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

I have a 7 year old Ariens 824 with drive problems.  I replaced friction disk and that didn't fix issue.  The axle bearings themselves are ok - but they are loose in the opening in the housing.  The gap that exists allows the two gears inside to not contact each other.  If I take the weight off the wheels by supporting from underneath, I can push the axles down, thus making the gears mesh fine.  But the weight of the machine on the wheels during use pushes the axle up in that gap, allowing the gears not to mesh.  Is there a shim or something I can use to take up the space between the outer surface of the axle bearings and the orange housing through which they are mounted ?

I sent a PM to the OP with some other links to read of a similar situation someone else was having.