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

Hey guys,
It's good to be back....life has been hyperspeed the last month.  We just returned from seeing my son off to Africa, and we are now back in cold Western N.Y.

While we were gone, my youngest son, 16 yrs old, has been in charge of using the new Ariens 1332DLE.  While he was last using it, a small piece broke........nothing really important, just the thin plastic bracket that holds the "Lawyer -mandated chute clearing shovel/stick thing" on the front of the unit.

My son states that it did not break by pulling the stick off in a twisted way......he said that while he was blowing out the end of the driveway, a bigger chunk of ice came out of the chute and instead of getting thrown far , far away as usual, it kinda fell right in front of it, falling on the blower itself, thus breaking this little bracket and making the shovel/stick fall off. I tend to believe him, because there has never been a reason even to touch that shovel/stick thing.

Now I'm not complaining about my Ariens, it blows the snow far, etc, and has never clogged.  I DO have to admit though, that this "bracket-clip" mounted on the top front of the blower, IS made a bit flimsy....not in character with the rest of the unit....it is thin plastic, and seems brittle in the cold. I think this should have been made out of some sheet metal.

I plan on calling Ariens Tuesday and seeing if they will just send me another bracket.  Although I have not yet come close to needing the chute cleared, I'm sure they want me to still keep that shovel/stick close by, so I really do need a new bracket.  The bracket is pop riveted on, so I think I will replace the rivets with some small Stainless steel nuts and bolts, so if it happens again it will be easier to replace.

In other "Ariens snowblower news"..........I think I have decided to buy the snow cab and weight kit for the new Ariens. After checking all over, the best price came from the dealer I bought the snowblower from.......(DUH)........price being $160 + tax.  Other places wanted up to $199. for it plus tax or shipping.  I think they install it for $20.00 more, but I think I will do that, unless they also have that bracket thing, and want to just come and get it and do everything in a timely fashion.  I just do not want to be without it this time of year, unless they can return it in less then a day or so..........we'll see.

I may also think about snow chains for it.  I did not think I would need them, hearing so much good about these "new snow hog tires", but on my smooth driveway, I do get some slippage even when the traction shifts from one wheel to the other.....I wonder if the chains will help. The chains are not to nice to driveway sealer....I was hoping to get away from chains, but we'll see.   Yes, I know I can easily put it in "key lock" position with just a turn of the knob, but heck, when it is in that mode, it IS very hard to turn, and if I wanted to do that, I just would have bought the LE instead.

Anyway, all your collective wisdom is eagerly coveted.

Frank D.

Frank,
I was teasing. I'm sure he is a wonderful young man for you to give him so much responsibity.
He sounds like one in a million.

Dear OT,
Good suggestion........but since it is still new and under warranty, i'll try to keep it stock..........but that IS a great idea!

Robmints- thank you. He has his moments, but most of the time I'd decline from selling him to Gypsies..........now that he is saving for a car, he knows that it is a privilege, he is on his best behavior.

I'm wondering if there will be any comments about the snow chain thing, etc...........I thought that they were a thing of the past with these "new type" tires......but I do get slippage on the parts of the driveway where someone has driven and packed the snow or ice down.............anyone else?

Do you think the weight of a snowcab and the 20 lb front weight would help....(the thing is already over 300 lbs.....)

Frank D.

So what do them snow blower things look like anyways?? LOL  I had to mow the yard  last week and today.  Take care Mike

Hi Frank:

I can't chime in on the chute poker or the cab...only the weight kit.  You will be glad that you bought that.  I orginally did not have the weight and found that the 1028 would tend to climb out of the snow I was trying to clear.  Once the weight was put on it solved the climb out.  Too bad that the hunk of steel is $50.

One thing I did when mounting the plate steel is to install some of the self adhesive "rubber" feet to the bottom of the bar.  These feet keep the plate off the top of the housing so that rust between the two from rubbing etc would not occur.

I too thought that chains would need to be used (after all, they were on my old one you know) but find that the Ariens tend to move along without too much balking.

bbwb

Geeze Frank, you have that beast with just a few, weak hours of use and already have it torn up and worth half what you paid. I'm not loaning you anything!

I wouldn't want a metal clip on mine unless it is spring loaded like Patsfan said.  It does seem like that holder would break when I am removing it.  I thought that cab was more that what you quoted but it is a good price. 

Hi Frank!

Used chains on my 1974 Simplicity since new. The friend I sold it to thanked me after using it but wanted to know if he could take them off. They will beat up your driveway no doubt. Maybe you can try what those NASCAR guys do and take a pound or two of pressure out of the tires.

As far as the Snow Cab make sure you can fit it under the garage door. They are very tall. I bought one years ago and wound up not being able to use it.Felt like a real dope when I put it on in the garage and couldn't get the machine out. You will definitely need the weight kit if you use the cab. It changes the balance of the machine  towards the rear.

If you do decide to go with the cab check out EBAY. They are on there all the time.

Marc

Morning Guys,
Hey, there is snow on my driveway today, but I'd thought I'd post before clearing out the driveway.

Mike from fla....you're killing me.  I was just in Key West a few weeks ago....it was a bit warmer there then here...no snowblowers at all.......

Marc- good advice!  I think I'm ok, my garage door is 8' high instead of the normal 7'........I've been checking on ebay, but I want an original Arien one. There is one on there now, but $160 new, with the 20 lb weight kit I think is the best way to go.

Marshall...........yes, you are right.........but come on, move next door and it could be 50-50.......you loan them and I'll break them!   Thankfully, this is just a flimsy holder for the chute stick, and it really could have been built a bit better, or perhaps the stick could have been mounted on the handles somewhere like Sherri said the snappers were. I guess they want it in plain view next to the chute for the dum-dum who is tempted to stick their hand in the chute.............guys with nicknames like "Lefty", "Stubby". "Nubs", etc..........

Well, time to clear that driveway before anyone drives on it!

Frank D.

Frank-
    With regards to the chain thing, i'd worry about the diff taking that extra beating too.  Maybe softening the tires up a bit?  I know mine were over inflated when i got my 824.

Dear Rob,
I think you may be right. For years I scuffed up the driveway with the chains on my old Toro.  I did inflate the tires up to the specs....perhaps I'll go down just a pound or two. I can live with the occasional "spin".
The snow was very wet today...temp 34 °
Nice to have the chute not clog even with wet snow.

Frank D.