Is there any chance the snow is accumulating in a location that can freeze the sliding driven wheel in place. My experience with such a drive system is with Snapper mowers WAAAAAY below the Mason Dixon Line. And BTW you do have a rubber boot covering the drive shaft don’t you.
The unit is sealed by an access panel, and I have seen no evidence of a snow or moisture build up, not saying it could not happen. When I work like tomorrow it will be 60 degrees, the wheel will be locked in place, hit it a few times, get it to move but I am running out of lubes to try. Previous comment see If I can fold some 600 grit emory paper over the shaft and move the wheel back and forth, but for a simple mechanical thing I don’t get it. I beileve the shaft to be steel and the sliding hub to be steel also. I would love to soak it in oil but worry that will cause slippage on the rubber wheel and plate below if oil drips off. The shaft is gear driven
Well it sure sounds like that trunion is sticking on the shaft, especially since you have to whack it even in good weather. You can watch Taryl’s video. It is on an Ariens but you ain’t gonna get it apart without taking the wheel off. I guess I would flush that trunion with carb spray in cass it is gummed up. I’d go for the 600 grit too to clean the shaft. Like I said though, not to argue but Toro specs engine oil on the shaft-it’s the same type mechanism. Cold and blowing snow might cause grease to gum up. Clean it up and see but gee why punish yourself?
I’ve had one 30-40 year old Penncraft, two MTDs, and my Toro now. I didn’t really need the Toro but figured it’ll prolly be the last blower I need so why wait? I paid $50 for that Penney’s blower 10 years old but one January morning it only made it half way down the driveway and the engine seized. It’s no fun trying to find a blower in January. I found only four in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. One waiting for parts, one sold maybe if the guy could get credit, one too small, and the one I bought. So I think, will you buy one in the next ten years? Will you need two more in your life? Why wait?
I used to like MTD as a basic unit with the Tech engine, but the molds were all sent to china. MTD got mad at Briggs because they started to build competing equipment, so they now use a Chinese engine instead of Briggs. An engine with no markings. So I like Toro, even though my classmate sent them to Mexico. Yeah sure $1000 plus with some spare belts and shear pins, but it gets cold out there and some models have heated handle bars.
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So my bud uses a neighbors snowblower, she took it in for service, as he does hers and his driveway and sidewalks as the trade off. The service estimate $500. She was like I should just buy a new one for $900. The shop said we would be glad to sell you one, but the new ones have chinese engines and you are better off fixing this one.
I am partial to grease with Moly in it, I think it is slipperier.
Yes, the newer ones are junk, I would not trade my 1972 foe a brand new one. When the snow gets 4 or 5 foot deep in the back yard, I put the drift bars on and just walk along in second gear and make runs for my Westie so she can use the yard. It throws a solid stream of snow 30 to 35 feet. I bought it in 1990 when my youngest boy moved out. He asked me why I did not buy one before. I told him that as long as he was here, I did not need one.
I was talking to a snowblower mechanic when I was buying windows at a hardware store and he said to get a machine the quality of mine, you have to buy a Gravely. That was 15 years ago and I don’t know what their quality is now. Mine has not been in the shop since I bought it. The rubber moveable disc has been cracked for years but it isd not going to get fixed until it affects performance.
MTD have been using the Chinese made Powermore engines since 2005.I bought my snowblower around this time,.Pretty good engines,no problems so far.You have to make sure you change the oil every season though.
Just FYI I ran across another youtube with a guy fixing a blower (old maybe Crapsman) that would not shift. The shaft was all rusted so he just wire brushed it. Didn’t think it was worthwhile enough to include.
LG or Samsung by any chance? If so, it’s not the fan. It’s the defrost system. It fails to properly defrost the coil, and ice builds up until it hits the fan. It’ll make noise for awhile, then throw an error code when the fan finally stops. There’s a retrofit kit for the Samsung version. For the LG version you have to find a repair guy who knows enough to call the manufacturer and get instructions. On mine it involved a re-position of the defrost thermostat and repositioning a couple of other things.
Hey @Barkydog, are you sure the sticking point is the wheel on the shaft? What if the linkage is sticking somewhere? If that shaft is lubricated and not broken it really shouldn’t stick there, but linkages can bind and give you the same effect.
Yes I am sure the wheel is getting stuck on the slide, not the linkages. The wheel is controlled by a mechanism controlled by a cable, and when disconnected the wheel is still stuck.
So I found a place in town that does lubriplate and a gajillion other things. Got this, shifter was working, old grease that got hard in the cold I think. Cleaned and sheened now. So this stuff is working good, slipperiest stuff I have ever had I think. Sounds like you can even dry out plug wires etc. with this stuff. Thanks @oldtimer_11for the brand idea Left it in speed 2 just in case. ps @bing the slime is still working at keeping tire pressurized and the bolt with no nut is still there!
Well good luck. Hope we’ve got a couple weeks yet. Still got a couple trees for the guys to get down before the snow.
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I think i† was Old mopar guy who suggested Lubriplate, which is a family of brands, I have used their chassis grease.
The grease fitting and distribution system in my old snowblower keep the shaft ell supplied with chassis grease so the48 year old shaft is like new.
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We’ll be fine. I just had to buy a new snowblower to replace the one that was almost as old as me. Was delivered Saturday. That virtually guarantees we won’t get any more snow this season. 
One can hope you don’t need it, same goes for me! Dd you use it on the first snows already?
What kind did you get?
Yup. We had 8 1/2 inches of slush. It wouldn’t start until I discovered I never plugged the spark plug back in again when I changed it in the Spring. 
Then broke a shear pin on a rock or chunk of wood or something. So snow one week and 70 degrees the next.
Toro. I like that quick stick thing, and the all-metal construction of the important bits was nice.
It has been that kind of year. Our guy at the cabins decided to skip the leaves until spring because of the 8" of snow. Fine no problem, it is not like an Eden Prairie lawn, scruffy stuff, and I don’t really care that much.
I am stuck on Ariens for a new snowblower, if I need one. The 2 cycle Toro from 1989 kind of a band aid case but still working fine, and if all else fails I still have a shovel. The old Ariens if the speed will change when it is cold, otherwise it will be stuck in speed 2 where I left it.
We have not had a snow that stuck to the ground yet. Most of the snow you see on TV from Buffalo are actually from well south of Buffalo. The snow belt sweeps across the Thruway from South of Buffalo to East of buffalo. the Thruway makes an almost 90 degree bend near Buffalo. The city and places North get about 90 " a year. The ski country South gets 200 to300 " per year.
Pequot Lakes MN, unusual december snow for them. I think ski country could use one of these. Winther Motors Kenosha, 20’s I think
Look at the spikes! @oldtimer_11
