Noticing that your single-stage snow blower lacks the power it used to? It might be time to get the drive belt replaced. To get your Toro single-stage snow blower back to full force, follow this step-by-step guide to replacing and installing your drive belt, and return to taking on the winter!

Video Transcript

If your single-stage snow blower doesn’t seem to have the power that it used to, you might need to replace the drive belt. Drive belts can become worn or loosen up over time, so they need to be replaced periodically. This procedure is also covered in your owner’s manual.

Before you start, make sure your snow blower is turned off, then remove the drive belt cover.

Step 1: Release Tension on Old Belt

Next we need to release the tension on the old belt. To do this, unhook the brake spring from the idler arm. Remove the screw and curved washer that holds on the rotor poly then take the rotor poly off the spindle and remove the old drive belt.

Step 2: Replace With New Belt

Now that the old belt is out of the way, you can replace it with a new one. Be sure to use the right drive belt for your machine. You can find exactly what you need at Toro.com through your local Toro dealer.

Thread the new drive belt around the engine pulley, then under the idler pulley and finally around the rotor pulley, which should be positioned just above the rotor shaft. Reinstall the rotor pulley on the shaft and secure it with the curved washer and screw. Reattach the brakes spring to the idler arm. This will put the new belt under tension.

Step 3: Reinstall Drive Belt Cover

Finally, reinstall a drive belt cover with bolts you removed earlier. The new drive belt is in, but you need to makes sure that it’s properly adjusted. Do this by checking the control cable.

With the engine shutoff, move the control bar back toward the handle to remove the slack in the control cable. You should have a gap of 1/16th to 1/8th inches or 2 to 3 millimeters between the control bar and the handle. Now this little bit of slack needs to be there so the rotor blades stop properly, but if there’s too much slack or not enough you’ll have to adjust the control cable.

To do this, slide the spring cover-up and unhook the spring from the adjuster link. Move the Z-fitting on the link to a higher or lower hole, whatever is needed to get the correct gap between the control bar and handle. Once that’s adjusted, you’re good to go.

To Learn More or Watch More Videos head to Toro.com/helpcenter.

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