I'm looking for a used snowblower what are some things to check out so I do not buy a piece of junk I'm looking for a 2 stage Engine wise I know what to look out for. Not sure of other moving parts.
What to look out for in a used snowblower
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JDgreen
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Some 2 stagers get used heavily, some very little. There will be a belt cover someplace between engine and augers, augers, most likely held on by two bolts. Remove the cover and check the belt undersides...if there is a lot of rubber debris under the cover, and the underside of the belts shows crscking, its been used a lot. For what it's worth I just replaced the OEM belts on my 21 year old Craftsman, it usually averaged 3-4 hours of use a year, if that much.
Be sure the controls that operate drive and augers work smoothly, with no binding, ditto the chute rotation. Having to struggle with balky controls is tiring when you are alert, and dangerous when you are cold and tired. If the rotation is stiff, it may only need some grease where it rotates. Check to see if the grease fittings (if it has them) are not dry, any responsible owner will grease them once a season. Is the scraper bar worn down badly? Does the machine come with chains? Do the tires hold air? Is the exterior faded from being left outside in the weather?
Odds are, a clean, reasonably shny machine will have been cared for, beware the dirty, scraped up type that looks like poor maintenance and neglected adjustments. Be sure all the major parts are in good shape, I paid $365 for my Craftsman new back in '89, it was a display model. I recently priced repair parts on Searspartsdirect, it only took a dozen major assemblies to exceed the cost of my machine when it was new.
I got a used 28" Craftsman two years ago. Everything looked good, but it sputtered when the guy started it up. Said in good conscience he couldn't sell it like that and he had a new carburetor installed. It works like a champ.