How to Adjust Snow Blower Skid Shoes
In This Guide
Knowing how to adjust snowblower skid shoes lets you set how close the machine clears and protects the auger and scraper bar from wear and damage. The skid shoes are the runners on each side of the housing that hold the auger off the ground, and their height sets the clearing gap. The right setting depends on whether your surface is smooth or gravel. Here is how to adjust them and what height to choose.
What Skid Shoes Do
Skid shoes are the adjustable runners on each side of the auger housing, and they carry the front of the machine so the auger and scraper bar ride at a set height above the ground. Raising or lowering them changes how close the snow blower clears and how much wear the scraper bar takes.
Set the Right Height
The correct gap depends on your surface. On smooth concrete or asphalt, set the shoes low so the scraper bar clears close for a clean sweep. On gravel or an uneven surface, set them higher so the auger rides above the stones and does not pick them up and throw them. Match the height to where you clear.
On gravel, always raise the skid shoes enough to keep the auger off the stones. Thrown gravel can injure people and break windows.
Adjust Them Step by Step
Park on a flat, level surface with the engine off.
Loosen the bolts holding each skid shoe.
Set the scraper bar gap, low for pavement, higher for gravel.
Hold both shoes at the same height and retighten the bolts.
Check both sides match so the machine sits level.
Keep Them Even
Both skid shoes must sit at the same height, or the machine clears unevenly and wears the scraper bar on one side. After adjusting, sight along the housing or measure the gap on each side to confirm they match. A level setting gives a clean, even clear and spreads wear evenly.
Set the shoes on a hard, flat floor with a board of the right thickness under the scraper bar. It gives a consistent gap on both sides in one go.
Replace Worn Shoes
Skid shoes wear down over seasons, especially on rough surfaces, and worn shoes let the machine sit too low and drag the scraper bar. If they are worn thin or unevenly, replace them, often flipping or fitting new ones, then reset the height. Fresh shoes set correctly protect the more expensive scraper bar and auger.
Rather Have a Real Technician Handle It?
A Wildwood technician comes to your driveway, diagnoses the snow blower on site, and gets it running, usually in about an hour. More than 10,000 repairs completed since 2019, with flat rates quoted before we arrive so there are no surprises. When the snow is falling, you cannot wait around.