Skid Shoes and Scrapers – Important Snow Blower Parts

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Maintaining snow blowers to keep your walks and driveway clear in the winter time is just as important as maintaining your mower in the summer. A faulty, broken snow blower can leave you stuck, or leave you to struggle with shovels instead of having an easy go of it. Everyone knows to keep the auger and engine in good condition but there are other components that are vital to the operation of your machine as well.

Skid Shoes for a Snow Blower

Skid Shoes

Sitting on each side of the auger, the skid shoes are adjustable parts that keep the auger housing itself from scraping the ground. This prevents the auger from picking up stones and throwing them out, creating projectiles that can be dangerous to other people, or that can damage the snow blower. It also prevents the auger from scraping along the ground and getting damage like dents and chips. This prolongs the life of the auger.

Of course, this means that the skid shoes absorb a lot of damage. They are built to wear, so don’t be worried if they start to get a little ragged. The nice part about most skid shoes is that they are double-sided, meaning they can be flipped over for a longer lifespan.

This is accomplished by loosening and removing the bolts that hold the skid shoes to the auger housing. Before doing this though, make sure to proper the auger housing up with a piece of food to keep it from sitting on the cement or dirt. Once the snow blower is propped up, take

Snow Blower Scraper Bar

Scraper Bar

The scraper bar is on the bottom of the auger housing, and helps to scrape ice and snow off of the surface and direct it towards the auger. Of course, this makes it a disposable piece, much like the skid shoes. It is meant to take damage over time to prevent from damaging the auger housing or auger.

Keep an eye on the scraper bar, as the rubber can wear away and you may not realize it until you hear the scraping of the metal against the ground. Before that happens, replace the scraper bar. You’ll need to drain the snow blower and flip it on its back to access the bar. Remove the bolts that hold it, and simply replace the bar. Reinstall it with the same screws, and it is ready to go.

These are just two of the most important “wear” parts on a snow blower. All “wear” parts need to be watched constantly, as they will wear down and require replacement at various rates. The good part is, almost all of them are relatively inexpensive to replace, and most of them only require one or two tools and a few minutes for any semi-handy person to work on. Before you get your snow blower started for the season, make sure to go over all of these parts, both for ease of use and safety.