Hi Ben, there are so many safety switches on that thing it’s easy to have one in the wrong position. That said, I went through the parts manual and found nothing on circuit breakers or fuses. But.

I suggest removing the top cover, find the main drive motor, and follow the wires back to the switches in the dash. Check all the connections as you go along to make sure they are firmly seated. Check the plugs going into the switches. Most of the time with a unit like this it’s usually something mechanical – loose wire, connector, or switch in the wrong position

Here is a copy of the manual if you don’t have yours to see how to take the top off. https://files.snowjoe.com/product-manuals/iON24SB-XRMANUAL_ENG-ML.pdf

Your site is amazing, thanks for the hard work you’ve put in over the years! I’ve been using it for unbiased information as I research which two-stage gas snow blower I am buying next (leaning Ariens 24″ Deluxe).

I just realized you did a little work with this Snow Joe iON24SB-XR. Yesterday about 10 minutes into moving some snow, my auger stopped. Being a battery powered unit, I have no clue where to look. I haven’t been able to get help from Snow Joe on the phone or through their live chat online.

The batteries are fully charged, and I tried two different sets so I am confident it isn’t a battery issue. The shear pins are in tact. And the drive motor works at all three speeds, so it isn’t a complete electrical failure. The unit is three years old, stored inside, and has been used about 5 times, so I’m disappointed to say the least.

That said, do you happen to know if there is some sort of circuit breaker inside this unit that might be tripped? Short of that, I fear I’m left with four expensive batteries. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Hi theshoveler, There is not one snow blower that will throw all types of snow and you just ran into the one type the Snowmaster doesn’t like on your first outing. Don’t be concerned.

There is no snowblower that won’t plug on the wet stuff. The Snowmaster is actually the best and it very rarely clogs.

The only reason why I won’t give the Snowmaster the #1 rating like sweethome.com did is because it is lightweight. That makes it really easy to use until you get that “one snow” that’s really wet and heavy. Then it doesn’t have the traction to push through the deep stuff. One you make one pass though you can then take 1/2 or 1/4 passes and it will do fine. The 824 throws more snow farther but it still weighs the same so it has the same issues on the wet, heavy stuff.

Since the Snowmaster does not have a fuel shutoff draining the tank is the best option. Yes, use the fuel with the fuel stabilizer in it. The stabilizer coats the inside of the carb keeping it from oxidizing.

Hi Paul, Thanks for the advice. I went with the Toro 724 QXE and we had only two snowfalls where the snow blower was needed.

The first snow fall featured slushy snow that was melting. The Toro handled it quite well, but the chute jammed up when I directed the chute to the extreme right/left. This was of course was easy to fix.

The second snow fall was a bit more trying as we had snow followed by a mix of sleet and freezing rain. As a newbie, I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I tried to force the blower to pick everything up. This was no good as I was trying to move 4 layers of mush where each layer down was heavier than the one above. Since the blower is not that heavy, it kept riding above the heavier layers and I kept trying to force the blower to clean everything in one go. This didn’t work well. The solution was to let the blower ride up over the lower layers and then hit the lower layers on a second pass. Given the snow density, it took me nearly two hours to finish cleaning up my driveway. The blower shuddered to a halt two or three times while hitting the end of driveway snow pack. After doing my driveway, I did my friend’s driveway. The second time was not as hard since I wasn’t trying to move everything in one pass.

Would the 824 have done better on the heavy wet stuff? The 724 made my job easier. I was not dead tired after either snow fall. I would have never cleared my driveway after the second snowfall.

Tomorrow, I’m going to drain the fuel tank. Toro’s youtube video suggests using fuel treatment while running the last tank down before putting the blower away. My fuel was already treated with Sta-Bil. Do I need to use the fuel treatment when running out the remaining fuel?

Hi Dennis, Watch the video until 4:50 or so. Are there six bolts sticking up through the gear plate? I think mine has 4 with wingnuts and 2 with regular nuts. If those bolts are there I think there are black plastic clips under the plate. Go ahead and bolt the blue metal discharge chute to the gear plate. It should be right and work fine.

If those bolts are not there please contact your seller or contact Snow Joe to get the replacement parts..

That makes tons of sense! Thank you Paul!

Hi ArkSnow, The snow blower for the X320 is overkill for your area. In addition to the snow blower you will need weight and chains to even move it around the driveway. You also have to be very careful buying used. Those snow blowers have a lot of parts that normally stay on your tractor. If the previous owner did not remove all those parts they can easily cost you 2-400 dollars for the parts. Finally a John deere snow blower is expensive to buy-even used.

Instead for your area and the amount of snow you get I suggest two items. First a snow blade, weight, chains for your tractor. Use that for most of the snows you get. Then buy the SnowMaster and use it to clean up after the blade, and handle the 10-12 inchers you may get once in a while.

I live in Glenwood, MD. My driveway is paved, slight grade, and about 650ft single car width. I like your write up on the Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE but started to wonder if it might be right size?

I also do have a John Deere x320 lawn mower and was debating this used attachment:

http://salesmanual.deere.com/sales/salesmanual/en_NA/lawn_equipment/attachments/sku23045_44_snow_blower_x3_x5.html

Any thoughts?

Hi Dodd, Here is the new video. Snow Joe iON 80V 2-stage tested in snow – Is it for you?