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

OK. I had trouble with my 1 year old Ariens 8526LE throwing snow 3 weeks ago. I did everything in the manual to try and fix it. When I took the casing off to look at the belts I noticed the belt that controls the auger was shredded. So I took it to the dealer I bought it from. It took him 3 weeks and 3 phone calls from me. He told me it is ready and that a rock was caught in the impeller. Well before I brought it to him I made sure the auger was spinning, which it was. I also looked down the shoot to see if the impeller was spinning, and it was. So if there was a rock caught in the impellar it wouldn't spin, right? Also could this cause the belt to shred? I am going there this Saturday to pick it up and let him have a piece of my mind. I also want to make sure it isn't a bigger problem, like pulleys out of line causing the belt to shred. I still have 2 years on the warranty and want to make sure this isn't a lemon.

I live out by Leominster and purchased the snowblower at a dealer on Central St/Rt 12 in Leominster.

1. BBGarage: The line from the clutch was a little loose, but would this cause a belt to wear out after 1 years use? I tightened it like the manual said after the problem started, but it was too late by then as the belt was junk.

2. Spottedpony: I hear what you are saying about it being a busy time of year. But I called him the week of Xmas and he told me it should be ready by Xmas and he would call when it was ready. Then I called the Thursday after Xmas and he said it was in the shop and should be ready the next day and he would call when it was ready. I called yesterday and he gave the line about the stone in the impellar and that it was ready and I could come pick it up. Well where the hell was the phone call !!!!!! I just felt like I was getting the run around from day one.

3. Toolpig: I suspect that something like this is happening with my machine. Is there any way I can easily find out if the idler is out of line with the sheaves? Also did your belt stop working immediatley? I ran my machine all last winter without  a problem, or at least it seemed that way.

Also when I first dropped it off he told me that belts were not covered under the warranty. Well I went back and looked at the warranty and here is what it states:

"Normal maintenance items including, but not limited to, belts, idlers, cables, friction wheels, tires, wheels, and electrical components are warranted for a two year period from the date of purchase unless a shorter period would apply based on how the product is used, then the shorter period will apply. "

So I am going to ask him

1. Did you actually find a stone stuck in the impellar, or is this just your theory? If it is just his theory then I believe the belt should be covered under warranty because he has not proven that this is actually the cause. It is just a theory. I am going to ask how he knows something else is not wrong?

2. If he did find a stone in the impellar I am going to ask "So that means the impellar was not moving at all?". If he says "yes" then I know he is a liar because as I said above, before I took the machine to the shop I made sure the auger and impellar were spinning.

Do you guys have any other questions you can think of I should ask? I really appreciate your responses.

all you needed to do was look at the idler and eyeball it and you can see if it is aligned with the pully. amay 1128dle was off just a tad and i need to move my pully ouy a spec and it is now perfect. these machines are pretty simple to work on if youe are a little handy and take your time. i email ariend directly and told them about my pully being off a spec and that i was worried about premature belt wear now and they sent me new belt at no cost.  i recomend getting to know your machine or you might be in for something like this from time to time.

WOW look at all my type o's  This forum really needs an EDIT button !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I think you will understand my post. if not just ask and i will retype . Just a bit slower next time

As kneebiter said you should be able to eyeball the idler and make sure it's in line with the sheaves. My machine was brand new and ran OK for the first two snowfalls I'd used it.   It started  acting up on a heavy 3 foot snowfall. This was the third time I'd used it, and yes it was a sudden problem.  My OPE dealer had no problem lining up the idler and throwing a new belt on my machine all under warranty.

I can tell you if your impeller was turning when you took it in , it was no rock jam that caused your problem. Besides , you would have heard the belts roaring when the jam occurred.   Make sure before you use your machine again that the idler is aligned, otherwise you may have the same belt fraying trouble after a few uses.

By the way, how many times did you use your machine, and how heavy was the snow  before all these troubles occurred.

Well there is only a very short distance the clutch line needs to be pulled to get it into full engagement. However, if yours had been just loose enough it could have led to faster wear.

I prime until I see gas drip from the carb. It only leaks after you turn it off, so I always shut off the fuel line to solve the problem when not in use.

db 9,

I think I bought my machine from the same dealer.  This is the second one I got there and I've found them to be trustworthy.   They made a mistake when they gave me a quote on a 926 DLE but they stuck by the quote which saved me $70.    I have a freind who has also dealt with them and he has nothing but nice things to say.  If the guy says you picked up a rock he either knows you did or at the very least is telling you what he honestly believes.

db 9,

After reading this thread, my suggestion is to either call or email Ariens. It can not hurt; however, with so many Ariens dealers out there, they may not care.
Still, there is no reason for this dealer, esp. since you bought the snow thrower from him, not to have called you when he promised he would. Even if Ariens does nothing about this, they sould know how one of their dealers treats customers. (Just yesterday with a follow-up today, both UPS and Amazon were very resonsive to a delivery that said "delivered" on Tracking was not delivered to me. That is kind of service all of us should receive when we pay good money for Arien's products.)

Secondly, use the Yellow Pages or Ariens web site to find other dealers in your area, then pay them a visit to see how you are treated. BTW, I would like to see some definite data that dealers do not make $ on warranty work. Seems to me, car dealers will take all the warranty work they can get.

Gary

Go to Ariens.com and E-mail the company!!! This is not right to wait that long for your
snowblower. You bought from the dealer, he should service the problem. Not give you a run around!!
Wouldn't get by with this any other place,would they!!
Good luck let everybody know what happens next!
T.J.

Well I am going to pick up my machine today from the dealer. I will see what happens.

1. Toolpig: There was no roaring that would be caused by a rock jam as you suggested. It seemed to work fine all of last year. I probably used it 15-20 times last year. We get some pretty deep snow up here in the Northeast. Sometimes greater than a foot and it seemed to be working.

2. Plugger: Well when I took the machine in I told him what happened. Before he even looked at it he gave me the line "Well when you shut the machine off to clean your car off some ice probably formed. This could have put stress on the belt causing it to fray". Right there I knew he was full of crap. Then he tells me a rock is stuck in the impeller.

3. Gary31570: I actually called the warranty department at Ariens yesterday. I told them that the dealer theorizes that a rock was stuck in the impellar causing the belt to wear. He said in that instance the belt is not covered under warranty. I said well the dealer is "theorizing" this happened. What if he has no proof? I would have to prove him wrong in order for this to be covered. Also I already know where there is another dealer. I have talked to people about that dealer and they have nothing but good things to say. So I will be bringing it there for service from now on.

Stay tuned.

Well I went to Dupuis Power Equipment in Leominster, MA to pick up my snowblower that he told me was fixed. So when I got in the store he gave me the line about how a rock was stuck in the impeller. I said wouldn't that cause the impeller to stop spinning and the belts to grind? He said not necessarily, it could be a small rock, blah, blah, blah. So I knew right there he wasn't going to cover this on the warranty. So I asked are you sure that all the pulleys are in line, etc? He said this is the first thing we look for. So I bite my tongue and pay the $50 for the new belt. Then I go out back to get my snowblower. Guess what, it won't even start!!!! I ask what the problem is. They say the oil is probably cold. Do you believe this? I say well I store it in an unheated garage and it used to start fine. Also my car seems to start when I leave that out at night. Then he says well it has been sitting outside. Well isn't that nice. It has been sitting through snow storms for 3 weeks outside. So they replace the starter at no cost of course. They drive it out to my truck and I take over. I immediately go to the biggest snow pile I can find and try out their fix. Guess what, same result, it doesn't throw the snow. So now I am pissed off. The kid takes off the cover and looks. Guess what again. The belt is extremely loose and the little pin that is supposed to keep tension on the belt is totally out of place. I am not sure that that little pin is called. So they take it back in the shop to put another belt on it and adjust that pin. So I go back into the store to talk to the owner and tell him that I want my $50 back. Here is how our conversation went.

Me: That belt should be covered under warranty:

Dealer: Belts are only covered for 90 days

Me: 2 years

Dealer: 90 days

Me: 2 years

Dealer: You should read your manual

Me: I DID !!!!!!!!!! I said don't you have a manual here to read?

So we read this years manual and sure enough it states belts are covered for 2 years. Now he says, well this is not last years manual. So I need to call Ariens and check. I wanted to kill this guy. How about a dealer who doesn't even know what is covered under warranty. So Monday morning I am going down with my manual and show him and demand my $50 back. This will be the last time I ever deal with this place and I will let everyone I know not to buy from this dealer.

I am also thinking about calling Ariens and putting in a complaint. What do you guys think?