New Ariens 24 Deluxe Snowblower—Any helpful hint?

[1kzwoman]

Hello All,
I take delivery on a Ariens 24Deluxe snowblower tomorrow!(replacing an old Craftsman 3/20ES). I’m looking for some tips on use and care of the Ariens please from members. What I’ve learned so far is todo the following.
1 Drain the machine gas tank and let it run dry before storing for the summer.
2 Use ethanol free gas with Stabilizer
3 Keep some Ariens shear bolts available

Some questions I have
1 What non Ariens gear lube, oil and grease are you using?
2 What accessories do you recommend?
Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts

 

[gfreek]

Do not have an Ariens, however, My opinions after looking at manual ...Gearlube would not be needed for the auger gear box unless it was leaking: Grease-- I'd use a good lithium based water resistant grease. Engine Oil -- engine specs call for 5W-30 I suspect synthetic blend as item description.. The owners manual show lube points and service part numbers, etc..

 

[1kzwoman]

Do not have an Ariens, however, My opinions after looking at manual ...Gearlube would not be needed for the auger gear box unless it was leaking: Grease-- I'd use a good lithium based water resistant grease. Engine Oil -- engine specs call for 5W-30 I suspect synthetic blend as item description.. The owners manual show lube points and service part numbers, etc..

Hi, Ive read on a snowblower forum about some gear box seal leaks happening.Also looking thr the manual online. Thank you for your response and suggestions

 

[gfreek]

I recall I did have a customer with a leaky seal, out of warranty, I gave him a bottle of gear oil and showed him how to check and add, and place a rubber mat under it to prevent oil stains on floor..

 

[saberbass]

get some shear pins , always good to have some extra's around.

 

[Max W]

The 24 is a nice size easy store and doesn’t try to eat too much of a large snowbank at once. Of course avoid rocks and keep the space where you work up your firewood cleaned up if you will be clearing there.

 

[yooperdave]

I have an ariens. 2 family members have ariens.

My advice to you is to buy an extra carburetor now. I and also the other family members have practiced the run it dry (out of gas) with the fuel additives and also only burned ethanaol free gas in them and have had issues every fall re-starting them. Maybe the first 2 years were trouble free, but after that, it has been every stinking year.

Replacing the carb is the quickest and least stressful way to avoid this annual dilemma.

BTW, I enjoy the ariens as do the others but this fuel stuff is for the birds!

 

[Wooden Head]

Hello All,
I take delivery on a Ariens 24Deluxe snowblower tomorrow!(replacing an old Craftsman 3/20ES). I’m looking for some tips on use and care of the Ariens please from members. What I’ve learned so far is todo the following.
1 Drain the machine gas tank and let it run dry before storing for the summer.
2 Use ethanol free gas with Stabilizer
3 Keep some Ariens shear bolts available

Some questions I have
1 What non Ariens gear lube, oil and grease are you using?
2 What accessories do you recommend?
Thank you for sharing your experfor 10 yearsience and thoughts

I have run an Ariens 28 Deluxe for 10 years. Here is what I've found.
Enjoy

 

[Poindexter]

Having done both, I _strongly_ prefer to store my snow thrower within my heated garage in the winter months for easier starting.

I do move it out to my unheated garden shed for the summer months, but trying to start small engines that are cooled to ambient -20dF is no bueno.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Tape the shear pins to the blower. Otherwise you won’t be able to find them in a blizzard, at 5am, in the dark, when you’re already late…

 

[1kzwoman]

Tape the shear pins to the blower. Otherwise you won’t be able to find them in a blizzard, at 5am, in the dark, when you’re already late…

How do you know that? Good idea!

 

[gfreek]

How do you know that? Good idea!

And add some anti seize or grease before installing, because hey you never know..

 

[Rob711]

Watch for newspapers if that’s still a thing. Oh and keep your fleshy bits away from the spinning stuff

 

[Ashful]

I own an Ariens 824 (8 hp / 24 inch) with a Tecumseh engine, that's been in the family since about 1990. I've cared well for it the last 20 years, but unfortunately its first owner did not. Here's a few things, most of which are common to all snowblowers.

1. The advice on buying shear pins now is good. You'll need them sooner or later. I keep mine in the box of OPE maintenance in the cupboard in my shed, same place I keep spare spark plugs, air filters, etc. Always easy to find, because I always know where they are.
2. Make sure your driveway is clear of any debris that could get sucked into the auger. If you have kids, that means re-checking it before every storm. These things don't like passing street hockey balls and frisbees. If you have a neighbor who likes to leave bricks in his driveway, but then has no hesitation in asking you to clear it for him after a storm, make sure you check his driveway too. DAMHIKT.
3. Check gearbox oil level every fall before first use. Mine uses their L-2 Gear Lube, but yours might use something newer. If you ever find it low, start checking it more frequently, but mine still holds fine after 30+ years.
4. The grease recommended by Ariens is Stens Hi Temp 36800. There are others (@ABMax24 ) who know way more about lube than me, so I'll defer to them on equivalents, but it appears to be an extreme pressure lithium-based grease.
5. Always mix fuel stabilizer with the fuel going into the tank, every time. You never know which use will be your last for the year.
6. Always shut it down at the end of a day by closing the fuel valve between the tank and carb. If yours doesn't have a fuel valve, spend $9 on Amazon and get a 4-pack of them.
7. Put an oil drain extension tube on the machine to make for cleaner oil changes, unless they've started doing that on the newer ones. The old ones were a stupid mess, with the oil draining all over the chassis, impossible to catch cleanly in a pan. A simple 1/4" x 4" galvanized pipe nipple with cap was my solution.
8. Follow the maintenance protocol for every year that it's been used, preferably in spring or summer:
   1. Oil change
   2. Remove the shear bolts and grease the auger spindle. Most people skip this prescribed step, but it honestly takes only 2 minutes, will save your machine and a lot of frustration from a rusted auger spindle.
   3. Change gearbox oil every 10th year. Easy to remember if you write the date of purchase somewhere on the machine.
   4. Clean and gap plug every 100 hours and replace every 200 hours, which is many years for most people.
   5. Pull lynch pin from one drive wheel at a time, slide it part way off the shaft (not all the way, wipe some grease on the shaft, and spin the wheel back on to distribute. Then replace lynch pin.
   6. Grease the two or three zerks hiding in the toe-kick area, but only ONE pump each. Much more will make a greasy mess of the insides, and have you doing a full disassembly on a snowy day to clean grease off the clutch drive plate.
   7. They recommend pulling the chute to grease the flange, but I found that a few drops of way oil works as well or better. Way oil is very similar to bar oil, so I'd be tempted to try bar oil, if I didn't have a jug of way oil sitting here with too few uses. The point is, you want some thick and tacky oil-based lubricant between the chute and the flange, so you don't have metal on metal when in use, and don't end up with the thing rusted in place when in storage.
   8. Lube the little chute rotator gearbox with a finger wipe of grease every 2nd year, or thereabouts. Also put a drop of oil on the universal joint on the rotator crank shaft.
   9. DRAIN THE CARBURETOR BOWL EVERY SPRING. I have been doing this for many years, and have never had to replace a carburetor. Shutting off the tank valve is a good measure for storing a few weeks, but you really want to drain the bowl for all-summer storage. Some machines have a carb bowl drain cock, just loosen the screw and drain it into a yogurt cup, but on mine I have to loosen the center retaining nut and just let it dripple out thru there.
9. Buy some chute lube, whether Ariens or any other brand. Someday you'll get a particularly sticky snow, and you'll be glad you have it.
10. If you're really going to rely on the thing, it might not be a bad idea to give it a test start each November, just to avoid surprises. Mine has never failed me, but someday it will.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Congratulations! I just have the Deluxe 27 with the smaller engine. Never been an issue.

 

[1kzwoman]

Congratulations! I just have the Deluxe 27 with the smaller engine. Never been an issue.

View attachment 307357

Nice!

 

[1kzwoman]

I own an Ariens 824 (8 hp / 24 inch) with a Tecumseh engine, that's been in the family since about 1990. I've cared well for it the last 20 years, but unfortunately its first owner did not. Here's a few things, most of which are common to all snowblowers.

1. The advice on buying shear pins now is good. You'll need them sooner or later. I keep mine in the box of OPE maintenance in the cupboard in my shed, same place I keep spare spark plugs, air filters, etc. Always easy to find, because I always know where they are.
2. Make sure your driveway is clear of any debris that could get sucked into the auger. If you have kids, that means re-checking it before every storm. These things don't like passing street hockey balls and frisbees. If you have a neighbor who likes to leave bricks in his driveway, but then has no hesitation in asking you to clear it for him after a storm, make sure you check his driveway too. DAMHIKT.
3. Check gearbox oil level every fall before first use. Mine uses their L-2 Gear Lube, but yours might use something newer. If you ever find it low, start checking it more frequently, but mine still holds fine after 30+ years.
4. The grease recommended by Ariens is Stens Hi Temp 36800. There are others (@ABMax24 ) who know way more about lube than me, so I'll defer to them on equivalents, but it appears to be an extreme pressure lithium-based grease.
5. Always mix fuel stabilizer with the fuel going into the tank, every time. You never know which use will be your last for the year.
6. Always shut it down at the end of a day by closing the fuel valve between the tank and carb. If yours doesn't have a fuel valve, spend $9 on Amazon and get a 4-pack of them.
7. Put an oil drain extension tube on the machine to make for cleaner oil changes, unless they've started doing that on the newer ones. The old ones were a stupid mess, with the oil draining all over the chassis, impossible to catch cleanly in a pan. A simple 1/4" x 4" galvanized pipe nipple with cap was my solution.
8. Follow the maintenance protocol for every year that it's been used, preferably in spring or summer:
   1. Oil change
   2. Remove the shear bolts and grease the auger spindle. Most people skip this prescribed step, but it honestly takes only 2 minutes, will save your machine and a lot of frustration from a rusted auger spindle.
   3. Change gearbox oil every 10th year. Easy to remember if you write the date of purchase somewhere on the machine.
   4. Clean and gap plug every 100 hours and replace every 200 hours, which is many years for most people.
   5. Pull lynch pin from one drive wheel at a time, slide it part way off the shaft (not all the way, wipe some grease on the shaft, and spin the wheel back on to distribute. Then replace lynch pin.
   6. Grease the two or three zerks hiding in the toe-kick area, but only ONE pump each. Much more will make a greasy mess of the insides, and have you doing a full disassembly on a snowy day to clean grease off the clutch drive plate.
   7. They recommend pulling the chute to grease the flange, but I found that a few drops of way oil works as well or better. Way oil is very similar to bar oil, so I'd be tempted to try bar oil, if I didn't have a jug of way oil sitting here with too few uses. The point is, you want some thick and tacky oil-based lubricant between the chute and the flange, so you don't have metal on metal when in use, and don't end up with the thing rusted in place when in storage.
   8. Lube the little chute rotator gearbox with a finger wipe of grease every 2nd year, or thereabouts. Also put a drop of oil on the universal joint on the rotator crank shaft.
   9. DRAIN THE CARBURETOR BOWL EVERY SPRING. I have been doing this for many years, and have never had to replace a carburetor. Shutting off the tank valve is a good measure for storing a few weeks, but you really want to drain the bowl for all-summer storage. Some machines have a carb bowl drain cock, just loosen the screw and drain it into a yogurt cup, but on mine I have to loosen the center retaining nut and just let it dripple out thru there.
9. Buy some chute lube, whether Ariens or any other brand. Someday you'll get a particularly sticky snow, and you'll be glad you have it.
10. If you're really going to rely on the thing, it might not be a bad idea to give it a test start each November, just to avoid surprises. Mine has never failed me, but someday it will.

Ouch I bet that brick was hard on the friendly neighbor thought and the snowblower. Thank you for the cheat sheet!

 

[mellow]

My 2 cents, I loaded up at Lowes last spring with the Airens motor oil and chute spray was on closeout, amazing how cheap that sells for offseason.

I recommend following donyboy73 on youtube, wealth of knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/@donyboy73

I also did the paddle upgrade to mine, not something everyone should do but we get heavy wet snow here and it does help:

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[Ashful]

Ouch I bet that brick was hard on the friendly neighbor thought and the snowblower. Thank you for the cheat sheet!

I certainly looked less fondly upon him for awhile, after that particular incident. If anyone remembers Vince from the show Mike and Molly, yeah... he was that guy.

I failed to expressly say it, but you probably already figured it out from context: at end of each usage, close fuel valve and let it idle until it runs dry. This will protect your carb to some degree, versus allowing ethanol fuel to sit in it all the time. Draining the carb bowl at the end of the season is further assurance of the same.

 

[mellow]

I certainly looked less fondly upon him for awhile, after that particular incident. If anyone remembers Vince from the show Mike and Molly, yeah... he was that guy.

I failed to expressly say it, but you probably already figured it out from context: at end of each usage, close fuel valve and let it idle until it runs dry. This will protect your carb to some degree, versus allowing ethanol fuel to sit in it all the time. Draining the carb bowl at the end of the season is further assurance of the same.

Some might not come with a fuel shutoff, it is easy to add and well worth it. You can get the parts at any Tractor Supply (which ironically does not carry tractor parts anymore). I would just buy the plastic shut off, the last metal one I got started leaking through and not doing the one job it had to do, stop gas.

 

[Ashful]

Some might not come with a fuel shutoff, it is easy to add and well worth it. You can get the parts at any Tractor Supply (which ironically does not carry tractor parts anymore). I would just buy the plastic shut off, the last metal one I got started leaking through and not doing the one job it had to do, stop gas.

Here's the one I've been using on most stuff this size. Hard to beat $2.25/ea., hose clamps included.

Amazon product ASIN B09F2FDC23