General Product Question
I bought a Husqvarna ST224 snow blower Nov 2014. I used it...
General Product Question posted February 24, 2016 by Barry Gold, last edited February 24, 2016
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Question:
I bought a Husqvarna ST224 snow blower Nov 2014. I used it 5 times and it worked great before the auger belt broke. Turns out it was my fault because after perfectly clearing 27" snow fall Jan 2016 (property 100'X40') I did not run the machine for 3-4 minutes (as the owner's manual tells you to do) or clean out the auger/impeller area after job was done. Instead I just turned off the machine and put it in an unheated garage. The next day the auger and impeller froze over so when I tried to use the machine the auger belt shredded and burned.
The authorized dealer told me that a small amount of ice or snow can prevent the auger/impeller from spinning. This can happen even if the machine is running normally, especially if the snow is heavy and wet. Make sure the chute and impeller/auger are clear of snow otherwise the engine/pulley runs but the belt shreds because it is not spinning the auger assembly. I spent $799 for this machine plus tax and delivery and was disgusted with this machine when it happened, but as I said it was my fault. If machine stops throwing snow, turn it off clean auger/impeller area and chute, if you leave the machine run and continue to try to throw snow the belt will shred. I'm not saying that this is the case with everyone who is having trouble with this machine, but hopefully this will save you some aggravation in the future.
I found a great video on you tube that demonstrates exactly how to replace the auger belt. Husqvarna sent me a auger and drive belt free of charge, also bought another auger belt from Sears on line. Took approx. 1/2 hour to change auger belt and machine is working fine again. Suggest you watch the video and read the owner's manual before doing job.
My drive belt is OK but in case I have problems with it down the road, does anybody know of a video that shows how to replace the drive belt for this machine?
PS: I just spoke with Husqvarna factory, there is a service bulletin on the ST 224. They gave me a incident # and told me to bring the machine into a factory authorized dealer
The authorized dealer told me that a small amount of ice or snow can prevent the auger/impeller from spinning. This can happen even if the machine is running normally, especially if the snow is heavy and wet. Make sure the chute and impeller/auger are clear of snow otherwise the engine/pulley runs but the belt shreds because it is not spinning the auger assembly. I spent $799 for this machine plus tax and delivery and was disgusted with this machine when it happened, but as I said it was my fault. If machine stops throwing snow, turn it off clean auger/impeller area and chute, if you leave the machine run and continue to try to throw snow the belt will shred. I'm not saying that this is the case with everyone who is having trouble with this machine, but hopefully this will save you some aggravation in the future.
I found a great video on you tube that demonstrates exactly how to replace the auger belt. Husqvarna sent me a auger and drive belt free of charge, also bought another auger belt from Sears on line. Took approx. 1/2 hour to change auger belt and machine is working fine again. Suggest you watch the video and read the owner's manual before doing job.
My drive belt is OK but in case I have problems with it down the road, does anybody know of a video that shows how to replace the drive belt for this machine?
PS: I just spoke with Husqvarna factory, there is a service bulletin on the ST 224. They gave me a incident # and told me to bring the machine into a factory authorized dealer
