Thanks! The carb looks easy as pie to change, so a new one may get ordered if the existing one can't get figured out.
Older Ariens snow blower?
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Blue StaBil is both a stabilizer and fuel system cleaner. I use it in all OPE.
A 4 HP machine is not going to move a lot of snow. The engine on my older Airens is 11 HP.
A 4 HP machine is not going to move a lot of snow. The engine on my older Airens is 11 HP.
Got this one running fairly well for a 43 year old machine. Turns out the carb needed a good cleaning, and the fuel line needed replacing. The carb had a bit of varnish inside that needed to be removed. Somewhere along the line the fuel line sprang a leak, so a new one was put on, along with a fuel filter. I also checked the auger to make sure it was free on the shaft, and re-installed the heater box. Now it's put away, waiting for a few months for snow to start flying.
I give the plows two times to fling snow onto my sidewalk and driveway end, they I strategically place our two trucks and a car along the road and in front of the driveway so the plow truck can't get close enough to stack me up again.
Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
I give the plows two times to fling snow onto my sidewalk and driveway end, they I strategically place our two trucks and a car along the road and in front of the driveway so the plow truck can't get close enough to stack me up again.
Not really feasible with my fairly narrow street and position on a curve. Just have to suck it up and deal. At least I have a snowblower. Shoveling it out by hand during the last spring storm we had really bit the big one!
I give the plows two times to fling snow onto my sidewalk and driveway end, they I strategically place our two trucks and a car along the road and in front of the driveway so the plow truck can't get close enough to stack me up again.
Not really feasible with my fairly narrow street and position on a curve. Just have to suck it up and deal. At least I have a snowblower. Shoveling it out by hand during the last spring storm we had really bit the big one!
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I recently purchased a house, with attendant 40'x20' driveway. Having a real two-car driveway is nice, except when it snows. For some reason, the plow can turn 6" of snow into a 14-15" high (or higher) pile at the end of the driveway. It takes forever with a shovel, so I'm looking at snow blowers on Craigslist.
I'm seeing a lot of older Ariens snowblowers being listed. I've heard that those older machines were beasts. This would likely be purchased once the snow melts and chucked into the shed for use next winter, so a slight fixer-upper isn't out of the question. What should I look out for when purchasing one?
If your plowed that high at the EOD, I would look for at least a 250cc or larger motor. This is about 7-8 horsepower range, depending on whose measuring stick you use. I have a 250cc Briggs that seems to struggle if the snow really gets packed. As others mentioned, older Tecmuseh Snow Kings are everywhere, but seem to throw rods. If you can find a vintage Honda like the one guy, buy it. Other than that anything will probably be rusted to [censored], just make sure the rust hasnt separated the chute from the body.
Look for a guy on Youtube called Donyboy73. He has a video about how to buy a used snowblower. He is the pinnacle of small engine advice and DIY small engine
I recently purchased a house, with attendant 40'x20' driveway. Having a real two-car driveway is nice, except when it snows. For some reason, the plow can turn 6" of snow into a 14-15" high (or higher) pile at the end of the driveway. It takes forever with a shovel, so I'm looking at snow blowers on Craigslist.
I'm seeing a lot of older Ariens snowblowers being listed. I've heard that those older machines were beasts. This would likely be purchased once the snow melts and chucked into the shed for use next winter, so a slight fixer-upper isn't out of the question. What should I look out for when purchasing one?
If your plowed that high at the EOD, I would look for at least a 250cc or larger motor. This is about 7-8 horsepower range, depending on whose measuring stick you use. I have a 250cc Briggs that seems to struggle if the snow really gets packed. As others mentioned, older Tecmuseh Snow Kings are everywhere, but seem to throw rods. If you can find a vintage Honda like the one guy, buy it. Other than that anything will probably be rusted to [censored], just make sure the rust hasnt separated the chute from the body.
Look for a guy on Youtube called Donyboy73. He has a video about how to buy a used snowblower. He is the pinnacle of small engine advice and DIY small engine
Already bought/fixed a 1971 Ariens snowblower. We'll see how it goes this winter. with that machine.
Bumping this. The little Ariens cleared my driveway just fine this morning, and the icy end of driveway junk just fine this evening. After doing an impeller mod, it throws the snow just fine. Not that far, but far enough to get it off the driveway. The carb did need a little tweaking to make the mixture richer. That stopped the slight hunting when loaded down that was happening this morning, and improved loaded performance.
Next year I'll likely sand and repaint the bucket and chute. It needs it. Figured the carb was more important this year.
Next year I'll likely sand and repaint the bucket and chute. It needs it. Figured the carb was more important this year.
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