How to Remove a Craftsman Snow Thrower Auger

The auger on the Craftsman Snow Thrower is held in place with two shear pins, which are a safety feature of the snow thrower. If the snow thrower hits a hard object or becomes jammed, the pins will shear off and the auger will stop spinning. If you do hit something hard and notice that the auger has cracked, you will need to replace the auger, which is a job you can do yourself in a couple of hours. Replacement augers are available online.

• 1

  Disconnect the spark plug to ensure that the snow thrower doesn't start while you are working on it.

• 2

  Clean any accumulated snow and ice off the auger. This will facilitate removal since you will be able to see what you are doing better. Use a broom handle to knock off larger ice chunks.

• 3

  Remove the belt cover located behind the snow chute by detaching the three screws securing the cover. Lift the belt cover off.

• 4

  Push a piece of wood into the auger to jam it and keep it from spinning. Loosen the bolt in the corner of the of the belt-keeper bracket. Remove the bolt at the end of the bracket. Lift the end of the belt-keeper bracket off the pulley.

• 5

  Pull out the hairpin clip in the ferrule rod, which is located in front of the pulley system. Remove the belt from around the pulley system.

• 6

  Use a wrench to remove the bolt securing the drive pulley, which is the lowest pulley. Remove the washer and slide the pulley off the snow thrower.

• 7

  Remove the bolts on the outside of the auger bucket that are holding the auger bearings. You do not need to remove the entire bucket, so look underneath to be sure you are removing only the bolts holding the auger. Pull the auger off the snow thrower.