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

Guys

Today I had a problem running the auger on my Ariens 7524 that I just got a couple weeks ago. I started it up and the first time I ran the auger the engine died. I restarted it and when I ran the auger this time it kind of screamed and I immediately shut off the engine. Both times the auger was not under load and the machine was stationary.

I pulled the spark plug, used the shovel to clear as much snow from the shovel housing and impeller area as I could, then banged it up and down a few times. The auger ran with no complaint this time. I'm still not sure what the problem was other than there was quite a bit of impacted snow inside the shovel housing and after I cleaned that it ran fine. Would the shaft or the impeller itself have been frozen?

When anyone encounters an unmoveable auger what do you do? I don't have the option to move it into a warm area. Is it safe to throw warm water into the impeller area or are you just compounding the problem? I have been running the impeller for 20 or 30 seconds before shutdown but today I followed the letter of the law and ran the auger for almost 3 minites. I also cleaned as much snow out of there as possible before I stored it. Is this an effective preventative for a frozen/stuck auger/impeller? I'm hoping this isn't a common problem for Ariens and/or the Ariens compact series. Thanks for any advice.

One word - LUBRICATION! It will aid somewhat in snow sticking to the components. Spray some cheap penetrating oil all over everything. Also, clear as much snow as possible off all the components, then run the augers again for a few minutes. If its a sunny day, angle the machine so the sun hits it before you put it away. This should keep it from freezing up.

Marty

Oil also prevents rusting. Just don't do what my grandfathers neigbor did, use your hand. Even after he shut it off he lost his fingers.

THanks

Do you have a brand/type of oil to get? Like WD-40?

I personally like good old Liquid Wrench. I have used PB Blaster too, but I like to save that (and Kroil) for stubborn/rusted fasteners. I never liked WD40 - something about the water & kerosene mixture doesn't appeal to me for lubrication...

Marty

BB garage... How could you loose your fingers when the engine is turned off.... I am just a newby to this so I need to know all the safety aspects of running a snowblower

thanks

major

Thanks for the information. Now, would one spray this over all of the areas: inside the shovel housing surfaces, all over the auger blades, main shaft, gearbox shaft to impeller, impeller and discharge chute? In other words all over everything inside there?

Ref loosing fingers when the engine is off, I think he meant that when there is clog and the auger seizes up, you never want to put your hand down inside the discharge chute or into blade/impeller area in case there is still some torque left after the obstruction clears itself or is cleared (with a suitable device like the little Ariens shovel or stick, whatever, NOT YOUR HAND OR ARM!!!). I am not an expert but even after my machine has been off for a while, before I even stick the shovel in the shovel housing (where the turning blades are) there to clean off snow, etc., I pull the spark plug and give the blades a little push (with the shovel) just to make sure there is no torque still left there. I always try to stay in a state of healthy fear around those things. By all means ALWAYS follow your snowblower safety instructions at ALL times. I haven't yet had a clog yet but I know I will so I'm saying this as much for myself as everyone else. I always try to remember to keep my head out of my ass at all times when operating this thing, and I constantly remind myself to keep it there.

snowbunny

I think he also might have meant that in a case like I happened to me today, when you have a frozen or stuck (due to a more minor snowjam) auger or impeller you never want to put your hand in there to clear it. And you always want to wait for whatever length of time your instructions say, after there engine has been shutdown, to clear the chute or shovel housing with a stick, shovel or whatever is appropriate (OTHER THAN YOUR HAND OR ARM!!).

snowbunny wrote:
If you have a jam that stalls the engine there is a good chance that the entire power train for th eauger/impeller  is still under tension. Belts are stretched a bit and steel parts are under elastic tension. Essentially the whole thing is acting like a very stiff, tightly wound spring. When you clear the jam the thing stopping the movement is now gone so things like the impeller move. If the thing releasing the blockage is soft and can be squished it usually gets squished. If I'm clearing a blockage then I use something I don't mind having  around 10 inches chopped off of. If I'm putting any part of my body in the auger or impeller then the spark plug is disconnected and there is a 2x4 wedged in there after things were spun to make sure there is no tension. I even store the thing during the summer with the 2x4 in place.

Majorxlr8n wrote:
If I remember corrrectly WD40 isn't really a lubricant, its a solution for disolving rust. Once the rust has been dissolved you use oil or grease to lubricate and preserve. I checed the WD40 site and they claim that it lubricates and preserves but it seems kind of watery to do any serious lubrication.

nibbler

can you explain where exactly you put the 2x4 to stop it up? Also, what do you use to clear a jam? I saw something on the internet today, a really cool orange stick shovel expressly for the purpose of jam clearing, but it looks like it isn't sold in Canada. The little Ariens shovel is OK but I would like something longer when I have to clear down into the chute. Thanks.

nibbler, sorry forgot to ask, when you say spin, do you mean the bit of looseness in the auger blades that you can see are loose on the main shaft or spinning the impeller? I have tried with the shovel to get a little movement out of the impeller but it seems to be quite immovable when everything is shut down.

I put the 2x4 in down the chute into the impeller. To see if there is any tension in the system I'll try to turn the impeller with the 2x4.

I just use a stick or old broom handle. You can also get a fairly robust kids shovel and cut it down a bit if need be. The big thing is to make it so that it is carried on the machine and is convenient to use.