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

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How does that Poulan work?

@notmoneyguy

Good deed you done clearing a path for that fire hydrant.  I'm sure the fireman would appreciate that, in addition to not wasting time looking for it buried under 5 feet of snow.  I'm still searching for mine, kinda like searching for survivors after an avalanche.  It's down there somewhere, and I'm close.

I'm also interested on how that Poulan work too.  It's packed with a huge 208cc engine, should have enough oomph to power through.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Thanks Steve.  The chute is always clean as a whistle, no clogging problems at all so far.  As you can see in the above pics - and this one below- , the rest of the machine and bucket may get snow-cling, but the chute and circular impeller areas are nice and shiny.  I used some quickie high-gloss spray-on Turtle Wax, buffed in with cheese cloth when the machine was assembled.  I plan to do this once in a while to keep things slippery in there.  I also spray WD-40 into the chute and bucket area sometimes - I know I shouldn't as it is a solvent sort of - but will get some Pam or silicone spray and try those later.  For now I'd say car wax works well.

The chute looks new.  Doesn't the city use salt and sand on the streets where you live?   That stuff will strip the paint off the inside of a metal chute in a few seasons of use.  That's why I put a liner in my Simplicity.  Nothing sticks to that. 

borat wrote:

Both salt and sand, and ice chunks from old, crusty busted-up EOD's coming my way from the town plow.  The machine is fairly new (end of Oct 2010), so hasn't seen that much action yet.  More EOD's than it should have though, kind of like free samples to the neighbours in order to convince them to spring for their own machines.

I like to think that it is a testament to the quality of Ariens' paint and Wisconsin-workmanship skilled application thereof!  Either that or Turtle Wax aren't kidding about the "Turtle" part of their name.  Time will tell.

aa335 wrote:

NotMoneyGuy - Nice job showing that snow who's boss!  The plow man too.  How did you divide the work work load between your Poulan and Ariens?

aa335 - I don't have any experience with the Poulan BUT I can tell you that engine size will not compensate for a poor design.  I had a 7hp Ariens 722 single stage.  It would not move wet heavy snow unless you were blowing it straight ahead.  Once you aimed the chute to the side the snow dribbled out like toothpaste.  Even 4" of wet snow would clog it up.  Everything was set to specs, chute was waxed, and the engine was strong...just didn't work.  The only good thing was that Ariens quickly ended their brief experiment into the single stage arena so not many of these disasters made it to the hands of consumers. 

NotMoneyGuy wrote:

Ok thanks, for all I know other machines are sticking too, it's just yesterday it was like National Ariens day out there.

The stuff was nasty and slushy and half melting more from the salt than the heat as I think yesterday got up to about 23F.

My dealer suggested Pam cooking spray. I tried that once and my chute clogged a bit, now that the Pam has worn off, no clogging. I guess Pam doesn't like plastic. WD-40 is nothing but fish oil and stabilizers, so kinda like unedible Pam.

Wax is kinda hard to put on right now as it's so cold and even inside it's not really melting. I was going to do my EOD but it's only 2 inches and it's not very soft yet, we get less salt up here I guess.

If the Ariens SS is that bad, try over-riding the governor to jack up the power and rotor speed.   Power and velocity can often make up for poor design. 

borat wrote:
I already solved the problem Borat.  I sold it for $25.  I told the guy who bought it that it didn't work, that it would just frustrate him, and that he was throwing his money away.  He bought it anyway and I'm glad that I don't have to trip over it anymore.

superbuick, aa335 and Paul7,

With regards to the Poulan, I have only had the chance to use it as a "middle" machine, after the Ariens and before the 30" shovel.  One time I tried it on a sloppier EOD and put it away for the Ariens.  It seems powerful, but EOD is for two-stagers if you have one at the ready.  I will, with some more snow coming, give the Poulan full use and see how it goes and report back.  I'll post action pics and hopefully some video.  For now it starts and runs like a charm, throws nicely and is really fast moving.  Very nimble and easy to steer.  I really like how it leaves next to nothing for the 30" shovel to scrape off.  The stutter pattern is nice to look at, very tidy - you can even see a bit of it in the street in the bottom pic below.  The sun has little to do before I see the black asphalt on the driveway.  Even while the street is still white.  The neighbours think I have buried heating coils.

Next dump around here, we'll see how the 208 cm3 fares on its own.  Thanks for the comments.