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

(Making progress, slow but sure.  This thread started a few years ago.  The clutch lever was replaced and works fine, but finally getting to the shift rod adjustment)


Two questions....

I've got an old 7HP Ariens with the H70 engine, a tire was low (maybe empty) so I inflated it just before using it.  Short while later I see it's riding off the rim.  Inflated it again and made it through the storm.  I did notice the second time around, with a now wet rim, that the air was leaking (bubbling) out through the base of the stem, and a tad around the bead.

What's the right way of changing a tire tube on a rusty rim so it holds air?

And about a clutch.  The hand lever was all but locked and wouldn't go in.  Although there may not be a relationship, I fiddled with the gear selector a bit and then the clutch worked fine.  This happened several times.  I looked inside the chassis and didn't see anything amiss, but at the time the lever was also working properly.  What could cause an intermittent lockout of the clutch lever from functioning?

Can't believe I'm resurrecting a post from two years ago, but goshbegee, this was one of the first things that came up on a google search!

I have finally unseized the shift rod adjustment barrel, and can guess an adjustment but don't see one listed in the manual.

It's a Model 10962 (from 1969, going on it's 43rd season?) which I believe is covered in this manual:
http://apache.ariens.com/manuals/prm-10000.pdf

Is there a proper way to set the length of the shifting rod?

Sounds similar to my old JD 828,  You want to set it so, when its in neutral, there is just a tad bit of clearance between the friction wheel and the aluminum disk.  Bout 1/8 inch as I remember. Set it too close and the rubber will wear off the friction disk.  Too far, and the rubber will wear too cause it will slip.

Hmmm, that makes sense, too.

I was told to put the shifter in R and to pull the shifter rod out from the chassis as far as it would go.  Then to adjust the rod so it fits within those settings.  Doing that the machine was able to idle in N without creeping and R worked for the first time in years.

Will have to check for clearance you described.  Maybe two ways of getting to the same end result?

Thx