Three Five brand v-belt should fit my snowblower, and surprise, Canadian made!

My Canadian Tire snowblower was getting tired, so late last winter I decided to see if I could spruce her up. The v-belt that connects the 2T engine to the auger was worn, but still connected and therefore workable. Today I tried to find a replacement v-belt. It turns out that my belt is 1/2″ x 35″ and found a machine v-belt replacement for $6.

My snowblower is a Canadian Tire model # 318-180-515, 3-21″ model. It’s good enough for my driveway and compact. The 2T is a bit of a hassle, but I’ve gotten used to adding oil to the gas and storing it in a 2T marked gas tank.

I first went to Princess Auto, but they did not have the correct size. Then at Canadian Tire I was directed to the seasonal and snowblower section, where I found the correct MTD v-belt for snowblowers, but cost $21. It was a nice belt, light brown and mesh covered. Hmmm, there’s got to be a way to genericize this purchase. V-belts are, unsurprisingly, shaped like a “V”, with the point ground down. Maybe a flat bottomed boat would be a better description.

Over to automotive I went, but they were out of 1/2″ x 35″ v-belts. He told me to try a machine v-belt, which are deeper than an automotive belt, and this is where I found my “Three-Five” branded model # “A-33/4L-350″ v-belt, made in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada by S.W.R. Industries Ltd.. Now it’s pretty rare to find Canadian made products in Canadian stores, but I was happy I found it and glad to support a Canadian company. At $6CAD I can buy 3.5 of these instead of the 1 MTD v-belt.

Here’s to a great Canadian winter where I can use my newly spruced up snowblower.