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

I'm taking delivery of a new ariens 1130 DLE tomorrow that I purchased from a local dealer in Portsmouth, NH.

Long story short, I bought a used 8hp craftsman from an upstate snow thrower repairman for $175 which I thought was an incredible deal. We had about 1 1/2 inches drop last week, and sure enough with only 4 passes on the driveway, the engine blew. Luckily the guy was a man of honor and gave me my money back.

Have been looking at Sears and Home Depot for a few months now, so up to speed on the prices. And the local dealer was a bit higher in price, but actually knew all the ins and outs of the machines, including some maintenance tips. So that value add, plus the good feeling of supporting a local business, I decided to buy at the local dealer.

Plus, I also bought a Cub Cadet lawnmower with electric start from HD last summer and it had problems from day 1. So the local authorized CC dealer I took it to for repairs was also the guy I bought the new ariens from. Another long story short, the CC never worked as advertised and the authorized dealer suggested I take it back to HD, which I did to exchange for a Toro.

Anyway, I've read the new owners manual on the ariens already and can't wait until it comes tomorrow. We are looking forward to snow 5 out of the next 7 days.

Aside from changing the oil after the first 2 hours of use, can anyone offer any good maintenance tips? I've already stocked up on Pam cooking spray as I've read that it really helps in keeping clogs from building up.

Any advice is appreciated.

Is PAM really good for increasing the throw distance?  I used to use auto wax on the interior, but I'm out of paste wax and the liquid wax I have doesn't seem to last very long.  On the other hand, I've given up using PAM on my nonstick cookware (it leaves a residue), and would love a good excuse to use it up in some other way.

Also, is it really safe to put the snow blower into the service position with gas in the tank (even with the valve closed and the carb run dry)?  I'm used to running it dry in the spring, then dealing with the lube at the start of the new season before refueling.  We didn't bother doing anything with our new 924DLE, having had good experiences with our dealer in the past.

Thanks,
Gary

Before I bring it to be fixed just wondering are the augers supposed to be facing outwards or in wards on the ariens 1130dle. (Just so I don’t look like an idiot)

After fresh gasoline and regular oil changes, a snowthrower's best friend is WD40. Recommend given all the surfaces and controls a liberal coating including all the surfaces snow and ice will touch. Good luck with the new machine.

Wboro

GaryBy wrote:
I take the gas tank off before putting the machine in service position.  It's only a couple of
screws and a clip on the gas line (at least on my machine).  I guess if the tank isn't full
you could get away with leaving it on.

Paul

just wanted to let all of you know that a brought the snow blower back to the dealer ship, and sure engough the augers were on backwards so next snow storm the machine performed way above what i thought it would