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

Ariens 11528DLE

I purchased this sno blower two years ago and I am about ready to install my third auger belt. Anyone else having this problem?

Thought I was buying top of the line, my fathers vintage 1970's Ariens refuses to die and is still throwing snow like new. Very frustrated. Cold weather and no garage is no time to be replacing belts.

Brian

Thanks for your  help, I am going to purchase an authentic Ariens belt in the next few days and checking the alignment of the pullys.

Thanks again

Brian

>>>The second belt was a belt from a parts store.

Auto belts at a parts place are made different than OPE belts you would get at a hardware store.  The OPE belts have a strengthened backing for OPE use.  Hardware stores often carry a couple of types of different quality in common sizes.   I have never had a problem with the lower cost belts and occasionally use the more expensive belts both of which are less expensive than a manf's belt.    One Murray belt was $42 which was $9 at the hardware store. 

Get the part number of your belt at the Ariens site and google it.  You'll get hits for various belt places and many list the size.  All belts I get for Ariens machines are hardware store belts and work fine.

I buy all my belts at Advanced Auto.  They sell a line of OPE belts. They are pretty heavy duty and I've never had a problem with them.  They usually run about. $9.50 each.

I relaced the belt with a OEM belt, seem to be about 1 inch shorter and much beefier than the last belt. All pullys are aligned and everything seems normal. After this winter is over, I will measure this belt with the old one I took out to see if it is stretched. Thanks again for the help.

Brian

Check  your auger drive for binding. Also check your idle pully for binding. Both should turn free by hand. Make sure you are adjusting it correctly. If you idle pully bolt is loose your belt will go out of adjustment

I had the same problem and I came to the conclusion that the engine is just so powerful that when the auger gets full of snow instead of the engine slowing down it keeps turning full speed and slightly slips on the belt and burns it.

Check if you have some black soot under the belt cover and around the inside. Also a belt that is all cracked up inside is overheating.

I have all the OEM sizes Ariens belts on my site at   http://www.c-equipment.com/snowblower-ariens-belts.html

Partsman, your a running advertisement not a contributor. Dennis, what are the rules on advertisers? Are we going to have to read ads in all posts?

It's quite easy to ignore the advertisement.  Quite subtle and not too annoying.

brjl! eating up belts should not be the norm! i would check the pulleys for allignment,burrs,dings,and free movement.i had a belt go on my cub cadet at 200 hrs of service.first i thought it was normal and figured i'd have to replace it every 200 hrs.i bought a new cub cadet belt for it and it didn't last a month of mowing grass.one of the two directional pulleys under the front end had the bearings going out and was so bound up it was putting extra load on the belt.the bearings finally launched and the bearing hub seperated from the pulley. replaced both pulleys and  not 3 hrs later the replacement belt seperated in half. if the belts are freyed it tells you one thing and if the belt is an abrupt shear it tells you something else.in my case the second belt broke in an abrupt shear just like pulling a piece of licorice in half.it had no free movement on the frozen pulley and the engine simply pulled the belt in half.

This machine has been looked at by two different dealers, and I have checked everything that I could, all looks normal. I know people who have the same machine with no problems. I am thinking about selling it and getting a Toro.