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

I just got a call from my dealer telling me that my machine just arrived.
It should be interesting to see if it has a guarantee-less Tecumseh
or a B & S engine.  I don't really care much, I understand the Briggs
doesn't have a throttle which I really like, though it does have other
advantages.

Should be picking it up sometime this week.  I'll report back.

Now to stock up on some grease...

[ EDIT :  For anyone reading this in the future I suggest reading the entire
              thread since my opinion of certain aspects of the machine changed
              while I got to know the machine better.  ]

Paul

Here's an update on my new machine now that I got to use it again a couple of days ago.

While injecting grease into the augers one of the zerks pulled out.  They are only press fit with no
threads (and have no spring-loaded ball to block the hole).  One way of getting the grease gun
nozzle off the zerk without pulling on it is to use a pair of wire cutters carefully not to damage the zerk.

The chute deflection cable is installed in such a way that the end points up allowing water to run
down into the cable sheath.  When I first tried to use it (the machine lives outdoors)  it was stuck
but freed up after a bit of fiddling.  I had lubricated the cable a few weeks ago.  It would have been
better if Ariens had installed the cable coming down from above instead which would have prevented
water getting into it.

I used the snowblower for 2-3 hours in one to three feet of old snow which was quite wet from it
having rained a lot the same day and the day before.  During this time I slowly lost drive to the wheels
though never completely.   I did adjust the drive engagement cable so that's not the problem.  This
may be the drive belt slipping (the manual does not mention a belt tension adjustment) or maybe
the "water on the drive plate" issue that was mentioned in a recent post, or a destroyed friction
wheel from lowering the first forward speed.  I'll know with the next couple of days, the machine in now
in the basement drying out and I'll take it apart to see what's going on.

On the plus side, this machine can really throw snow.  Though it doesn't output a terribly impressive
amount it can easily send it 40-50 ft.  This is useful in my case since it allowed me to throw the snow
clear over my driveway when I was doing the wheelchair ramp which runs along side about 8 feet
from the driveway.

Apart from the traction issue I was reasonably satisfied with the machine, more so than last time
I used it.  It's a powerful machine, I was clearing the equivalent of an EOD pile the entire time.  Sometimes
the snow was a foot or more over the top of the intake.   I don't see the fact that the front lifts in really
deep packed snow as a problem since it allows you to take a bit off the top in one pass, let the machine
slide back down and then take some more in another pass.  I like the balance of the machine.

I'll post an update once I open the machine.

Paul

The lifting can occur due to two things both related to forward motion.

1. Hard Snow - The augers are not breaking it up faster than the forward speed of the blower requires so that they lift the front end. More weight might help, a slower forward speed might help, softer snow will help. I've used a shovle and ice chipper to break up really hard stuff and then used the blower to make it go somewhere else.
2. Too Much Snow - The augers feed snow to the impeller which makes the snow go some where else. The maximum volume of snow that the impeller can process is determined by the engine RPM and can be less than what the augers feed it. If there is so much snow coming in that the impeller can't handle it then the augers push it over the top and start to scoop it back in again. This causes a build up of snow in front of the blower. You are "snow plowing". Once the pile gets too big the augers start to climb the pile and the nose lifts up. The only soutions are to either slow down the forward speed or to "blip" the traction clutch so that you move forward in a series of jerks, effectively slowing your forward speed.

If the impeller seems to handle the load and then slows down the throwing you could have a slipping belt.

So I opened up the machine a couple of days ago and found quite a bit of wear
to the friction wheel, most likely from having tried to lower the first forward speed
to something more appropriate, and maybe also from some slipping as there
were some black bands on the drive plate.

I set everything back to specs in the user's manual and (perhaps also because the
machine was now thoroughly dried out) traction appeared to be ok.  But : I'll say it
again, this machine is too fast in first gear, even for light snow, and can even be
dangerous if you're maneuvering in tight quarters like I have to do on a wheelchair
ramp.  Or on uneven ground.  Going over hardpacked snow the machine will dig
in and lurch because it goes too fast to be able to guide it over the uneven parts.
The speeds seem more suited to a perfectly flat parking lot.

I used my 1999 1024 earlier today and its first speed is much more comfortable.
Its second speed is about equivalent to first on the new 9526.  I wonder if this has
anything to do with the fact that the wheels on the new machine are larger than on
the old.  I can't think of any good reason why Ariens would have purposefully increased
the lowest speed, but I can see the change happening from wanting to keep internal
parts the same while switching to a larger wheel.  I ended up giving the shift rod pivot
a couple of turns slower and left it at that.

To me blowing snow is something I enjoy doing and enjoy doing in a relaxed fashion.
Having a machine that goes too fast is not relaxing and hence not enjoyable.  I got
this machine with the intention of teaching my wife to operate it for the times when
I'm not around but I don't think I will now.  Even used to snowblowers as I am I have
to be on high alert to keep the machine under control.

I looked at the engine pulley and it doesn't look to me like there is enough metal to
permit a sufficient amount of reduction by turning down the pulley.  It also looks like
there isn't enough room for a larger sprocket which would have been fairly easy for
Ariens to produce and would have been a cheap fix.

Sure, the tracks option is interesting (40% reduction) but I wonder how come the
regular wheeled version is not set up to go at a comfortable speed in the first place.

Yesterday I used the new machine to blow about 6" of really light fluffy stuff and it
blew much less far than with heavy snow.  I also experienced the bit about snow
blowing forward out of the intake from the fan effect of the impeller on the light
snow but I didn't find this to be a problem of any sort.

One odd thing I noticed, my 1999 1024 is 15 lbs heavier than the 9526 but feels
a lot lighter in use.  The overall feeling is that the weight of the 1024 is down low
and the frame somewhat flexible whereas the 9526 the weight is higher and the
frame seems stiffer.

Paul

Here's a bit of mostly good news.  I got up to our cottage this weekend and was greeted by
about two feet of nice dry fluffy white snow.  It took me about two and a half hours of continuous
blowing to clear everything, during which time I didn't lose traction but I did feel the drive
shudder a couple of times which I think is the disk slipping but then regaining its grip.

There's this path that runs around the house and it's only slightly wider than the snowblower.
The snow on the ground is now higher than my drift cutters.  The snow in the path was deeper
than the intake of the snowblower so as I was advancing snow was coming up over the top,
piling up on top of the pulley cover and against the engine, then sliding off and down on the
sides.  It took maybe 15-20 minutes to clear the path this way with no problems.

One thing I've noticed is that after using the machine for a long time it's the lowest gear, and
1st reverse, that seems to start loosing power.   It's then easier to climb my driveway (15-20%
grade) in fourth gear than it is in first.  This is not what I'd expect  (and this is not blowing snow,
you can forget about blowing snow uphill, one reason the machine lives outdoors under a tarp). 

The machine still goes too fast in first gear but I'm getting used to it.  I even got my wife to try
to operate it (in ideal conditions for maybe 10 minutes) and it went ok but now she's got sore
arms).  I can't see her dealing with a machine that won't start or hitting a rock and having to
replace a shear bolt, and the drive is way too fast for her, it lurches right out of her hands.

Now the blowing part.  This machine can really project.  It was actually pretty funny, I couldn't
believe how far I was throwing the snow.  This was probably ideal conditions snow-wise,
the snow being light and dry and two feet deep, but man it was impressive.  It would be a
problem if there were houses nearby.

Paul

I recently purchased a 9526 DLE Pro as well. I haven't noticed any slipping issues yet.....but I do agree with you on the speed of first gear! It's way too fast. And it does throw like a champ too!

More fun.  Yesterday I went to use my machine and :




Another point against Ariens, I'd say.   It looks like they intend for their machines to remain nice and cozy
in a heated location between uses.  They should have written this in the user's manual.

Paul P