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

I bought the Ariens 1130DLE snow blower this fall and i have had only one storm, out of 5 or 6,  when the cable did not freeze on me. i have sprayed the lubricant that the dealer told me too but it still Froze.

has anyone else had this issue what was the fix?

steve 

Is it really frozen or is it out of adjustment and won't move?  That adjustment on that machine is very picky indeed.  There are two jam nuts that lock that cable into the control panel, underneath the top of the control panel.  One is loosened and the other is tightened to make an adjustment.  I found that 1/2 of a turnmakes a difference.  You might want to look in the owners manual for exact adjustment proceedure, but it could just be out of adjustment.  Like I said, very picky indeed.  The solid rod over to that gear under the plastic hood, there isn't a ton to feeze up is there?  Pull that plastic hood off, take the air compressor and blow the moisture off and relube and see if that doesn't anything for you.  If it really is freezing up continually, it needs to dry off.

So what is freezing exactly?  Again, there are no cables running inside a plastic cable sleeve, just a solid metal rod and gears.

Then again, I could be all wet, just tell us as specifically as you can what the issue is and there are many people here more knowledgeable than I that can push you in the right direction.

there is a cable in a sleeve on this unit. It works fine when it is warm out then when i go to snow blow it works for a few minutes//pass' then it freezes up. you can see the cable just bind up instead of sliding into the rubber/plastic sleeve that rusn to the deflector.

i think that maybe i described it wrong.....the chute goes side to side fine no issue with that.. it is the issue is with deflector that allows me to throw the snow higher into the air or lower towards the ground.

Hi Steve!

Here is a comment that I posted in another thread, and I think it can partially answer your question. Note that I broke my deflector cable, so I had to tinker a bit... If your own cable is still intact, the proceed directly past the section in italic.

I found a way to prevent the cables from freezing. While trying to free up the cable, I actually boke the chute deflector control cable... Oops! The machine sleeps outside, in an non-heated shed, so frost is always an issue.

Instead of buying a new cable from Ariens directly, I bought a $2 bicycle brake cable from a local bicycle repair shop. That cable is of MUCH better quality than the one used by Ariens. I greased the cable with water repellent grease for wheel bearings from the bicycle repair shop. I then sprayed the inside of the sleeve with a silicone based lubricant, and then I used a syringe to fill both ends of the cable with more waterproof grease. Lastly, I inserted the replacement cable in the sleeve.

That kind of cable normally has 2 types of "hook", one at each end, so you need to cut the one you don't need. For the chute deflector control, there is one of the ends of the cable that matches exactly what you need for the end of the cable that goes on the chute deflector itself. The other end on the original Ariens cable is actually a ring, so I just tied a knot in the steel cable, and locked it in place by "sandwiching" the cable between 2 washers held together by a nut and bolt. Not pretty, but functional!

Of course, I DO NOT recommend that you start cutting away your original Ariens cable to replace it! It's just that if you accidentally break yours, you can make a repair that will cost you less than $5, and will actually work better than the original part! The thing is that the replacement cable I used is made with better quality steel, and the threads that make up the cable are more tightly woven together, which makes the cable slide better inside the sleeve. Also, the grease prevents water from getting into the sleeve, and the silicone lubricant will keep everything slick in case ice crystals do form inside the cable sleeve.

Oh, and that little rubber thingy that covers the cable on the end of the cable that is connected to the deflector? I filled it with grease also!

Now, in your case, I understand that you did not break the cable -yet- so here is what I did for the other cable on the snowblower. You know, the one for chute rotation mechanism... It works fine for the chute locking cable, so it should also work for the deflector cable:

1- Remove the cable from the snowblower. In your case, the chute deflector needs to be at the highest possible setting, so you can push down on the deflector, which will give you some slack to be able to remove the cable from where it ties to the deflector. Next, you need to use a pair of long-nose pliers to carefully remove the sleeve from the metal socket holding it in place without damaging the plastic pins on the sleeve. The idea is to gently squeeze the plastic pins with the pliers while pushing down on the sleeve with your fingers. If you do this correctly, the sleeve should pop out of the socket with little or no effort.

2- Where the deflector control lever is, all you need to do is to remove a hairpin and a washer holding the cable in place. Then, unscrew one of the nuts holding the cable sleeve to the handlebar frame by a few turns, just enought to loosen it.

3- You will see that just at the bottom of the engine, the cable goes through a kind of clip. Just push the cable towards the engine to force it through the clip, and now your cable wll be completely free.

4- Bring the cable inside, and hang it by the end that goes on the deflector. Basically, the end with the ring should point downwards. Remove the small rubber cap that protects the opening. As the cable thaws, you will see water dripping from the cable.

5- Let the cable dry thoroughly overnight in a warm and dry place, or even longer if you don't need the snowblower right away.

6- Once the cable has dried fully, you need to lubricate it. The best way I found to do this is to hold the cable by the end that has the ring, as the opening of the cable sleeve at that end is larger. Then, I used a syringe to slowly pour the lubricant in the sleeve, until it started dripping at the other end. I used a silicone based lubricant. Actually, you just need to pour directly on the scteel cable. The liquid will gently run down the cable, and gravity will do the rest. I poured almost an ounce before I noticed the first drop of fluid at the other end!

7- I used waterproof bearing grease on the ends of the cable that sticks out of the sleeve. I also filled the rubber thing that covers the cable on the deflector end, and same thing with the rubber cap on the lever end. This will prevent more water from entering the cable sleeve.

8- When you re-assemble the cable, don't forget to snap the cable back into that clip at the bottom of the engine, or else the cable will rub against the engine and the sleeve could be damaged.

So, that's what I did, it it has worked for me so far. Last saturday, it was -15C here (5 F) and the control cables did not freeze, even though the snowblower sleeps outside in an unheated shed all the time.

A friend of mine suggested something quite interesting, but I find this is kinda far fetched a bit, but here goes: He suggested to purchase 12V heating wires that are normally used to prevent drain pipes from freezing in commercial freezers. These can (in theory) be connected to the 12V electrical system of the snowblower, and wrapped around the control cables, effectively heating them while the engine is running. Like I said, it's far fetched, but in theory, that could work... My fear is that these heating wires might be too hot and could damage the control cables. ANyone has any idea on this?

xenorias

thanks for the reply. I had removed this AM and decided since it is only 3 months old and has jsut 4-5 hrs on it to bring the cable to the dealer and asked them to fix it, after explaining the what was going on. the tech took it and did just about the samething you described except he blew it out  with a compressor and he said a bunch of water came out. then he poured the lubicant that they use in it till it camout the other end.

he was going to get me a new cable but they did not have one and I mentioned that i was willing to work with this one so that is why he went down this road. We also discussed that it might be a good idea the put another ZIP tie on the bottom end of the rubber boot at the end  it is supposed to slide over the portion of the cable you were descibing as the tuff part of pinching and sliding to get the cable off.

So hopefully this will do it. thanks for the post you are right on the money with the tech!!!!!

Steve

xenorias,

    Good post.  I"ve got two Ariens here and can't use them without rubbing the chute controls for a while to free them up.  Then using them I've got to keep changing the hood to break the forming ice.  It's a real pain in the neck.  There's a Yard King and a Yamaha here stored in the same area as the Ariens but they work fine in cold weather.  That's it!  The next sunny day I'm taking them off.

David

http://www.kedawei.com/snowblower.htm

My peasure! If it helps anyone, it's time well spent.

I'm really wondering why Ariens produces cables that keep freezing like that. Okay, my mod solved the problem for me, but really, the cables should be able to function properly in any weather, right out of the box.

My neighbor has an older Craftsman 11/31 (I don't know the exact model number) and it also sleeps outside in a shed, and the control cable for the deflector never froze.

If someone hears that Ariens is issuing "frost-proof" replacement cables, let me know!

The temperature in Sainte-Sophie is steady at -31, without factoring the wind chill. That's -24, for you folks using old Faranheit measures!

This arctic cold wave arrived tuesday night, so my snowblower has been sitting in that frigid cold for over 24 hours now. Yesterday, I used it to clear the 15cm (6 inches) of snow we got earlier, and I was able to start it up using the recoil starter in only 2 cranks! That's some good marks for the Tecumseh engine right there, but that<s not the main reason of my post here.

The real good news in that the contol cables on my Ariens 1130DLE did not freeze! That means that the modification I made helped in keeping the cable well lubricated and free of water. If it did not freeze in this extreme cold weather, I'm sure it will never freeze!

I have the 1130 dle and i too have the problems of the chute freezing, my sollution was to take the cable off let it thaw in the house (and dry) and seal the two ends up beter so the water can get in and since then it seemed to work well.

Bought the Ariens 1130 just before Christmas, and have not used it more than a few times. Today the dealer brought it back to the shop to fix the infamous frozen cable problem. I was unable to adjust the angle of my shute until I used a hair dryer on the cable. Today, as well, the the shute would not stay aimed properly . It swivelled wildly, and out of control. The dealer alluded to this also being a freezing problem. With all these email I'm seeing about problems people are having with Ariens machines freezing up, I think the dealers should be addressing this problem before you take your new blower home. Here in Newfoundland I paid $1800 for the 1130, and I hardly expected to encounter this issue. I had a Wal Mart "special" for 15 years, and never encountered this type of problem.

I had the same problem last year and went over to local Ariens dealer and they told me to put anti freeze down the line.  It did work, but only temporarly.  I used a syringe to input it in the cable.  No doubt this is a problem on these machines and many more brand names that I have looked at.  Its really a bad design and should be redone, I really like the way the Yamaha cable goes into the deflector on the Japan models and even wrote ariens suggesting to look into it.

In the meantime there are somethings you can do to minmize this problem.  I have a post somewhere here with pictures on putting sandwhich bags over the cable ends. It has worked really well for me thus far.  It doesn't look as nice as without it, but its hardly noticable.  I have tidied up the way it was done since the photos were taken.  

If you have water in the cable and do not have the ability or the time to water seal the cable, then I recommend when storing your unit to make sure you store it with the deflector down.  This way when you go to start it up next time, you can move the joystick/lever so that the deflector should move up.  It will not move, but now the cable has slack and you can pull up on the deflector and it should break free the ice inside.  This is the only way to safely break up the ice if you do not want to wait for the engine/muffler to warm up the cable.  Do not snap/break along the cable as it will crack the coating and allow more water to come in. 

So the tip is, remember to store your unit with the joystick/lever in position so that the deflector is all the way down.  Next time you need the machine, move the deflector lever in up position and lightly pull up the deflector.  It does not work in the opposite manner at all, or least not for me.  You cannot force the deflector down once its froze up.

Good luck with it and hope this helps some.  Write Ariens and complain, its the only way this will get resolved.  There is a form on the website I believe or at least a e-mail.

Don't worry boys.  Ariens will correct this issue.  Its just going to take 3-4 years and an entirely new rebuild to figure out how to build it EVEN CHEAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  the 1136DLE "pro" used to have a motorized chute that was complicated by a DTDT switch not made for wet locations and a tiny gear drive that wasn't even close to being weather-proof, instead coated with a dose of undercarriage spray.  It worked but I'm sure it was expensive compared to a plastic handle and a cable.

Ariens are great in the shop.  They do a pretty good job moving the snow around too, as long as its not too heavy, or too deep, or too cold, or too wet, or too white.

goofienewfie wrote:
I know this is a VERY old thread, but I've got nothing to lose so here I go.  I'll be picking up a nice used  2008 Ariens 1130 DLE. this coming weekend, with just a handful of hours on it. Like most here, I have experienced the same cable freezing problem with my old Noma Signature series which is now 18 years old, so I decided to spruce her up and sell her cheap,  or give her away to a needy home. Where I'm sure she'd last a few more years before calling it quits. 
Anyway, I'd like to a picture of that lunch bag set up you have. I know it's not a permanent fix, but until I get the waterproofing done to the new Ariens that  XENORIAS  posted.(who btw lives only about a half an hour from me )  I'd like to try that on the new Ariens that I'll be picking up. I know the frustration of not having the deflector work properly from my Noma experience, which can be a real PITA when you forget to put the deflector down prior to storing until the next time you need.   Hope you can upload a pic, and that you're still doing ok LOL.

xenorias wrote:

xenorias wrote:

I am experiencing the same problem with the spring on the chute of my Airen's 1300DLE model. I can't figure out the hook up. Could you send me a picture at epjpower@nf.sympatico.ca Thanks