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

I've been using Ariens snowblowers all my life, so I'm pretty disappointed with my 2004 8526LE so far.  When I received it, one of the shoe bolts was stripped out and the shoe would not stay adjusted.  Ariens sent me a couple new ones, which I was happy with.  However during the big blizzard, I noticed my wheel drive was very sluggish, I had to push the thing to get it going forward, and as soon as it hit any resistance, it would stop.  I had fully tensioned and adjusted everything after the initial 15 mins but figured maybe there had been some stretching.  Brought it in to inspect, the pivot point where the drive cable connects (sticks just out of the body) was not pivoting, it was just hanging around in there loose.  Wasn't like that when I got it for sure.  Took it all apart, found the bolt with no cotter pin sitting in the bottom.  So it apparently had been slid through and no pin ever put on (the bolt was stuck in some ice on the bottom, with no pin in sight).  Of course this caused a lot of wear to the friction disc and there is rubber all over the friction plate now.  So I also needed to change the oil last night, and while it was draining I decided to inspect other parts again with a fine tooth comb.  I am missing a bolt that holds the dipstick tube support and the front of the carb cover in place, my starter has a horrible looking electrical connection that I had to re-do (it stopped working during the storm, I thought it was Ice, guess not) and in general all kinds of stuff was loose.

I bought it in the crate as it came from Ariens, unopened, so this was not a dealer assembly issue.  Pretty disapointed for $1000.....  I mean I looked it over when I got it and did the adjustments, but I had no idea I had to rip the entire thing apart and inspect the inside too.  Sheesh.

Now that its all fixed it works great, would drive itself through a brick wall, its not the quality of the product itself that bothers me, more the quality control of the assembly.  So at the beginning of next year looks like I'll need a new friction disc already and spend some time removing the rubber off the plate.  Oh well.

-Dave

ChrisS wrote:

Oh heck yeah.  I spoke with the same guy who was very helpful with the stripped shoe bolt when I first got it.  He suggested that the friction disc, while getting some extra wear, was probably fine and explained how to clean off the friction plate well.  I mean, what more can he say really, he can't change history or anything.

LOL,

dirtybird, the point was not what I was saying being right or wrong, the point was that I was not steering any of it toward you.

Good, hopefully they keep records so that they can correct things like this in the future.

C

all right guys TIME OUT...

now you promised you would behave and im gonna hold you to it.

im gonna have to stick up for the ariens (we sell them now ...sort of) a dealer sold machine will not have near the troubles that a box store or in the crate machine will.

not to say that the average homeowner couldnt properly assemble one but they are somewhat fussy machine.

remember a quarter turn on the friction disc adjustment will make a big difference.and the impeller belt adjustment is the same.

im so used to doing the pre delivery inspection on OPE that i just take it for granted.

i have found that the better quality of machine will take a few minutes more to set up but it will last years longer.

no desrespect intended but im better trained and better backed than the average homeowner.

a simple for instance is the fact that we sold 2 of the 1336 DLE ariens .i did the 15 minute belt adjustment on the impeller and went from about a 45 foot throw to at least 60 feet. you should have seen people driving by ,they nearly ran off the road watching.

im a firm beleiver in a proper set up and most homeowners wont or cant do it.

every piece of equipment we sell is set up and we also offer a free breakin adjustment at anytime the owner feels his machine is broken in.

and i will say that the snappers ...now simplicity units are somewhat  less fussy but still need a few touches here and there.

later chris 

ChrisS wrote:

Hi Chris,

Remember about 2 years ago when I had that quality control problem and dealer issue on my Ariens 724 back on the other board? I remember, Dan Ariens (I believe that was his first name) actually read my grievance and responded to it publicly.  It was also the same time the friction disc (I don't remember what model it was) was causing customers some friction.  Is he still a member around here and does he pop in now and then to see how his fans are doing with their snowblowers?  I must admit, it was pretty cool thing to happen.  I would have liked it better if he had called that dealer and had given them a good reaming. 

Richie wrote:
Richie,

As you know or, may not, Dan's first lieutenant in engineering does frequent the site and I imagine he has Dan's ear. They have always been responsive  when a problem arises. Unfortunately, quality control isn't a simple friction disc or something you can put your hands on and design better. It usually takes changes in quite a few thing internally and of course, time.

I would really like to hear from everyone that had a problem that was not related to something a dealer should have handled during prep.

Hi everyone:

I am going to add some fuel to the fire....I have had some issues with the design and manufacturing quality with my Ariens product. 

I purchased my 1028 deluxe for $974 on 2/1/03.  Since this time I have had to correct manufacturing tolerance errors on two occasions and two design flaws. 

As some of you may recall, I posted problems with the chain tensioner and the distortion that it created on the side case.  I am currently having parts machined to correct this and will post my solution here when complete, as I am sure current owners might want to make this modification after the warranty runs out.

Other problem have been with the clutch bracket rubbing up on the housing, (Wrong spacer size) and having to monkey with the drive belt idler to get it centered on the belt.  Each of these problems are non adjustable.

I had a very eloquent description to this but appearantly type too slow and timed out....

bbwb

Hi BB,

You're actually having components fabricated rather than have Ariens send you a replacement part, I would have loved to see photos of all this before and after you complete the repair.  That's great you have access to a machine shop that is willing to do that kind of work.  Maybe you can post photos when you're done.  Good luck with that! 

Hi Richie:

When I contacted Ariens about this, they were very responsive and sympathetic to my problem, but, because I was the only one to complain about this problem, I am left all alone in the life boat as it were.  I so far have been using "off the shelf" parts not only from Ariens, but also from Grainger.  The machine shop is increasing the round portion of Ariens hex shaft up from the 7/16" diameter up to 5/8".  From there, I will cut off the excess shaft ends and mount this into a rigid flange bearing.  This will spread the forces out over a larger area than the original 3/8" diameter bolt can provide.  Yes, if this works, I will post my solution for others.

Maybe PK will take this back with him and I can get a large royalty check so I could retire????

bbwb

I'm with snowremover.  There is no doubt in my mind that initial quality problems have been reported here (and WTB) far more often on Ariens blowers than any other brand.  Maybe this is due to some kind of biased sampling but can't figure why this should be the case. When I was shopping I was put off Ariens by quality issues obvious on the showroom floor.  Too bad because otherwise they're generally a stoutly made blower.

 I also feel "improper dealer set-up" is a lame excuse for any manufacturer - and it's not just a problem at box stores. These days people expect things to work perfectly right out of the box - except something simple like unfolding handlebars.   It costs far more for a dealer (independent or box) to set up, adjust, and inspect a machine than it would at the factory, not to mention the cost of unhappy customers at the first big snow.   Hopefully Ariens is listening.   -Bob