tds1

Thanks Jake for the helpful advice. I was planning on following your advice over the weekend when I had more time - but I just figured out the problem. The Ariens manual shows the fuel shut off valve as horizontal when open, vertical when closed. The engine manual shows the exact opposite (which I only looked at tonight). So, based on the Ariens manual I put the fuel switch to horizontal. That is why it started for 20 seconds, then stopped and never started again. Obviously, I had it backwards (just took me a few days to figure out), but isn't it strange the Ariens manual and the engine manual shows the exact opposite settings for the fuel switch. Oh well - problem solved. Thanks all!

I have a similar problem also with my Ariens 7524. This would be its second season. At the end of the first season I added Stabil, ran it for 10 minutes and then shut off the fuel valve. When I tried to start this season (electric start), it started for about 15-20 seconds, then stopped. It did this about 2 or 3 times, and now I can't get it to do even that. That is with full choke, fuel valve open, primed 3 or 4 times, throttle on low. I added some fresh fuel to the tank, but it didn't seem to help at all (I didn't drain the old fuel out though). What should I do next? If it is to drain the fuel tank, what is the best way to do that (I know that sounds like a dumb question)? Should I drain the fuel out of the carb? If so, how do I do that? Thanks for the expert advice!

OK, I am an idiot - I knew I should have moved to Florida instead of Minnesota. Anyway, on slightly more careful examination, it looks like I have broken a shear bolt on one side (that side the auger turns freely). So, I will replace that. I am sure that will make a huge difference! Any other tips for better operation (other than I should have had it adjusted at a dealer)? I will also now start using the silicone spray. Any other adjustments to check/make? Did I probably just break a bolt by hitting a small rock or something or could a huge pile of snow do the same thing?

By the way, I figured out my problem when I went back into the garage tonight and noticed all the snow on the augur was on one side. Sherlock Holmes I am not!!

Have a new Ariens 7524 Snow Blower that I have been using for much of the season, and haven't been able to get it working correctly. Driveway is fairly steep, but I have similar problems on flat areas. Today we had about 10 inches of quite heavy snow. It will work OK for small stretches, but quite quickly it is just pushing snow instead of blowing it. I have had this problem even in relatively light snow falls. If does seem that the auger area is getting clogged with snow. Any advice? I just bought some silicone spray, but this seems to be a bigger problem than just that. Does it need belt adjustment (I admit, I never adjusted anything when I set it up). Any help would be appreciated. My next door neighbor has a 11.5 HP Ariens (which he also set up without any adjustments) and it has absolutely no problems, but I can't imagine that the difference in HP is the issue. Or is it???

Have a new Ariens 7.5 HP Snowblower. First couple of snowfalls it has done fantastic. We have a pretty steep grade driveway. Today snowed most of the day, so therefore had a few sets of tire tracks of the driveway. Found in that case it was easier to go side to side rather than up and down the driveway because it kept getting stuck in the compressed areas near the tire tracks. Eventually, figured out I need to lock both the wheels so they were both driving to get more traction. Any other advice to get more traction and keep the blower as close to the ground as possible? Would tire chains help at all and would they damage a 6 month old asphalt driveway? Also had similar problem at EOD - wheels slipping seemed the main issue - it is particularly steep at the bottom. Overall pretty pleased with it's operation - if I could just always get the snow off the driveway before a car drives on it!