sears snowblower auger shaft end bushing

[38racing]

Any northerners here?
The part number is 53757.
https://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail ... MA/1786529
one side is completely flat and other side is open. I have IPLs for these style blower that show the flat side against the bucket side and ones that shows flat side toward the auger. I have blowers with it both ways. So what is the right way? My theory for open side toward auger is that it supports both the shaft (going through the hole) and the auger fitting into the open part sides.

[bgsengine]

I think as you have noted - the 53737MA goes in "whichever way it fits" but I would tend to put them in with the flat side facing the augers as to present a side thrust face for them to ride on. but I seem to recall one machine I worked on that the bushing would not fit that way and it had extra spacer washers as well, but was still a "sloppy" fit side-to-side

[38racing]

one ipl that has flat toward auger had washers on both sides of bushings but ones with flat against bucket had just the one washer on auger side and i have just 1 washer.

[38racing]

I just checked 2 more of my blowers and both have flat side against auger. As I was about to store away the damaged friend's auger assembly I placed the bushings on it. Definitely needs to be flat side against auger. Doing it that way it's a flush fit of auger to washer to bushing with bucket mounting edges flush with end of shaft. Turning it around and having flat surface even with the shaft end leaves the auger end touching nothing and the washer would serve no purpose. If the one unit I have is correct with them reversed then there would need to be different auger length in the design.