They need to get their story straight. Told me the idler pulley could be wrecking these belts. Either way if you want to buy one try Lowe's. Item #: 494721 | Model #: 588646101 which replaces part number 581-832401.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_494721-63311-588646101_0__?productId=999909383
Did the auger belt snap off or come off? If its a newer model (ST224 or ST227) the belts are breaking like mad.
Lots of people seeing problems on these (224 and 227) with belts snapping after a few minutes of use. Is it possible yours broke right away? So that to you it seemed like 'out of the box', but really it broke upon startup? Mine broke about an hour into use. I've read others breaking after just 10 minutes.
Husqvarna contacted me and offered to have the dealer pick up and return the snow blower, along with the obvious warranty repair. I've heard varying experiences though, with most folks saying Husqvarna tells them the warranty will cover the repair but not transportation. I think that's nonsense and would call again. If need be, fill out a report on CPSC.gov. Maybe these really should be recalled.
You can do a belt repair yourself, but need to open up the blower at the frame housing. It's not a huge job but you may need a second person to hold the main house of the thrower when you unbolt it. But, if the the issue is more than the belt itself you are not really fixing the issue. My belt was frayed so I think its too much idler pulley play and something metal is hitting the belt.
Hi Barry. This is obviously an issue. Companies don't issue TSBs on something that doesn't require remediation. I guess I got luck because Husqvarna offered pickup and return from a nearby dealer right off the bat. Covering the repair under warranty, but leaving consumers to figure out their own transportation - not really good customer service. I actually filed a report at CPSC.gov. This is nonsense. It's like a silent recall.
The dealer picked mine up today, more to come.....
Hi Tarek,
Same thing happened to me. Don't just buy a belt and replace it. There is something wrong with these models (ST224, ST224P, ST227, ST227P. Husqvarna rep told me it is a known issue with the belt and the dealer should do the repair. It may involve adjusting the assembly where the belt goes. The dealer told me he may need to polish down the pulley guide for the belt. They have a lot of nerve selling these and not contacting consumers since they know they have a problem.
What's the model # on the side? The St224 and St227 models definitely have an issue new out of the box with faulty belt/pulley set ups.
In the manual it says:
TO ADJUST CHUTE ROTATOR CABLE TENSION
(See Fig. 23)
1. Adjust cable tension by loosening the jam nut next to
the turn buckle.
2. Grasp the short section and hold while turning the long
section to lengthen the adjuster.
3. Adjust until cable is snug and tighten jam nuts.
Is everything else on right? Was the chute aligned when the sprint was put on and the hex nut tightened?
I actually had a similar issue with my brand new ST224P. Ran fine first time I used it, Saturday. Then Sunday it ran for like 10 minutes and stopped throwing snow. I checked it and the belt snapped off.
I actually contacted Husqvarna and they told me this is a known issue and they issued a TSB on it. They send me an auth code to have my local dealer pick it up, repair it, and return it under warranty.
Not the way I wanted to start out with this product, but saves me a trip to the dealer or attempting my own repairs.
I do think they should be contacting owners, not waiting for failure (which obviously will come on a snowy day). But they do react quickly to the complaint.