Alternate ways to adjust belt on QA-36?
 

I just realized I have a qa36, not a cc36 like the guy who sold it to me said.

I'm really struggling to get belt tension on this thing and I believe the nut just below the pulley is destroying bolts.

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/y...psfhwkpflz.jpg

I replaced the the original adjuster handle/bolt with a normal bolt and have been using a socket to adjust. I just pulled it with great effort and the top of the threads are destroyed and I couldnt manually thread the original back in.

I'm hesitant to jam that bolt back in there, I'd probably be done shoveling in the time it would take to run out and get a tap and die kit(which I'd rather borrow from work monday)

Is there any way to create tension without using that bolt?

Also, anyone with a bottom adjuster...the manual says rotate counterclockwise for tension. Is that correct? For some reason I can't wrap my head around whats actually pulling the pulley down to create tension. I originally though you thread the adjuster in all the way, then bring the castle nut down and as you thread counterclockwise the castle nut is pulling down on that bracket but I'm not sure anymore. Thanks!

There are two plates, one that the gearbox bolts to and one that is part of the mounting frame. The one with the 4 carriage bolts in your picture. Do they slide independantly of each other? I've seen where they are bolted up tight and they should'nt be. The plate that the gearbox is bolted to should slide down when you tension the belt. I would check there first. There should be some 3/8 spacers in there keeping the plates apart.

I'll check that out, thanks! Its very possible I cranked those down tight in an early effort to "make sure everything bolt is tight" before I understood how it all worked. I'd love to run to harbor freight and grab the $80 sae tap and die kit but this is the only thing I own not metric!

Down load the users manual and study it.
The adjuster bolt is left hand threaded.
You may have wrecked the threads and/or bolt the way it sounds.
Also your pulley looks to be too far forward compared to the one on my QA42A.

Is your PTO pulley lined up w/the thrower pulley properly?
Something don't look right in your picture, I don't even see the adjuster assly.
It don't pull the pulley down, it pushes it down.

Good luck, sounds like you are gonna have to invest in some American tools!!

I have the manual and I've read that it's left handed in another thread but the original adjuster I have is definitely not left handed. Is it possible the guy that sold it to me just threw one on from a different model that is right handed thread? Original on the left, mangled replacement on the right:

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/y...pskk8fb36m.jpg

Is the adjuster supposed to look like this?
http://ihccw.com/290_9049_1.JPG

that IS reverse thread and that castle nut makes sense because there is a hole for it which is not the case with the adjuster I have. I'm starting to think I got a little hosed on this snow thrower from craigslist. The belt I was given was too big, the lifting rod was too short. now this...

Yes, that is the same as the adjuster on my QA-42. It is left hand thread.

I can make them if there is a need for them. Anyone have an extra one I can get dimensions from? ( I'm not pulling mine about in the middle of winter)

I appreciate it but Im just gonna double check its indeed left hand threaded and bring it to work. We have a machine shop there with welders and much more capable people than I to make something up for me.

If anyone with a bottom adjusting thrower could post pics I'd appreciate it.

I'll see if I can get pics tomorrow. It is a left handed thread. Hold a regular bolt to your screen and you will see the thread goes the opposite way.

As far your comment I bolded, that's me. A machinist with extensive fabricating and welding experience during my 35+ years in the trade.

Thanks Jeff. I can definitely see the one in the pic I posted as being left hand threaded and the one that came with my thrower being right hand threaded. I just want to make sure that the adjuster for a side adjusting blower(which is the only one I can find pics of) is the same as one for the bottom.