Cub 2186 with Snowthrower- Problem

[Yamahog12]

Hi all. I have a Cub 2186 that is about 12 years old. Recently the snowthrower cannot seem to blast through the snow like it used to. It bogs down rather easily and clearing the driveway takes twice as long as it should.

This past summer when mowing sometimes the PTO would be delayed in engaging, especially after mowing for a while. I have no idea if this could be related to the less than stellar snow tossing but I recalled that fact so thought I'd mention it.

Anyhow, the belt for the snow thrower is only a year or two old. Does anyone know what might be the cause of my problem? Thanks.

[J-Mech]

May have a wiring issue on the PTO or the coil may be weak. Since your engine pulls down, I doubt the issues are related.

As far as low power. Standard stuff: Pull and clean the carb and fuel system and give it a tune up.

[Yamahog12]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

May have a wiring issue on the PTO or the coil may be weak. Since your engine pulls down, I doubt the issues are related.

As far as low power. Standard stuff: Pull and clean the carb and fuel system and give it a tune up.

Thank you. In the trouble shooting section of the manual it states that if the PTO fails to engage it could mean the PTO clutch needs to be replaced. It also states the possible electrical causes like you mentioned. The tractor seems to run strong and I'm not sure that changes when the blower fails to eject the snow like it used to.

If this were a PTO clutch issue, would a possible symptom be the weakening of the machine's ability to move snow? Can you tell I don't know squat about this stuff?

[J-Mech]

Ok, lets clear up some terms here......
When you said in your first post it "bogs down easy" did you mean the engine, or that the blower just slows down? Clarify please.

YES, if the PTO clutch is failing, it will slip and not do it's job. (In other words the engine will run, but the blower will slow down.)

[Yamahog12]

I am pretty sure the engine doesn't slow down but I can't honestly say for sure. Today it is 40 plus outside so I guess I'll have to wait till later this week when we get more snow to see. I will pay close attention to that.

Last winter the little spring that hooks the idler bracket to the blower gear box housing fell off. That caused the same symptoms only worse. I had to get a new spring and after attaching it the blower worked better. Amazingly I found the original spring after the snow melted and I put it back on since the spring I bought wasn't exactly the same.

If the PTO clutch was wearing last year, could that have allowed the spring to fall off (by not having enough tension to keep it on)? Thanks again for your help.

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by Yamahog12

f the PTO clutch was wearing last year, could that have allowed the spring to fall off (by not having enough tension to keep it on)?

No, the PTO clutch has nothing to do with belt tension.

[Yamahog12]

Ok. I wonder if getting a new belt is worth a shot? I'm almost sure I changed it 2 years ago so I wouldn't think that should be a problem. But that might be a cheap thing to try before I have to take it to a shop. Thoughts on that?

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by Yamahog12

Ok. I wonder if getting a new belt is worth a shot? I'm almost sure I changed it 2 years ago so I wouldn't think that should be a problem. But that might be a cheap thing to try before I have to take it to a shop. Thoughts on that?

With the info given, it's very hard to say what your problem is. I'm not a fan of "guessing".

Watch your machine run. Should be pretty easy to tell if the problem is in the engine, or in the blower/drive system. If the engine stays up on RPM and the blower slows down, then you either have a slipping belt, or a slipping PTO. Your going to have to figure out which. Either way, you need snow to test.

[FrankF3]

Originally Posted by Yamahog12

Ok. I wonder if getting a new belt is worth a shot? I'm almost sure I changed it 2 years ago so I wouldn't think that should be a problem. But that might be a cheap thing to try before I have to take it to a shop. Thoughts on that?

I would say a belt is worth a shot. About 2 years ago, I noticed the snow blower on my my 1572 not throwing the snow as it did. The engine never saw the load and power was not being transferred to the thrower. Initially I thought it was the PTO clutch as well, but when I investigated the problem after the storm, I found out that belt was worn to the point that it was narrower in width to the point where it was riding down lower in the groove and actually bottoming out in the bottom of the sheaves and not gripping on the sides of the "V" part of the belt. I went to Tractor Supply, and found some blue Kevlar belts that were not as tall in the "V" so they would not have as much as a tendency to bottom out in the pulley. It ran like I was used to after the belt change.

[Yamahog12]

Originally Posted by FrankF3

I would say a belt is worth a shot. About 2 years ago, I noticed the snow blower on my my 1572 not throwing the snow as it did. The engine never saw the load and power was not being transferred to the thrower. Initially I thought it was the PTO clutch as well, but when I investigated the problem after the storm, I found out that belt was worn to the point that it was narrower in width to the point where it was riding down lower in the groove and actually bottoming out in the bottom of the sheaves and not gripping on the sides of the "V" part of the belt. I went to Tractor Supply, and found some blue Kevlar belts that were not as tall in the "V" so they would not have as much as a tendency to bottom out in the pulley. It ran like I was used to after the belt change.

Thanks. I did order a new belt. Like I said earlier, I figure it is cheap enough to give it a shot. If it is a PTO clutch, the cost of the new belt is just a fraction of that repair anyway.