Possibly you met your wife while clearing snow with the 2.7 and want to keep it around.
There are a few Ariens models which used PTO shafts so refitting with a used Ariens motor would be very easy. An alternative second hand motor would be from an MTD as most have crank and PTO pulleys. You need a 3/4 inch crank and 1/2 inch PTO. A bigger motor may have a fit problem with the chute crank. You would have to measure any refit motor width to see if it matches your space. You can use the distance from the mount bolts to the chute crank. You can cut the old chute crank and insert universals to route the chute crank out of the way.
The older motors generally had a thing base plate. Newer motors have a thicker platform molded with the block. The bolts stucking up from the base will be too short of a motor with a molded base. You can sawzall them off, drill out the holes and use flange bolts up through the bottom of the tractor base. On some Ariens models the front holes are very close to the front base plate. There's just enough room to allow grinding off a bit of the flange bolt skirt to allow a fit.
Yours is probably a 932001. That's a small unit, aluminum gearbox, nasty tires unless the have been replaced. It's got one crank pulley and a cam pulley for the tractor drive. I don't think you'll find a new inexpensive Chinese clone to repower with.
Putting that effort into a better body might be good. There are scads of Ariens 724's around cheap or free that are in excellent shape other than scratches and surface rust. The older Ariens units that were maintained easily outlasted their motors so many "junks" with broken motors around. Most have good gearboxes, the tractor internals on most are as good as new ones, the friction disks had excellent rubber, were large diameter than a new Ariens machine as is the drive plate. Almost all the older machines have badly worn drive axle bearings but they are cheap and easy to replace.
With a decent 724 body you can drop on a Chinese clone GX200 and have yourself a nice machine that will last 20 years. As I mentioned the tough part of refitting a bigger motor is clearing the chute crank. The 924 series has cranks that ran low to the tractor and used two universals to route the crank up to the dash. That model makes a great conversion as the crank does not need to be moved. Cut off the four tractor mounting bolts, drill out the holes and plop on a strapping 6.5hp clone GX200.
A new motor is:
LH195SP-67523-L34 Tecumseh 5hp Horizontal 3/4"x2-5/16" shaft with 1/2" PTO shaft, Electric Start Provisions, Snow King 5 $360.00
This message was modified Oct 18, 2009 by trouts2
