# Craftsman Snowthrower



## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

just finished installing the Craftsman Snowthrower on my tractor. Took it for a whirl and it sounds like it will really chuck the snow out a good clip. Really easy to assemble and get on the machine. I have also decided to keep my older Craftsman with the plow on for the lighter snow and use the blower to shoot it out of the way. Now, I just gotta find a place to park all the mowers.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

I'm guessing you got the 46" 2-STAGE. This will be my second season on mine. Where a ski mask and keep some extra shearpins handy.


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

How much for the extra shearpins and do I have to buy em from Sears???


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by leolav _
> *How much for the extra shearpins and do I have to buy em from Sears??? *


I believe the snowblower is made by MTD or Agrifab. You could probably pick them up at HD or Tractor Supply. You should have received a couple in your spare parts bag that came with the blower. I only sheared one last year, but like to keep a few on hand, especially here because my drive is crushed limestone.


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

Thanks for the help. I did get two extra in the crate, but I had a feeling that was a bad sign when they send extra shear pins with the blower.

Are they fairly straighforward to replace, like a traditional snowblower?


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by leolav _
> *Thanks for the help. I did get two extra in the crate, but I had a feeling that was a bad sign when they send extra shear pins with the blower.
> 
> Are they fairly straighforward to replace, like a traditional snowblower? *


Pretty much, there is a shaft that runs through the the auger and the shearpin runs through them. A 2 minute change.


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

Thanks for your feedback.

Leo


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

I just put a blower on my LTX1000. 

I had put in a question a long time ago when this site first opened about the blower, but it since disappeared due to the site restructuring.

Anyway, long story short, I picked up a 44" 2 stage unit. I got it from a Sear's clearance center, as it appeared to be a return (doesn't look like it was ever used) with a pretty good discount.

I was little worried that it wouldn't button up to my little LT, but sure enough, no problems at all. I am however trying to identify the unit, as I don't believe it is a "Craftsman" per se. It is badged a craftsman, but there is no 44" unit listed on their site.

So, can anyone tell me who makes my blower. I am in Ontario Canada, so that probably changes the numbering system. It is part number C151 61174 0, according to the owner's manual. I am trying to figure out if it is an Agri-fab or Berco or other.

BTW, with this sub-frame, there is an optional blade that can be swapped out for the blower assembly. I don't think you could do that with a standard craftman blade/blower according to their website.

I can't wait to chuck snow, probably Saturday from the sounds of our forecast.

BW


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Welcome bwiswell!!! Seems like we have a lot of friends from up north!!! WELCOME :canada: :canada: :canada:

Andy
:clap:


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

Thanks for the warm welcome. Trying to get the thumb down off, because I don't want you to think I'm ____. Just trying to get the hang of your emoticons, but my VCR still flashed 12:00, so bear with me.

I just confirmed that in Canada, the "craftsman" snowblowers are in fact manufactured by Bercomac.

So for those americans interested in an alternative to the local craftsman offering, see if you can order the "Canadian Unit" and have it shipped down to save you some $$$.

BTW, I have the owner's manual, which I will try to scan so I can get it into a soft copy. If anyone is interested to see what it entails, let me know and I will try to get you a copy.

As for the unit itself, brand new, this makes a lot of noise. I expect it will quiet down once it had "broken in". With that said, I finally got it hooked the other evening and woke up my neighbor's wife and their baby. He came over to congratulate me on getting her put together (he is a GUY) , and was asked to pass along a message from his wife that she was not nearly as impressed. 

Again, the ugly weather is coming, so I may get to try my new baby out this weekend.

BW

P.S. Anyone got any cheap (free) ideas how to add more weight to the back of the tractor. I've already filled it with WW fluid - 6 jugs per side. But I can't afford a weight bracket or wheel weights at this point.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

welcome bwiswell,
id be interested in how much snow you get and how often...


They sell adapters that allow you to use regular weights (weightlifting type) on your tires like wheel weights. They would be much cheaper than store bought weights 


If interested im sure someone has a link...


Argee good idea about extra shear pins..
i have lots of trees and thus fallen sticks and a gravel driveway. im gonna stock up on both shear pins and impellar shear bolts. 


dont have goggles yet, im gonna try it once with a mask and see how bad it is... 




sj


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

SJ,

The ski mask is just to keep any wayward snow from going down your neck. You'll need wiper blades for the goggles. :lmao:


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

good Ski mask i have... ill skip the goggles.


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## richt (Dec 1, 2003)

*where do i buy a snowthrower?*

hey there,
i am up in the great white north and just had our first big dump of snow. needless to say, i am sick of shovelling already at our new house. the house came with the dlt2000 and has a bunch of attachments, but the one that is needed in canada is the snowthrower....i have contacted sears and they are clueless, and i can't find anything on the net where to buy one....any ideas on where i can buy a snowthrower and which one is the best one to buy for a place that gets a good amount of snow?

thanks
rich


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## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

richt,

Try this:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=LAWN&pid=07124846000

Check the 2 other units at the bottom of the page.

If nothing else, print the pages out and take to your local Sears store and ask them to get you the details...

Greg


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## Deere (Sep 16, 2003)

You can add 10 pounds to the rear by just eating Pizza, burgers and a lot of Pepsi. Seems like it takes no time at all to get 10 or 20. 

You should be able to find a way to get a five gallon bucket strapped on about where the rear hitch is at, then fill the bucket with sand or dirt or something weighty.

-Deere


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

Richt, as a fellow Canadian, I can truly appreciate the woes of snow, and particularly the ineptitude of the meatballs working the counter at Sears.

A couple of thought about finding the right blower for your tractor. First suggestion would be to call Bercomac. They are located in Quebec. I don't have the number, but I am sure someone can find it. BTW, they do not have a web page yet, but I really wish they would. Knock out the middleman and call them direct. If you need to talk to someone who knows something about the blower units, call Sears during the weekday hours and ask for the manager for the Home and Garden Department. Chances are he is the one (and only) person who will have any insight.

If you want to stick with Sears, look for a clearance center as I did. I saved myself about $500 Can (that's about $1.50 US). Mine was a returned unit that looked like it never got fired up.

What I can tell you about the Bercomac blower that I got. There is a 40" unit and a 44" unit.  The instruction manual is the same for the both models. I find the 44" a little heavy digging into my gravel driveway, so a 40" may have been a better choice for me. However, with 21hp, the 44" kicks a$$, and I did not have any problems. So, when you check the Sears website, and see this blower is for that tractor, and that blower is for this tractor, disregard that. The Bercomac blower is universal for 4 different sized frames, and 3 different PTO engagement systems.

BTW, I ran the unit on Saturday. We only got about 2.5 inches, so it wasn't enough to really test the unit. However, where the snow did drift up, the blower unit tore right through it. 

Deere, thanks for the advice on weight. I will start my diet of Pizza and beer right away.

Sorry to be so lengthy, but I can't wait for a 10" snowfall!

BW


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

Really got out yesterday to play around with the tractor and blower. It seems like the unit will blow snow pretty far. Can't wait to try it out. I will be doing my driveway, my parents driveway and my neighbors driveway. Put up stakes this weekend and I am ready to go!!!.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Wow, you guys have already mounted your blowers and have been out playing with them. I just got the mower deck off my tractor last week. Now I'm actually starting to think about putting the blower on and I live in a snow belt! I guess the last couple of late snow years have lulled me into a state of delusion.
:crazy:


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

I was out this weekend picking up stick from my yard from the hard winds we had on saturday. I picked up 11 trailer loads worth of sticks. The biggest one was 26 feet in length and made great firewood. 

I told my wife that most of the culprit trees will be dropped before spring.

Don't need any leaves to mess with.


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

I was out this weekend, the blower throws snow about 40 to 50'. I love it!


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

I was out this weekend, the blower throws snow about 40 to 50'. I love it!

I also blew an aluminum coke can. Chewed her up pretty good and spit her out about 30 odd feet. After I finished chewing out the boy for his half a$$ed effort on garbage day, I had to smile. Man, what a machine. I am kind of surprised that I didn't blow a sheer pin.

BW


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## wheely_boy (Sep 16, 2003)

Leolav, are you sure that stick wasn't 27' long?:merry:


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by bwiswell _
> *I was out this weekend, the blower throws snow about 40 to 50'. I love it! *


Pretty impressive aren't they. It's funny, sometimes a large stone makes it through without breaking a shearpin and other times a pine cone will cause one to break. Go figure.


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## tjw in kans (Oct 10, 2003)

a blower sounds like what i need, have 3 adjacent gravel driveways about 40 feet apart, sounds like they will blow gravel from one to the other so i wont have to clean gravel out of the grass. think i will just try the front blade this year and hope for minimal snowfall.


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

I cut my fire wood into two ft sections. That piece yielded 13 pieces so I would "estimate" it to be 26-27 feet.

All numbers are just estimates.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Hey leolav - Have you had the opportunity to work your new snowblower any further?


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

We had a dusting of one inch on the 2nd and took the plow out vs the blower. So no, not yet. I can't wait til I get a big bad storm to get it really chucking.


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

Ran into an interesting problem last night. It is REALLY cold here in Canada right now (-31 celcius last night). But I had some snow I HAD to blow, so I fired up the tractor and let it warm up ... no problem.

However, I pulled to PTO lever and the belt started smoking!!! I shut it down right away of course, and had a look. Seems the highspeed auger which shoots the snow had frozen into the frame. The auger is 3 blades in a 'Y' shape. When I shut off the tractor after the last use, the bottom blade was hanging at the bottom (like the Y). The result is there was some melting, then freezing, so the bottom blade was frozen in a small puddle.

What I did to get out of this mess was take a trouble light (w 60watt bulb) and stick it next to the auger so it would warm up a little. That, with a little WD-40 and a soft tap of the hammer loosed her up. All was good after that.

So, after last night's use, I made a point of ensuring the auger was in a upside down Y, so the blades could not get stuck.

Anyone have tips or tricks for storing the tractor/blower after use? Mine is in a covered shelter, but not heated.

BW


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## HERBSGT (Sep 17, 2003)

Another thing that I learned - After you shut down the engine,pull the choke out. I had a problem with the choke cable freezing and had a terrible time getting the engine started. Herb


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by bwiswell _
> *Anyone have tips or tricks for storing the tractor/blower after use? Mine is in a covered shelter, but not heated.
> 
> BW *


The best thing you can do before you put it away is to clean all the ice and snow from it. You won't get it all, but the majority will be gone leaving less to freeze.


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## Rusty_Nuts (Jan 11, 2004)

> _Originally posted by HERBSGT _
> *Another thing that I learned - After you shut down the engine,pull the choke out. I had a problem with the choke cable freezing and had a terrible time getting the engine started. Herb *


Put a coat of Pam cooking spray on it before each use, and the snow will not stick as bad. When the wife isn't looking


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

Gave it a hell of a run this morning. 11" of snow and drifts everywhere. Just pulled it out and went at it. 1/2 hr later, the driveway was as clean as when it started and so was my neighbors. Worked awesome. 

I did add some halogens fog lights to the front of the blower as well as a strobe on the rear. What a difference in visibility!!

I really like the idea that I don't have to go too slow for it to work well. 

I was doing one pass down my driveway in a little over 2 minutes.

Really quick. Best part was that the blower was really chucking it a ways (at least 40-50 ft). One thing I have to remember is to throw the discharge with the wind, not into it!!

I am seriously considering going with ag tires vs chains for traction. Not that the chains don't work well, but I think hte lugs will be easier on the ride.


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

Well, it has been way too long, but finally snapped a pic. 

It is funny, I feel a little left out running such a 'big' blower on such a small tractor. But this thing kicks butt.

BW

(hope this pic works)


< img src = http://www.hpphoto.com/sessions/840311689538/34648833lg.jpg>


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

bwiswell....

Your picture didn' post, please try again.


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## bwiswell (Sep 18, 2003)

Xing my fingers.

BW


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

bwiswell…

Your picture still isn’t posting ! 

Look on the Husqvarna forum on this site, open “What’s New for 2004 ?” 
These are several tips on how to post pics.

If at first you don’t succeed………:nerd:


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

aegt5000
Try clicking on the link bwiswell posted it comes up for me


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by leolav _
> *Gave it a hell of a run this morning. 11" of snow and drifts everywhere. Just pulled it out and went at it. 1/2 hr later, the driveway was as clean as when it started and so was my neighbors. Worked awesome.
> 
> I did add some halogens fog lights to the front of the blower as well as a strobe on the rear. What a difference in visibility!!
> ...


Hey leo....those mud and snows that I installed on mine are working great!! I have yet to put or feel compelled to put the chains on. They are pretty awsome. I filled them with washer solvent, but could stand a little more weight. I find if I start spinning in the deep snow, I just lean back and put some more weihgt over the axle that they bite right in.

How about some pics of your light set up?


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

That’s really odd, because I couldn’t get bwiswell’s link to come
up on my computer at work and I can’t get it to come up on my
computer at home either.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Seems like it's gone now, I get the page can't be displayed message


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by aegt5000 _
> *That’s really odd, because I couldn’t get bwiswell’s link to come
> up on my computer at work and I can’t get it to come up on my
> computer at home either.    *


Check the security levels provided by your ISP, it (the link) may be viewed as a hostile file and unable to make it through the firewall. I had a similar problem a while back and ended up changing ISP's.


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