Snowblower Buying & CareHow old are your paddles? It is the wrong question, and it sends owners in two bad directions at once. One owner replaces sound rubber every couple of seasons because a blog quoted a lifespan. Another runs paddles for years past their working life because the machine still moves snow, just shorter and messier than it used to, until the metal auger behind the rubber starts meeting the pavement. Manufacturers built the answer into the part: most paddles carry wear indicator holes, and the paddle is done when the rubber has worn down to those holes. This guide works from that rule, the scheduled check behind it, and the damage line past it.
Job summary. Difficulty: easy to moderate, basic wrenches and patience in tight spaces. Time: about an hour for paddles and scraper together on a first attempt. Tools: wrench set, flat head screwdriver, needle nose pliers, and a rubber mallet for one system described below. Hire a pro line: seized fasteners that will not move without heat, a damaged auger, or a machine whose model plate is unreadable so the correct paddles cannot be identified. Order parts by model number, always.
Three mistakes that open this job
Replacing by age. Paddle wear is ground contact, and ground contact depends on your surface, your snowfall, and how often the machine runs. A lifespan in years cannot know any of that, which is why the manufacturer sources for this guide give an indicator and a check interval instead of a birthday. Treat any year based lifespan as unsupported unless your own manual states it.
Replacing only the paddles. Paddles and the scraper wear at approximately the same rate, because both work against the ground. Fresh paddles paired with a worn out scraper still leave snow behind, and the owner concludes the new paddles were poor quality. They were not. The system was half replaced.
Mixing up the fastener systems. Toro paddles and MTD family paddles come off differently, down to which small parts must be saved and reused. Following the wrong system into the job is how spacers get thrown away with the old rubber. The two systems get their own sections below, on purpose.
Read the wear: holes, schedule, and the metal line
Start with the indicator. Ariens, which builds single stage machines, states the design plainly: on a single stage unit the rubber is made to scrape directly on the ground, scoop the snow into the back of the housing, and throw it up the chute, and most paddles have wear indicator holes. When the paddle is worn down to the holes, it is time for a new one. No holes visible as a limit yet means working rubber remains. Rubber at the holes means the paddle has given its full service and the next wear comes out of something more expensive.
The check is scheduled, not occasional. The Ariens SS21E manual maintenance schedule calls for checking auger paddle wear every 10 hours of operation, with replacement when the paddles are worn to the wear indicator holes. The same schedule covers the scraper blade: check its wear, never let it wear down too far or the auger housing itself becomes damaged, and replace it when it is damaged or has been adjusted down as far as possible and no longer touches the surface or clears properly. Ten hours is a short interval, and that is the point. Wear parts that touch the ground change faster than owners expect.
The hard limit behind both checks comes from the Yard Machines manual, in capital letters in the original: do not allow the rubber paddles to wear to the point where portions of the metal auger itself can come in contact with the pavement, because doing so can result in serious damage to the snow thrower. Rubber is the sacrificial part. Metal on pavement is the failure the rubber exists to prevent.
Performance confirms what the holes say. A snowblower that is not throwing snow as far as it used to is showing worn paddles. A machine that no longer clears the surface as well as it did is showing a worn scraper. Read the symptoms against the parts like this:
| What you notice | Part it points to | Confirm by |
|---|---|---|
| Throw distance has shortened, snow falls close to the machine | Paddles | Checking the rubber against the wear indicator holes |
| A layer of snow is left behind on pavement the machine used to clear clean | Scraper | Checking scraper wear and whether any adjustment range remains |
| Metal scraping sound, sparks of wear on the housing edge | Past the limit on either part | Stopping and inspecting before the next run, not after it |
While the machine is open for inspection, the Ariens schedule adds one more check in the same visit: belt wear, with the auger cable adjusted as needed, and belt replacement when it is damaged or when the auger stops or stutters during operation. A stuttering auger blamed on paddles is sometimes a belt, and the belt is cheapest to judge while you are already looking at the wear parts.
Planned step images for this guide: a paddle worn to its indicator holes beside a new paddle; the metal spacers being lifted out of an old Toro paddle; the machine tipped back on its handles with the first paddle removed and the second still attached as the position example. Each image belongs at its step, showing the exact part the step names.
Two fastener systems, two different jobs
| Toro pattern | MTD family pattern (Yard Machines manual) | |
|---|---|---|
| What holds the paddle | Four hex nut combinations at the centre plate, plus two special fasteners and nuts on each side of each paddle | Hex washer screws through the paddle into the auger |
| Small parts to protect | Two metal spacers in the centre holes of each paddle must be removed carefully and reused in the new paddles | The removed screws are reused to secure the replacement paddles |
| Working method | Centre first, then the tight side fasteners | One paddle at a time, so the attached paddle shows the correct position for the new one |
| Access notes | Side fasteners sit in a narrow space; a screwdriver and a small wrench together, with needle nose pliers for extraction and for starting nuts | Machine is run until the fuel tank is empty, the recoil handle pulled until resistance is felt, then the machine tipped back to rest on its handles |
Identify your system before the first bolt moves. If your manual matches neither description, your manual governs, and battery machines in particular should be worked only by the procedure and parts list printed for that model. The steps below follow the two documented systems and label each step with the system it belongs to.
The replacement procedure
Safety setup, both systems: engine off, and follow your manual for preventing an accidental start before any tipping or unbolting. On the MTD family procedure the fuel tank is run empty before the machine is tipped back onto its handles. Work on a hard, flat surface with the parts laid out in removal order.
- Tip and settle the machine (MTD family). Run the fuel tank empty, pull the recoil starter handle until resistance is felt, then tip the snow thrower back until it rests on its handles, as the manual directs.
- Remove the centre bolts (Toro). Take out the four hex nut combinations holding the paddles to the centre plate, with a wrench.
- Remove the side fasteners (Toro). Each paddle has two special fasteners and nuts on each side. Work in the narrow space with a screwdriver and a small wrench together. Once the nuts are off, pull the fasteners out of the paddles with needle nose pliers if they stay behind.
- Save the spacers (Toro). Lift the two metal spacers out of the centre bolt holes of each old paddle with a flat head screwdriver. These must be reused. Set them somewhere they cannot roll away.
- Unthread the paddle screws (MTD family). Remove the existing rubber paddles by unthreading the hex washer screws that secure them to the auger. Work one paddle at a time and leave the other attached.
- Press the spacers into the new paddles (Toro). Push each spacer into its centre hole by hand, then tap it home with the back of a screwdriver or a rubber mallet.
- Fit the new paddle against its example (MTD family). Position the replacement using the still attached paddle as the guide for orientation, then secure it with the hardware removed earlier. Only then move to the next paddle and repeat.
- Centre first, then sides (Toro). Secure the new paddles to the centre impeller plate first, which holds them in place for the harder side work. Position the side fasteners, pull them through with needle nose pliers where needed, and start each nut by holding it in the pliers while turning the fastener with a screwdriver. Finish tightening with the small wrench, taking care not to damage the fastener threads.
- Turn the rotor by hand before closing up. Confirm nothing binds, no fastener stands proud into the snow path, and every saved spacer and screw is back on the machine rather than on the bench.
What success looks like at this stage: the rotor turns freely through a full rotation with no tight spot, both paddles sit in the same orientation, and the parts tray is empty. A leftover spacer is a stop sign, not a souvenir.
Do the scraper in the same session
Two reasons, both practical. Paddles and scraper wear at about the same rate, so a scraper judged honestly beside fresh paddles is usually due as well. And the scraper area is easier to access while the paddles are out of the way, so the shared session is also the shorter one.
On the Toro pattern, three hex bolts and nuts hold the scraper to the lip of the impeller area. Remove the nuts with a wrench, pry the bolts out with a flat head screwdriver if they resist, and lift the old scraper off, noting the metal tab that helps hold it. Start the new scraper on the tab side, press it onto the lip, line up the bolt holes, and reinstall the bolts and nuts fully tightened.
On the MTD family pattern the part is called the shave plate. It is attached to the bottom of the auger housing, should be checked periodically, and has two wearing edges, so it can be reversed before it needs replacing. Removal is four carriage bolts and flange lock nuts. Refit with the plate and the carriage bolt heads on the inside of the housing, adjust it as the manual directs, and tighten securely. Reversing a sound plate to its fresh edge is the one genuine free repair in this whole job. Take it when the plate offers it.
What the parts cost, checked November 8, 2026
Prices for wear parts are model specific, so read these as dated reference points, not quotes for your machine. RONA listed the EGO 21 inch steel auger rubber paddle, model ARP2101, accessory only, at $41.99 CAD each on November 8, 2026, with the page noting the item can be ordered through the selected store and that prices and availability may vary by store. The Toro factory paddle kit for 21 inch Power Clear machines, kit 38261 with two rotor blades, screws, lock nuts, and the four rotor blade spacers, listed at US$86.99 at a US parts retailer on the same date. Note the difference in what is being priced: a single replacement paddle for one battery model, against a full two paddle hardware kit for a gas line. Your machine price sits wherever its own part number lands, and the part number, not the product family name, is what to order by.
The success check before the next storm
Do not judge this job in the garage. Judge it on the first real snow. The finished machine throws snow noticeably farther than the worn paddles did, clears down to the surface the scraper is meant to reach, and leaves no metal contact sound at any point in the pass. Set the next check now, while the interval is fresh: paddle wear gets looked at every 10 hours of operation on the Ariens schedule, and adopting that interval for any single stage machine turns the next replacement back into a planned purchase instead of a mid storm discovery. If throw distance does not return with new paddles fitted correctly, the remaining suspects are the belt and the auger cable from that same schedule, and both are checks, not guesses.
, Tom Reilly, Home & DIY Writer
Sources
- Ariens, Snow Blower Maintenance Tips, accessed November 8, 2026.
- eReplacementParts, How to Replace the Paddles and Scraper on a Toro Single Stage Snowblower, accessed November 8, 2026.
- Yard Machines 21 inch single stage product manual, Section 7, Service, page 13, accessed November 8, 2026.
- Ariens 938034 SS21E user manual, maintenance schedule, page 17, accessed November 8, 2026.
- RONA, EGO 21 inch rubber paddle ARP2101 listing, price checked November 8, 2026.
- Russo Power, Toro 38261 paddle kit listing, price checked November 8, 2026.