Sad to see a company that's been a stalwart in American small engine manufacturing go down like this. It's a God damned shame.
No one to blame but ourselves I guess. We all want everything for the lowest possible price.
It's begun to really bug me that when I go out looking for real American durability I find that it's no longer available.
I'd be more than happy to pay more for it. I'd rather pay the price of a Honda for a really solid Ariens (like my 1999
1024SHO, 924106) than to have to settle for a lighter duty Ariens. Some examples : my 1024 has big bearings
everywhere, heavy steel, and the impeller has six blades made from 1/8" thick steel. This year I needed a second
machine and was disappointed to discover that I couldn't buy the same quality. The closest is the 9526DLE Pro,
the top model without tracks, and it's a few hundred dollars cheaper than what I paid for my 1024 9 years ago.
It has bushings just about everywhere (and some of them plastic) and what bearings it does have are smaller.
It weighs 15 lbs less. I would have preferred paying the same price, or even more (as I was expecting) to receive
the same durability and ease of maintenance as my old machine.
I just spent a hundred dollars or so replacing most of the bearings on my 1024 (I did the wheel bearings last year
and the gear box still looks just fine). I took the auger all apart and repainted everything. There was quite a bit of
rust but oddly only at the many welds. I have not taken good care of this machine over the years, it's outside all the
time (in a shed) and I don't like working on it outside in the cold so things get put off to the summer. The parts are
so robust that they can take the abuse and the machine can be put back to just about new condition at any time with
cheaply available parts. I have a feeling that the 9526 is going to require quite a bit more preventive maintenance
to keep it going for a long time and I'm not sure I feel like taking it apart on a regular basis.
I have two Mom 'n Pop Ariens dealers nearby and am always impressed that they usually have just about any part
already on hand, or if they don't they can get it within a few days. This is the traditional way of doing things but
unfortunately I fear that it's on its way out. I'd hate to have to find a part for a cheap machine (and Honda's prices
for parts are outright ridiculous).
I wonder how long Ariens can stay alive. There are just two many equity funds out there buying up companies just
to shut them down. Like Borat I'd also like restrictions on importing products from abroad, especially China, that
are cheaper because the living and working conditions there are so much lower than here in North America. Not
only are we putting our own people out of work but we're actively supporting the exploitation of others in other
countries. It's shameful.
Paul
