BPEisenhower 485 #1 Posted March 7, 2022 Hello all! We picked up this Ariens in Waupun Wisconsin over the weekend and can't wait to give it a full service and a cleaning with Fluid Film. Bought this with a Toro 1132 snow blower and a GT14 tractor. Hopefully there is one more snow before I can't try it out... Be blessed all and thank you! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 7,273 #2 Posted March 7, 2022 Rugged great machine - I have 2 from the early 1970's . If the Tecumseh gives up on you, replace it with a Predator - pretty straight forward swap. Check the auger gearbox for smooth action and keep it filled with 90 weight - the input shaft is also the worm drive - NLA. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BPEisenhower 485 #3 Posted March 9, 2022 On 3/7/2022 at 4:07 AM, ri702bill said: Rugged great machine - I have 2 from the early 1970's . If the Tecumseh gives up on you, replace it with a Predator - pretty straight forward swap. Check the auger gearbox for smooth action and keep it filled with 90 weight - the input shaft is also the worm drive - NLA. I haven't heard it run yet. This machine went through a shop last year and had a new carb, muffler, belt, idler/tensioner and fluids changed. Was sold because it was too big and old,....I paid 190, what he paid for half the parts. Figured it will outlast me! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 10,558 #4 Posted March 9, 2022 Putting a new scraper bar and skids on my 1970 Ariens this week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 7,273 #5 Posted March 9, 2022 11 hours ago, Handy Don said: Putting a new scraper bar and skids on my 1970 Ariens this week. Oh yeah - when I picked up my second one, it needed some immediate work - one was the scraper bar. It was so worn down that the attaching metal on the tub was half gone. The engine ran great but there was a bad vibration and jerkiness to it - seems it had been dropped and one leg of the bearing housing casting was broken off. Got another assembly from a guy parting out its sister - went to pick it up and he tells me since I'm the last one to pick up items sold, I can take any or all of what is left. The tub was in excellent condition, and it had a serviceable scraper bar too! Both came home with me that day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 7,273 #6 Posted March 9, 2022 11 hours ago, Handy Don said: Putting a new scraper bar and skids on my 1970 Ariens this week. Skids - the one mentioned above had no skids on it when I got it. I have two Ariens Dealers near me - one right in town and a larger one 15 miles away. So, I go to the local one and the helper, not the owner, waits on me. He comes out with a cheap pair of aftermarket thin knock offs and writes them up as full price OEM Ariens parts. I ask why, he says the OEM are no longer available (which is an outright lie). I bought them anyway since I was there but had to ask him if he had both a ski mask and a handgun behind the counter. I told him to put the mask on and point the gun at me because he was robbing me!! He was NOT impressed - last time to do business with them. Bill 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 10,558 #7 Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, ri702bill said: Skids - the one mentioned above had no skids on it when I got it. I have two Ariens Dealers near me - one right in town and a larger one 15 miles away. So, I go to the local one and the helper, not the owner, waits on me. He comes out with a cheap pair of aftermarket thin knock offs and writes them up as full price OEM Ariens parts. I ask why, he says the OEM are no longer available (which is an outright lie). I bought them anyway since I was there but had to ask him if he had both a ski mask and a handgun behind the counter. I told him to put the mask on and point the gun at me because he was robbing me!! He was NOT impressed - last time to do business with them. Bill Return them. I used these. Heavier than OEM and reversable (and color matched!). Edited March 9, 2022 by Handy Don Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 7,273 #8 Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Handy Don said: Return them. I used these. Heavier than OEM and reversable (and color matched!) Can't do that Don - I've had them on for 10 plus years now. I never buy these anymore - I reshoe them by bending up a pair of 7" long pieces of 1/4 x 1-1/4 hot rolled and tack weld them at the ends and one in the middle - grind the welds to replace them. Edited March 9, 2022 by ri702bill 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 10,558 #9 Posted March 9, 2022 1 minute ago, ri702bill said: Can't do that Don - I've had them on for 10 plus years now. I never but these anymore - I reshoe them by bending up a pair of 7" long pieces of 1/4 x 1-1/4 hot rolled and tack weld them at the ends and one in the middle - grind the welds to replace them. You guys with welders. Sigh... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 7,273 #10 Posted March 9, 2022 4 minutes ago, Handy Don said: You guys with welders. Sigh... Yup "Cut it to length, beat it to fit, weld it in place, and paint it to match." or As Kenny Rogers sang in the Gambler "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right". 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ohiofarmer 3,156 #11 Posted March 10, 2022 i have a like new one and was able to substitute wheels for the skids. The skids have almost no wear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
