Ariens Sno-Blowers

[H2GURU]

Anyone on here with a machine thats 20years or older? We have had no snow up here yet and there isn't any in sight. I need some good war stories of older machines to keep me interested in my 1 owner "77 model as I suspect in a few weeks there will be many new units for sale at a price that I won't be able to pass up!

 

[andyd]

Ive got 2 of them, both dump finds. I used a 4.5 hp. Ariens that I borrowed from my BIL. I rebuilt the carb and changed the oil. I got it running so well that I could start it easily with the recoil starter. I went to Lowes a while back and looked at what is being sold. The build quality is a joke compared to my 30 yr old dump finds. The 1st Ariens I resurected had been hit and the intake manifold , carb and gas tank were missing. I went back to the dump and found an ancient Bolens with a factory rebuilt Tecumseh 7 hp on it. I rebuilt the carb and changed the oil. I sanded down the rusty chute and painted it. Then I replaced the drive belts. The 2nd one I found, I grabbed for parts. It ran on a blast of starter fluid, so I poured a few oz of Chemtool carb cleaner into the tank and some gas. It fired up and ran smoothly. I Ran it into ome leaves and everything works. I aired up the tires and parked in my shed as a backup. It will prolly never snow again.

 

[DaleW]

Hi H2,
I've got a 1960 simplicity 8hp that I bought used for $300 about 18 years ago. All I've ever done is put on new belts and cleaned the carb out. (well, come to think of it, new fuel line twice now).

I agree with Andyd, the new ones at the discount stores are cheap junk. I have not looked at the 'power center' type dealers to see if Honda or Toro are of better quality.

A month or two ago I 'liberated' a 3hp Toro paddle-flapper from the neighbors junk pile. He told me he bought a new 5hp because this one was old (1990) and no longer started. Well, doh, the carb had 17 years of #@$%! in it. 45 minutes of cleaning the carb and it start/runs GREAT. I think I like the paddle-flapper style better than the 6-ton two stage. It is SO much easier to handle. Plus, rather than CRAWLING when in reverse, you can walk back at your own speed.

If my big Simplicity ever dies, I think I will buy a 5hp paddle-flapper. The Toro and Honda units look pretty nice.
Not cheap, but what is?

Dale

 

[Jon]

I've got a 42" tractor-mounted snowblower that mounts to the front of my 1985 Simplicity 7117 (with an 18 HP Kohler in it). It's a 15 minute job to take it off and put it on in the spring/late fall but it's worth it - I get to sit and the tractor will go most anywhere I point it. Plus, the blower (single stage but high rpm) will throw snow further than anything I've seen except my father in law's agricultural blower, which he claims "requires a minimum of 120HP to run". It should, it's 7 feet wide and 5 or 6 feet tall, two stage, and I *think* it's got 2 augers (2 or 3).

 

[dwendt44]

Some of the major brands have cheapened up their stuff in the last few years. The light frame is now used on 8HP blowers, instead of 6 and down.
Ariens, Simplicity, and maybe Toro, too.
Hondas are still well built but, man are they expensive.

 

[Jon]

I should note that I've also got a small Honda snowblow (HS-35?) that starts on the first or second pull *every time* and is probably close to 20 years old. It's only now starting to show some rust. I've seen some of the bigger Honda snowblowers/snowthrowers and they are really impressive - clearly built to last a very long time. The *old* Ariens/Simplicity/etc... were really overbuilt but suffered from hard to start engines which ran poorly. Newer stuff has better engines (still not a Honda, though) but the frames have been cheapened considerably.

If I ever buy a new snowblower (walk-behind) it's going to say Honda on it.

 

[Bror Jace]

At the end of last (mild) winter, you could buy an Ariens 11528 (11.5hp 28" cut) snowblower that normally retailed at $1,300 for $999. With the winter in the Northeast being even milder this year (so far), I'd expect similar deals at Blowes, Home Despot and other retailers here in the Northeast.

I'm a Honda guy and I'd prefer to have a Honda machine but isn't a comparable Honda about double you would pay for an Ariens, Husquavarna or Troy-Bilt?

Anyone put any serious time on a recent vintage Tecumseh Sno-King engine? How do they hold up? What about starting the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc ... years? The industry seems to have standardized on these for most makes of snow blower. Our 2-year old Ariens has a 11.5hp Sno-King that I have been unable to start with the recoil starter. Thankfully, it has a plug-in electric starter.

 

[dwendt44]

Had my Simplicity 8 horse for 11 years, with no problems.
Been using Mobil-1 for the last 4.
Have had to change the spark plug after 5 years; so now I do that every two years as seasonal duties.
No oil use, no real problems except the headlight stopped working.

 

[JTK]

Quote:

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.. Our 2-year old Ariens has a 11.5hp Sno-King that I have been unable to start with the recoil starter. Thankfully, it has a plug-in electric starter.

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Bror, my dad has a ~4-5yr/old MTD with that engine [sams club special]. He can't start it with the recoil either. Other than that it's a decent, simple machine. On the other hand, the 7hp OHV tecumseh on my 6yr old mtd/yardman starts the first or second pull every time. Only tested the electric start once. Prolly said it before, but I'll never own a flathead snowtblower engine for this reason.

Joel

 

[dwendt44]

" Our 2-year old Ariens has a 11.5hp Sno-King that I have been unable to start with the recoil starter. Thankfully, it has a plug-in electric starter. "+
My brother had a large Briggs that was like that, found out the timing was off a bit.
I'd have the carb checked for proper adjustment and maybe the timing checked, If it has a recoil starter, it should start with the recoil starter.

 

[andyd]

Quote:

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" Our 2-year old Ariens has a 11.5hp Sno-King that I have been unable to start with the recoil starter. Thankfully, it has a plug-in electric starter. "+
My brother had a large Briggs that was like that, found out the timing was off a bit. Uhhmn, just curious, how do you adjust timing on an ignition that has no points? Only thing that would affect timing is the key between flywheel and the crankshaft. Unless the new fangled OHVs have some some gizmo I'm unaware of.
I'd have the carb checked for proper adjustment and maybe the timing checked, If it has a recoil starter, it should start with the recoil starter.

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[dwendt44]

True enough, Andy. I forgot about the new fangled electronic ignition. There is some adjustment on some engines, though.
Still, my point was that if an engine comes with a recoil starter, it should be able to be started with it.
Electic start is nice, use it my self sometimes, but manual is good to have working as it should.

 

[Mike_dup1]

I can pull start my 13hp Ariens. Rarely do it but I have just recently, 2nd pull it fired. Forget to turn key on on 1st pull. Still has the same plug that came with it in 1998.

Have had several Ariens dating back to 1970ish and never had any starting problems with any of them. Lots of time these kinds of problems are the result of the dealer not setting them up properly. My dealer has always been dedicated to service whereas some of the others do not. He has been in business since the 60's, Father, then son. Other Ariens dealers (mostly hardware stores) here have come and gone since then, mainly because they sold them and had terrible service.

 

[Drew]

Home Depot shipped hundreds of Arien snowthrowers from NY stores to Colorado last week.

I finally replaced my 26 year old John Deere snowthrower with an Ariens 726LE. Not as fancy as MTD or other brands that are foreign built but the quality is MUCH better with thicker sheetmetal and beefier differential.

My neighbor has a Craftsman snowthrower that breaks with each use and so far have used my Ariens 5 times in past 7 days and already have about 15 hours on the engine already. Only lost one shear pin when the impeller ate an electric fence.

The tecumseh engine starts on first pull. I'm lazy and don't use the electric starter...using it would require me to unwrap and drag out a power cord to start it.

 

[Drew]

Oh...since this an an oil forum, I'm running 5w-40 rotella T in my Ariens snowthrower and will be doing oil changes every 15 hours of use.

 

[Volvohead]

I've got a brand new Ariens sitting in our garage.

Dealer set up and delivered it, it fires right up and runs perfectly.

But now that we've taken the plunge on a new one, I am certain we will not have any snow this season.

Isn't that how it always works.

 

[lobo11]

My 3 yearr old Ariens seemed heavier made than comparable Yardman, Craftsman, etc. and it was made in the USA, with a flag sticker on it, so how could I pass. I have only used the electric start once, other wise it starts 1st or second pull. Maxlife 5w-30, Techron or similar in the first tank I run through. Only complaint is it throws snow best after 10-15 minutes of use after she is all warmed up--this is noticable so I am thinking I should change auger lube to synthetic??? Few complaints so far, other than I wished I would have bought the next size up.

 

[CMT]

I've got an old Ariens that I inherited from my grandpa. Gotta be 25 years old. Runs OK, but I think it needs a carb rebuild- tends to spit & sputter every once in a while until I fiddle with the carb a bit. I might just try to find a new engine & rebuild the whole machine over the summer. Everything else works great. A little smaller than I'd like, but I can't afford the tracked Honda I want right now anyway, so IMO a rebuilt old school Ariens is the next best option.

 

[74 Laguna]

I have a question for those who bought a Ariens snow blower. Is there a reason why you bought a Ariens over another brand? I was set to order a Toro 1028 LXE but the place I wanted to order from is sold out and will not get more untill next year. They do have a Toro 1128 OXE but that is more money.

 

[Volvohead]

The Toros at the price point I was considering ($800-$1,200) had significantly more plastic parts than the Ariens did. Coming from a 30+ year old Atlas, I have a preference for metal. My dealer advised that at that price point, you can flip a coin between the two. My dealer also told me that the Simplicities have been dumbed down unless you move up to the big ones. He won't carry the small ones anymore. Hondas are the best machines right now, but are insanely priced and a poor cost/usage value for my climate.