dcmccarthy

Hi gotsnow,

I got a reply from Ariens a few days ago. They basically said they didn't know of any problems with the springs not providing enough tension, and for me to contact my dealer.
I did speak with the dealer and they basically felt that the remote wheel lock was just in need of adjustments. Perhaps this is the case, but it really doesn't look that way to me when I watched it engage and disengage.

I haven't noticed much in the way of a difference when operating it in different temperatures. Mine has gone through periods where it has worked fine and then gone back to slipping. At the moment I'm in a good phase. ;)

I'm going to wait until the spring when I have my machine in for servicing to have them look at it.

Try doing something, like duct tape, like I suggested to put additional tension on the spring. Another good one to use would be a regular old hose clamp. You'll notice at the base of the spring there's a type of pin through the shaft - put the hose clamp (or even 2 back to back) there against that. I was looking on the insides of mine as well tonight to see how my duct tape is holding up and so far so good. I'd say I got a solid inch in width, and about a 1/4 inch thickness around the shaft itself. While I can't say that this completely solved my problem it's far less frequent now. I've got an email off to Ariens about the problem, and may end up calling yet. Someone on another forum mentioned that there have been issues with the tension on this spring and to get in touch with Ariens regarding it.

I have an Ariens 1027 (this years model) and when I slow it down from full speed to a low idle or shut it off I usually get a couple of backfires.

Is this something to be concerned about, or is there an adjustment to the carburator that can be made to stop the backfires?
It has a 10Hp, Tecumseh L-Head motor.

Thanks!

Thanks for the reply!
The machine has a 3 year warranty, so I'm not overly concerned about the cost. I was moreso looking for something I could adjust myself in my shed that might help. I'll be sure to mention it to my dealer when I put it in for a spring service!

Thanks!

Hello,

I purchased a new Ariens 1027 this past fall, and am having a problem with the wheels locking. While the machine is under a load, the wheel lock disengages on its own. I've taken off the bottom plate and watched the mechanism of the remote wheel lock engage and disengage and looks to function properly. When engage the cogs of the 2 halves of the gear-like thing that puts the machine into 2-wheel drive do go together tightly. The tension of the cable does also look to be correct - the mechanism engages and disengages properly with each squeeze of the trigger.

With the machine resting on the snow intake (attachment), if I rotate the left wheel back and forth (the side with the locking mechanism) with the lock engage I can actually witness the locking mechanism slip. Looks like the stress on the 2 halves of the gear cause it to just open up and slip. This led me to think that there was a problem with the spring that covers the shaft not having enough tension on it to keep the this gear firmly together. As a quick workaround I tensioned the string and wound a good 1/4" of duct tape around the shaft to hold it in place with the increased tension. For a while I did think that this solved the problem, but low and behold the problem has started to act up again.

Any suggestions on how to go about fixing this would be great. I really don't want to have to put my machine in the shop heading into the snowiest month of the year!

Thanks!
Dave