I just picked up a Toro 2 stage snowblower for free, it works great for being 20 years old and I want to do some PM on it before it gets cold. I've been trying to get Toro to tell me what type of oil goes in the gear box for the auger drive with little luck, anyone know what I should use.

 

I don't know about the gear oil, but I can say this... Find out what size the "shear' bolts that secure the auger are. It is good to have some spares handy in case you suck up a rock or lawn ornament you forgot about and break the auger bolts. Have some silicon spray handy, spray the chute before snow removal and hopefully that will discourage snow from choking up the system. If there are leveling feet or skids on the side of the auger housing, make sure they are not worn out and allow the auger housing to ride just above the pavement.
Buy some gas stabilizer and add it to the fuel in case it doesn't start snowing until March, good gas always helps. Blow the carburator out with cleaner to dissolve any varnish. Keep the gas tank dry as much as possible, run the machine until the gas is burned out of the carb, that will prevent varnish build up inside critical carb parts. It couldn't hurt to buy some spare parts for the carb either, springs, float, etc. Buy a snow suit, you will get alot of snow on you if the wind is kicking up. The snow has a way of getting right down your back.

 

Thanks for the tips.

 

I was just doing some PM on them at the school district I work at. Along with the shear bolts and silicon (good ideas) but considering its age check your idler pullies and the friction disc. The friction disc acts as a speed control for your wheels. And also the obvious with belts.
Hope this helps
Dan 03 Ranger 4x4 5speed

 

Also good points dan79, which reminds me about everything else that can go wrong. Due to last winters heavy snow and my generosity, I used my blower to clear 5 of my neighbors driveways and just about wore out my little 24" inch 4 hp craftsman blower. The idler pulley belts were OK and I think they last a long time, but were starting to glaze over and wear out.
My friction disc became too far away from the engagement pulley because the needle bearing and washers behind the disc were shot. The bearing had eaten it self up and was basically gone, even the washers that cradle the bearing had worn away. An oil leak from the engine head also caused problems as the oil dripped straight down and onto the friction disc creating a big loss in power from the engine to the drive train.
Therefore I suggest that your blower might need an inspection from head to toe, check that the friction disc turns very smoothly, and there is no play side to side or back and forth on its shaft.
Check the rubber wheel that engages the metal friction disc also. The wheel will wear out, mine did, keep the rubber wheels clean by cleaning with alcohol or acetone. Make sure that when the drive handle is engaged the the rubber wheels contact the friction disc firmly, a worn wheel, bad bearing or other problem can cause the two parts to drift as much as 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch away from each other.

 

I'll pull the back cover and take a look at the drive, I was worried about the friction disc. I already looked at the belts and they are OK. I don't think it has shear bolts, I looked at the parts diagram and didn't see any, this thing was made in 1971 so its really 32 years old.