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

Howdy,

I'm posting here in hopes someone can enlighten me.  I purchases a 926LE  new this year.  I did the set up procedures to ensure all was good and within specs.  I consider myself handy enough to do that competently.  I live in the Minneapolis area and got a chance to test the new blower today on about 3-4 inches of very light powder with about 6-7 inches EOD. I will preface this post by saying I'm a noob when it comes to snow blowers, my only experience being with a borrowed John Deere TRS 26.

Now  I know this isn't the best test of the machine, but hey, it's what we were dealt.  Here's what was going on.  When I started out, I had 1 wheel unlocked and this thing was almost impossible to keep straight--ok, no problem, lock other wheel.  Now, it still wandered around like a half drunk snake--not wide fluctuactions, but like short jerks on a steering wheel in a car.  It got better as the machine ran, so maybe  it was just something settling  in.  The really dissappointing part was when I hit the EOD.  Like I said, maybe 7-8 inches of piled  powder.  In low gear, the machine climbed up and over the pile without really blowing anything.  Ok,  so next pass, I tried a higher gear, same thing.  It seems like there is not enough weight on the front end to keep it down.  If  I tried to lift up a little on the handles, the tires would  spin.  My neighbor's John Deere had  no trouble next  door.  It took me almost an hour to clear a 40x60 drive that is basically flat.  I don't know maybe I had my expectations to high.  After looking at the Ariens & John Deere side by side, the Ariens body is about 8-10 inches longer, which moves the CG point back due to  the position of the engine.  While that does help for moving the machine around the garage, it seems to be a problem in the snow. 

The machine also would only throw the snow about 18-20 ft, but, I'm going to chalk that up to power with no mass behind it at this point.  One other question---on the scraper height--I put a finishing nail under each edge & adjusted the shoes.  It's about 1/8' all across.  Does that sound about right?

Anyone have any similar experiences or at least tell me what I experienced today was normal. Thanks in advance

My 1028 climbed up over any snow build up because there was not enough weight on the front. Once the weight went on, it stopped doing the exact thing Sailor's machine is doing. <BR>bbwb

bbwb wrote:
The thing is you shouldn't have to do anything to the machine to make it work correctly unless you have changed something, such as adding a snow cab. If it is too light on the front end and you are using it in its stock configuration then there is either a design problem ( I think unlikely) or an operator fixable problem. You are right in that putting some weight, such as a small bag of salt would tell us if that is the problem but checking out the other possibilities is a good idea as well.

bbwb - I've been lusting after an Ariens DLE for some time and had just about decided on the 926DLE, what made you decide on the 1028 instead? For me the maneuverability of the slightly smaller machine was more important than the slightly larger swath. I also suspect that the engines are also the same, except for the HP stickers.

my 926DLE never rode up unless i was going too fast.  for some EOD, i would have to feather the drive lever because the engine had throttled up to handle the snow.  perhaps a lower first gear would help, but i really never thought of it as a problem.

and yeah, the DLE is an absolute gem to handle - spins on a dime when you want, rock solid straight when you want, and nice toasty warm hands.

Guys,

I guess I should kind of revisit and clarify a few things.

1.  The engine, Auger, impeller and all mechanicals were running fine. No shear pin issues, no belt issues

2.  The shoes were adjusted to 1/8" as per the manual

3. The driveway is less than a year old and smmoooth asphalt

4.  The machine was throwing snow, just not as far as I expected.  It was tossing it about 15-20ft max, but I do believe that is from the light power consistence.  Just no mass to make it fly farther. 

My concern is the riding up on snow.  It just really seemed to want to climb rather than dig.  It was about -8 below out so maybe that was causing premature ice forming.  I don't know.  It just seemed like the balance of the machine was heavy in the back. When the machine did go through some piles (neighbor has an atv with a plow, so he would pile it up and I would blow it into the yard) 1ft -1.5ft, the machine ate it up like cake.

Maybe I had my expectations to high, but at least I'm not shoveling and I am learning thanks to this board

I have the 926le and love it. I only have the pin on the wheels engaged on the right wheel. It makes the machine so much easier to manuver. As far as keeping it straight you will get the hang of it.  you just kinda guide it towards the right a bit. Kinda like steering. I tried it with both wheels locked but found the easier turning to be better and i still get plenty of traction. I can keep it straight with one hand. Heavy wet snow will go about 15 feet. The lighter snow will go 45ft. The more you become familar with it the happier you will be . I don't even use the elecric start because it starts every time with one pull. I try to get my drive done before the snow starts to pack down. Once it piles up and you drive on it it will thaw n frezze and you have a ice mountain.  Fear not its a great machine. Dave 

<BR> nibbler wrote: <BR>I would agree that if all things were equal, one should not need to do something to make the product work properly. All I can say is that the weight made all the difference in the world and eliminated the wandering and climbing over problems. I think that the new machines might be better, but am not sure.<BR>My 1028 is on it's fourth year now. The selection/purchase was determined by the sales price at HD. If memory serves, it was $950+/-.<BR>At that time, I had a John Deere TRS 26 (8hp)that was 11yrs old. I ran great, no problems, but I wanted to have the extra hp for the snow removal. With both wheels locked, it needs to be man handled to turn. This year with the pathetic snow we have received, it has not been out to play.<BR><BR>bbwb

Thomasd,

You really get the 926le to start with1 pull?  I primed & choked and pulled as recommended about 6 or 7 times without even a fire.  Hit the electric start and even it cranked for about 2-3 seconds before it fired.  But then again, it was -8 outside, so that could  have something to do with it.  When I test ran it earlier, it did start pretty easy and the  temp was around  25-30. 

Also,  out of curiosity, does anyone tecumseh "load up" when at low idle?  I had the macine idling for about 1-1.5 minutes and when I revved it back up, it belched blue/white smoke like a diesel going up a hill under a load.  Lasted about 1 puff then ran like a charm.  Just wondering if this is a trait of the Tecumseh--Always been B&S guy myself

Again, I appreciate the advice from  all

There's only one other thing to try before trying some extra weight on the front end, everything else seems to have been checked out. Use the blower as a plow, once you have a load of snow out front disengage the traction system and blip the augers. Once you've done it a couple of times you can try it without stopping.

If that doesn't work try adding some weight to the front end.

When I first got it I could not start it with the rope at all.I had to prime it as i was cranking it with the electric start to get it to even fire.  The gas I was using was left from the grass cutting season. Not that old but old enough to cause it to start hard. I use stabil in my gas can now when I purchase gas. Man I swear by that stuff. Yes it Starts one pull every time now.  The key to priming it is to pause between primes about one second.  I prime it four times with the choke on and the throttle at full.  Hope you get some fresh snow to get it out on. We are getting about 8-12 tommorrow.   

I have a new Aniens 11528LE and unfortunately I beleive that Ariens suffers from design problems caused by their own marketing department.  They chose to differentiate their 11.5hp deluxe model from their 11.5hp professional model by downgrading the deluxe model in three areas.  A different engine (fine), a different gear case (fine), and smaller tires (NOT fine).  The smaller tires that they chose to install on their 926LE and 11528LE models only saves Ariens pennies but costs the machines dearly in performance. 

I'm convinced that the smaller, narrower tires contribute the machine losing important traction when faced with hard plowed snow and may even contribute to problems keeping the machine running in a straight line.  They use the larger tires on their smaller 8.5hp classic model...why in the world would they put smaller tires on a larger heavier machine like the 11.5hp deluxe model???

As far as the optional weight kit for the front end...it is to help keep the machine from riding up over heavy plowed snow. 

From Ariens Website:  "Front Weight Kit  (#724065)  Provides added extra weight to the front of the Sno-Thro® when working with heavy frozen snow.  MSRP: $49"

I don't know why I have to buy an optional accessory in order for my machine to handle basic jobs.  I had an Ariens 5hp machine and while it did my driveway okay it always struggled with plowed snow at the end of my driveway.  My neighbors on either side of me would come over with their snowblowers and clear the plowed snow  for me.  One has a 10 yr old 8hp John Deere and the other has a 7hp Toro...both go through the plowed snow like butter. 

When I bought the 11.5hp Ariens I thought that my problems with plowed snow were over because it weighs over twice what mt 5hp Ariens weighed.  But unfortunely weight alone won't overcome design problems.  Another curious fact is that the engine on my 11.5hp machine is listed as having the same displacement (318cc) as their 9hp machine.  Perhaps Ariens is just going downhill.