Toro 724 auger quit working -- how to trouble shoot?

Hi,

I'm a weekend mechanic and my 724 auger quit throwing snow this morning while clearing my driveway. I disengaged the drive and tried to move the auger, but I couldn't spin it at all. The engine and drive do run, so with my limited experience, I decided to park it and ask for advice. Can you suggest what might be wrong and how to troubleshoot the problem?

Many thanks,
Ian K

 

Have you checked if the shear pin has broken off, or in the case of Toro's the shear bolt?

 

I'm not sure where to find the bolt or even if there is one. The manual doesn't show this and has little help on repairing the auger, etc.. That's why I tried turning the auger, thinking it was like my old Jacobsen which spun when the shear bolt broke. In this case neither the auger nor the impeller are turning.

The manual does show how to replace the auger belt, so I'm thinking it may be a belt problem. But if there is a shear bolt, Can you tell me where to look for it?

Thanks

 

The bolt is right beside the auger blades. I checked the manual and it states that the auger/impeller drive could be loose or off the pulley. Maybe go to www.toro.com Good luck

 

This is a 2 stage unit. The augers scoop the snow into the impeller, and the impeller throws it out the chute. Check to see if the impeller (the part you can see down the chute) spins while the auger drive is engaged. If it does, then the shear bolts have snapped (basically the shear pins/bolts connect the augers to the driveshaft, and if you hit something that jams the augers the bolts snap protecting the powertrain from damage). If the impeller does not spin, then it will be the drive belt either slipped off or broke. There are two separate belts, one drives the auger, one drives the transmission.

 

I recently had the same problem. Do this with the engine OFF!

1) If you can rotate the augers by hand at all and both augers move together, suspect the transmission has an issue. That is the small box between the two augers.

2) If you can turn one auger, and only one, its likely that a shear pin is broken.

3) If both augers can be rotated and independently from one another, both shear pins are broken.

4) If you cannot rotate either auger, reach through to the impeller - the thing that throws the snow out of the chute. Attempt to rotate it in the direction that will cause the snow to be tossed. This is usually counter clock wise. Turn it over a few times. The augers should move very slowly as you spin the impeller. If it does not suspect the transmission.

5) Remove the cover immediately behind the chute. Is the belt broken or off the pulley? Replace it or put back on. Usually there are bars that prevent the belt from jumping off the pulley, so if the belt is off inspect it very carefully before reusing.

6) The auger belt should be loose on the pulleys if the auger drive is not engaged. Rotate it by hand and check the condition of the belt. If any damage is apparent to the belt replace it.

7) Still going? Have someone engage the auger drive. Remember no engine running. There should be some type of mechanism that tightens up the auger belt to make it engage. Does the mechanism actually tighten up the belt?

8) If you are still out of luck, and at your own risk, start the engine and engage the auger drive so that you can observe what is occurring between the engine and the auger pulley. IF YOU ATTEMPT THIS, wear a full face shield and do not run the engine at full throttle.

Good Luck,
Steve

 

Well, thankfully the weather warmed and I had some time yesterday to have a closer look at the problem. After removing the shield covering the belts, I engaged the auger and watched as the auger drive belt was not moving when engaged. So I shut the engine and looked more closely. I eventually found a stone lodged in the impeller, keeping it from turning. AHA! So I used a hammer to tap the impeller in the reverse direction, removed the stone, and voila, it worked. However, I noticed that the auger drive belt was running loosely, so I adjusted tension on the belt. That fixed a problem that had been nagging me for awhile--weak snowthrowing. The belt tension adjustment made a big difference in the auguer/impeller's power and now the snow thrower is working as it was designed. It chomped through the wet snow remaining like a champ.

All in all, this experience has made me appreciate the fine design of this machine. It is a simple, easy to repair, and powerful. Also, the auger design allows for a great deal of power without the need for replacing shear pins on a regular basis. In the case of the jam, the belt was slipping rather than a shear pin going.

One thing I did see that I will look closer at this summer is some play in the attachment of the pullley wheel where it connects to the impeller drive. I'm hoping that this is not a big problem waiting to happen. Besides that, this old machine is still working beautifully.

 

Am a new member and the 724 Info could prove useful as my 724 Auger/Impeller stopped yesterday. I also am having trouble with my Power Max 1028 LE (38642-240000858) over the last few seasons. The machine runs well for a period of time 1/2-3/4 hr and then chokes itself down and stops running. If I let it sit for a while it will start well with the elec start and then will run again for a period of time (dependent on how long it sits) and then shuts down again

 

Gaga66, sounds like your gas cap is not venting. Try loosening the gas cap next time is starts to die out and see if it goes back to running well again.