using new Stainless Steel bolts and Aircraft lock nuts.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!