midfiman

Hey Carl, it's the actual skid shoes not the bar that are leaving marks so I think it's just the weight of the machine weighing them down.  I should look into the skid shoes you're talking about though...

Hey guys,

So I was able to put my Ariens Deluxe 30 to the test a few days ago and it did a good job of throwing heavy slushy snow 20+ feet which I what I would expect for the heavy stuff.  What I found hard was manuvering the machine.  Because of it's heavy weight, it digs into the driveway pretty good to the point where it marks up the driveway in a few locations.  My queston is, am I using the blower wrong?  Are you suppose to apply downward pressure on the handles to keep the bucket lighter and slightly up?  The blower definately cleans the snow right to the ground.

Are there shoes that have wheels that I can use to make the machine easier to move around?  Maybe I should look at those...

Thanks,

Midfi

BTW how do you know if the choke is engaging?  I put it on choke and the motor cranks but doesn't start.  Not sure about whether the choke is engaging.  Thanks!

Thanks for your reply.  Alot of what you said I'm not familiar with (fully mechanically inclined, like changing car brakes all the time, etc, but never did any work on any outdoor power equipment).  Not sure about how everything is connected, etc.  The guy who does it for $150 is not a dealer but rather a guy who has a small business out of his home that will do all of the listed for $150.  It might still not be worth it.  It sounds like it's in my best interest to fiddle around and try and play with the carb a bit to see if I can get it up and running.  I'll have to take a closer look tonight!

Hey guys,

So my wife and I had a baby recently... ...in that, I didn't get a chance to winterize my Snapper lawn tractor so now it won't start since I left gas in it and i'm guess the carb/lines are jammed up.  It's only 2 years old so it's a fairly new machine.  My questions are as follows:  Should I take to a local guy here says he will remove the carb, clean it, clean the lines, check and replace any belts, tune the machine up, and sharpen blades for about $150, or should I do some of this myself?  Would it be easy to get this machine up and running somehow?  I'm sure more details are needed but just trying to see if I should sent it out or do something myself?