Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I called Ariens about my 1970 manufacture Sno Throw. The front part is 10995 and the back, "tractor" section is either #10942 or #10954.

I'm going to order the service manual for it, but was curious about the drive system. It has 4 speeds forward and one reverse. The forward speeds seem quite "direct" while reverse has some slippage built in and you can stop it readily.

I've read about the friction disk system, but this doesn't seem to have one? Not sure what I'm looking at in the exploded view (I'm spoiled with 3D solid modeling).

Also, are replacement decals available for this vintage of machine?

Finally, I have new skids (two sided) and they seem to be a slightly different orange, possibly because of the effects of 35 years aging. Does the dealer sell spray paint, or can I match it from another brand of  spray can?

TIA

On a related note, I'm starting to debate the wisdom of upgrading this old unit versus buying a newer one. Putting on a new engine, friction disk, and some other minor repairs etc will cost me about  $300 net (I can sell the old engine since it's still running). Or, I can sell this unit for about $200 and buy a newer used model. There are two ST824's in excellent condition in the paper for $700 and $750.  So it's $500 and no work versus $300 and some work, after which I'd still have a 35 year old snowblower with a new engine.

My dad bought this one new in 1970 so there's some nostalgic attachment.  Another option is to repair the necessities and just keep using it. But the newer models allow the auger to be stopped, while this model keeps them engaged all the time. So the new design seems safer.  I'd consider keeping it as is but don't have the room.

I took the engine and auger off this weekend as well as the bottom plate for a thorough inspection and cleaning. I have to admit it's built like a tank.  The gear housing in the auger is massive.

No urgency now as the "last" snowstorm turned to rain. It's possible we'll get more, as the famous "April Fool's  Day" storm of a few years back demonstrated.

Garandman,

I hear you loud and clear on safety...

I don't think 65 Mustangs came with air bags, but my 96 Neon does!  If you happen to have an old mustang laying around and don't like the safety features I'd be glad to do a "straight up" trade!

isnt there a lever to the side of the engine that disengages the mule belt..ie the blower. i beleive your machine is called a tractor and the front half the blower is an attachment. there also was a sno brush,wood splitter ,gen set .

and it should come out of gear.

later chris

RalphS wrote:
The shift rod comes down to a link, and the other end of that link conects at the top with a cotter pin (no washer). That's what you mean? And you disconnect it at the top?

Where is a good place to purchase parts online? Do you really have anything after shipping versus buying them from a local dealer?

I had to scratch my head for a minute trying to remember what I did.  Yes, it's the short linkage arm connected to the forked bracket (the shift linkage is at the other "fork". 

My Ariens had a washer under the cotter pin, and the Ariens instructions indicate this, but according the exploded parts view, it's not there.  Go figure. 

I hear you about whether or not it's worth repairing, although I am impressed how my 30+ year old machine compares to larger and newer machines in the neighborhood (one neighbor had his 50-ish wife shoveling last storm while he was tinkering with his two-year-old (insert your favorite hated blower name here) snowblower).  It wasn't an Ariens.   

As far as parts, I usually purchase from Zwicker's in Chelmsford.  They're not the closest to me, but they seem to be about 10%-20% cheaper than the closer dealer.  FYI, last time I was there they had several (about 10) used Toros and Ariens for sale.  They had a mid 70s Ariens 824 similar to mine for just under $500. 

Let me know if you have any more questions.  It looks like we're going to miss most of tonight's storm (only about 2" for us), maybe more for you in Southie. 

Good luck

Ralph

  RALPH S,

Was it a Toro or a Simplicity????

My OPE dealer dropped Toro snoblowers because of to many problems on the 2003-04 models .

                                                                                          Fred                                                   

RalphS thanks for the info. I just got a digital camera to replace my old one so I can start taking pictures. I'm also bidding on a 7.5 hp Intek Snow on eBay, if it goes over the amount I bid I'm ordering one from smallenginewarehouse instead - $295 plus shipping with electric start or a "scratch & dent" without electric start for $230. Shipping is $25.

Would Zwicker's have a service manual?  I'm an "RTFM" kind of guy.

Right now I'm in target of opportunity mode. If I find something newer that's reasonable I'll buy it and sell the old one. Otherwise I'll refurbish and repower the one we have, which has been pretty well kept up in the past.

Still debating if it's worth about $40 to replace the old knobbies / chains setup with new  Snow Hog tires. My  concern is that the new Snow Hog equipped units have much bigger wheels so they probably have a lot bigger contact patch.

Fred-

They were older Toros and Ariens.  The Ariens models were from about the mid 70s to late 80s, maybe early 90's. 

I don't know how old the Toros were, as I am not too familiar with them.  I would estimate mid 80s to early 90s. 

Most appeared to be priced about half of what an equivalent new model would cost, although not half of what it might have cost when IT was new. 

I don't know how true this is, but I was talking with a (different) dealer last week, and he said that dealers usually can't get rid of used snowblowers.  I would agree that the great majority of owners don't want to take a chance on a used piece of equipment, regardless of "heritage" or "lineage", so they minimize their downtime by getting new models. 

Most of my neighbors just get new ones every few years (if I did that, I would have about ten snowblowers by now).  I don't get rid of anything. 

Ralph

OK, assuming the image posts....

I have the snowblower nearly completely apart. Not only that, some of the parts are in different states.....

I got a new friction disk but haven't received the manual I ordered yet. So I've been checking various bits and pieces and startd to dissasemble it preparatory to replacing the friction disk.

But I'll be darned if I can figure out what the "connecting brackets" are?

Here's a slightly different view. You can see why it's being repainted......