Hey All,

Title tells my story. I was raking snow off the roof, and went to use the ST726 to clear that from the walk. So the snow was pretty packed and a bit wet due to warm temps. I guess it was a bit much for the auger to handle, it squealed a bit and stopped spinning. Impeller was still going. Hand-spinning the auger it goes around a ways and then stops, both directions.

Opened the auger drive gearbox, and it was mostly dry, and the gear was not touching another gear. Makes me think something went wrong in there. Guessing that parts are NLA. Unless there is some sort of universal fit gear set, is this going to be fatal? I love this machine, its old and heavy and not as efficient as newer stuff, but maybe that's why I identify so well with it, LOL.

Did run it with the gearbox cover off, and center drive shaft was spinning. I filled the case with gear lube, and tried again. Augers spin, but not with much force. Light pressure brought back the squealing sound and disrupted their motion. So I don't think that the shear pins are the issue.

Any ideas/suggestions? I have a trusted shop but can't get to them until Monday at the earliest. Going to head out and shovel, not looking forward to that. Will check back in later. Thanks for reading.

I've had a few old Jake...and with the impeller kit they are great! Looks like you have to hit e-bay for a used gearbox. I would get a used backup machine that isn't so old or obsolete that you can still get parts....The 924 series Ariens would be my first choice.

I guess you're going to have to wait until monday and see if your shop can find something that fits.

Sounds like the bronze gear is stripped of teeth, since you mentioned that its not turning with the impeller shaft and there is daylight between the bronze gear and the worm gear. Since your our machine is made by Jacobson so you might try searching for a parts manual from them to see if there is such a thing as a part number.

Thanks for the replies. Did do a little online searching. The gear kit part number is JAC501323, which consists of 2 gears, separate part numbers JAC 341606 and 341608. Google of those did not return very much that made me feel hopeful.

Yes, I did A DIY impeller kit, and had the carb redone at the shop last season, so the machine has been a total beast ever since, I usually clear a lot more than just my own drive once I get it out there. Garage storage space is a bit of a premium for me, I have the old toro that is currently down as well, forcing me to shovels now. I might end up sending that one away as well if I can't repair the Ford, and I will upgrade to something newer. This machine was purchased new, by my Father, and has been in the family its whole existence. It will be a sad day if/when I need to send it on its way. Really hoping that there is a source for the gears.

thanks for your input!

I see some of the Jacobsen Imperials occasionally in Massachusetts....The best bet is to buy one or two as a parts machine and backup. No need to send that old Jake away.

Just stumbled across this on Ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Jacobsen-Im...51SB:rk:7:pf:0

No idea if this is for your machine but might be worth checking

I had seen that gear set. Not sure if that a match for me or not, based on the part numbers I had found, and the part that is listed as. But need to figure that out before dropping $100 on a whim. There are a few Imperial 626's on my local craigslist, that I could scavenge parts from I suppose. Hope to make some headway this week, but we have below zero temps in forecast, limits my motivation to get out to the garage and turn wrenches.. Hoping to chat with my local shop later this evening.

Well, discussion with my shop left me somewhat discouraged. Their opinion was that I could very well be in for many opportunities for disappointment, if the augers are rusted to the shaft, if this or that pulley doesn't come apart well, etc. A lot of their reasoning was that parts have to be scavenged on Ebay, craigslist, etc.


So if I decide to dig into this one, and attempt to fix, versus replace with something newer, it's going to be a project that is going to have the machine down for some time. Not sure I like where that leaves me, with plenty of snow season still coming in our area. Already did a full removal of our last snowfall using the shovel this past sunday, and did not enjoy my time out there as much as I used to when I was younger.


So I think I'm going to see what is left at a few local stores as far as new machines, this weekend. We have more snow forecast this week, so time is going to force my hand I am afraid.


Thanks everyone for your input.

Can you see if the existing gear on your machine is iron or bronze The worm gear is always steel or iron, but the helicut gear on most machines (recent vintages) is bronze. The ebay pair seem be both made of iron.

I agree that disassembly might be a problem if it has never been disassembled before, or if maintenance has been sketchy. If you remove shear pins/bolts, can you turn the auger rakes against each other? If they are free on the inner drive shaft, that eliminates probably the biggest potential problem.

The auger pulley should be removable with some mild encouragement. I guess your biggest question is what else might need doing while its all apart anyway, and if you can track down the correct gears for the thing, as well as other items such as bearings, and bushings and gaskets etc.

Let us know what happens in the end.

This article mentions some parts for Jacobsen...I believe it backs up the worm gear numbers you mentioned.


https://www.snowblowers.net/brands/jacobsen.html


Also jacks has some parts but not worm gear:


https://www.jackssmallengines.com/ma...w-blower-parts