Hi Yarbo community — I’m looking for help troubleshooting a recurring snowblower issue. I’m also trying to confirm whether this is the same type of failure discussed in the “auger not working” thread (repeated “Waiting for the auger to reach the required speed” warning and slow/no auger performance). * I opened the ticket with the same contents.
Symptoms
Auger speed abnormally low: Under light, dry snow, the auger rotates slowly even when I manually set auger speed to Level 4, and it can’t throw snow properly.
Repeated warning: “Waiting for the auger to reach the required speed.” The unit effectively stops clearing and forces me to clear the warning/restart.
Odd (reverse) noise: A new/odd noise occurs when reversing and seems to relate with the reduced auger speed.
Frequent clogging/manual clearing: I had to manually clear packed snow from the chute and auger multiple times, despite the snow being light.
Timeline / evidence
A few days ago: cleared similar snow fine; fast auger rotation, but unusually loud motor/auger sound (video: IMG_1219, in quiet mode).
Today: slow auger at Level 4, reverse noise, repeated warning (video: IMG_7572) - this is unusually low and odd sound compare to previous jobs.
What I already checked (shear pins / driveline)
By searching, I saw this common advice: “The auger shouldn’t free spin easily by hand. If it does, then the shear pins might be busted.”
In my case, the auger itself does NOT free-spin by hand, so I believe the shear pins are fine.
If I rotate the center (2nd cylinder/paddle component) by hand, the auger turns (very little by little), but only slowly.
So it seems the mechanical connection is intact, but the system still cannot reach the required speed, which is what feels so odd.
Context
I received a core replacement ~2 weeks ago.
The prior core failed within about 10 days.
Given the recurrence, I’m concerned this could be another motor/gearbox/drive/control problem rather than snow conditions.
Questions for the community
Has anyone had this same combination: slow auger even at max setting + repeated “waiting for auger speed” warning + reverse noise?
The all software firmware versions are up to date.
Any recommended checks or logs I should pull before escalating with support again?
Thanks in advance — I’m pretty frustrated at this point and would really appreciate guidance from anyone who has resolved this.
I would try rebooting the core. This seems to be step 1 for resolving most issues I have with “bad behaviour”.
Rebooting can be accomplished from within the App:
Open the app and go to your device. If you already looking at your map, back out until you see the “gear” icon in the top right corner. The page should also be showing a nice Yarbo photo with a black background
Scroll down until you see “safety settings” and choose that item
Choose “Restart Yarbo System”
Since I don’t want to reboot mine right now (my unit is recharging after a partially completed project), there may be a confirmation dialog that comes up to confirm the selection or not. I forget. Don’t choose “shut down”!
Weird for sure , any chance you picked up a small rock or rope or something that’s stuck in behind? Very frustrating I know hopefully the reboot helps but if everything seems to be moving just slowly maybe something is impeding it ?
/Updated/ AUPDATE: Root cause found — timing belt is severely worn/shredded (photos attached) Confirmed: The auger drive timing belt is severely shredded. The belt material is clearly damaged and cannot transmit torque, which explains the repeated faults and the inability to reach auger speed. I am also concerned this failure may have already affected (or may soon affect) related components such as pulleys/gears. For that reason, I do not believe replacing the belt alone will be a reliable or permanent solution.
Symptoms leading to this finding (recap):
Auger cannot reach commanded speed even at Level 4
Repeated warning: “Waiting for the auger to reach the required speed”
Poor snow throwing in light, dry snow
Odd mechanical noise, especially during reverse
Shear pins intact (auger does not free-spin)
Why this is critical:
This unit received a core replacement approximately two weeks ago, and the previous core failed within ~10 days due to the left wheel locked issue. A timing belt should not fail catastrophically within weeks under normal residential use. This strongly indicates an underlying mechanical defect (e.g., pulley misalignment, incorrect belt tension, gearbox drag, or assembly/QC issue), not normal wear or a consumable item failure. Without addressing the upstream cause, repeat failure is likely.
Got the replacement of snowblower and ready to work for next snow storm.
