Grinding auger motor bearings

Support & Solutions Hardware Issues
41

I don’t remember my snowblower making any weird noises when I first activated it either.

42

The aluminum belt gears are noticeably pitted. Likely from debris and oxidation. They appear quite soft and easily damaged.

I will likely inspect them and the internal transmission gears as part of my summer maintenance. Has anyone ever done this an reported their findings in the forum?

43

All this being said I still love the product. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

44

I’m planning to pull Yarbo into the garage tomorrow for some PM and a thorough inspection. Probably about time I grease the tracks…

And yes, I think Yarbo is a great tool. My favorite robot of 2025.

45

Hello there. I have had the issue twice now. The first time a replacement pulley and belt were sent and the same thing is now happening. What seems to be going on is that under load, the entire motor rotor retracts backwards causing the motor pully to scrape up against the bracket. I have removed the blower while it is wedged, and can see a large gap on the motor rotor. I spin the auger backwards by hand (takes a bit since its wedged!) and everything snaps back into place. Does anyone know what’s supposed to keep the rotor in place and not back out? Is there a snap ring or set screw? That seems to be the root issue for me.

46

Get a ticket in. Sounds like you need a new motor.

47

Take pictures. They replaced my 2024 unit with a 2025.

48

Hi there — sorry to hear you’re running into this again, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Could you please submit a support ticket for this issue so our team can investigate further and help you troubleshoot?

49

Thank you. I have placed a ticket in and at this point they are ending another pulley and belt, but its not solving the root cause of the issue.

50

Thank you. I will do as you suggested. I took pictures but not a video of turning the rotor.

51

that sound is not from bearing. As you see your belt is out of its place. And also your motor axis is shifted so that it will break your motor magnets and bearing soon. If it is still in warranty you really need get new motor.

that gap should not be that large.

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52

They replaced the whole module.

53

Hi there, sorry for the inconvenience caused. I’ve seen your update in the support ticket, and our support team will continue investigating your case further. Thanks for your patience.

54

I had this same issue. The upper right motor seems to be the main problem. The issue started with the overall sound produced by the snow attachment getting slightly louder, then even louder, then it got so loud I could hear it from inside the house, then a grinding/rubbing sound, then it totally siezed. The noise had me betting that a bearing had failed somewhere in the snow attachment. But I found that the motor’s outer casing/rotor had moved axially by approx 6mm, which caused the pulley to rub on the motor mount, which then caused the pulley endcap to get ripped off.. At first, I was hoping it just needed a new pulley/belt, but after closer inspection, the motor itself was found to also be damaged. Yarbo has sent me a new belt, new pulley, and new motor/mount assembly.. I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks for the motor(should arrive later this week) because the parts were not available from the USA warehouses.

Overall, I’ve been able to use the Yarbo for approx 3 weeks TOTAL this winter….the remaining 4 months of winter were/will be spent broken and waiting for replies from support and waiting for shipments of new parts & a new core. When Yarbo works it works well, but I’m disappointed with how many problems I’ve had. Hopefully newer models will get the bugs worked out. I’m praying that I don’t have many problems next summer with the mower attachment. I’m pleased that Yarbo stands behind it’s product, but I wish they could speed up their support system…..waiting a month for a motor replacement doesn’t seem proper in 2026. I suggest that Yarbo make replacement parts more easily available for purchase online. I’m certain some ppl would rather purchase replacement parts themselves instead of waiting weeks for free replacement from support. I’d love to have certain spare parts sitting on my shelf to speed up repairs when problems occur. Waiting weeks/month for replacement parts in the middle of winter just doesn’t seem right

PS> It’s hard to tell because my old pulley was extremely damaged, but it seems like the new pulley I received has been updated. The pulley & endcaps seem to be 1 solid piece now, rather than 3 seperate pieces that are pressed together. Not sure if this will help with failures, but figured I would mention it.

PSPS> FOR NEW USERS- To speed up your support tickets, send as much info as you can in the first message & do any self diagnosing that you can…

Example>

  1. Send video of the problem (This is easiest with a different camera/phone than the one you have the Yarbo app installed on)

  2. do hard reboot of entire system(core & Data center) and tell Yarbo that you’ve done it

  3. be VERY detailed in explaining the problem you have

  4. keep your Yarbo battery charged on the docking station so they can remote connect for diagnosing (they cannot remote connect if the unit is plugged into the wired charger)

  5. Tell Yarbo you authorize remote connection

  6. fully thaw the entire unit to remove any ice/snow that could be causing issue

Doing these things will help to reduce the amount of “back & forth” messages with support thus reducing the time it takes to fix your problem by days/weeks.:+1: