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

Having had  a chance to use my new Ariens ST24E  with a Subaru sx21 engine I have been most pleased thus far but am now getting to the point of the initial oil change.

I reviewed the manuals and they gave conflicting instructions regarding the oil change requirements.

The Ariens Manual said to change the oil after the first two hours of use while the Subaru manual said to change the oil after twenty hours.  Now thats a large difference

The hours used between subsequent oil changes was also slightly confusing as the Subaru manual said to change it every fifty (100) hours of use.  Yes, that is correct, they gave one number in words and then double that amount in numerical form.


So I come to you to ask you opinions as to when the heck I should change the oil on this machine, both initially and then  on a regular schedule.

Thanks for any advice.

I have a 2003 ariens 8hp 24"snowblower that I just put a new drive disc wheel on. it works fine in forward and reverse, but for some reason the wheels will not turn when the engine is off. I checked the free space on the drive wheel and it is not touching anything when the left lever is open. Even when I had the drive gear off the wheel axle would not turn.This condition was not the initial problem, it only happened sometime during the drive wheel replacement. Any advise would keep me from ripping my hair out. Thanks

Scotie wrote: