A key component of a snowblower is the auger. An auger is a rotating spiral metal blade, which in a snowblower picks up the snow and redirects it. The engine of the snowblower powers the auger. A snowblower auger is similar to the auger in a household drill, but much larger. Instead in a drill, the auger removes the shavings from the hole being drilled.
Snowblower augers vary in shapes and size to fit the snowblower. Augers found on push snowblowers may only be 12-24 inches wide, while snowblowers mounted on trucks and tractors may have augers that are more than five feet wide. The larger the auger, the larger the engine needed to propel it, and the more snow it will remove.
Augers played a big role in making large scale farming possible. Peter Pakosh invented he modern grain auger in the 1940s. He went onto mass produce augers under the product name “Versatile”, and became a multi-millionaire. Augers are also seen in farms on combine harvesters and are used for digging postholes. These augers can be powered by hand, electric motor, or an internal-combustion engine.
In varying shapes and forms, augers are an important industrial tool. In additional to snowblowers, they are seen in plumber’s snakes, ice resurfacers, trash compactors, injection molding machines, to make pellets, food product production, transporting rock shavings, and in drilling rigs. Handheld augers can be also be used for gardening and to drill holes in the ice for ice fishing.
Sharp and well-maintained snowblower augers are vital for proper functionality. They can be purchased as a repair part but be sure to check your product specification to ensure that the proper part is purchased.